✓ Forget Me Not (Short Story)

Chapter Nine

5 weeks later...

"She's in the front room, Caleb, like usual," her mother tells me. I nod a thanks, heading past her to the nice screened in porch at the back of the house, which really makes no sense as it's called the front room.

The room is covered in different plants, with a white victorian-style couch in the center. On it is Felicity, wrapped in a quilt. When she sees me, she makes room for me to sit down.

"How are you feeling today?" I ask her, gently taking her one hand into my lap to caress.

"It's been a good day," she says, no emotion in her voice.

"That's...that's good." Inside, I just want to cry. Such a beautiful woman with such a happiness for life is now reduced to this. To just breathing, not living.

I stand up and lean down, picking her up in my arms. I grab my photography bag on the way outside. After laying the quilt down, I place Felicity on top of it before sitting down beside her.

"It's beautiful out here, isn't it?" The atmosphere was just full of the thought of summer, even though it was the end of the season. The kind of day where you've just gotten home from school and you have one last day in your swimming pool, and you forget what is right around the corner.

"The leaves will be changing soon."

"I don't care, Caleb."

I sigh, going to my camera back next. I pull out my Canon Rebel, placing it into her lap.

"There's nothing to photograph." She looks away from me and the camera.

"That's not true," I say, taking the camera from her lap back into my own hands. "A girl once told me that sometimes beauty can be in our own backyard." I snap a candid shot of her turned away, the sun behind her illuminating the loose locks around her face. She lets a small smile overtake her face briefly. Quickly it vanishes.

"I can't even click the capture button, let alone hold the camera at the same time."

"I'm still your apprentice. Use my hands where you need them." I hold them out to her in dramatic emphasis. She picks up the camera, pulling her knees up to herself to balance the camera on. She plays with my always-a-mess settings for a few minutes. Then, she takes long shots of various objects in her yard from the one position.

Felicity eventually stops, leaning back onto the ground, the camera still on her knees. I follow suit, laying beside her.

"I'll forget you one day."

"I know."

"I'll die one day."

I pause, taking in a sharp breath. "I know."

She chuckles. "Aren't we such star-crossed lovers? It's revolting."

I don't reply, staring up at the blue sky. We had been avoiding the hard subjects for awhile now, and here we are. We can't avoid it any longer.

"I'm leaving all my photography stuff to you. You've earned it, as my apprentice." She takes a deep breath then continues. "I have a final gallery opening in November. All my pieces are in a folder on my laptop. I'll need you to print them off and get them ready. Can you do that?"

"Felicity, it's only two months away. You'll still be around-"

She cuts me off. "Can you do that?" she repeats to me. I nod.

A warm silence envelopes us. After awhile, she sits up, turning to me.

"Promise me something else; one last thing."

I stop breathing for a moment, waiting for her request.

"Don't forget about me." A single tear trails down her cheek, catching on her jawline before falling into her lap.

I take her hands into mine. "Never, Felix. Never."

She rests her head onto my chest. Soon, she's asleep. Her soft breathing puts me at ease, just for that moment. Like everything would be okay. That the world would be at ease. But it was false.

I'd like to say that she got better, that some miraculous cure was discovered that saved her from her own body's attack. That would be a lie, though. And I can't lie about her.

In the following few weeks, her health worsened rapidly. Most days, she didn't know who I was or wasn't even conscious.

Finally, I got the call.

"Caleb," her mom struggles over the phone. "I think this will be her last lucid moment. You may want to bring the pictures."

I had the pictures ready for awhile, so that I'd be prepared whenever it came to this.

I was at the hospital in less than ten minutes. The receptionist didn't even question if I was family, since I had been in so often, and just let me up to her room.

"Caleb," she breathes in a raspy voice, her eyes following my form into the room.

"Hey, Felicity." I help her sit up carefully. Taking the chair next to her bed, I pull up the box of pictures.

The first part of the pictures are her childhood: her in choir, at various church events, and hanging out with friends.

Next, came the rare pictures of her from high school and college. She looked each picture over with articulate observation.

Finally, I showed her the pictures that I took of her from this summer.

"Oh," she breathes out. "I was beautiful."

"You still are."

She shakes her head. "Most days I can't even remember what color eyes I have. It's weird to see a girl from just a few months ago and believe it's me."

I pat her arm. She smiles at me before going back through all of her pictures again.

Again.

And Again.

And Again.

"I'm sorry, but visiting hours are over," a nurse tells us, peaking her head into the room.

"Can I keep these, for the night?" she asks me.

"Of course. A majority are yours anyways."

"You'll have them back in the morning. Promise."

"No rush," I tell her, standing up. "Keep them as long as you want."

I bend down, kissing her on the lips.

A goodbye kiss.

I turn to leave, only to be stopped by three little words.

"I love you."

I look behind me, smiling. "I love you too, Felicity."

That was the last I saw her alive. That night, she passed away, a picture of her and I crumpled in her fist.

She kept her promise that I'd get the pictures back the next morning.

Oh, how I wish she didn't.