Masked Love- A JC Caylen Fan Fiction

Chapter 15

Caylen's POV:

Chapter 15-

I was just about to go to sleep when my phone blasted that annoying alarm ringtone. I picked it up before it could go off again, not bothering to read the caller ID. "Hello, it's Caylen."

"Um, Caylen I don't know how to say this, but um." The person on the other line was definitely a man, but I couldn't tell who because all the words they spoke were in between sobs.

"Sir? Who exactly is this?"

"Its- it's George, George Liken, Erin's father." I tensed up, my muscles contracted and I gripped my phone so tight I was afraid I might break it.

"Oh my god, is- is Erin, is she okay?" My ears perked up and I waited for his response, I heard no words only sobs. I did nothing. I did not move, I did not shift one bit, I was blearily breathing.

"NO! SHE'S NOT! SHE'S NOT! MY BABY GIRL ISN'T OKAY! SHE DOESN'T KNOW WHO I AM! MY BABY GIRL DOESN'T KNOW WHO I AM!"

He starting wailing so hard I was embarrassed for him. He didn't mean to yell, but he could not talk normally and be heard.

I told him I would come asap, he stopped for a brief moment and replied with a simple alright. I'm pretty sure he dropped his phone because I heard a clash, and the line cut off only a moment later.

I looked at my phone and waited for the screen to turn dark. I looked at the time, 11:28 pm, I looked at the date 12-30-2009. I laughed. It's almost new years. The saddest part about it was that everything was new to Erin, everything she knew, everyone she knew, and everyone she loved. All those things were gone to her. Then I started to cry.

I stopped crying only a minute after I started. I had to see her, I had to know if she remembered me. Even though I already knew the answer.

I was mess on the road, three drivers honked and one almost hit me, on purpose. I got to the hospital and asked to secretary where Erin Liken was. She went smartass on me.

"Well it depends on what you mean. Do mean her exact coordinate or her room?" She smirked, I could tell she was very pleased with herself.

"Well it depends on what answer you want to give me, but first let me tell you my situation. My girlfriend, who is Erin Liken, had to be my little secret for a year while I played family with the girl who bashed Erin's face into a concrete classroom floor while I was in French class acting like a dumbass. This girl that I'm trying to find, Erin, her mom also killed herself because she was a hard core drunk who didn't know the difference between, to, two, and too. Now she doesn't remember where she is, who she is, or who her own goddamn father is! So the next time you want to waste someone's time by messing with them! You might want to realize you are working in a hospital! And anyone going to see a patient might be saying their last goodbyes! Which is something I won't get the chance to say!"

That shut her up real nice.

"Room 325." I left without saying thank you.

I watched the levels ding by and focused on the red lines of the G, the 2 and then finally the 3. I stayed in the elevator until the doors started to close but I snapped out of my daze in time to stick my hand out and stop the doors from closing all the way. The people who remained in the elevator did not think anything of my odd behavior in fact one pushed the 'OPEN DOOR' button as if my actions were completely normal, and now that I think about it for a hospital visitor, they were.

I started walking down the hall and looked at the room numbers on the odd side of the hall.

301, 303, 305... 323, 325.

I stopped moving. I stood unprepared to go in. I took deep breaths, heavy, loud breaths. I was afraid she would know I was outside and think that I popped a lung or something. That thought brought me back down to earth. I turned the door handle 90 degrees and pushed.

The first thing I saw was a nurse taking off bed sheets and removing a tray from a bed side stand. My heart stopped, tears welded but held their ground in the corners of my eyes.

"Mr. Caylen?" I turned my head to see Erin's doctor standing over her. The tears went away and relief flooded my body.

"Oh my god, Erin". I ran to her bed and I saw the tension, the awkward tension between us. She really didn't know who I was.

The tears came back. This time they did not stay in the corners, they fell, and they did not stop.

"Erin, please," my chin quivering as I spoke, "please, say something." She breathed heavily, the confusion clouded around her, she looked scared and afraid.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I really am." She said, it sounded like she was pleading for my forgiveness. It didn't help. She really didn't know, not my name, not my relation to her, she really didn't know me.

"It's okay, it's okay. It's okay if you don't remember me. But I need you to know that I will never forget you. Not your eyes, not your smile, not your struggles or hardships. I won't forget all the small things that we did. The secret meetings at the park. The kisses I was so afraid of before, the kisses I long for now. I will not forget the first time I saw, in seventh grade. I'm sure you noticed me way before and I'm lucky to have gotten to know as soon as I did. I will remember the inside jokes the good times that we laughed so hard we were in danger of barfing. Erin Marie Liken, I will never forget, no matter how hard I try or how many other girlfriends and wives I have, I will never forget just how much I love you in this moment and how much I loved you in every moment that I knew you. So it's okay. It's okay that you won't remember, because I promise that I will remember for you." I wiped the tears from my eyes, cheeks, and chin, she didn't know me, but she too wiped the tears from her own face.

"Goodbye Caylen."

I took her hand, kissed it and bent down. I whispered in her ear:

"Our masked love, will forever and always be my favorite love." I stood up, shook the doctors hand, and left the room.

I watched the red lines again as I went back down in the elevator but this time I wasn't as focused, I couldn't because everything was too blurry from the tears falling silently from my eyes.

I left the hospital without saying another word to anyone. Not even Erin's father who was sitting in a chair in the waiting room blank faced and pale as the white wall behind him.

I would never be complete again.