Life and its Challenges

~1~

When I wake up every part of my body hurts. It takes me a few seconds to understand what happened to me. The demolished motorcycle lays a few feet away even though bits and pieces are spread everywhere. We never should've gotten on this fucking thing. I take a deep breath and sit up. It takes me almost a minute to actually sit up on the hard asphalt. The truck that hit us is nowhere to be seen so I assume it drove away. 
"Jughead?" My raspy voice says. I don't get an answer so I slowly look around myself. Still sitting on the ground with pain everywhere. I see him and stand up. He lies perfectly still and I'm sure he passed out. I crawl towards him with a head that feels heavier than a rock. "Jughead?" I whisper. When I approach and see him his clothes are all red. It takes me a few seconds to realize that it is blood. And when I do I scream. I scream his name. "JUGHEAD!" My throat hurts but I don't care. I put my hands on his chest. I feel a slight heart beat and his eyes open widely as I desperately shake his body. 

"B..Betty?" He looks at me and smiles. "You look amazing." 
"What the hell are you talking about? We were in a car accident." He looks me in the eyes and I breath out without even knowing I held my breath. "You scared the crap out of me.
"It's ok Betty. Don't worry. It doesn't hurt." It doesn't hurt. That is not a good thing. I take his head and lay it in my lap. 
"Honey..." I can't help the tear leaving my eye. 
"Hey, babe, it's okay. I'm good." I smile, trying to be as strong as he is. When I sit there with his beautiful head in my lap I realize that he isn't wearing his beanie. I have to find it. 
"Jughead...where is you beanie?" I ask him, hoping he'll know where it is. 
"I am dying and all you can think about is my beanie." I shiever when I hear him say the word. Dying. 
"You are not dying." I whisper. He looks at me smiling. 
"You know damn well I am." As he coughs I see where all the blood is coming from. A big shard of glass went through his stomach in the crash. Determined that he won't die I search my pocket for my phone. 
"You will not die. You hear me?" I dial 9-1-1 with shaky hands. 
"Don't bother." He whispers. His smile disappears and I see fear spreading across his face. "I'll die anyways." I nod and sob. 
"I am sorry Jughead." 
"You have nothing to be sorry for." I nod. 
"I asked you to look at the tree that we planted when we were kids and then the truck hit us. A...And now y...you are dying." I cry. He lifts his hand slowly, as if it is the hardest thing he has ever done, and dry away my tears. 
"Betty baby, this is not your fault. I couldn't have asked for a better death." He smiles. "I'm dying in your arms. The love of my life." I smile. "D...don't ever f...forg-" His pale mouth stops talking, his beautiful eyes stops seeing, his heart stops pumping and his body stops being him. I scream his name countless of times until I give up and lifts his head up and puts it softly on the ground. As if it would hurt him if I wasn't gentle. 

I search for a few minutes until I find his beanie. I take my hair down and put it on. Surrounded by his smell I walk to Jughead put my head on his breast and his heavy arm around me. As if he was just sleeping. The only difference is that his heart isn't beating, his lungs aren't breathing and his eyes aren't closed. I wish as hard as I can that he will wake up. I've had miracles happen before. 

"Ma'am?" The paramedic say as she sits down besides me. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to move you away from your husband to be able to help him." She says with a soft voice. Don't bother. I think to myself. He is dead, nothing you do or say will change that. "Ma'am?" She says again. "What's your name?" I take a deep breath. Elizabeth Cooper. I know I'm not saying the words. I can't. Because as soon as I do this will all be real. I hear a police car approaching and I pray that Kevin won't step out of it. He can't see me like this.
"What happened here?" The man asks. And I'm sure it's him. It's Kevin. Even though it scares the shit out of me it also calms me. He knows me. 
"I have no idea. Probably a motorcycle accident. The woman refuses to let go of the man. And she doesn't say much." 

"Oh my God." Kevin whispers. He realized it was me and Jughead. "Betty? What the hell happened?" He says, clearly upset. I open my eyes and our eyes meet. "Hey, are you okay?" I manage to shake my head. "Tell me where it hurts." He tries to help me sit up but I make myself as heavy as possible. 
"Do you know them?" The paramedic whispers. 
"Yeah. Betty is my best friend and Jughead is her husband." 
"Was." I whisper. 
"I'm sorry what?" Kevin says as if he couldn't hear me.
"Was." I say a little louder.
"What do you mean?" Kevin seems confused. I want to scream as loud as I can that Jughead is dead. 
"He was my husband." I say as I force myself not to cry. 
"Is he...?" Kevin puts two fingers on Jughead's wrist. "Betty...I'm so sorry." I grasp Jughead's shirt in an attempt to keep him even closer.  
"Kevin please..." I whisper but stop. 
"Please what?" He asks. I let the tears stream down my face, making Jughead's shirt wet. 
"Please shoot me." I say as quiet as I can. "I know you have a gun." Kevin just stares at me. 
"Betty, please let me help you." 

When I feel Kevin's hand on my shoulder a panic worse than I've ever felt spreads across my body. I know that it's real, I know that Jughead is dead, but I can't believe it. Him dying was never supposed to happen. 
"Betty." He says. I wish it was Jughead's mouth forming my name, I wish it was him so much that it hurts. I just want Kevin to shoot me. To end this horrible day. 
"Kevin..." I sob. "I can't..." I want to scream that I can't breath. I hyperventilate as I try to catch my breath. If Jughead was here he could calm me down, lay his warm hand on my my shoulder, look me in the eyes with a caring look, smiling slightly and telling me everything will be okay. But he isn't here or well, he is here, his body supports my hurting head but his soul, him, is gone. "You can't what?" He says with worry in his voice. I cry so much that I can't see. Everything is jus a blur. I feel two hands under my body, one under my knees and one under my shoulders. For a breef second I think that it is Jughead, trying to carry me away from this nightmare but as the person lifts me up I realize that it is Kevin. "I'll take her home." He says to the paramedic. I want to hit Kevin for taking me away from Jughead. I make sure his beanie is still on my head as I close my eyes, trying to block out the blue and red lights from the police car.