My wrinkled, aged skin reacted to the sun a whole lot differently then it used to, but I loved it too much to come back inside when I should have. My wife will have my neck for that. Tracy, an old greyhound my wife and I bought a few years back, laid faithfully by my side and I pushed the rocking chair back and forth, breathing in the warm, summer air. It had been a good, no, great day. The pain in my back was eased ever since my doctor subscribed a new medicine and the fair had reopened after been shut down a few years ago. I made plans to visit it later on if my wife was willing.
I felt the vibration of my phone in my chest pocket and fumbled around for it. I missed my IPhone, how I could actually understand it. Now with this "new, and latest technology" out, my IPhone was old fashion, ancient compared to the new, shiny one in my hand.
I smiled when I recognized the name. Just one more thing to turn this perfect day even better.
"Hello?"
My smile faded when I heard her fear, her panic, loud and clear over the phone. She sound scared, not like the Georgie I knew.
"Nathan. Help me."
~*~
I hate hospitals. They're too white, too clean, too bright, especially now when my world was dark, making me feel out of place.
But none of that mattered.
The man I loved was dying. He was dying and I couldn't do anything about it.
Connor had told me that things were getting harder for him lately and I tried to help him around as best as I can, but there was only so much I could do myself at this age.
When I found Connor on the floor of our kitchen, I called the police right away and managed to tell them my location through some tears and sobs. And then, when I found out his condition, I called Nathan who had drove to the hospital right away. Ava had come as well but went out to get some food from the store since the hospital food was disgusting.
I gripped Connor's hand, listening to the drone of the heart monitor, a constant reminder that one day, at some point, it was going to stop beeping.
This wasn't the first time Connor had a heart attack. About 8 months ago he had a minor one. The doctors said we shouldn't worry about, that it was something most people at our age went through.
How wrong they were.
had the ambulance been a few minutes late, had I not called out for Connor a few minutes later, he would have been dead not just from the heart attack, but from an organ that had exploded in the process.
Nathan sat next to me with his head in my hands, glaring at the floor like it was its fault all this happened. He had been silent most of the time, only speaking words of comfort to me, but that was more then I had said. The only sound I ever made since I walked into this hospital was sobs, cries, a shouts from the nightmares I've been happening. By the looks some of the nurses gave me, they were tempted to put me in the hospital myself.
I had gotten little to no sleep at all for the past few nights and was lucky to find that I had slept 3 hours. Nathan was gone to who knows where, and with consciousness came thoughts. Mine were not pleasant.
"Georgie?"
I think I almost had a heart attack.
He was awake, he was speaking, he's still here. He looked at me in pain, barley noticeable under the worry that glazed his eyes. The worry for me.
The tears I thought had run dry seemed to suddenly replenish as they streamed down my face.
"Hey, shh, shh. What's wrong?"
"W-What's wrong? C-Connor y-you almost d-died. No. Y-You're going to d-die!"
I buried my head in the white sheets, a silent drifting in the room only filled by my sobs. It seemed to take a while before Connor said anything else.
"Come here," he whispered and scooted over with some difficulty but made enough room for me to lay on.
I laid on my back, trying to curl up as close to him as possible with injuring either of us. He had fast to my hand and sighed into my grayed hair.
"It's gonna be ok."
"No. It's not! The only reason I'm still alive is because you're here too. If you leave, I won't have anything worth fighting for."
"Georgie-"
"No. Just- no. I just want to be with you, wherever you end up," I whispered and he sighed, wrapping an arm around me despite is creaking bones.
"D-Do you think God will be generous enough to us away, together?"
"I don't know, Georgie. But just know, when your time comes, I'll be waiting for you. Wherever, forever, always."
I nodded and felt one last tear slip through and felt myself drifting into sleep.
"I love you, Georgie."
"I love you too, Connor."
~*~
Being old sucks. I've decided that when I turned 65 and wished I could turn back time, or, at least, lessen the pain. Man if there was a medicine that got rid of arthritic and pain, I would stock up enough to last until the Apocalypse.
But it seems to be, that when your friend is in a worse kind of pain, you forget of your own.
Nathan had come back around noon when Georgie had fallen asleep in the chair next to Connor, saying he would spend the night at our house. He couldn't take the sight of both Connor and Georgie in that state of being. I stayed with him, knowing that him alone in the house with all these bad things happening would end up being too much for him.
I decided that I should go back and visit them this morning with some good ol' oatmeal, a meal that will never go out of fashion no matter the century. I had talked to Georgie's daughter, Amber, who said the plane got cancelled again because of the bad weather over there in Guam. Her son wasn't even contactable, being all the way in Antarctica doing some research for this big fancy company. Even after 65 years, the world was still worried about global warming. I couldn't imagine what he will think when he finds out what's happening. And her grandchild, he was already grown up and went into the navy, currently in the same predicament as his mother since they were both stationed in Guam. His grandpa was dying and he couldn't get over here quick enough.
The elevator opened and I was about to walk in when 4 nurses pushed me out of the way, one of them holding a clipboard and scribbling furiously on it.
When the elevator opened again, they rushed out as quick as they came in and ran into a room. Connor's room.
My breath hitched and I made my way over to the room as fast as a women of my age could go. And the sight was both horrifying and beautiful.
There Connor and Georgie laid, there hands gripping eat other tightly, eyes shut, faces calm and serene. At first glance, I could have sworn they were only sleeping. But the heart monitor said other wise. They passed away in their sleep, and with the smallest of smiles on their faces.
*Whatever, this was good enough. I didn't feel like I put the best effort into it but it'll have to do. and yes, i know, it was kind of depressing. I enjoyed writing it though. XD
