Endlessly (sequel to How to fall in love)

Chapter 36

The crowd of people went silent. I looked down to my feet, where the wet soil was staining my shoes. The air was heavy and humid, indicating that it had been raining for an extended period of time. Four silhouettes, enveloped completely in black, stood out, closest to the hole dug up in the ground. Two men, wearing jumpsuits, dropped the giant, black coffin into the pit, after which the four errupted into hysteric cries of despair for their loved one. I observed the situation quietly, numb to my surroundings. I recognised one of the faces, he was hard to miss. Within minutes, the coffin was burried deep into the earth. Nothing left but the memory in the hearts of those she touched, and an oval shapped stone, carved into it's bright gray surface the words 'Here lies Samantha Rose Daniels'

Gasping for air, I shoot up in my seat. For the next few minutes, I was panting heavily. I tried to take in my surroundings. The flickering lights made my eyes quickly lose focus. Thunder blasted through my ears, followed by the repeated sound of raindrops forcefully tapping against the surface. This is what it took for me to realise where I was. The waiting area. I guess I had another nightmare, the third one tonight. The last I remember before dozing off was the doctor telling us about Sam's shaky state and us rushing to her side. Tears were drawn and hope had just about faded away, when a nurse came to an idea on something they could try. I don't know what went on in there, but after another agonising wait, we were told Sam could still make it. We're not allowed to see her until morning and so far, this night hasn't been very pleasent.

When I noticed my breathing had stabilized and my hands were no longer shaking, I decided to pull one more attempt on going to sleep. Shifting in my uncomfortable chair I was able to find a suitable position for my back. I shut my eyes, drifting away to the soothing sound of raindrops.

When my eyes opened the next morning, Calum was already fully awake. His posture, along with the bags under his tired eyes, indicated that he was exhausted. I continuedly ran my fingers through my messy hair, trying to straighten out the tangles "What time is it?" I yawned.

Calum stole a quick glance at his phone, then fell back into his previous state "6 am."

"6 am?" I echoed "Why are you up so early?

He shrugged "Couldn't sleep."

I nodded, knowing better than to pick on his wounds. The topic was too delicate and his reaction too unpredictable for me to slip into a conversation about it now. The moment was anything but suitable for letting our emotions out. Somehow, I see emotional outbursts as a sign of giving up, when all hope is lost. But Sam isn't lost just yet, we haven't given up on her. So we keep quiet.

We were both deep in thought when Calum's phone rang. I watched him as he slipped his hand into his pocket, pulling out his cell. His eyebrows shoot up, confusion reflecting over his sickeningly pale face, "Ashton?" he blurted out as soon as the phone reached his ear.

I heard mumbling from the other side of the line and Calum's voice only grew louder and more confused "Here?", "Now?", "Are you sure you wanna do that?", "What did he say?".

Jenna shifted in her seat, cathing my attention. The conversation must've woken her up, "Is it morning already?" she groaned, streching her arms out. Her half open eyes fell my way, searching for answers "Who's Calum talking to?"

I shrugged. Whoever it was, the surprise on his face was evident. I just didn't know whether it was good or bad.

"Let's go get some coffee. He'll tell us later himself." I suggested, earning a quick nod from Jen. As she clumsily got up from her chair, I noticed Julie was still sound asleep. How could the comotion not bother her?

Our walk to the hospital reception was quiet, you could hear every footstep. If there were other patients, they were all asleep. Just as we reached the vending machine, I burried my hand in my pocket, pulling out a handful of change. My eyes quickly scanned all of my options. After putting in the requiered change, pushing a few buttons for coffee and extra sugar, a plastic cup appeared, ready for me to take. I wrapped my hands around it, enjoying how the heat slowly radiated from the liquid to my skin. I stepped aside, letting Jen have her pick.

There was no one around, unless you count the nurse at the reception, who was half asleep and only occasionally glancing at us. My left hand found its way to hold my right forearm, while my right hand still gripped the cup. It didn't take much for my thoughts to drift away to Samantha. We were practically at her deathbed last night. Just the memory caused shivers to run up my spine. I remember our agreement, before we entered her room, not to cry in front of her, to stay strong. But you really can't blame us for sheding a few stray tears, it almost seemed impossible to stay on top of our emotions. Sam did, however, get to see Calum one more time, thus completing her bucket list entirely. It was both sweet and heart wrenching to see them together.

"Jess?" I was sucked out of my thoughts by Jenna's soft voice. She stood behind me, slowly sipping her drink and eyeing me patiently "Everything okay?"

I shook my head, as if it would get rid of the thoughts dwelling in it "Yeah, I was just thinking about Sam."

She nodded in understanding "Don't worry about it too much. You heard what the nurse said, she can still pull through."

"Yeah." I trailed off.

Side by side, we lazily made it back to the waiting room. There we found Julie, streching out in her seat and yawning, she probably just woke up. And Calum. I turned confused after seeing him. He still looked terribly warn down, but seemed as if his spirits have been lifted. He was almost smiling. Whatever Ashton told him over that phone call really made a difference.

"Well you look happy." Jenna said what we both were thinking "What happened?"

His lips streched out in to a half-smile "Luke, Michael and Ashton are gonna be here any second."

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hey guys

really sorry for the sloppy updating, i'm not sure about this book anymore. should i finish it or give up?

thanks for still being here, love you xx