That Boy

But how...

I just turned thirty-two several weeks ago and everybody in the hospital had helped me celebrate. Now it was down to business. I walked from room to room, checking up on my patients. I ran into Mrs. Harpso occasionally and she always stops to ask how I'm doing. Living without Tess was still hard but my work made it easier not to think about her, which made moving on less hard. 

Finally my pager went off. Somebody back at the office was trying to remind me of my appointment. I hadn't even looked at her papers yet. I quickly dismissed myself from the room and ran over to the doctors office part of the hospital. As I walked in Deborah smiled at me, "She's in room twelve." I nodded and made my way back to the room. I knocked twice on the door and then walked in. 

"Hello, my name is John. Don't call my Dr. John and don't call me Jonathan either. Just John." I looked up at her and was struck. She had brown hair and her brown eyes were a deep shade. She had a boyish like figure and that made my smile fail. She looked like Tess. I looked down at my note board and saw her name was Tessa. I started to panic though. I thought I'd gotten over Tessa's death. I held up one finger and slipped outside the room. I leaned against the door and breathed in and out quickly, trying to contain the rising panic in my chest.

"John. Are you alright?" It was another nurse.

"Just fine. I just need a minute." I went into my office and pulled out a bottle of water, drinking some of it. On my desk still was the picture of Tessa when we'd first started dating. She was in the hospital bed smiling at me. I'd snapped the photo on my phone and made it my background photo. I stared at the photo and realized the girl in the room was an exact reflection of this Tessa in the picture, just with hair. 

"John." The voice spoke from the doorway, just like Tessa in the picture. I looked up and saw her again. My heart raced. There was no way this was Tessa. She'd died right in front of me. "It's me John, Tessa. I survived." 

"How did you find me?" I asked, my heart beat in excitement and in fear.

"I've been looking for you John. The doctors they saved me. They revived me and my parents told the doctors they'd do anything if I was put back on chemo. So I took chemo for a year and then the cancer was gone. Just like that, gone. When I'd waken they said you ran off. After I survived cancer I finished school and became a teacher. But secretly for the past several years I've been searching for you." She took a step towards me and smiled. "See, I'm healthy."

-Tessa-

"Your not real." He spoke to me and it broke my heart to see him hurting.

"I am real Jonathan." I took several steps towards him and found myself in his ams. I felt his body flinch and then tense as I touched him. "It was a miracle that I survived. Whoever is up there must really wanted me to stay alive." I looked up, meaning whatever higher power, be it God, or something else. 

He looked down at me with tears running down his face, "Tess?" He spoke softly. He was still so gentle.

"That's me." I smiled and he kissed me hard, it felt just like it had when we were younger.

"I can't believe its really you Tessa." He held me tight and sobbed onto my shoulder, "I'm so glad your here. I'll never leave you, I'll love you forever and ever. Whatever you want I'll give to you. Just don't ever leave me again." He said sternly to me. He was always so loving to me and with that I cried too.