AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Mr. King said I could see him,” she said. “He said if you said it was okay, I could see him.”
“Shhh, sweetheart,” their father whispered. “People are starting to stare.”
She forced herself to her feet and waved her hands around. “I don’t give a rat’s ass if people are starting to stare at me! I want to see him! I have to see him!”
Cameron stood, retrieving the dropped bucket from the floor and pulling his sister into his arms. “Okay, Jess. It’s okay.”
“I want to see him.”
Cameron caught his father’s eye and raised an eyebrow. His father shrugged, frowning, but gave him a reluctant nod.
“I’ll go with you, okay?” Cameron offered.
Jesska nodded into his chest. “Yes. Okay.”
“Sit with Dad for a minute and I’ll go talk to the nurse.”
She sat beside her father and Cameron made his way to the desk. “Hi. My sister would like to see Seth King. She’s been given permission by our father and Mr. King.”
“I’ll call back there and see what I can do.”
“I appreciate that,” Cameron said, and headed back to his sister.
A few minutes later, Jesska’s name was called, and Cameron took her hand and led her through the automatic doors. She shuffled behind the nurse, and Cameron wondered if this was such a good idea.
As Jesska followed the woman down the hallway, she felt like she was in some kind of alternate universe. Her emotions swung from calm to panic every few seconds, mostly because she still didn’t believe that the love of her life was dead. Everyone had it wrong.
The nurse led her into a brightly lit room. Seth was lying face up, a sheet covering his lower body, his perfectly formed chest exposed, the blood that she remembered seeping through his clothing no longer visible. Just an open wound.
“He’s so pale,” she whispered. Cameron took her hand, but she pulled away and stepped toward Seth. She ran her hand up one of his chiseled arms, unprepared for how cold he felt. Laying her palm against his chest, she leaned down and kissed his cheek. “Wake up now, Sethykins. I think the joke has gone far enough. It’s not really funny anymore.”
He didn’t respond, and Jesska stared at him. Only, it wasn’t him. Everything that was Seth was gone. His essence, his energy, he was gone. She allowed the sadness to wash over her. She was going to feel this. All of it. She laid her cheek on his chest and let her tears fall.
“Jess?” Cameron said, gently. “I think we should go.”
“Just one more minute,” she begged as she kissed Seth’s chest, then his face again. “I love you, Seth King. I will love you always. You are it for me. I will never love anyone else. I will carry you with me forever and ever and ever.” With one last gentle kiss on his lips, she let Cameron lead her out of the room and then out of the hospital.
The next few days were filled with people, some Jesska knew, others she didn’t. Jason had been captured and was being held without bond until trial. The prosecutor would try him on first-degree murder, even though it wasn’t clear yet if his actions had been premeditated.
The night before Jesska’s graduation commencement, Seth’s parents arrived and asked to speak with her alone. She led them into the living room and sat facing them by the fire. Mrs. King looked exhausted and very, very sad.
“We have a few things for you, honey,” Mr. King said. “Things that Seth would have wanted you to have.”
“Okay.”
Mr. King took the paper bag he’d brought with him and set it on the floor. He pulled out a smaller gift bag and handed it to her. “I know he’d want you to have his promise ring. It’s probably far too big for you, so we bought you a chain in case you ever want to wear it.”
“Oh. Thank you,” she said, pulling the ring from the bag. It matched hers perfectly. They’d bought them together as an outward sign of their commitment to each other. She kissed it and held it against her chest.
“I have some photos in here that I know he’d want you to have. I made sure to scan them so we’d have copies, but thought you might like the printed versions. I would be happy to e-mail you the scanned versions as well.”
Jesska nodded. “Yes, please. Thank you.”
Mr. King then pulled out a small blue box and handed it to her. With shaking hands, Jesska took the gift and opened it. Inside sat a white-gold engagement ring with a diamond that was small, but perfect.
“He was going to propose to you at the top of the Eiffel Tower. He’d talked to your dad and had gotten permission... we had it all planned.” He reached out and squeezed her hand. “If you want to wear it, you can, sweetheart, but if you don’t, we understand that too.”
Jesska swallowed, trying to force back the tears.
