AllFreeNovel
Share Us
And with that thought, he fell asleep.
Mirror, Mirror, on the wall
Saturday, December 24, 2022
Keith opened his eyes, surprised to find Anna wasn’t beside the bed.
Yuri stood there, however. “We have to stop meeting like this.”
“I didn’t expect to see you.” Keith gazed at his surroundings. “In fact, I didn’t expect to wake up again.”
Then he realized what had changed.
His voice didn’t sound breathless, the way it had done for weeks. In fact, this was the best he’d felt in a long time. The lungs he’d believed paralyzed by GB seemed to be working.
Is that because of the morphine?
Anna would know.
“Where is Anna? She said she’d stay with me.”
“And so she did.” Yuri smiled. “She isn’t here because time is standing still for a moment.” He held his hand out. “Come with me.”
Keith blinked, then managed a chuckle. “Seriously?”
He nodded. “You can get up, Keith. Try it and see.”
Keith threw back the sheets and blanket, swung his legs over the edge of the bed, and grasped Yuri’s hand. Yuri held on tight as Keith set both feet on the warm, smooth floor.
“There, you see?” Yuri’s face glowed. “You did it.”
Keith allowed Yuri to lead him a few feet away from the bed, but then his words finally registered. “What do you mean, time is standing still?”
Yuri placed his hands on Keith’s shoulders and turned him toward the bed, where—
“Oh my God.”
He saw himself lying there, asleep.
Keith jerked his head toward Yuri. “Am I dreaming this?”
“No, Keith. This isn’t a dream.” He pointed to the bed. “And you’re not sleeping, but I think you already knew that.”
Keith stood still, mentally assessing every sensation. There was no pain, no discomfort. In fact, he felt amazingly well. He glanced again at the monitor, noting the absence of a heartbeat.
“So that’s it? I’m dead?”
Yuri nodded.
Keith placed his hand on his chest. “But... I’m breathing.”
“I know it seems that way.”
It’s over. It’s really over. He hadn’t expected anything to follow.
A rush of wellbeing flooded through him. “Thank you for being here at the end. And for all those nights when you provided me with relief from pain. You made my last days bearable.” He couldn’t resist another glance toward the bed. “I look so... peaceful.”
Of course he did. It was all over.
