Page 438 of Eternal
Her eyes flutter. “A surprise?”
I nod, swallowing down the sob that wants to rip through me. “Yeah. Please keep talking. Just keep talking like that. I’ll move you,I’ll…” But I stopped, I can’t move her, I see it in her eyes, the way her chest stutters when I even shift my arm under her.
I can see it in the way the pool of blood is forming beneath us.
So much of it…
If I move her, I’ll kill her faster.
“I’ll call someone,” I whisper. “I don’t care, I'll call an ambulance.”
She coughs, and a spray of red hits her lip. “You can’t call anyone. You know that.” Her hand, shaking, touches my face. “Tell me about… tell me. Please. I need to know.”
I can barely breathe. “I bought us a house.”
Her eyes widened just a little. “Blue walls,” I whisper. “The living room has shelves for your vinyls and cassettes… I built them myself. There’s a swing in the backyard, an iris garden in the front.”
She starts crying, quietly, the kind of cry that says this was all I ever wanted.
“I drew stars next to the ceiling window in our room. So even when we’re inside, you can still look up.”
Her body shakes as a sob escapes her lips. “It sounds perfect.”
I run my thumb across her cheek, her blood’s on her chin, in her hair. She’s trembling so hard.
“I was so stupid,” she says softly. “So scared. But you, you made it better, you made it all feel worth it.”
Her eyes flutter again, her breath catches. She coughs again, harder, blood on her lips now.
“Tell Kat…” her voice breaks, “tell Kat and Vik... I really wanted to see them tomorrow. They’re gonna be so mad at me.” Her shoulders tremble. “And the dogs... they’ll look for me. And... Zanae. I told her I’d call next week.”
“You will, you’re not done.”
“I don’t wanna leave you.” She’s crying. “But I’m so tired, Damir.”
“Don’t say that. Stay with me, come on, partner, look at me.”
She nods, weak. Her hand in mine, barely moving.
“Thank you for the gloves,” she says, barely a whisper now. “They kept me warm, they always reminded me of you.” Her lips twitch in a soft smile. “I ruined them... I'm sorry.” She lifts her hand weakly and looks at them, soaked in red.
I lean down, press my lips to her forehead, my own tears falling onto her skin. “No, baby. It’s okay. I’ll buy you another pair, ten others if you want.”
She smiles, a soft, trembling thing, her chest rattles with a shallow breath, her bloodied hand lifts slowly, reaching for my cheek as if she needs a small kiss, reassurance,anything.
I lean forward, brushing my lips against hers, soft and slow. She’s barely moving, but I feel it, her presence, then she whispers, smiling, “I…” Her voice catches. Her lips try to say it. “I lo?—”
My voice cracks. “Don’t go. Please don’t leave me.”
Her body sags into his arms. And then nothing, no breath, no sound.
Just her eyes, still open, still searching the ceiling for stars.
I gather her up carefully, cradling her fragile body as if holding her close could mend what’s breaking inside me. I pull her into me. “Partner… partner wake up.”
And still, she doesn’t move.
“You can’t go… I promised you we were eternal.”
