Our Happily Ever After
I was running my fingers through my brown locks as someone grabbed my hand. A chill instantly ran up my spine, and I looked over to notice that it was Bryce. His bright green eyes locked with mine; he still had a tight grip on my hand. I smiled at him, and he instantly smiled back.
“That kind of scared me. I have goosebumps,” I said as I lifted up my sweater sleeve to reveal raised bumps on my skin. Bryce must have just gotten back from grabbing his jacket out of the car. He put his hand on my arm, and I suddenly felt super calm inside. I looked up at him and he was laughing with the goofy smile I was used to seeing. He released his hand and then wrapped it around me.
I lied my head on his shoulder and dozed off thinking about him. I was looking at the lake and how the color of the murky waters reminded me of Bryce’s eyes. Bryce was one handsome boy; he had dark, longish hair, a stunning, bright smile, a thin face, long eyelashes, and many other qualities.
Bryce and I met when he moved to Little Rock while we were in middle school. His house wasn’t too far from mine, so we would have play dates every now and then. As we grew older, we started gaining feelings for each other. We began dating freshman year in high school. In every sport for every year, I was in the stands cheering for him, wearing his number on my back. We went to both years of prom together, and to make things easier for seeing each other, we attended the same college. I have known him for that long, and there has never been a moment I regret meeting him.
“Are you alright?” Bryce asked as I was daydreaming.
I nodded my head and laughed at the question, “Yes, I am fine. Just thinking about some stuff. I feel like I never say it enough, but I love you,” I exclaimed.
A small crescent grew upon his lips. He wrapped both of his arms around me and I wrapped my arms around his waist. “I love you too, Adi. I will love you until the end of time.” In the middle of the park, at that moment, I felt home. Everyone says that home is a place, but home can be anything. My home has two eyes and a heartbeat.
“I say we head home, it’s getting kind of chilly,” I pleaded. Bryce removed his jacket and placed it around my arms. He rubbed his hands up and down my arms, attempting to make me feel less cold. I grabbed his arms and let them down, but then grabbed his hand. I pointed towards the car and tossed him the keys. We walked hand in hand to my car, and I let Bryce drive. I opened my door and buckled my seat belt. He buckled his as well.
When we got to our apartment, I grabbed a glass of water and sat down on the couch. Bryce headed to take a shower, so I turned on the T.V.
After around ten minutes, I heard a loud thunk and turned around and noticed that it was Bryce shutting the dryer door shut. Bryce had only a towel around him, revealing the upper half of his bare body. He grabbed a t-shirt, pair of sweatpants, and a pair of socks. He returned back to our bedroom and put his clothes on. When he got out, he came back and sat on the couch with me. We nestled together, and I shortly fell asleep.
***
I had awoken the next morning at around 7 o’clock A.M. Surprisingly, Bryce wasn’t sleeping next to me. I began to worry, but then I whipped around and noticed that he was cooking breakfast for the both of us.
“Bryce, you didn’t have to make breakfast. I just could’ve grabbed a granola bar and headed off,” I insisted. I am usually gone this early in the morning anyways.
He glanced at me and flipped a pancake on the stove. A huge smile appeared on his face, which made his dimples pop out. “It’s okay. I thought it’d just be something nice for the both of us,” he said kindly. He grabbed the spatula and put a pancake on a plate which already had two pieces of bacon and an egg over easy. “Would you like syrup?” Bryce questioned.
I nodded my head and grinned at him. He poured syrup on the cake and brought the plate over to me. When he crouched down to give me the plate of food, he gave me a quick kiss on the forehead. He left for a second, but then returned back with a huge bouquet of flowers. I quickly sat up, and he crouched down again to hand the flowers to me. He normally does these types of things on my birthday or on other special occasions. I was wondering why he was doing all of this now.
While he was crouched down, he began to speak. “Adelaide Grace Abernathy, I have known you since we were twelve years old. You were the most beautiful and still are the most beautiful person I have ever laid eyes on. I have learned to fall in love with you throughout middle school and our high school years. We have managed to stick with each other since then. We have gone through thick and thin, and I believe that it’s time to ask this question. Will you marry me?” Bryce moved onto one knee and pulled out a small box. He opened it slowly, and revealed a ring. I stood up in astonishment, gasping because of how amazing all of this was.
“Yes!” I said happily. A few tears slipped down my face, but Bryce’s arms wrapped around me, which made the tears stop falling. At that moment, I felt as if the world had been in my arms. I never wanted to let go.
When Bryce let go from our hug, we sat down on the couch and I began eating my breakfast. I was so happy to be spending the rest of my life with the love of my life. I thought about how the wedding will go, what our future children will look like, and other things. What’s weird is that I have been thinking about this every day recently.
“Hey, I know this is pretty bad timing, but the boys just called. I need to go up the lake as soon as I can, there is some type of grill out. I hope you have a wonderful day at work, I’ll see you when you’re home. I love you!” Bryce said as he left the house.
“I love you too,” I said with a heaping grin on my face.
After my breakfast, I had to head to work. I used to work at the hospital in town, but I moved to the one that is a few miles away because it paid higher. It would be better to have more money for Bryce and I’s future.
***
Hours seemed to pass by quickly as I worked in different nursing stations. My favorite place to work would have to be the labor and delivery unit; I enjoy taking care of babies and helping out the new mothers. My job was so important to me. I’ve always loved to help others.
When I walked out of labor and delivery, the head nurse approached me. “Adi, you need to go to trauma for the rest of the day. We have too many people working in there,” she said as she pointed to the delivery room. I nodded my head quickly, and then went off down several halls. I arrived at the trauma center only to see a few people there. I knew that once after I saw the patients that the rest of the day was going to be very boring.
Suddenly, someone pulled me off to the side. I saw that it was the desk lady, Lana. “Bryce is here, you need to go see him immediately.”
“Uh.. Okay. Where is he?” I questioned. To hear that Bryce was here was very odd. He probably got a fishing hook stuck in his arm, well, at least I hope.
“He is in room 23B. You are allowed to go in there, but I would be a little timid. I am not sure how bad he is,” she responded.
“Thank you,” I answered. I walked through the hallway, taking deep breaths and praying for the best. I stumbled upon the door that said 23B, which was towards the end of the long hall.
I opened the door and saw Bryce lying on the bed with a long tube in going down his throat and a huge bandage wrapped around his head. His leg was also wrapped and hung up in the air. It didn’t look like him. With all of the swelling and bruises on his face, I couldn’t tell it was Bryce. His eyes were shut, and he nearly looked dead. I glanced over and noticed Bryce’s mother and father standing in the corner. Bryce’s mother, Sarah, grabbed onto my arm and took me out of the room.
“Bryce has a brain injury,” she said with a shaky voice. “When the boat flipped, it hit his head. We aren’t sure if he will wake up, but there is a possibility. If he doesn’t wake within thirty days, then we have to unplug all of the ventilators and let him-” Before she said anything else, I reached into her arms and hugged her tight. I knew exactly what was going on. We both sobbed. My heart felt ice cold, and I thought I could pass out any second. Is this a dream? My fiance should not be lying in that bed right now; he should be at home curled up by me.
After a long hug, we both walked back into the room. I walked up to Bryce’s body and observed him closely. Something must have cut his head open, there was a huge gash going across his forehead. I looked down and saw his hand with one of the heart rate monitors on his pointer finger. I reached and grabbed his hand, and then I sat down in the chair besides his bed. “I can give you both some alone time if you need it,” exclaimed Sarah. I nodded my head, and then she quietly left the room.
Once she left the room, I began to speak. “Bryce, I never thought this would happen honestly. Just please, don’t give up on me,” I laid my head down on his arm and began to pray. The tears fell harder than they had ever fell in my life. “You are my strength, and the reason I wake up every morning and be the person I am. I need you, and I am believing that we can make it.”
For a second, I thought he moved, but it was one of the wires hooked onto his body that touched me. I don’t know what I will do if he’s gone. I don’t think I will ever love again.
***
After a few hours that felt like a few minutes, my boss sent me home to get some rest. I reached in the fridge and grabbed a frozen pancake from this morning. I put the pancake in the microwave and waited until it was done. The syrup was still sitting out from this morning, so I decided not to put the syrup on my pancake. I went back onto the couch and just thought about how crazy and unrealistic all of this was.
I reached for my phone in my pocket and read all of the notifications on my phone. Most of them were well wishes for Bryce. I unlocked my phone and scrolled through all of the messages that Bryce and I had sent to each other. His last text to me was: “I love you, beautiful! Have a great day.” I couldn’t help but cry.
***
When I went to bed that night, I wasn’t able to sleep. I kept tossing, turning, and crying. Right then, I thought that it would be so much more comforting if I went and saw Bryce again. I grabbed a pair of shoes and my car keys. After that, I headed out the door. It was 3:25 A.M. when I left, and there’s no place I’d rather be than with Bryce. I started my car and backed out of our parking lot.
I drove the couple of blocks that led to the hospital, and when I arrived, I got out of the car immediately. I locked the doors and walked slowly into the hospital. Without going to the front desk, I went straight to Bryce’s room. I opened up the door and saw that nobody was in there. I pulled up a chair and sat right next to him. I looked at his torn up face, only coming to cry again. I reached out to his hand and held it. As I sat there and cried, gasping for air, I knew that nothing was ever going to be the same.
After a few hours of sitting in the chair next to him, I decided that it was time for me to go back home and get some sleep. I was mentally and physically exhausted, and I was ready for some sleep. I picked up my purse and headed out of Bryce’s room. My eyes felt droopy; it was difficult to keep them open. The bright hospital lights had soon dimmed as I walked out of the doors. I clicked the small button on my keychain to unlock my vehicle. I drug my feet over to my car and hopped into the driver’s seat. I turned the key in the ignition and backed up, and I drove off into the night. I wanted nothing but to sleep in my bed, but with Bryce in it as well.
As minutes passed, I could feel the car drifting onto the gravel. I tugged my steering wheel to the left, which sent me flying over the road. The car was in midair when I lost consciousness. I didn’t mean to pull on the wheel, or wreck my vehicle at all, but I was kind of glad that I did.
***
They always say that the moment before you die, there is a certain overwhelming scent that fills the air. For a second, it was as if I had smelt the flowers that Bryce bought me yesterday morning when he proposed. After I had smelt the flowers, I saw nothing but white. Suddenly, Bryce appeared
in front of me. I knew that we were finally at peace. This was our happily ever after.
