He stared at her, faced streaked, eyes unblinking, heart breaking. “Kelsey...” he whispered as he watched her lips and chest move slowly as she breathed. For the first time in a long while, he let his eyes lose themselves in the vision of her body and face.
Her long hair lay limp across the bed, tangling and intwining. Her small bangs laid softly against her forehead, ironically still curled from the curling iron she had used that morning. Her eyes lay closed, her long eyelashes falling softly on her face. Her lips were a deep red, pouted and full. Taylor had to resist the urge to reach out and stroke her face.
“I’m so sorry,” Taylor whispered softly. He felt so drained: emotions wrestling inside of him, working desperately for him to show them. But he couldn’t. Or maybe he just wouldn’t. He never would know. All he knew was that as long as she was there, but yet wasn’t, neither was he.
Numbly, Taylor picked up a red pen that was beside her bed. Numbly he turned the pages of ‘Soul Searching’ until he came to the last poem she had written: Dream. He quickly wrote four words underneath it. They were small, but to him they summed up his entire world.
“Come,” the voice whispered, summoning Kelsey. “You’re almost with us...come...” it’s tempting voice taunted her, mocking her. Kelsey struggled mentally with her emotions. Her mind seemed to whirl inside blackness, always moving, yet never going anywhere.
The voice continued, taunting her, luring her deeper into the darkness. “You’re alone; you’re not strong enough,” it whispered to her. She was so scared; so afraid. So alone. Nothing was the same. She couldn’t feel any warmth around her body. She was alone.
Then suddenly she felt something warm against her cheek and a soft breathing in her ear. “Dream,” it whispered to her. ‘Dream?’ she thought, confused. Then suddenly, it was clear. The voice was Taylor’s. The warm touch on her face was his kiss. ‘HIS KISS!’ her heart and body screamed to her.
She struggled furiously. But the voice wouldn’t let go, “You’re imagining! He’s not here! You’re ALONE!” it screamed back at her. But her heart refused to let go. Kelsey needed Taylor. She didn’t just want him. She needed him.
So she fought. Against everything. The doctor. The bullet. The pain. God, the pain. But she kept fighting. She struggled. She was screaming inside her mind, beating against her mental walls, crying to get out. To see. To be.
“Taylor?” her lips whispered. Taylor turned around and stared. Did she just say that? He had just begun to leave, but he turned around and went slowly to her side. He let his hand slowly find its way into hers. Her hand felt cool and fragile in his. He stared at her face for a moment before realizing her fingers were slowly wrapping themselves around his.
“Kelsey - are you there?” he asked, feeling rather childish. He waited. And waited. Nothing happened. His heart sunk. She didn’t move. She laid there, like a doll, too fragile and too special to touch. He began to withdraw his hand from hers when he suddenly saw her eyes open.
“Kelsey?” he asked, blue eyes growing larger with hope, “Kelsey?” he gripped her hand harder, as if his touch could bring her out more. And it could. Kelsey smiled at him, “Tay...” she whispered. She felt her body screaming for his touch.
She smiled at him, not feeling pain, but joy. Purity. Happiness. All because he was there. She could feel the joy shooting through her body, making her immune to the pain. And the voice. And Jyson.
Jennifer laughed. They were all in Kelsey’s hospital room, talking, listening to the radio, and watching television. Kelsey was lying in her hospital bed. Jennifer had walked over eariler, to help her get dressed and organize her hair. Kelsey had declared it looked like “My brother when he wakes up in the morning.” Which was a hideous sight, according to her.
Suddenly, Zac came in, rolling a table filled with food. Jennifer stared at him, laughing, “Zac, what the heck are you doing?” Zac just smiled at her. He pulled the saran wrap off, letting the smile of turkey, dressing, rolls, pies, all types of goodies. Jennifer inhaled deeply; it smelled deliciously.
Then Zac reached below and pulled out three forks and three napkins. His brothers quickly appeared by his side and each took a fork and napkin from him. They quickly tucked the napkins in their shirts and raised the forks above the food.
“Jennifer,” Zac announced, “This is what you’re going to be doing one of these days.” At that moment, Zac sat down with his brothers. Then he said, “Go!”
They began to stuff themselves. The turkey and the pies began to disappear quickly. Jennifer and Kelsey burst into giggles. They continued eating until they finally ate everything.
When they were done, Isaac sat back and patted his belly lovingly, causing everyone to laugh. Taylor was trying to resist the urge to belch. Kelsey was doubled over with laughter and was giggling at them. “You guys look like you’re two,” she observed.
Isaac and Zac turned toward the mirror only to discover that Kelsey was right. Zac’s face was covered in blueberry from the pie and Isaac’s was covered in dressing. They grinned. Then suddenly Jennifer walked over and licked the side of Zac’s face. Underneath the blueberry, Taylor noticed a rather amusing shade of crimson.
Jennifer smacked her lips. “Bluey,” she murmured, causing Zac to laugh. He then leaned up and let his blueberry-covered lips meet hers. She pulled away, laughing, licking the pie off her lips. Kelsey giggled at the two, ignoring the stabbing pain she felt whenever she saw them together. The last time they were together, she was with...
She shook her head quickly, letting the thoughts disappear...for now, anyway. They continued laughing and talking until a nurse came in and announced, “Visiting hours are over.” Kelsey resisited the strong urge to stick her tongue out at the nurse.
They all said good-bye, with the rituals of kissing on the cheek. Kelsey tried to avoid the tingles that shot through her body when Taylor’s soft lips met her face and when hers met his. And the feeling when he left.
Kelsey talked to Jennifer for a few moments before the doctor came in and escorted Jennifer back to her room. Kelsey said good-bye to Jennifer and when she left, Kelsey turned on the television and leaned back to watch the show. Then suddenly she felt something poking her in the side. She turned and her eyes widened in surprise. ‘Soul Searching’
Avoiding the questions running through her mind, she picked it up and a red pen beside her bed. She turned toward the last page and began to write:
Kelsey dropped the pen and began to close the spiral, avoiding reading it, knowing it would leave her with a need she couldn’t fulfill. But suddenly, red ink underneath ‘Dream’ caught her eye. She looked at it for a moment before recognizing it: Taylor’s. She squinted, trying to figure out what the words were. She whispered them to herself, “I never stopped dreaming.”
