The History Chapter 16

Past

"Once . . . Once the doctors said she's running out of time," Laura whispered, "She doesn't want treatment anymore. She wants you instead. She won't last the night they said and she wants you."

He was a freshman in college called out over classes around October. She was dying. She'd gotten some infection in her lungs. He shook his head at the irony. They found out she had third stage lung cancer. They tried everything, but, there was nothing they could do.

They always thought he'd be the one to die of lung cancer or some sort of lung infection because of their sensitivity, but, no one had ever suspected his 'Drey to die like that.
He thought sometimes people were just waiting for the day when he'd fall right over. 'Drey was always the strong one.

He opened the door and looked at her. His blue eyes swam with tears. He took her hand in his. He took the cool rag and dabbed her forehead. She was sleeping and she looked in pain. He wiped the sweat from her forehead.

"Shhh . . . 'Drey my plane just got in." He whispered. "I came as fast as I could get a plane ticket." He whispered.

"It must be hard . . . to get from New York to Iowa  . . . he's not here yet." She whispered.

"But I am 'Drey. I made it. And believe me it's hard to get from New York to anywhere. There are about five thousand planes leaving but none are going where you wanna go." He confessed.

"He's coming I told his mother he's coming. She said he wouldn't make it. He's coming." She whispered.

"My mother knows nothing," he murmured darkly to himself.

"Once?" She asked opening her eyes. He was there. She prayed. She'd prayed so hard that he would be here and here he was.  "Oh you're here!" She tried to shout weakly.

"I told you I was coming. I promised I would."

"But what about NYU and business school . . ." she coughed.

"You matter more." He whispered.

"You're mother said you wouldn't make it."

"I'm sure she tried to deter the flights but I found one. I only hoped it would be in time."

"You are." She reassured him.

He smiled.

She stared up at him and he laid down next to her stroking her thin red hair. It was falling out as he played with it. He knew though that she would still have the sensation of his fingers stroking it for awhile.

She smiled; he was always so gentle with people. He was always so soft and sweet. His innocence was never destroyed no matter how much his mother and his family had wished it would have been he was sill innocent.  She loved him all the more for that.

He was crying a little and trying to hide it.

She was crying openly into his chest. "I don't want to die. You need me. I can't leave you." She whispered.

"Shhh . . . I'll be alright. I promise."

"I'm always leaving you behind," she sobbed.

"No, no it's alright I need to figure it out. I'll be fine. I promise."

"You promise?" She asked looking up at him.

"Always. I'll be waiting for you."

"No, don't wait. Meet someone. Fall in love again. Make babies. You need to keep Alice."

"Your soul mate comes but once in a life time. And I said the same to you."

She smiled weakly. "I remember."

"I love you." He whispered.  "I love you so much."

"I do too."  She murmured into his shoulder.

He stayed with her for the better part of an hour. Her strength and will to live started to wane a little.

"It's getting harder." She whispered.

"I know."

"Shakespeare?" She asked.

"For never was there a tale of more woe and of Juliet and her Romeo."

"Star crossed lovers . . ." she whispered.

"We are."

"Family's feuding?"

"Not ours but from within mine was."

"I remember."

"I know you do. I'm trying to forget." He smiled sadly.

"Stay with me until I'm sleeping?" She asked.

"I wouldn't dream of leaving." He said solemnly.

"Don't listen to the rest of the world Once. They don't know what they are talking about.
You do."

"I do?"

"Yeah. I'll be watching you. I'll always look after you. Where I'm going they say you can see the whole world. You're higher than the clouds and can be anywhere you want whenever you want. I'm sure I can watch over you."

"Yeah? I'll be listening." He said tearfully.

"I love you Once. I'll be waiting for you, and I hope I'll be waiting for a long, long
time."

"Thanks," he whispered to her softly. He stroked her hand with his thumb caressing her soft skin under his finger tips.

"I never wanted us to have a factory. Handmade Thneeds made with love." She confessed.

"And they'll always be that way I promise," he squeezed her hand.

"I'll hold you to that." She smiled. "But if things go sour . . . I'll . . . I'll
understand."

"But they won't!" He pressed earnestly. "I won't let them."

"Thank you." She whispered. "Stop crying honey I'll be watching; I'm not gone forever."

He smiled sadly and she looked up at him angelically. "Believe in something more than the lies your mother has told you your whole life. Once, don't listen to her or your Aunt Grizzelda. They're wrong."

"Okay," he nodded. He needed to hear it from someone.

"Don't let them hurt you stay strong. Love yourself. You are so worth loving. They are
wrong. Whatever they say believe the opposite. You don't need NYU, you don't need Harvard. GO! Go and live your dream. Don't wait until your twenty five, married and tied down. Go be young and do what you want because you want to. Don't have a factory. Sell Thneeds for millions of dollars because each one is unique. Be amazing. Make your life as amazing as you are. One day. Someday. It will be. I promise."

"I love you 'Drey." He whispered.

"I love you too." She murmured and fell asleep again.

It was another hour before she awoke in tears. She was in so much pain.

"I think I'm almost spent."  She sobbed gently as he held her rocking her slowly in his arms.

"No," he pressed his forehead into hers.

"I can't stay here much longer. St. Peter is waiting for me." She smiled as though the vision was already in her view.

"What does it look like?"

"Heaven, white, light, gates," she wheezed. "Beautiful, bright, spring time, fresh.
Smelling like, roses, windy, like summer, like day time on beaches, fresh melting snow; in rain. Like, thunderstorms, like the warm summer nights, like bonfires."

"'Drey?" he asked squeezing her hand and for a minute returning her to reality.

"As soon as I'm buried go, live your dream." She smiled.

"Kay," he mouthed.

"Thank you Once, thank you for being my best friend."

"'Drey, I always loved you. You know?" He confessed. "Even when I was small, from the day
I first met you I knew. I knew I loved you."

"Once . . . I love you too. Don't use loved. It sounds too sad."

The angelic smile plastered over her face once more as the pain abated and turned into the warmth of heaven. She was slacking. He was trying to remain strong and in control.  

"'Drey I love you." He whispered pressing his lips into her forehead.

"Thanks Once," she whispered her grip slacking from his fingers.

The last sound he remembered hearing was the beep of the EKG before he burst into uncontrollable tears. Laura covered her mouth and ran to him; she rubbed his back crying tears of her own. She put his left arm around her shoulder and wrapped her arms around his waist. She supported the tall and lanky figure as he attempted to leave the hospital room. He was tripping over himself as she held him. She knew if she wasn't supporting him. He would have fallen to his knees long before.

. . .

Present

"Honey? Honey are you okay?" She asked gently. "Sweetie? Sweetie look at me." She said pushing his hair away from his face. "Sweetie I'm going to help you okay?"
He whimpered blood soaking his white shirt under his green coat. She ripped off the rolled up gloves and pulled off his coat which was magically unstained.

"Sweetheart, Sweetheart shhh . . . shhh . . . it's okay I'm here." She whispered gently holding his blood covered hands.

"We need to stop the bleeding sweetie." She unbuttoned his shirt. "Shhh . . . honey it's okay."

"S-s-sorry," he whimpered as she wrapped the big fluffy towels around his wrists.

"No hun, 's okay. Shhh . . . save your strength honey 's alright. Shhh . . . ." He started to cry.

"Does it hurt sweetheart?" She asked. "Where does it hurt honey?"

He nodded. "I feel dizzy and my stomach hurts. My chest hurts really bad." He sobbed into the floor.

She pulled him in after wrapping his wrists to staunch the bleeding. "Honey, honey shhhh . . . it's okay. Shhhhh . . ." She rocked him in her arms slowly. "Hush now, it's okay. Don't cry. Don't cry. You're alright."

He just sobbed into her shoulder. He clung to her.

"Shhh . . . don't cry honey. Don't cry." She rocked him.

"Laura, Laura I don' feel good. . ." his eyes rolled back.

He went completely limp in her arms.

"Sweetheart?" she asked. "Sweetie?" she felt for a pulse. "Honey?" she squeaked. It was there but faint

She needed to get him to a hospital. She lifted him from the floor gently. He was so fragile. She laid him in the backseat with a blanket over him and the Thneed around his
neck.

"Shhhh . . ." she whispered. "It's going to be okay I promise."

***

He was rushed into the emergency room. They stitched up his arms.

"I don't want to help him after he killed those trees." One of the nurses said to another.

Norma clenched her fists. "I'm trained I'll do it." She said. "I'm off duty for the day but I'll do it."

She put the IV in his arm. "Once honey?" She whispered. "Can you hear me?"

"Wh-where am I?"

"You're at the hospital honey. You hurt yourself."

"I tried to chop myself down like a tree. I deserve to die like a tree."

"No honey," Norma whispered. Her year old daughter was standing behind her. "No, you don't deserve to die."

The young girl squeezed his hand. She looked quite a bit like Norma. However, she definitely had some of his family's features. She could almost be mistaken for his daughter if people weren't careful. He knew she was Bret's though. Laura's daughter was actually 'Drey's. That night on her junior homecoming hadn't been exactly what they expected. Once-ler, 'Drey and Laura raised the little girl to be the best of the best. 'Drey named her Alice. She was four soon to be five. She saw Once-ler as her father in so many ways.

"Daddy," she whispered. "Daddy 's not your fault." She whispered into his side. "Don't
leave me."

He smiled at her weakly and squeezed her hand. "I won't." He promised.