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Chapter Sixteen - Surreal

Seconds after the call button was pushed - more like punched, by Julius - Delilah's room was swarming with nurses and a doctor. Julius stepped back, biting his lip.

"She's going into cardiac arrest!" someone called.

"Grab the defibrillator!"

"I don't understand; she was stable a few minutes ago!"

"Prepare for defibrillation."

One of the nurses noticed Julius standing in the corner. "I'm sorry, sir, but you'll have to leave."

He nodded and walked silently out. Oh God, after all this time. Why now? Why like this?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You know she had love in her eyes
When she said, "I wanna see you,
I wanna see you again."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And I know He's filled with love
As He says, "I wanna save you,
I wanna save you now."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She looked up, past the staff, past the ceiling, past even the sky, and saw. What she saw astounded her: A bright, shining light, which seemed to reach out to her. The hand - for that was what it appeared to be - would have probably scared any normal person, but it seemed soothing to her.

"Come with me,"

A command that the old her, the stubborn, determined old her, would have refused. Not this time. She was amazed that she was still considered.

"Come, child,"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He's been whispering those words
In your ear for so long
Heaven is holding its breath
Waiting for you
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Not yet," Delilah answered. "I need a minute."

He looked at her, doubtful.

"Just a minute. Just to say ..." She couldn't say the word.

He nodded, understanding.

Delilah let herself fall away from the light. Damn it. If only she could have prevented this. One little word would have. No. There had been so many opportunities to say "no", but she had refused. I can push it a little farther. Just a few more days, then I'll stop. It's not really hurting me, is it?

But it had been. And not only her, as she'd come to realize. Everyone around her suffered. Everyone. Nobody had been spared. The blame was pinned on her, not just Roger.

She didn't want to say goodbye. It was too soon; she was too young. God, she had hardly begun to live. There were so many things she wanted to do, so many things that should have been done. And now ... she'd never have the chance.

*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And I'll echo out
The prayer of the saints
For your soul
For your soul
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Julius paced around outside Delilah's room. He brought his hand to his mouth to wipe away saliva. Looking down, he saw blood smeared across the back of his hand. He had bitten his lip so hard, it had bled, and he hadn't even noticed.

Glancing back inside, he tried to breathe normally. It wasn't going to end like this. It couldn't. Delilah's life wouldn't end with her in a coma, having a heart attack, after a car accident, in which she had been high. The last time he saw her wouldn't be in a white bag.

"Fuck!" he cried, pounding the wall. This had to be a dream. People didn't turn on you like this. Life didn't end like this! This happened in movies. This happened to other people. Stuff like this didn't happen to him. It couldn't. It just couldn't.

"Julius ..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And with tears streaming down
I'll never stop praying for you
For your soul
For your soul
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Julius ..."

He looked up. Did he really hear that, or was he just imagining? For a second, it had sounded like Delilah. But it couldn't be. He smiled to himself. God, how pathetic was he?

And then he flicked his eyes to her room.

Delilah was staring back at him. Her brown eyes met his gaze, and he felt a lump rise in his throat. The nurses didn't seem to see it; they kept trying to get a pulse. Time seemed to slow. Finally, he let himself speak.

"Delilah."

As soon as he said it, he was afraid. Afraid she'd close her eyes, disappear or something. He had to be hallucinating. People under a defibrillator don't just open their eyes and stare at you. But somehow, somehow he knew it was real. She was really there, looking at him, and he was looking back.

*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You know way down in your heart
That there's more
There's more than this
You can feel it somehow
That this world
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She smiled as she saw him mouth her name. He had acknowledged her, and now it was time to say goodbye. Closing her eyes briefly, she willed for time to stop. Slowly, the nurses above her, fighting to save her life, began to freeze. Their agitated expressions locked in place, paining her. She looked away.

"Time for our finale."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This world is not your home
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When everything around her had completely stopped, she stood up. Well, her soul stood up anyway. As she turned to look behind her, she saw herself. God, she had changed. Her brown hair was plastered to her face with sweat. Her skin was pale and sickly-looking. Burn marks covered her body. Blood had seeped through some of the bandages.

"What have I done to myself?"

Turning away, Delilah faced her hardest mission of all: saying farewell. She walked slowly out of the room until she was inches from the motionless form of Julius. Reaching out with her hand, she touched his shoulder. Instantly, he came to life.

His eyes locked with hers. He blinked several times. And then they just gaped at each other - but only for a few seconds. Tears welled in his eyes as he wrapped his arms around her body and pulled her to him. She returned the embrace, fighting off her own tears. When Julius felt her arms press into his back, he hugged her tighter to him. He never wanted to let her go.

"Goddamn, Delilah," he whispered into her hair, "I still love you."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He's been whispering those words
In your ear for so long
Heaven is holding its breath
Waiting for you, they're waiting for you
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It felt so good to hear him say that - again. This time, anger did not well up inside of her. She allowed the tears to flow down her face as she murmured back, "I love you, too. I love you so much, it hurts."

They stood there for what seemed like forever, in silence, holding each other. Neither of them wanted the moment to end, but both of them knew it couldn't last.

*

"Julius,"

He took his face out of her hair and looked at her. She was so beautiful. Why did it have to be now that the moment he had been waiting for forever occurred? Before she even spoke, he knew what she was going to say.

"Julius, this is goodbye."

"I know," he said quietly. "I wish it weren't, though. I wish that we could just stop time and live in this moment forever."

Delilah nodded, her body beginning to shake. "I do, too. But we both know it can't. Death is something you can't cheat."

"Please," he begged, hugging her tighter. "Just a little longer.

"I want it," Delilah whispered, "but it's time for me to go."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And I'll echo out
The prayer of the saints
For your soul
For your soul
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As if on cue, the bright light returned, shining down on a spot a few paces behind them.

"Julius," she said again, "I've got to go,"

"Not before this," he replied, placing a hand behind her head and pulling her towards him.

As their lips met, he felt her tense for a second. Panic surged through him. Had he gone too far? Was she not ready for this? But seconds later, her body relaxed against him, and she pressed harder. He had been living for this moment. Why must it come now?

The sight of the pair was enough to melt even the Devil's cold heart.

*

Finally, she pulled away. "Julius ..." she whispered, her voice cracking. "I don't want to leave. You know that. But I have to. And I want you to know ..."

She buried her head in his chest. His heart beat in her ear, reassuring her. "I'm so sorry I hurt you. I'm sorry I put you through this. I'm sorry for everything."

He ran his fingers through her hair. "I hated you at the beginning of this, Dee," he admitted. "But now, I don't think I could love you any more. You make me proud, Dee, you make me proud."

Delilah couldn't help but chuckle. How could she make him proud, after all she had put him though? But what did it matter? She made him proud, why, she did not know, but she made him proud. And that was good enough for her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And with tears streaming down
I'll never stop praying for you
For your soul
For your soul
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She let her arms release him, and stepped back. "Goodbye, Julius," she said, moving into the light.

"Goodbye, Delilah," he answered.

And she began to disappear. Slowly, very slowly, her body became more and more transparent, until she was hardly there. In her final moment, she cried out in agony.

And then she was gone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And I'll echo out
The prayer of the saints
For your soul
For your soul
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*

Time returned to normal. The nurses and doctors continued to attempt to revive Delilah. All in vain, though, as Julius already knew. He let himself sink into the chair behind him. Running footsteps reached his ears.

He looked up to see Nosey racing down the hall, Al, Scarlett, Ursula and Emmet not far behind him. As he reached Julius, he glanced into Delilah's room.

"Julius?" he panted. "What's going on? Is Delilah all right?"

Julius shook his head. "No, Nosey. She's gone. She's gone."

And as he said it, the heart monitor began to flatline.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And with tears streaming down
I'll never stop praying for you
For your soul
For your soul
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


"Prayer of the Saints"
By Caleb Delamont


The End.

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/Surreal/: having the disorienting, hallucinatory quality of a dream; unreal