Twelve Days The Beginning - By Jade Reyner Page 0,180
couldn’t. Her head hurt, she couldn’t process any more, she needed to shut down – maybe forever.
Stephen finished reading the letter and then handed it carefully back to her. The unbearable silence continued for a few more minutes and then, as if by some unspoken agreement, they reached for each other and held on as if their lives depended on it. Sobbing brokenly into each other’s shoulders, taking and giving what little comfort they could.
Some while later, the door to the waiting room opened to reveal a doctor who advised them that there had been no change. One of them was however permitted to sit with him for a while and Stephen allowed Elise to go. She needed to go to Vaughn, to be with him, and she was eternally grateful that Stephen understood that.
Entering the room she took the seat to the side of Vaughn’s bed and watched the monitor that he was attached to, the insistent sound like a metronome in the quiet of the room.
“You promised me that you would never leave me, you bastard.” She whispered.
Beep – beep – beep – beep – beep.
It was laughing at her, taunting her.
Beep – beep – beep – beep – beep.
Reminding her – memories – things that should have been said and done.
Beep – beep – beep – beep - beep.
How she had broken this beautiful, proud man.
Beep – beep – beep – beep – beep.
The tears continued to fall, dripping down onto the side of the bed.
And as the room erupted into a flurry of urgent activity, Elise gripped Vaughn’s hand even tighter between hers and rested her head on their joined hands. She closed her eyes, shutting out the sounds of the room, the noise of the monitor, the people frantically rushing around, closing out everything but her and this man. A nurse tried to remove her but she refused, holding on tight – she would never let this man go, ever again.
She kept her eyes firmly closed and emptied her mind, allowing a kind of surreal darkness to take over. She recognised that she couldn’t fight anymore and that she just had to trust; something that she should have done all of those months ago. Today she did, today she trusted in Vaughn, she trusted in him to know that she was there, to know that she was sorry and to know that now it was her turn to take care of him. She needed Vaughn to trust in her, to trust that everything would be OK and to somehow find the strength to fight for his life again.
With no other option and nothing left, she did the only thing that she could.
In the madness and the mayhem happening all around her, she began to silently and solemnly pray.
THE END
Coming Soon:-
Twelve Days – The Future (available Autumn 2013)
Elise and Vaughn’s journey concludes in this stunning sequel.
Twelve Days – Cole (available early 2014)
Read the events of those twelve days from Cole’s perspective and follow his story as he grapples with his own demons and comes to terms with a very different future.
Twelve Days – Dale (available Summer 2014)
Find out what motivates Dale as he negotiates a life far removed from what he had planned. Long kept secrets come to the fore and Dale has to learn to let go of the past if he is going to eventually be at peace with himself and the world.
Thank you for reading and for taking a chance on an unknown author. As a sign of my gratitude and because it would be far too cruel to leave you hanging there.... turn the page to read the first chapter of the sequel, Twelve Days – The Future.
Although be warned – you may end up with more questions than answers.....
Elise watched numbly as the solid oak coffin was lowered slowly into the ground. Each of the mourners observed silently, lost in their own thoughts and memories, chilled despite the fact that the sun had finally made an appearance. The sombre mood radiated throughout the congregation as people hugged and embraced, tissues were shared and comfort was sought as the finality of the burial act began to hit home.
The minister was speaking quietly, soothingly, promising words of another better life, now that the deceased had