Stitches (Charlie Jones)

Chapter Fourteen

Charlie's POV

I didn't get to see Katie again. I was interviewed by the police. And then I was sent home with my parents. I'd begged everyone I saw for the next few days to let me see Katie. But no one would allow it. Apparently her parents had said I wasn't to be allowed anywhere near her from that moment onwards.

However, one of the police officer's dealing with our case told me that Katie's health was a lot worse than she'd let on. I'd asked him how long she had left. And he said her doctor had told them she had just a few days. And then I cried.

I begged my parents to let me see Katie but they said that even if they took me to see her, her parents wouldn't allow it. And then I cried some more. Eventually, I went to bed and I laid there for hours with my eyes wide open, staring at the same grey spot on the ceiling. I wondered if Katie was in pain or if the doctors had given her some drugs to numb it. I wondered if she was thinking of me too. But most of all, I wondered if I'd made her happy. And after a while, I fell asleep.

All I remember from that night was waking up to the sound of the house phone ringing. I got out of bed and ran as fast I could down the stairs where my dad was. He had the house phone in his hand and was talking into it. He flashed me a sympathetic smile before he hung up the phone. "Tell me that wasn't Katie's parents," I barely spoke. My dad stayed quiet for a moment before saying, "I'm sorry."

And then cried again. But this time I didn't stop crying. And I didn't sleep for the rest of the night. I just cried. Sometimes it stopped when I started thinking about the colour of the carpet. But then my mind wondered and I remembered. And then I cried again.

Saying that it hurt would be the biggest lie I'd ever told. It didn't hurt. It burned. I could feel the stinging heat in my eyes, my mouth, my head. It spread down my back and into my lungs. My heart was in flames.

My dad had tried to comfort me but I'd just pushed him away. I didn't speak to anyone until the next day when my mum sat down on the sofa beside me. She didn't say a word. But she knew I needed to talk to someone and so I did. "We didn't get to finish the bucket list, Mum. And it's not fair. It's really not fair. She was everything. How am I supposed to move on now? How do I live everyday like I haven't lost the girl I love?" I asked her, tears still pouring down my cheeks. "You know I don't have the words you need to hear, Charl," my mum told me, "But Ruby is coming round. And she might have those words."

So I cried for a little longer before washing my face and then Ruby arrived. Neither of us said anything for a while. We just sat side by side in silence. Ruby's usual joy wasn't there that day. I wasn't surprised. It was the saddest day I'd ever known. "When I first saw her, I knew I needed her as my number one wing woman. She was so pretty but not in an obvious way. And her heart was so pure and kind. I just needed her as a part of my life," Ruby told me, without looking at me.

"Thank you," I whispered, "Thank you for introducing me to her." Ruby looked at me this time and said, "No, thank you for loving her. Because a girl like her deserved to be loved in the way that you loved her. A girl like her deserved the sunshine every moment of her life. She was so special." Ruby was now tearing up again. We stared quiet for a little while longer and then she spoke again. "Wasn't she delightful, though? She brought some much light and joy to our lives. Oh God, I miss her," Ruby told me, whispering the last part.

"I need her. I need to touch her again. And kiss her, Ruby, I need her," I said before she pulled me into a hug. "I love her. Oh God, I love her," I whispered as I cried. The two of us sat there, hugging one another for a good few minutes before I pulled away. "We...uh...we made a bucket list. And I promised her that we'd complete it. But we missed all but one. So I need to go to Paris," I told her, holding the crumpled piece of paper tightly in my hand. It was a piece of her I never wanted to lose. Ruby nodded understandingly before saying, "She loved you, Charlie. So desperately."