Until Then

Chapter 23

CHAPTER 23

Kenneth

I don't understand it. I get why I died. I get that I signed up for the military knowing full well that it could shorten my life. But why is she sick? Why is this beautiful girl who gives so much of herself to the sick children she cares for about to suffer and then leave the living world? It doesn't make sense at all.

Quinn had waited for another round of pain medication and then she'd gotten dressed and packed up her stuff so she could leave the hospital. She called a cab, which was hard to watch. I wished I was alive and I could have driven her myself. Instead I jumped in the cab with her, keeping my promise that she wouldn't be left alone.

Her apartment is dark and quiet as she sets her purse and phone on the counter. The small white slip of paper with her appointment time hastily written on it sits starkly on the counter next to her keys. She grabs a cold water from the fridge and takes a big white pill that she'd been prescribed and had picked up from the hospital pharmacy. I lean up against the kitchen counter and watch her as she moves around.

"Are you tired?" I ask.

"Yes, but I don't think I'll be able to sleep. It's weird. I forget about it for a second and relax, but then something reminds me and my stomach starts jumping around and my heart starts racing. Maybe I should watch a movie or something to see if I can distract myself." She takes a few more sips of the cold water and then screws the cap back on.

"Maybe a comedy," I recommend. She motions for me to follow her into the living room. She presses her fingers against the glass beneath her TV and the door pops open, revealing three shelves full of DVDs.

"I don't think I have anything you would like," she says sweetly, running her finger along all the slick cases.

I begin to read the titles and realize that her whole collection looks much like her bookshelves. She's clearly a romantic at heart. "What makes you think I wouldn't like one of your movies?" I ask playfully, pointing to a random one off the shelf.

She laughs, covering her face with both hands in embarrassment. "I haven't seen that one in forever!"

"Runaway Bride," I read slowly. Judging from Julia Robert's hair on the cover, it's at least a decade old. I shake my head quickly. "Grab a different one." I point to another DVD and she pulls it from the shelf and holds it up. "The Wedding Planner." This time my brows pull together. I think I sense a theme.

"Stop. We can just watch HBO." She tries to shove the DVD back on the shelf. I move closer so that I can see the titles.

"27 Dresses, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, The Wedding Date, Bride Wars, The Princes Bride—" I get cut off when Quinn squeals and closes the door quickly, turning her body to block my view.

"They aren't all mine!" She insists. I think it's so cute she's embarrassed. Her pale cheeks are now a rosy pink color and she's trying hard not to laugh. "And some were gifts," she says confidently. "A few were my grandma's and..."

"Are you quite done making excuses?" I laugh. "Because I don't see anyone else in here. You would think if you didn't enjoy them you would get rid of them." I take my cover off and toss it on the small coffee table. "And yet here they are, on display behind glass even."

"I just haven't gotten around to packing them up yet," she laughs, reaching for the remote control so she can turn the big TV on.

"Watch whatever you want," I tell her. "It's your house. I'm just a guest."

"We can choose one together." She moves to sit on the couch, and I sit a cushion away from her. I want nothing more than to sit right beside her, but I know we don't know each other that well yet. I also know I'll want to touch her. I'll want to hold her hand again, or put my arm across her shoulder. Maybe she isn't ready for all that.

"Deal." I take my boots off so I can put my feet up on the ottoman next to hers. We both sink down into the fluffy cushions and watch as the menu appears on the TV screen.

"Tell me if you find something you want to watch," she instructs as she scroll through the menu. It honestly doesn't matter what I watch, I just want to spend this time with her. I want her to be at peace and be happy. She's needs a distraction and probably a really long nap. After reading the tenth option, I turn my head in her direction and watch her face as she reads the titles.

I see it the moment her eyes read one that she likes. Her lips curl up slightly and her cheeks lift beneath her eyes. I bet she doesn't even know she's just done that, but it is all the evidence I need that that's the movie she wants to watch. I'm sure she will pass it up if I don't say I want to watch it too. I turn my head quickly and scan the list. It's easy to pick out among the two action titles and the scary thriller that I wouldn't even want to watch in the bright light of the mid afternoon.

"That one!" I say, pointing to the title I know had made her smile.

"Don't tease me," she says with a sigh, her smile lighting up her face again. "You do not want to watch Bride's Maids." She's looking at me and tilts her head to the side in disbelief.

"I'm trying something new." I tell her with a shrug. "If you love all these wedding shows so much, maybe I'm missing out."

She laughs loudly, shaking her head and then resting back against the cushion behind her. "It is a really good one," she thinks out loud. Her finger pauses over the controller and she pulls her bottom lip between her teeth as she thinks it over. I watch her, getting the strangest feeling we've done this before, but knowing that isn't possible. Finally she clicks the button and the movie starts to play. "Maybe just a few minutes...."

I love that I've made her happy and I feel my smile growing as we settle into this comfortable place just like old friends or lovers. "Maybe just a few...." I agree. 

***Don't forget to vote and comment. What is your favorite wedding movie?*****