DEAD IN BED By Bailey Simms: The Complete Second Book

PART 14, AUTHOR'S NOTE - 3/29/15, 4:47pm

I don't know how to say this.

I don't know how to express any of it. I want to honor Bailey's wishes, but I think in this last post I'm going to let her down. I just don't think any combinations of words can encapsulate the reality of what's happened.

The generator has burned through the last of the fuel way faster than I thought it would. So this is going to have to be really fast. I'm sorry, but I may have only a few minutes of electricity left.

When I got back the cottage last night, Bailey was still in bed. She was asleep, and I wasn't sure if I should wake her, but I remembered how emphatically she'd said she'd wanted to try to finish her book. So I woke her up. She was very groggy and tired, but she was determined to finish the novel. She dictated all of the last ten pages or so—way more at once than we'd ever done. When the novel reached the end, and I'd written all the last scenes down in the notepad, I understood what Bailey had meant about writing a heaven for herself in Ashley's and Ian's story.

She insisted on going over every line and made a lot of changes. It must have been three or four in the morning before she was finally satisfied with the book's last part. She was more exhausted than I'd ever seen her. She said goodnight, kissed me sleepily, and fell asleep on my chest. Then I fell asleep too, without even turning off the light.

When I woke up in the morning, right away I knew that Bailey was gone.

For a long time, I didn't move. I just lay there with her weight on top of me. It was almost as if I didn't move, time would stop, and she would still just be sleeping.

But her body was limp. Her arms were cold.

I'm sorry, I just can't explain anything more about what I'm feeling except to say that it doesn't just feel like the end of Bailey's life, and our relationship together, but the end of everything. I can barely breathe. I wouldn't have the will to write any of this if I hadn't promised Bailey that I would describe the truth of what's happened to us.

I did everything just as she wanted it. I left her body in the cottage bed. When I stepped back, she looked like she was only asleep. Peacefully asleep.

I turned off the light and closed the door.

After that, I didn't let myself think about anything except what Bailey had asked me to do. I found as much warm clothing in the house as I could. I even found a sleeping bag and a hiking backpack. I filled the backpack with as much canned and dried food as I could carry.

Finally, I packed the notepad containing the last part of Bailey's novel. I've sealed it a Ziploc bag so it won't get wet.

I promised her I'd post Part 14 before I left, but there's no way I'll have even close to enough time to transcribe the whole thing onto Wattpad before the generator runs out of fuel. I can hear it sputtering now.

So I'll have to post it after I get off the mountain and find another internet connection.

I'm leaving. I'm leaving now, just like she wanted. I'm walking out. There's still snow, and the going will be very slow and cold, but I have to make it out. I have to make it off the mountain alive for Bailey. That's all that matters.

I have no idea how long it will take to walk out of here and find a town. I have no idea if I'll survive.

But if you see any updates after this one, they will be the end of Bailey's book.

I'll post it as Adrian, my real name, not "Kyle," because I promised the person I loved more than anyone else in the world to tell the real truth about our short time together. And I don't want to stop telling that truth now.

And that's how you'll know I made it out and found an internet connection. If you see the last part of her novel posted on here one day, you'll know I've honored her last wishes.

You'll know that I've managed to put her heaven online, where it will always be waiting for her.