Love At First Surgery

EPILOGUE/LAST CHAPTER

TEN YEARS LATER

Mark opened his eyes to see Alaska and Cassandra standing over him, with big smiles plastered on their faces.

"Wake up!" They said in unison while jumping onto the bed.

"I'm awake, I'm awake." Mark said, sitting up and smiling at the girls.

"Are we gonna go see mommy today, daddy?" Alaska asked.

"I want to tell her that I lost a tooth!" Cassandra said, smiling.
Mark chuckled and looked at the gap in Cassandra's teeth where her tooth once stood.

"We are." He replied to the two small girls he called his daughters.

"Yay!" They said excitedly, running out of the room to go and get ready.

-

Cassandra and Alaska skipped as they walked along the concrete path to visit their mother's grave. They both held different types of flowers in their small hands, which were both Lexie's favorite flowers.

"Is this it?" Cassandra asked, looking at a grave that had Lexie's name written on it.

 ALEXANDRA CAROLINE GREY.

"That's it," Mark said. The spot felt quite familiar. He hadn't been to her grave since he attended the funeral. He didn't want to be reminded that she was now gone. As cruel as it might sound, Mark wanted to forget all about her.

Cassandra and Alaska both knelt down, now face-to-face with the grave. 

"Mommy, I lost a tooth!" Cassandra exclaimed, reaching into her right jean pocket. She pulled out her incisor and a ten dollar bill. 

"The tooth fairy left me money, too!" She said, showing the grave her ten dollar bill.

"That's amazing sweetie!" A familiar voice spoke. Mark could recognize that voice from miles away. He quickly turned around, seeing a face he thought he would never see again. 

"Lexie?" 

Mark knew it was all in his head. He knew Lexie wasn't there and she sure as hell wasn't alive. It's just like the story he heard about Izzie.

Lexie smiled widely and walked over towards mark. It wasn't Lexie though. She was like a ghost. She was pale and was starting to turn grey, as if she was decomposing. 

"You raised them well,"she said, resting her head on Mark's shoulder. She felt like air. 

"You're not real," Mark mumbled. It was loud enough for Lexie to hear.

Lexie chuckled. She took a small  pause as if she was thinking about saying something, but didn't. 

-

After that, Lexie stayed silent for the hour she was there. She stood in the same position with her head rested against Mark's shoulder. 

She then slowly began to drift away, like one of your best friend's that suddenly became a stranger. She was his best friend, and now she's gone. 

-

The car ride home was silent. You could hear a pin drop. 

"How did mommy die, daddy?" Cassandra asked, breaking the awkward silence. 

Mark looked into the rear view mirror and then looked at Cassandra. 

"She died when you two were born," Mark said, pressing his lips together into a straight line.

"We killed mommy?" Alaska asked, her voice breaking. 

"No. It wasn't your fault." Mark said. 

He tried not to say anything else, knowing he would start to cry. 

Mark looked back into the rear view mirror.

"You both look just like her," Mark said, attempting to get rid of the gloomy mood. 

-

"Cassie, let's go wake them up!" Alaska whispered to her sister.

"Let's jump on their bed!" Cassandra said with a giggle. 

The two ran together to Mark and Lexie's bedroom, attempting not to burst out into fits of laughter. 

Cassandra and Alaska opened their parents bedroom and tip-toed over to the bed. They both jumped onto the end of the bed and started to bounce on the bed, causing the two to wake up.

-

Mark got abruptly woken up by the girls. He looked to his right, seeing Lexie sitting up and smiling at the two. 

"The mosquito siblings are back at it again!" Lexie said with a laugh. 

Mark closed his eyes and rubbed them, not believing what he had seen. It was just another hallucination. Just like the one he had in the cemetery. 

He opened them again. Lexie was still there. 

Did Lexie never die?