The Bucket List

☑ #13: Fall In Love

A/N:

I want to put this here just because this is the last part and I feel like writing the author’s note at the end would ruin the story. I want to thank all of you for your support and that’s why I’ve dedicated this chapter to you. Thank you so much, I really do love you.

Also, kudos to @delilaxx for guessing this chapter’s title correctly :) And all the words from the book mentioned in this passage belong to Kate DiCamillo.

And now, without further ado, the last installment of The Bucket List.

-Nova.

            When Blue woke up she was not ready to blink her eyes open to a completely white ceiling. Nor was she ready to find a [quite endearing] sleeping Oliver in the corner of the room. Or to find her mothers conversing in hushed voices in the far corner.

            “Mom?” Her voice was cracked and her throat dry and Blue could barely even hear herself for God’s sake. Oliver might have been barely asleep because when she tried pushing herself up, he awoke with a start. Both women swivvled on their heels to survey Blue with panicked eyes. It made her feel even more exhausted just by watching their worried expression spread further across their faces.

            “No—don’t move,” Mama told her, hurrying to push her back down onto the uncomfortable bed.

It’s not like she could have—she was way too weak to even raise a finger. So she settled her head back into the [too] fat, white, antiseptic-smelling pillow. She watched the boy in the chair in the far corner. He watched her back. But he didn’t say anything.

            “How long have I been here?” she had to try multiple times for them to finally hear her.

            “Couple days. How do you feel?”

            “Like shit.”

They didn’t even attempt scolding her for the dirty word.

            “Jane and Brody visited just before you woke up,” Mommy told her, as if it would help. It didn’t. Blue’s head was aching, like if she even tried to sit up all the blood would rush out and her heart would collapse right then. Her stomach was hosting a sharp pain and she just wanted to sink into oblivion forever if it meant not feeling like this. Only when her mother brought a spoon of rice pudding to her dry lips did she realize that it was hunger. Willingly, Blue widened her mouth but found it impossible to choke down the thick food. She coughed it back up into the cup, not even finding the energy to feel humiliated before Oliver. It was pretty apparent that she was a mess, anyway.

            Half an hour later the couple left with a kiss to either of Blue’s cheeks and a murmered “I love you.” She turned her head just barely to meet those of Oliver’s. They seemed flat today. She didn’t like it.

            “Why are you here?” Her voice was barely loud enough for him to hear while craning his neck towards her and the back of her throat stung.

            “I never left.”

            “Did you sleep here?”

            “Yes.”

            “Does your back hurt?” Blue looked at him with a mix of concern and curiosity and his lips twisted in a slightly bitter smile.

            “No.”

            “It does, doesn’t it.” She said it as more of a statement than a question.