The March of the Black Queen (book III)

59.) Slipping Two Steps Back

A/N:

Yes. I am aware that's a horrible photoshop 😂🙃

This may get edited later....

Ready?
Deeeeeeep breath.

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In the beginning of your life, you're unsure of where to go, how to start, and absolutely terrified about where you'll end up.

If you don't try to indulge a bit, you'll let your life fly by and you'll miss the times you never thought you'd cherish so dearly.

When you get to the end of your life, sometimes the messages are still very unclear. Sometimes it's unexpected, sudden, and you're gone in a flash. Other times you see it coming headlong...

"Thank you so much for promptly coming, Cherie—"

"Of course, I came!," Her voice rings in my ear, tempting me to open my eyes to the angelic sound, but I can't.

"As soon as Thomas told me, I— I couldn't believe it! And now I'm here, and he's still not awake?! Are you joking?! Why would you bring me all the way down here to lie to me!? Is my pain funny to all of you?!"

She sounds hysterical at this point. I can feel her pain piercing my ears, stabbing my heart, covering my entire being with a sheer blanket of heartache.

"No, no, not at all, Mrs. Mercury—"

"Just call me Cherie," she inhales sharply. "Goddamnit! Ugh! I said I wouldn't cry, I'm sorry. I'm just so emotional..."

"That's understandable," the doctor meekly mumbles. "Anyway, I uh, he was awake. Fully awake and coherent as far as I could tell. The first thing he did was ask about you and your children—"

Her sniffles kill me. The hiccups she tries to hold in make a strange suffocating noise as she gulps them down, listening to the doctor explain himself.

"Um, he became rather hysterical and I didn't want him to become violent or to suffer another seizure that could potentially damage all the amazing progress he's made...So, we had to put him under heavy sedation to uh, run some more tests and hopefully give his body a break to calm down"

"He's had years of his body taking a break!," Cherie cuts him off with a scoff. "Wake him up! I don't want you to dilute his body or mind with anymore coma-inducing crap!"

That's right— there's my girl.

"We don't want to cause him any harm, Cherie. I assure you. We've all be rather stumped with his condition and we want the best for him—"

"The best for him is coming home with me. He won't stay here and listen to you if he's as sound as you make him seem. He needs me."

Her hand clutches onto mine. My fingers are limp. I can't move them to hold hers, but she's here and that's all that matters now. I try to fight the fog of the medication, but I can't seem to gain control of my senses yet. Well, at least I know she's here...

"I don't know if that's a good idea—"

"Like hell it isn't!," Cheries hand squeezes mine before she lets go. I hear her heels click across the floor.

"You'd be leaving against medical advice. At this point, we should all take it slow."

"How much slower can it get, Gordon?! It's been too long!"

The doctor lets out a long sigh as if he was holding his breath...his next words let me figure out that he was biting his tongue in stress. Maybe for my benefit. Maybe he knows I can hear them...