Toxic

Epilogue

"Hello, are you Thorn? Andre's been asking for you." The kindly nurse smiles at me.

I manage to nod. "How is he?" He's been in hospital for three days now, and because I finish early on a Wednesday, Mum drove me there herself. The story we gave out to our parent's and Andre's was that we'd all gone to a party at Yasmin's house, but on the way home a gang of yobs had threatened us. Andre had defended us and they had  turned on him. It seemed plausible, after all, he was covered in blood and bruises at the time. I think they were all glad that we had got home in one piece.

It was when we'd got back in the car that Lola found Andre's heart was still beating - only just, but enough. He was a fighter if ever there was one.

"Much better, he's had a bit of internal bleeding, but he should be home in a fortnight." She confirms, and opens the door of his room for me. "I'll be down the hall if you need anything," she dismissed herself gracefully.

"Well, I'm going to get myself a coffee from the machine." Mum tells me, and sweeps down the corridor to the lift.

I take a deep breath, and step into Andre's room. A drip is attached to his hand, and he's propped up on the pillows, wide awake.

"Hey," he greets me, his beautiful eyes crinkling up as he smiled. I sit down on the chair beside is bed and take his smooth hand.

"I thought I'd lost you." A tear falls down my face, and he brushes it away gently with his finger.

"But you didn't," he reminds me.

I look at the untouched tray of soup on his bedside table. Yuck.

"God, you don't get any decent food in hospitals." He complained, watching me.

"Are you allowed chocolate?" I ask, unzipping my bag.

He leans forward eagerly, and laughs as he sees the huge bar I've stashed in my bag for him.

"I'm not living on tinned tomatoes for the next two weeks."

I hand the Dairy Milk to him ,and he makes quick work of unwrapping it, breaking off three chunks and popping them into his mouth.

I smirk as he swallows and reaches for more. "You must have been so deprived" I tease him.

"I'd better save some, unless you'd care to bring me a bar every time you visit?" he asks cheekily.

I ruffle his hair. "You look like you're better already."

"Oh, that reminds me, you forgot something".He turns to the the cabinet next to his bed, and takes a package from the top of it, passing it to me.

I pull my ametheyst necklace from the tissue paper. "Put it on for me?" I turn round in my chair, lift my hair off the back of my neck,and close my eyes blissfully when he kisses me there. When I turn back to face him, the stone is gleaming against my top.

Andre leans towards me, and I wonder how he still manages to look so handsome when he is wearing pyjamas and a dressing gown, and there's a drip connected to him.

"I love you," he tells me, eyes gazing right into my own.

"I love you too. Stay with me." I reply.

"Always." He whispers, before his lips brush mine.

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FIFTEEN YEARS LATER. (ANDRE).

I still don't remember much of what happened, and I guess I'll never know. All I can recall is that I met some girl called Carly and she was a bit spooky - but apparently she died in a car crash shortly after I was attacked.

Thorn and I grew closer, and our relationship strengthened over the years - she is the only girl I ever loved, and will ever love.

We went to the same university together, and after our first year in halls we rented a flat. Even living on beans on toast, drinking cheap lager and panicking at the size of our bills, I had Thorn, and being poor students didn't seem so bad.

I'm grateful that my dad was so pushy - I got top grades and I work as an accountant now, so we're rolling in money.

I pull up onto our vast driveway, slam shut the door of my jet black Mercedes. I turn the key and the oak door swings open.

"Thorn?" I call.

"We're in the garden," she yells back.

I hang my coat on the rack and loosen my tie, before going through to the back living room and out of the open sliding glass door.

Thorn is sat under the shade of a parasol, on one of our wooden garden chairs, gathered round the table with Ruby and Lola, her sisters.

She pushes her sunglasses up onto her forehead. "Hey," she greets me, just like she always has.

I bend down and kiss her softly. "Hi, how are the kids?" I greet Ruby and Lola - they must have brought them round for another play session.

"Burning all their energy up on the trampoline." Lola replies.

A jumble of kids are on the trampoline, Ruby's twin daughters, Grace and Amelia, Lola's son Craig, and my own beautiful daughter.

 She slides through the trampoline enclosure and runs towards me. "Daddy!"

Her golden hair is in bunches, and she has eyes just like sapphires - which she gets her name from. With an aunty called Ruby, jewel names seems to be a trend in the family.

I swing her up into a big hug, and she grasps me tightly.

Then I put her down and she runs up to Thorn, who hugs her too. I look on fondly at the two best things in my life.