As I sob into Kade's chest, I think - how could we have possibly survived those bombings, they were beyond devastating. We are definitely dead!
While Kade is comforting me, two teenage girls dressed in white, laden down with designer shopping bags, pass by. One of them stops and looks at my tear stained face. She looks kind of disdainful of me and makes no attempt to lower her voice, "What's she so upset for; if I had a God like him, I'd be on cloud nine," she says, to her friend.
The friend looks back at us, "Maybe he's a fallen angel." She says, before adding with a giggle, "Oooh, a gorgeous, God-like-bad-boy - he's a total himbo. Good to know we've got some decent eye-candy in the hotel - he's heavenly," she chuckles.
The prettier of the two girls throws lustful eyes at Kade, she tries to make a connection with a flirtatious smile. But Kade isn't tempted by her inviting flirt; instead he kisses my forehead, tenderly, until the girls disappear into the milling throng of people that populate the hotel's Sixth Zone.
A woman's raised voice distracts us both, "Come quickly, we have to visit St Thomas, I don't have time for your questions right now!" She scolds a young boy, dragging him out of the hotel; worry is etched on her tightly clenched face.
I become acutely aware of all the heaven-like references and my sobbing escalates. Kade responds by gently pressing my face tighter to his chest. But this increases my hysteria and I pull away from him, because - I can't hear his heart beat!
My face is hit by a blast of sunlight that blinds me and makes me suddenly think: if this is heaven, why am I crying?
......
Feeling kind of odd, I say, "I'm sorry Kade," when I note my tears have drenched the front of his white T-shirt. He holds my face in his left hand and gently wipes the last of my tears with his other hand, "You never have to say sorry to me. And anyways, my tear stained t-shirt answers your question - there are no tears in heaven, Tan." He looks out at one of the busiest scenes I've ever seen. Cars, taxis, lorries, busses, motorbikes and cyclists, all jostle for road space. The pavements are equally chaotic, as local commuters, eager to get home, jostle with tourists, who hold selfie sticks aloft, eager to get their best shot.
Kade points to the worried woman with the kid, who is rushing across the road toward a large building, "Look where she's going," he says.
She runs inside the building, the large sign above the entrance reads: St Thomas' Hospital.
The surreal suddenly becomes real, "That's the hospital where are patients are waiting, isn't it." I surmise, embarrassment making my tear stained face, flush and redden. I really thought we were dead - madness!
Kade confirms my assumption, "That's it; where your parents have to somehow dissuade them from releasing them back to the wastelands we left behind." He says, throwing his arms out and un-self consciously raising his voice, "Welcome to the real world!" He turns back to me and takes my hand, "Although I will say, you were kinda right about us being in heaven - we're: young, alive, and in love in London - we're in seventh heaven, Tan. Let's go explore, make the most of it before we have to deal with what awaits us in that hospital," he says, pulling me out into the sweaty crowds.
......
"I feel really stupid," I say, as we wait at a pedestrian crossing."
"Why?"
"I actually thought we were dead," I say, crossing the road and walking onto Westminster Bridge.
"You and me both - for a second or two I thought you might be right," says Kade, stopping by a flight of stone stairs that leads down onto a walkway by the River Thames. He pulls me aside, his tone serious, "Tan, I'm guessing your 'heaven freak out' could be a symptom of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder." He looks at the tourists descending the steps, "You know, I can say with authority that none of these people have experienced anything close to the horrors we have." He puts his arm around me and guides me down the steps, "Truth is Tan, we're gonna need help, help from doctors to undo our damage, so we can function and succeed in this reality." He stops abruptly - "BUT, not right now. Right now we enjoy ourselves, while we can," he says, cheerfully.
