Until Next Time

"Hahaa no way! You weren't even there!" Marissine laughed.

"How would you know?" Jason said, "That is my lunch!" She knew Jason went to chess club on the days they didn't have lunch together so this was an easy lie detector.

"Because I talked to Mr. Benderson." Jason turned bright red at the tip of his nose and he just stared intently at the ground. Marissine had on her sly smile for the simple fact that she had zero classes near Mr. B's room that day, so it was impossible for her to have talked to the chess coach.

"Hey wai-"

"Yeah, stupid. Hahaah, so anyway guess what!" She was too excited to keep in her little surprise until they got to her house.

"What?" He just said under his breath with little interest due to his wounded pride.

"I wouldn't sound so rude to me if you want to go see Shacket Shawn Friday at the Arena." His head shot up at the mention of his favorite band.

"Holy crap, M.! You didn't!" He tackled her into a hug and thanks to her backpack, momentum caught up with them and knocked them into the grass.

"Hahaah, hold up! That's if and only if you provide the ride."

"Oh yeah! I'm getting my license tomorrow! I'll take us! Oh and by the way I'm picking you up to celebrate after I get it... right?" He did his fake little puppy dog face and, of course, it didn't work but she said yes anyway.

"Awesome! Me, you, and Steak 'n' Shake, Babe." He backed up his tough guy act with a wink after which Marissine pretended to faint.

After he dropped her off at her house she went to do her homework fast so her mom could take her to look for an outfit for tomorrow and Friday.

"Perfect!" She squeaked because she had found the perfect dress for tomorrow and the best shirt ever for Friday.

"You sure do care a lot about how you look in front of your friend." Her mom knew they were just friends but she wanted to secure her a good future husband.

"It's for other potential lovers, Mom!" She knew her mom was just kidding and she tried to laugh it off but her red face was her ticket to the Caught Red-Handed fiesta.

After school the next day Marissine had to endure the long walk home alone but got back in time to change. She waited for Jason to get there. 4 o'clock... 5 o'clock... 5:30... The DMV wasn't even open this late! Maybe he didn't get his license and he's too ashamed to tell me... This thought had crossed her mind more than once and she decided, after a long debate with herself, to call his house. From the time Jason's mom picked up the phone sobbing to the time she got to the hospital, it all seemed like a dream... no worse, a nightmare that she couldn't wake up from.

H-hello?

Hey Mrs. J is Jason there? He was suppose to come get me after the DMV...

Oh my God, sweeheart I have been searching for your number everywhere but his phone got smashed in the crash...

CRASH? What crash? Is everything okay, Mrs. J??

Legessity Hospital, Room 324, you are put in the system as family, I'll see you there.

Marissine and her mom raced to the hospital and almost go into a few accidents themselves. It turned out Jason did get his license and was on his way to pick up Marissine when a suicidal drink driver ran into the drivers side of Jasons car at 75 mph.

"What's his condition? Is he okay? Can I see him?" Marissine was sobbing so hard that her knees gave out and she crumpled to the floor. Jasons mom and her own mother helped her up and got her to a chair.

"Th-they don't t-th-think he's gonna ma-make it." Mrs. J was waterfalling herself but she managed to keep upright. "But they think he might have a chance if they perform some surgery... but it's still risky." After about 3 hours they, finally, got permission to go and see him.

Mrs. J went in first for some alone time. After an hour or so, it was Marissines turn. She went into the bright-as-heaven room and let the door shut behind her. There were two tables on each side of the bed, each easily mobile in case the doctors needed it to move. And there was Jason, just laying there like he was sleeping except he had so many tubes hooked up to him it was like he was the potato powering a clock. He had too many cuts and stitches running across his face and body that it made Marissine shiver and quake. Bruises covered him like a suit to a buisnessman. His heartbeat machine was a consistant reminder of his failing health.

"Hey there, sexy thing," she said this with the painful lump in her throat throbbing, "You can't just leave me here, with all these people, ya know? It's not cool, dude." She couldn't take it anymore and she collapsed right there beside him. She sobbed into his slow rising chest and held his hand. "Don't leave me... I love you, Jason... That's the only way I can put it." She was shaking from trying to hold in the scream she wanted to let out, oh so badly.

"So much you would have my babies, chick?" She stopped crying, sucked in a quick breath and saw Jasons blue-green eyes staring at her with a kind of intensity she only saw when he was performing CPR on a nearly dead victim.

"Oh my God, Jason! Wh-What?" She hugged him extremely tight without even thinking about it.

"Woah woah. Still a little sore, Babe."

"Oh my God, sorry!" She jumped back but he held her hand and gently pulled her back to him.

"Relax. I'm fine... So, I guess this means no concert?"

"Ugh, you idiot! Of course not! You have to live first!"

"I'll live if and only if you promise..." His playful smile melted off his lips and his face transformed into a serious mask.

"If what? I can't promise unless you tell me!"

"Go to that drawer over there, i remember that's where they put it from a daze." Marissine went to the indicated drawer and pulled in a quick, deep, painful breath when she saw the small black velvet box.

"If and only if you promise to marry me." Marissine burst into tears and jumped into the bed with Jason and laid a gentle, sweet, DELICIOUS kiss on his lips.

"You'll have my answer soon enough." Suddenly the doctors swarmed in and told her to go out into the hall.

"I love you, too. Until next time..." Was the last words she heard him say before she was swept away by the doctors and nurses. He had to go into surgery earlier because something had happend to his breathing patterns and Mrs. J gave her the keys to her house and told her to go.

Marissine slept for two days in his room with no new news. It was Friday by then and the concert started in 2 hours. She had only slept about an hour because she spent each night organizing his room. Her mother had dragged her home and got her to shower. When she was done she wrapped a towel around her body and walked to her room. She open the door to find that her mother had cleaned her room, how she found the time to do it, nobody knows. Marissine went to her window that overlooked the car port to see a brown jeep with the hood gone and doors off.

"I told your mother we were getting married so she let me in here by sheer force, will and a few bruised puppy dog faces." That, one of the sweetest voices on Earth, was right behind her. And it's owner, nearly repaired, looked amazing. "Whose ready for that concerrr......" he trailed off and examined her thoroughly, "Hmph, i will not have my future fiance out in public with just a bath towel!"

So in the end, she got dressed and they went to the concert. They got married on April 1st, Jasons favorite day. Jason and Marissine had two older sons and a little girl. and never got into another car accident again, so their insurance company loved them. They grew old together and, basically, never spent a day apart. That meant that they had very, very, VERY few chances to say "Until next time" ever again.

The End