His 90 Day PA

Prologue

Two years ago

This wasn't happening; this wasn't happening. The words were on a loop inside Xaver's head ever since he had gotten the call from the hospital.

There must be some mistake.

They had just made love that morning. He had murmured her name, little endearments, and his love for her over and over while he was inside her. Their lovemaking had left  them both breathless at the end. Afterward, he had placed his hand on her still flat abdomen and kissed, through her skin, his unborn child.

This wasn't happening; this wasn't happening...

Sirens blared in his ear as the police escort, with red and blue flashes, zoomed past to take the lead. Alfonso followed, expertly zigzagging through cars on their way to St. Mary's. The ride only took twelve minutes, but to Xaver, it was as if a lifetime had passed.

Xaver jumped out and sprinted into the hospital as soon as the car had stopped. He nearly ran into a curly haired girl with a split lip. Her eyes grew wide with recognition or perhaps fright at his appearance. She stood out in the blur of faces and bodies because she was wearing a man's rumpled army fatigue jacket in the middle of summer. 

She has to be hot. 

He was hot, he was sweating, and it was hot. An antiseptic smell mixed with blood assaulted his nostrils. Xaver's mouth was devoid of spit, but his hands were moist with perspiration. Someone took his arm, but he jerked it away.

"Please follow me, Mr. Sayle..."

Xaver followed behind the voice to the elevator. His legs wobbled like jello-o and the loop had begun again in his mind. Suddenly, Alfonso was there, pressing buttons and speaking to a tall man in a dark blue business suit. Xaver's hands ran through his hair, stopping midway as he gripped the strands tight. A low moan, came from the pit of his stomach and bubbled through his mouth.

I need to pull it together. Until I see her, I'm not giving up hope.

"I love you," Sonia had said as she brushed her lips across his nose. The kiss had woken him up slightly out of a sound sleep. Xaver remembered inhaling her freshly showered lavender scent. It had washed over him as she had bent down. He didn't remember saying anything in return. Sleep, after a long night of love, had been more important to him at the time.

The elevator stopped. He squeezed through the doors before they were fully open, banging his shoulder into the unforgiving metal on the way out. Xaver's eyes darted right and left, his feet on the move, looking for someone to tell him something. 

"Where, where—" Xaver said, choking on his words in his anguish.

The girl at the desk sat there mutely, her mouth agape as she took in his disheveled appearance. Someone grabbed his arm again and led him down a bright corridor. Xaver's tunnel vision clouded the edges. 

At the end of the passageway, he was ushered through double wide push doors and into a sterile room. It contained nothing but a small table with two folding chairs.  At the center of the table, a box of tissues were housed in a glaring, flowery container. 

It stood out like a beacon of despair.

 The brightness of the box hurt his eyes so Xaver moved his focus to the opposite wall. There was a glass window in the middle of it. The viewing area. 

Was that what they called it?

Something ... no someone was covered with a sheet. A man dressed in green scrubs and a white coat, got up from a desk chair in the corner. His Crocks made irritating squeaky noises on the generic green tile. The sound grated on Xaver's nerves. If there hadn't been a solid divider between them, Xaver would have knocked the man out of his squeaky shoes and fed them to him. 

The man stopped before the hidden object and without any fanfare, pulled back the sheet ... and there she lay. Xaver blurred her face with his tears. He quickly wiped them away with the back of his hand as his mouth worked furiously, no sound coming out.

Her dark hair was shiny and luxurious. It framed her pale face in gentle waves. Her long lashes touched her cheeks, and her lips were still rosy. She looked peaceful—but her head was at an odd angle to her body. Even the sheet couldn't hide that.

Someone was talking, placing their hands on him.

"Car accident...

"Swerved to avoid a child...

"Utility pole...

"Dead at the scene."

Xaver sank to the floor. His knees banged against the tile in a jarring manner. The pain that exploded from them was nothing compared to what he was feeling inside his chest as his heart tore in two. Sounds escaped him then, deep moans and sharp breaths became intermittent with racking sobs that contorted his frame.

She was gone, and she had taken his soul with her.