Is There Freedom?

Chapter 16

It's been a week now since the wedding. The day after the wedding, Lila was rushed to the hospital. She was coming to the end of her long and weary days. Lila had little time left. We visited her twice in the week. Then a phone call came. It was Bill. "Hi dad, what's up?" Luca asked.

"Luca, you need to get down here. Lila is near her last breath. It's time to say final goodbyes," Bill stated solemnly.

"Okay we'll be there. We'll come as fast as we can," Luca replied in a monotone.

"Hurry my son," Bill said anxiously.

Luca hung up the phone. His face grew pale. "Lila?" I asked.

"We have to go. She's near death's front door," he answered.

The smile that once resided on my face disappeared in the blink of an eye. I grabbed the keys and went at a quick speed down the stairs to the truck. Luca pressed the gas and we drove off to the hospital. Minutes flew by and the anxiety crept up inch by inch from our stomachs to our tongues. Were we going to make in time? Will she still be alive upon our arrival? My heart raced millions of miles and ached as if it was being chipped away by an ice pick.

It felt like forever until we got the hospital. We rushed up the elevator to Lila's room. When we got to the door, Lila was nearly drawing her last breath. "Luca, Lexis, I'm so glad you came," Lila said with a struggle.

"We're glad that we made it in time," I replied.

Lila showed a smile and coughed harshly. Was she ready to go to the next step of life? "I see a white light. I see darkness. Goodbye everyone," Lila said softly.

Her eyes closed and never opened again. The heart monitor flat lined. She was gone. Tears were forming in all of our eyes. My sight was blurred by my salty tears. One by one, people who we hold dear to our hearts begin to die. I turned to Luca and buried my face into his shoulder as I wept.

"It's okay beautiful, Lila is in a better place where she won't feel or endure the pain and suffering that she had for many years" Luca said in a soothing and comforting tone.

Bill walked up to us and embraced us in his arms. I've never saw a man cried tears of such love and sorrow as much as Bill and Luca had shed. The number of my tears was equivalent to their tears combined. "I wish she had more time," I cried softly.

"We all wish that Lexis. We all did," Bill replied in between his whimpering cries.

"We all just wanted her to get better and the medical  treatments were unsuccessful. It just caused the leukemia to increase and take over her body," Luca replied as he held my head against his shoulder and stroking my soft, silky hair.

I just lost my sister-in-law. My only sister now is little Pia. My family was slowly decreasing in size and numbers. My heart was breaking and each piece travelled with them as they moved on. "Let's go home. There's no need to stay here any longer" Luca said.

We slowly walked to the door with our faces painted with salty, watery streaks and solemn facial expressions. The whole ride home was silent. How will we cope? We never expected her death to come so sudden. We finally pulled into the driveway around noon.

The truck stopped. We both got out and I walked through that front door like a mummified minion. My feet carried me up the stairwell and to our room. When I got there, I put on a tank top with jeans and my riding boots. I had to clear my mind for a while. Diane stood in the doorway just staring at me. "Do you mind if I join you on the ride?" she asked as her voice cut through the silence like a knife.

"Sure, I honestly don't care. I just need to clear my mind," I responded.

So the both of us headed down the stairwell and I caught a glimpse of Luca. He was sitting on the couch watching television, holding a bottle of whisky in hand. I winced at the sight. Seeing my lover drinking reminded me of my father. He did the same thing when his little brother died when I was only four. I walked out that door with Diane and walked down to the barn. The wooden doors creaked at the hinges when we opened them. Diablo's head perked right up from just hanging there.