If You Ever Come Back

Epilogue

Epilogue

It has been two months after that terrible incident, when David’s life was in a dreadful condition. That night for me was still fresh at the back of my mind, and I just couldn’t believe that everything that happened back then was real. Sometimes, I wished it was all a nightmare, at least, if it was, I could shake it off my mind and live on like the rest of you.

The moment David was brought inside the ER, I swear I felt my heart skipped three beats. Now I knew what it felt like to lose someone you love. It was painful and the most regretful thing that had ever happened in my life. It was like the whole world closed in on me and put a spotlight of shame and agony onto the stage I never knew existed, where I found myself suddenly standing on. To sum it all up in one word, I felt pathetic.

I opened the white door, closed before me, which has a golden plate with David’s name written on a piece of paper, inserted into the plate’s packet. The door made a creaking sound as I pushed it slowly, hoping that I wouldn’t wake David’s step-mom up, and when I closed the door behind me, I took a few deep breaths before I turned around and faced David’s seemingly lifeless body, stuck onto machines and a blood bag.

“Oh, you’re here!” I heard a faint voice exclaimed on my right, which I guessed was his step-mom.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up, Auntie.” I apologized to her before she motioned me to sit beside her.

“It’s alright, honey, I couldn’t sleep anyway.” She said as she looked at David then back to me.

“Is he doing any good?” I asked her, holding both of her skinny hands.

Auntie’s eyes began to water as she shook her head slowly and whimpered, “No… the doctor said that he might never wake up.”

After she said those words, I couldn’t help but cry with her too. David might never wake up anytime soon, or even the future, which I hope wouldn’t happen. Auntie wiped her tears away and pretended to smile a bit before she told me she’ll be leaving for work in a couple of minutes. I nodded my head and in return, she kissed my forehead before she stood up and did the same thing with David.

“Take care of my son for me.” She whispered before she went out of the door, leaving me with David inside the room.

‘I love you too, Holly…’ those words echoed inside my mind when I hesitated to go near him. It took me quite a few moments before I was resolved to sit beside his bed and caress his bruised face. My finger slid starting from his forehead, outlining the tip of his nose, and finally, his lips. I suddenly felt a tingling sensation brushed my skin. It was as if he was here beside me, although he was still in a coma.

A tear slid down my eye as I kissed his cold lips and whispered, “Please come back…”

I looked at him for another five minutes before I slowly stood up and went for the door. My hand turned the knob counterclockwise and pulled it a bit open before I took a quick glance at him. With a torn heart, I turned my back on him and was about to step outside when…

“Holly…” I heard a whisper behind me.

I attempted to clean my ears with my pinky before I turned back and saw him half-awake with a smile plastered on his pale face. My hands slowly covered my mouth as I gasped when I saw him trying hard to lift his hand to reach me, while I stood there, not believing at what I was seeing. David was awake. He came back! I quickly ran beside him and hugged his head tightly as I let my tears flow freely down my face and onto his bed hair.

“You came back…” I whispered as I closed my eyes and prayed to God a silent ‘thank you’.

“I promised I would come back for you…” he whispered to my ear.

I let go of him and immediately pressed the nurse button under his bed, and within a few moments, the medical group came rushing into the room and attended on David. It was a miracle for me to see him moving and finally talking back to me after two longsuffering months we had to endure without him. I felt, without a doubt, that I missed him so much, and it was this day on that brought me a renewed sense of hope to live on.

A few weeks later, David has finally fully recovered. He had been discharged yesterday and here were we now, under the stars, performing our Thursday ritual of escaping our homes to go stargazing.

“After you, Milady!” David happily joked at me as he bowed his head and poised in front of me, motioning me to look into the telescope first.

As I looked at David, I couldn’t help but reminisce the time when he finally told me his secrets, well, most of it. David’s story was still hard to swallow, maybe that’s the reason why he didn’t want me to know the fact that his dad was a wanted criminal, and that his mom was dead in the first place. He told me that the reason he left me for that year was because, despite that his dad was a bad man, he still wanted to prove himself as a son, and so he had to undergo a painful training in the shadows. I told him it was a stupid decision and that he could’ve been killed in the process, even if that man was his Dad, but there was something in his eyes that told me that wasn’t the whole story. There was silence after that and I figured to break it by asking him another question. His eyes glittered when I asked him about the contract thing, and if that was true, but it turned out that that thing was just an excuse to let him meet me once again and after hearing that from him, I couldn’t be any happier.

I lifted my invisible skirt and curtsied in front of him while saying, “Why thank you, kind Sir.”

And from what I thought I would never hear again, David laughed, which sent me to cloud nine right away. I was really glad he was back. A few weeks before, I thought he’d die, and up until now, I felt like I was dreaming. It was like those bad things never happened, but nevertheless, did.

“Take a picture. It’ll last longer, I promise.” He smirked at me attempting to do a hot man pose.

I laughed at his expression and replied, “What’s there to look at?”

David’s smirk turned to a frown when I insulted him, and in a split second, he held my waist tightly and carried me bridal style. I exclaimed at his sudden reaction and struggled to break loose from his grip, but was of no use because we both knew that he was stronger than I’ll ever be.

“This.” He simply stated with a smile on his face before he crashed his lips onto mine.

I happily responded back to him and wrapped my arms around his neck, while we did what we felt would last forever this time. What could have been better than this? To be honest, I wouldn’t ask for anything else, because to me, this was the most perfect ending.

 

THE END