sincerely, amity

september 10th

Luz walked down the quiet hallway of the hospital. She knew the route, she walked it almost every day. Beeping flooded her ears, and sanitizer filled her nostrils.

"Hi," She said, barely above a whisper as she opened the door into the lavenderette's room.

"Hi," The girl croaked back.

Luz walked in and shut the door behind her. The overhead lights were off, and the only light was coming from the window and the small TV in the corner of the room.

"Written anything today?" The Latina asked, taking a seat in her usual chair.

"Mm, a little," Amity smiled.

Luz smiled back, reaching out for her hand. She rubbed her thumb over the pale girl's skin, bringing it to her lips and planting a kiss on the back.

"How are you feeling?"

"Tired," She giggled.

"I bet. Laying in bed must be exhausting," Luz joked.

Amity smiled.

"I talked to your nurse on the way in. She said I can spend the night if that's okay with you,"

"Yeah, that would be nice," She said softly, shifting over to meet Luz's eyes. "Are you gonna sleep with me?"

"No. I was thinking I'd take the bed and I'd put you on the floor," Luz smiled.

Amity chuckled, looking at the ceiling. She sighed.

Silence filled the room.

"Something feels wrong," She muttered.

"What do you mean? Are you alright?" Luz asked, suddenly alert.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. Something just feels off. Like I'm forgetting something. I don't know. Sickness brain,"

Luz sighed, a mix of relief and worry flowing out her lips.

The two stayed silent. Amity's hand stayed in Luz's.

"I love you," Luz whispered.

Amity turned her head to look at the Latina.

"I love you too,"

They smiled at each other. Amity's eyes sparkled a weird kind of energy. She turned away to look back at the ceiling.

"Luz?" She asked. "What time is it?"

Luz pulled her phone out of her pocket.

"Just past 7. Why?"

"Come here. I miss you,"

Luz smiled, but kicked off her shoes and her jacket. Amity scooted over to the best of her ability. Luz climbed in the bed, turning her head and smiling at her girlfriend. Amity's face was no further than 3 inches away, and she smiled back. Even half dead in a hospital bed, she was the most beautiful girl Luz had ever seen. She reached over and planted a kiss on her lips.

They just stared at each other. They didn't speak, they just stared because they both knew that soon they'd never get to again. They just didn't know how soon.

"Luz, will you go grab me a cup of water? You know where, right?"

Luz nodded.

"Yup, be right back,"

She climbed out of the bed, being careful to not hurt Amity. She slipped her Vans back on, and crept out into the hallway.

She greeted familiar nurses, and smiled at old people in wheelchairs. She walked down the hall and to the left, where the water fountain and paper cups were. She filled one up, and started back to Amity's room.

She creaked open the door, and walked over to Amity's bedside table. She set the cup down and looked down at Amity, who had appeared to have fallen asleep while Luz was gone.

Luz smiled, reaching her hand down to cup the girl's face.

Something didn't feel right.

Why wasn't Amity breathing?

"Amity?" Luz asked, bringing her ear to the girl's chest.

Nothing.

"Ams?" She said panicked, grabbing the pale girl's arm.

She didn't move.

"Doctor," She spat out shakily. "Doctor! Somebody, please!" Luz begged, rushing out into the hallway.

Tears uncontrollably fell from her eyes as doctors and nurses rushed past her. She watched in pure fear as they all touched devices and shoved one another. Sobs pushed past her lips as they yelled for someone to take Luz out of the room.

"No!" She begged. "No! Please! She's okay, isn't she? Amity!"

Luz stared at the empty door that closed in front of her. The nurses had to physically force her out of the room. She felt more soft hands on her shoulders. More nurses leading her to more rooms. Her eyes never left the door. Tears never left her cheeks. She watched as they rolled Amity's bed out of the door and down the hall.

She paced around the hallways, tears in her eyes, blood in her mouth from biting her lips. She tapped her feet when she sat. She picked at her nails when a nurse would walk her way.

She waited for hours. She sat in a small office type room, with nothing but waiting chairs and a coffee machine. She nervously checked her phone frequently, time seeming to stretch for years.

She got up every half hour to ask the nurses if they'd heard antything. They all shook their heads.

Around 11PM, a nurse quietly paced into the room Luz was sitting in. She had her head in her hand and she was half asleep, but as soon as she heard the footsteps, she was wide awake. She looked up at the masked woman, expectantly.

She shook her head.

Amity Blight was pronounced dead September 10th, at 10:34PM. Sometimes, Luz thinks a part of her should have been pronounced dead as well.

But she wasn't. She was alive and well, and every September 10th for the past eight years, she brought herself, and her pet cat, Ghost, to the cemetery with flowers. Lavender-cream boquets made by the florist she met the month after Amity had died.

Luz still continues to tell Amity's story. She doesn't meet new people. She knows she could, but her heart belongs to a certain cotton-candy-haired goddess. And one time, that cotton-candy-haired goddess told Luz to do what made her happy, so she did. She visited Amity's grave as much as she could and made Amity a part of her life.

She was healing every day. It's crazy how someone she'd known for two years affected her eight years later, but she never complained. She loved Amity, and no illness could ever change that.

Luz stared at the headstone in front of her. She smiled. That was something new.

She read over the newly engraved phrase on the bottom of her grave marker.

'Sincerely, Amity'