Counting On Forever

Chapter 25

The song Kate sings is above or to the side. It's by one of my favorite singers from The Voice, Danielle Bradbery. Please enjoy! [Please don't kill me at the end ;)]

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~{Chapter 25}~

"It's not going to be okay. I'm not going to be okay," I say, panicked.

I am at the event, and I am about to go on in about ten minutes. I have no idea why I am freaking out. I practiced my song and even got a decent amount of sleep. When I woke up, I was as relaxed as could be, and I was like that when I arrived at the event. Then, all of a sudden, a wave a panic came upon me.

"Kate, are you alright? You're looking pale, and you look like you can't breathe. Please tell me you're still breathing," Beth says as she comes up to me.

I look up at her. "I feel like I'm about to faint. Please tell me I'll be okay. I'm about to go insane!"

Her eyes widen. "Okay, it's going to be fine. You'll do so amazing, and you have nothing to worry about. Just relax and remember that all this is for is to honor people. They aren't going to throw anything at you."

I give her a small smile and take a deep breath. "You're right. I can totally do this. I just need to keep taking deep breaths and calm down."

I start taking deep breaths and feel my nerves settling down slightly, and Beth keeps whispering encouragements to me. I close my eyes and think about peaceful things.

"You're on in five," someone says as they walk past me, making my eyes fly open.

I look over to Beth to see if they were talking to me. She just nods her head. I nod back at her and sit for a couple of minutes before I stand up, ignoring the shaking of my legs. Beth gives me a smile and leads me to the curtains where I receive my mic.

"Kate, don't think about the people. Imagine it's just you and James. This is for him and for God. Just take a deep breath. It will all be fine," she says encouragingly.

I smile. "Thanks, Beth."

A stagehand comes next to me and asks if I am ready. I nod, and he looks over to the sound person. The person nods at me and starts a countdown. I take one more deep breath, and my racing heart seems to slow down even more than before. I walk out to the middle of the stage.

"Hello, my name is Kate Garner, and I am going to be singing I Will Never Forget You. This song is very close to my heart because it is a song for my late fiancé who was in the military. This is for all those out there who have lost a family member," I say with confidence.

I look over to the sound guy, and he starts my music. I close my eyes and start singing. I forget all about the people who are staring at me. I forget about the stress I felt just a few minutes earlier, and I do exactly as Beth said I should do; I imagine I am just singing to James and for God.

My voice becomes stronger and more confident throughout the song, and I find myself brave enough to open my eyes while I sing my high note. I open my eyes and hit the high note. It is then when I find myself staring into familiar brown eyes, except, they are not sparkling like how I remember.

I almost lose my spot in the song, so I close my eyes and sing the rest of the song, leading to a thundering applause from the crowd. I smile and open my eyes to see some women wiping away tears and other women clapping with their families.

"Thank you so much. Have a wonderful evening," I say into the mic before walking off the stage.

Beth gives me a huge hug and exclaims, "You did it! You were amazing!"