Til Death Do Us Part (1)

~ 30 ~

It had been a few weeks since Brian's sudden sickness, and so far, so good. He hadn't been ill in the night, and he was back to his usual self by the time morning arose.

Today, I was going tux shopping for the wedding. I was kind of nervous about not being able to find the right one, but I knew that Frances would be a great support - as always.

S: Just leaving, will be at yours in 10 x

F: I'm ready and waiting x

I kissed Brian on the forehead, as he was laying on the sofa, his eyes glued to the TV screen.

"Bye, Brian. I'll be back in a few hours." I stated, as I went to put my shoes on. Brian sat up, perching on the edge of the sofa. He gave me a smile, holding his hand out for me to hold.

"Where's my goodbye kiss?" He grinned. I rolled my eyes, planting my lips against his. I walked to the door, flipping him off, as I left.

"Bye, Bitch." I called out, a slight chuckle escaping my lips. I was such a loving boyfriend, right? Brian laughed it off, soon returning to his gaze to the screen of the TV.

I stepped into my car, putting the key in the ignition. I started up the engine, soon driving off to go and pick up Frances.

As I arrived outside of her house, I bibbed my horn. With that, her front door swung open. She came running up to the car, a smile plastered on her face. I looked at her outfit, shaking my head in amusement. Only Frances would go tux shopping in a snapback, a tenderloins tee, basketball shorts, and sneakers. She really was amazing.

"Hey." She smiled, as she got into the passenger's seat. I flashed her a smile in reply.

"Ready to go tux shopping?" I asked, as I turned to face her.

"Hell yeah." She giggled. I held up my hand, ready for her to high five it. She slapped her palm against mine, before I started the car up again.

It wasn't a long drive to the shop, but Frances and I were able to bop along to a few of our favourite songs, including such classics as Baby, Fergalicious or If Ya Gettin' Down. Absolute bangers if you ask me.

I parked up the car, gathering my wallet, phone, and whatnot, ready for our little shopping trip. Frances and I strolled to the entrance of the store, I reached for the door handle, letting her walk through before me. We were greeted by a staff member, and lead through to the fitting rooms.

"I'll be at the front desk if you need anything." The young girl conveyed, before leaving Frances and I to it. I stepped into the fitting room, having Frances follow after me. I had already reserved a couple of outfits, which were ready and waiting in the room. I took the first one off of the hook, and turned to face Frances.

"Could you turn around for a second, just while I get dressed?" I asked her. Frances let out a giggle, as she shook her head.

"Sal, I've seen it all before, no need to be shy." She smiled. I nodded my head, my cheeks blushing slightly. Even though she had seen me in my underwear, well, naked before, I still felt self-conscious in front of her. I slowly removed my clothes, and pulled the tux from the clothing hanger. I got dressed up, studying myself in the mirror. I turned round to Frances, awaiting her opinion.

"What do you think?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her. Frances looked me up and down, her eyebrows lacing together.

"Well it looks good on you, but I wouldn't say it's wedding appropriate." She commented. I sighed deeply, as I turned around and stripped myself down, reaching for the next tux.

A few tuxes later, and I still hadn't found the one. My body was growing tired, I was on the verge of giving up on finding one, until Frances handed me another suit. I put it on, tucking in the shirt and making sure the tie was on properly. Turning towards the mirror, I looked myself up and down. A smile formed on my face. This was it, this was the one. From behind me, I heard Frances sniffle. I turned around to look at her, witnessing a tear fall from her eye.

"Sorry, it's just you look so handsome. I had pictured you wearing something similar when I used to think about our wedding." She sniffled, wiping away her tears. I looked at her with full sincerity, holding out my arms, and pulling her into a tight embrace. I placed a kiss to the top of her head and ran my fingers along her hair.

"I'm sorry, Frances. I really am." I sighed, feeling guilty about the way I had treated her.

"No, don't be sorry. You did what you had to do, Sal. I fully support you and Brian, you guys make a great couple, much better than you and I ever would have done. I guess it's just that time of the month." She sniffled, as she grabbed ahold of a tissue, and wiped her tears away.

"I still love you, you know that right?" I asked, placing my hands to her shoulders, locking my eyes with hers. She nodded her head, a slight giggle escaping from her lips.

"Of course I do, and I still love you too, Sal." She smiled tearfully. I kissed her cheek, before turning back around to get changed into my original clothes.

Once everything had been paid for, Frances and I made our way back to my car, chucking everything into the back. I drove back to her place, parking up outside her house. She kissed my cheek, before exiting the car. I watched, as Frances walked up to her front door. She turned around, waving goodbye, before stepping through the door. I started the car back up, making my way back home to Brian.

I pulled up outside the front, parking next to his Jeep. I gathered everything from the back, and made my way to the door. I unlocked the latch, letting the door swing open. I could hear the television still rattling on, as I walked through to our bedroom, hiding my tux in the back of the wardrobe.

It wasn't until I reached the doorway of the living room, that I noticed why the house was so quiet. There, on the floor, lay an unconscious Brian. I ran over to him, dropping to my knees and cradling him. I began to cry out, as I tried to wake him up.

"Brian?! Brian! Baby!" I cried, rocking him back and forth. I cradled him in my arms, planting kisses to his forehead, doing anything to get him to move but it was no use. I reached for my phone, ringing the emergency services. I lay his head in my lap, my legs either side of him. He was still breathing, his chest rising and falling irregularly, but he had clearly passed out, what by? I had no idea.

I sat with him, waiting until the ambulance arrived. They took him from me, wheeling him out to the vehicle. I sat alongside him, my hand never leaving his on the way to the hospital. I pulled his hand up to my lips, kissing the back of his hand lightly.

Tears were streaming down my face. I always knew it was something worse than just sickness. Why didn't I take him to the hospital there and then? I'm such an idiot.

I feared for his life, as I watched the doctors and nurses crowd around him in his compact hospital room.

I didn't want to lose Brian, he was the love of my life.