Going the Distance ✔️

Chapter forty seven.

Louisa's POV

It was dark and quiet. The sun had just set and the moon was rising in the clear, night sky. Not a single sound was detected and nobody was in sight. It was a cold night and even though the windows were closed, a chill was to be felt around the room. Slow breathing was heard and the beeping of the machines wetebthe only thing that made a sound every once and a while.

I laid beside Mason. Luckily, his bed was big enough for the both of us. I was small, so I could easily lie beside him without falling off. His breathing was shallow and I could hear it less and less every minute. He was pale and cold and I couldn't warm him up with every blanket in this entire hospital. Mason hadn't said anything in a while, but I knew he was still holding on with every breath he took. He looked peaceful and I knew that he was slowly fading away.

My arm was wrapped around him and I was snuggling into his chest. I didn't want the time to come when he would slowly die because nobody had found him a heart yet and the doctors had lost all hope. They told us that we should say our goodbyes because he might not make it through the night and that was what we did. All of Mason's friends and family said goodbye and I was left until last because Mason wanted my face to be the last thing he saw before he left.

Mason choked up and my head instantly shot up to see that his eyes were slowly opening. "Mason?" I touched his face, feeling how cold he was.

"Lou." He said with a smile and I knew that he would be alright. Even though he was dying, he still had a smile on his face.

"How are you feeling?" I looked deep into his eyes, loving the shade of blue that they had become.

He took a small breath before replying. "I'm feeling like I just won the lottery." And he still had his sense of humor.

I chuckled at his answer, kissing him gently on the cheek. "I'm glad, Mason. You should feel like that."

He slowly moved his hand up to my cheek and stroked it gently. It was cold, but soft. "There's something I want to say to you before I go."

A tear slipped from my eyes and dropped onto the pillow that Mason was lying on. Sadly, I knew it was time. "Say whatever you want to say." I told him, wanting to cry into his chest and to never let him go. I didn't want him to knock on heaven's door, I didn't want him to leave me here all alone.

He cleared his throat, wheezing as he took another breath. "I want you to move on without me," he said in a whisper, "I want you to live your life, I want you to fall in love again and I want you to enjoy the world for me."

I couldn't comprehend what he wanted to me to do. "Mason-"

He shook his head, looking into my eyes and never letting me go. "You're allowed to grieve for me, but only for a little bit. Then I want you to move on and I don't want you to be alone either just because you can't let me go. I want you to find someone who will love you just as much and who would do anything for you."

The thing was, I didn't want to move on. "I don't think I'll ever love anybody else again," I told him with tears in my eyes, "I'm afraid that if I do then I'll forget what loving you felt like."

He chuckled, coughing straight afterwards. "You won't forget, Lou," he said with a small smile, "but I don't want you to dwell on losing me either. I'm going to die, Louisa so you need to get back out there and meet someone new."

Tears had fallen freely down my face and Mason had wiped a few away, but I could tell that he was running out of energy. "I don't know, Mason."