Boys over Books✔️

Last thank-yous

Or maybe the way the hospital gown wrapped hideously around him in a way that seemed like it was choking the air out of him—if he even had any left?

Nothing there was his'. The fact that he was lying on the immaculately white bed with his eyes closed and his breath laboured and aided cut through Ifeoma deeply.

The room smelt harshly of hospital disinfectants and antiseptics. The smell alone was enough to make Ifeoma nauseous, but she took slow deliberate steps towards the bed and flung herself down to the floor.

"Honey I'm so sorry." Tears ran down some more as she threaded her rubber-gloved hand through his naked, cold one.

His eyes opened slowly and Ifeoma thought she saw a painful smile light up his face. She had never seen him that way before—even a smile was sucking the life out of him.

"Thank you so much for everything honey, thank you for loving our baby and being the best dad ever." She couldn't bring herself to tell him that their baby was nowhere to be found.

"Thank you for always being there for us. Thank you for the sacrifices you made for us, for me especially. And thank you most of all for loving me unconditionally." Ifeoma whispered the last part as her strength was almost gone.

"Please come back to us quickly. Get well soon Tiger, we have so much to do together. So much more to say to each other. So much more to live for with each other. I want to grow old with you Jeffery. Fight this so we can be together, so we can have many more children. Don't you want that?"

Ifeoma was overwrought at the moment. Jeffery hadn't said a word and even if he wanted to, he couldn't.

At a time, Ifeoma wondered the worst—if he was listening or even hearing her at all and after a while if he was still breathing. But his chest rose slightly and Ifeoma felt hope slowly trickle into her being.

"Come back to me Jeffery." Ifeoma rubbed his hand, trying to bring back warmth into it. "I love you so much." She said, breaking down into tears.

Slightly, Ifeoma felt a little pressure on her hand; one too little that it could almost not be there. As a form of assurance it meant a lot to Ifeoma as she squeezed back harder.

Even in his worst state, Jeffery still cared dearly for the woman he loved and he tried his best to assure her that he was still by her side by holding her hand as tight as he could manage.

Then she heard his voice small and not himself. She could not have heard it if she wasn't watching his face so intently.

"Me on," It sounded like that or maybe, "moo on" or something like "move one" Ifeoma wasn't sure. She could have missed an extra word but she didn't know either. His voice was so subtle that the words he said weren't making any sense to her.

"Honey what did you say? What are you saying?" Ifeoma stood up, her hand still in his'. She watched as his eyes fluttered once, twice and it was then she realised that he hadn't blinked or moved his eyelids since she started talking to him.

Suddenly as sharp as a shrill piercing voice, Ifeoma felt the sound of the computerised machine next to Jeffery beep faster and faster. It was beeping before but she hadn't noticed. Now it was beating so fast and loud that she couldn't ignore.