*The weeks went by. Nat now weighed one hundred & twelve pounds. He was even more sick than he had ever was before. He still continued to have seizures, a lot more frequently than usual.*
*Kenzie's P.O.V.*
I haven't left the hospital in months. I couldn't leave Nat here by himself, because if I did, he would've seized more, & by the time I would've gotten back to him, he would've been dead. Nat had to get a feeding tube inside of him a few weeks ago, but he got an infection from it. Now, he won't eat a thing, he'll only sleep for most of the day. When it was nighttime, he would sleep for a little while, then he would have a seizure, or sometimes, more than one. He was sick. Now, he's dying. I told Nat what Alex had said about me taking his place in their band. He told me that everything that Alex told me was true. He wanted me to take his place. He wants me to be happy, even when he passes away. He wants me to do & be all these things, but honestly, I don't think I can do any of them.
As I watched my husband sleep in his hospital bed, I couldn't do anything but cry. Suddenly, I felt my phone vibrate inside my pocket. Nate's picture popped up on my screensaver.
"Hello?" I asked.
"Hey mom," said Nate. "How are you?"
"I'm fine I guess," I said, wiping my tears.
"You're crying," he said. "That's not good."
I shook my head. "Your father is dying, Nate. He won't do anything on his own, he still continues to have seizures, & his heart,-"
"-I know, mom," he said. "Is there anything that me or anyone else can do to help?"
"I don't know," I said.
"Okay," he said.
I saw Nat wake up a little bit. "I have to go," I said. "Your father just woke up from his nap."
"Alright," he said. "The family is going to stop by the hospital later tonight to see him."
"That's fine," I said. "Bye Nate, I love you."
"I love you too, mom," he said.
I hung up the phone & turned to Nat. "Hi honey," I whispered. "I'm sorry I woke you up."
"Kenzie, I don't feel so good," Nat moaned.
"Are you going to puke?" I asked.
Nat nodded. Before I could give him a bucket to puke in, he already started to do it on the opposite side of his bed. After a few minutes, he stopped.
"I'm sorry Kenzie," he said, slurring his words.
"Nat, are you okay?" I asked. "Why are you sounding so strange?"
"I-I'm not acting strange!" he said. "Y-You're the one who's acting strange!"
"How am I acting strange?" I asked.
"I-I don't know!" he said. "You just are, okay?"
"Nat, I will not be arguing with you right now!" I said. "I'm only doing what's best for you!"
"I DON'T CARE!" he yelled.
I shook my head. "I'm not going to fight with you," I said. "If you don't want my help, fine. I'll just sit here & give you the silent treatment. How's that?"
"I-I need my inhaler," he said. "Where is it?"
I rolled my eyes, handing him his inhaler. "Here."
"Did you shake it, first?" he asked.
"No," I said. "Your a big boy, you can do it yourself."
"Can you stop treating me like a fucking child?" he asked.
"I will, if you stop acting like one!" I said.
Nat sighed. "I'm sorry."
Tears were forming in my eyes. "It's okay," I said. "It's okay."
Nat looked at me. "I made you cry, didn't I?"
"No honey," I said. "I've just been feeling really upset because we haven't been home together in ten months. You keep getting sicker, & once you're gone, you're gone. I won't ever get to see you again, & that scares me, Nathaniel."
"I'm scared too," he said. "But just think Kenz, when I'm gone, you won't have to suffer anymore of my seizures, you won't have to see me in anymore pain,-"
"That's my point," I said.
Nat patted an empty spot on his bed. "Come here."
"Nat, I can't lay down with you," I said. "You're hooked up to a million different machines, & who knows? I might unhook something that you would really need, to help you stay alive,-"
Nat interrupted me, touching my hand. "Please lay here with me," he whispered. "No one else has to know about this. We can cuddle, I'll hold you, whispering romantic things to you," Nat paused for a second to catch his breath. "It'll be just like the times when we were younger. Or maybe it was when we first fucked each other. I don't remember."
A few tears rolled down my cheeks, still cracking a small smile. "You don't remember when we first had sex?" I asked, jokingly.
Nat shook his head. "I don't remember a lot of it," he said. "Although, I do remember some things from it, but they're very little."
"Well, what do you remember?" I asked.
Nat smiled. "I saw your boobs."
I laughed a little. "Nathaniel, you always know how to make me laugh," I said. "Even when I don't want too."
"I also saw your,-" he said, then I interrupted him.
"Okay honey!" I said. "You don't need to say the rest of that, alright?"
Nat sighed. "I love you."
Another tear rolled down my cheek. Without saying a single word, I simply bent down to Nat & I kissed his forehead. Then I said softly, "I love you too, Nathaniel Marvin Wolff."
"Will you come lay with me now?" he asked.
I nodded. "But if Joe comes in here, what do I tell him?"
"Nothing," he said. "As long as we're not fucking each other, we're fine."
"Okay," I said. "If you say so."
"Kenzie, have I ever lied to you?" he asked.
"Yeah, you have," I said. "But that was a long time ago. Why do you ask?"
"No reason," he yawned.
"Are you sleepy again?" I asked.
Nat pulled my body closer to his chest. He was holding me tightly, & stroking my hair. "I'm not sleepy."
"Nat, what are you doing?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Babe, your heartbeat is beating really fast! I think I should go get Joe!"
"Honey, I'm fine," he said. "C-Could you do me a favor, Kenzie?"
"Yes, anything," I said.
"Tell me a story?" he asked. "A true story, that's romantic, in ways that I can understand."
"I have no idea what the last part means," I said. "But I can try."
"Okay," he whispered.
"Once upon a time, there was a young man named Nat," I started. "Nat was a famous singer/songwriter, & he was also an actor. One day he met this girl, named Kenzie. They were both in love with one another. Later on, they got married. During their honeymoon, Kenzie was pregnant with their first child. Anyway, during their honeymoon, their beach house got broken into. Kenzie was beaten, but she still lived. Nat & Kenzie's child, for which they named Kassie, passed away. Five years later, Kenzie got pregnant again. This time, she was expecting triplets."
"Little Kassie," Nat whispered.
"Yes,-" I said.
Nat interrupted me. "My baby girl."
"Then came the triplets, remember?" I asked.
"Uh huh," he yawned, holding me tighter.
At this point, Nat had closed his eyes shut. He wasn't asleep yet, but I had a feeling that he would fall asleep in a little while.
"Nat was the greatest father a child could ever have," I whispered to him. "He still is, to this day."
Nat smiled.
Within a few minutes, I could hear Nat snore.
"Then they lived happily ever after," I whispered to him.
*Later that evening, the rest of the Wolff family came to the hospital to visit Nat again.*
*Nat's P.O.V.*
Before the rest of the family came over to see me in the hospital, Dr. Jonas came into my room to check how I was doing. I felt as if I was dying. I haven't eaten in forever, I sleep most of the day, then at night, I'm a complete insomniac. It was the most terrible feeling I could ever feel in my entire life. When everyone showed up to my room, it was hard for me to stay awake the entire time. Everyone was there, except for Shane, Mitchie, & my two grandchildren, Kassie & Nathaniel Marvin Wolff the 3rd. My guess was that they were running late, or they were too tired to come see me.
"So, dad," said Jason. "Did you hear the news about Luke & I?"
"No," I said. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah," he said with a smile. "Well, uh, we're getting married."
My eyes widened. "Really?"
"Yeah!" he said. "Luke just proposed to me a few days ago!"
"Congratulations!" I said. "I hope I'll be there in time for the wedding."
Once I said that, everyone in the room was silent. I noticed that some were crying, too. "Sorry guys," I added.
Kenzie stroked my hand. "It's alright, babe."
"Where's Shane?" I asked.
"I just got a text from him," said Nate. "He said that he can't bring the babies because you're too sick. If he did bring them, you could get them both sick."
"That's bullshit," I said. "I've only seen them ONCE! Just because I'm dying, doesn't mean that I can get them sick. YOU GUYS ARE COMPLETELY FINE IN HERE WITH ME!"
"Nathaniel, calm down!" said Kenzie.
"I can't calm down!" I cried. "Now that I'm dying, I won't ever get to see my grandchildren ever again! I also won't be able to attend any of the triplets' weddings, or anything else like that!"
"Nat, pull yourself together, man!" said Alex. "You're a grown man, not a big baby!"
"Shut the fuck up Alex!" I said. "You don't know what it's like to be dying right now! You could probably care less about it, too!"
"I'm just saying, Nat," he said. "Plus, I would stop crying right now, you know why?"
"Why?" I asked.
"Because there are hundreds of other people that are here with your SAME illnesses!" he said. "Do you hear anyone else screaming because they're dying?"
I shook my head. "No, I don't."
"You see?" said Kenzie. "Everyone else who is in the same condition as you, are completely calm about it."
"Kenzie, MOST of those people are in comas," I said.
Kenzie sighed. "Well, at least they're quiet," she said. "Unlike you."
"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.
"Whenever you don't get your way, you get pissed," she said. "I hate seeing you act like that."
"We all do," said Nate.
I shook my head. "Whatever."
"It's not just a "whatever", Nathaniel," said Kenzie.
"It is to me," I said. "I honestly don't give a shit right now."
Kenzie began to get even more upset. Without saying a word to me or anyone else, she stormed out of the room.
"Kenzie, wait!" I said, trying to get out of bed.
"Nat, stop!" said Alex, as he tried to stop me from getting up.
I began to unhook all of the wires from the machines I was hooked up to with a rage of anger. No one could stop me from getting away from everyone else. Once I finally took my cannula off of my face, I tried to run as fast as I possibly could. About twenty steps outside of my room, I already felt weak as hell. I felt as if my lungs were collapsing inside of my body. They went from being to where they normally were. Now it felt as if they dropped to my butthole. Even worse, coming OUT of my butthole. I was able to find Kenzie, just about to walk into the elevator.
"K-Kenzie, w-wait for,-" I said, slurring my words again. "W-wait for me!"
Kenzie ran towards me in tears. "Nat, what the hell are you doing out here?" she asked. "You know how bad your heart is! Y-You're going to die if you don't get more oxygen inside of you!"
"K-Kenzie, baby, I really don't give a fuck!" I said. "I-I'm sorry about the way I acted. I'm sorry about all the bad times we had to go through in our marriage. P-Please s-stay h-h-here... With me,-"
Kenzie was bawling her eyes out. "N-Nat, please don't go!" she said, holding me, then pulling me into a hug. "I-I don't want you to die yet!"
As Kenzie held me tight, I blacked out. I could hear Kenzie crying still, & also trying to get someone to help her get me up & back into my room. There were many times when my heart would stop beating as doctors & nurses did CPR on me. About an hour later after doing CPR on me, they found my heartbeat again. It was weaker than ever before. Dr. Jonas said that I had now, only a few days left to live. During the last few days of my life, I only wanted to spend them with Kenzie.
I opened my eyes. Seeing that Kenzie was next to me made me feel complete. "Hey."
"Hi honey," she said. "Are you okay?"
I shook my head. "No."
"Everyone else left after you had your temper tantrum," she said.
"They did?" I asked.
"Yup," she said.
I sighed. "Well, at least I have you here with me."
"Nat, you know how much I love you, right?" she asked.
"Yes, of course," I said.
"How much did I say that I love you?" she asked.
"You loved me since the day you saw me on your television screen," I said. "I'm sure that everyone knows that by now."
"Do you even know WHY I fell in love with you in the first place?" she asked.
"Obviously because of my good looks, amazing singing voice, & back then when we were together, we seemed to have a lot of fun fucking each other,-" I said.
Kenzie interrupted me. "-No Nat," she said. "I fell in love with you, because you inspired me to do what I love to do."
"What might that be?" I asked.
"Playing music," she said.
"Oh yeah," I said.
*A nurse walks into Nat's room.*
"Hello Mr. Wolff," he said.
"Hi," I said.
"I brought you your pills," he said.
"What pills?" I asked.
"They're just pills that will help your heart," he said. "Since you've never taken these before, you will have some side effects. Some good ones, & some bad ones, too."
"How many are there?" asked Kenzie.
"Just three," he said. "Take them one at a time, because if you take them all at once, there could be even more complications."
I rolled my eyes. "Great."
"Nathaniel," said Kenzie. Then she looked at the nurse. "Thank you."
"No problem," he said.
*The nurse leaves.*
I stared at the pills in front of me. "I'm not going to take those pills."
"You have too," said Kenzie.
"Joe already said that I only have a few days left to live," I said. "What's the point of taking them if I'm already going to die?"
"Nat, would you like me to leave?" she asked.
"No," I said.
"Well then," she said. "Take the pills the nurse gave you, & I will stay here with you."
I looked at Kenzie, then at the pills. A few seconds later, I took each pill one at a time. When they were all gone, I instantly felt the side effects kick in. First, I felt like I was going to puke. Second, I felt like I was drunk. Lastly, I felt really really sleepy. Literally, all I wanted to do was just sleep.
"Are you sleepy?" asked Kenzie.
"Yeah," I yawned. "Some side effect, huh?"
Kenzie nodded. "Do you wanna take a little nap?"
Before I could respond to my wife, I fell into a deep sleep.
That night, I dreamed that Kenzie & I performed a song together. I don't remember which song it was, but I do remember imagining that she was about five months pregnant with the triplets. It was weird seeing her pregnant. Only because of what happened when the boys were born. I had only slept for a couple of hours, until I felt Kenzie's hands, shaking me softly.
"Nat, wake up," she whispered.
I snorted. "PUSH BABY PUSH!"
"Nathaniel, it's just me," said Kenzie.
"Oh," I said. "What's up?"
"Well, someone told the people out where Dr.Jonas' office that they had a noise complaint," she said.
"Don't tell me," I said. "They blamed me for it."
Kenzie sighed. "Yes, they did."
"So what's going to happen?" I asked. "It's not my fault that I'm a loud sleeper."
"Luckily, the people who told them about you snoring so loud are going to a different room," she said.
"Oh," I said. "Why did you wake me up, then?"
"I don't know," she said. "Since you only have so little time left to live now, I want to spend it with you. I'm pretty sure that you're aware of that, right?"
"Of course, baby," I said.
"If you want to go back to sleep, that's fine," she said. "You don't have to stay awake with me if you don't want too."
I pulled Kenzie's hand closer to me. Her face was closer to mine, too. Within just a few quick seconds, we were making out again. As soon as we were done, I whispered to her, "I love you so much, Kenzie Wolff."
"I love you too, Nathaniel Marvin Wolff," she whispered back.
I kissed her again. "I want you to do me a favor Kenzie," I whispered to her. "Promise me, you won't ever forget me. Promise me, once I die, you will take my place in Alex & I's band, okay?"
"But I don't have a singing voice like yours,-" she said.
I stopped her with another kiss. "It doesn't matter," I said. "As long as I'm in love with you, & you're in love with me, it'll be okay. Plus, Alex & I both know that your voice is amazing as hell."
Kenzie nodded. "Okay," she said. "I'll do it, for you."
"Thank you," I said.
"You're welcome," she said, then she kissed me once more.
I coughed a little bit. "Can you hand me my inhaler?"
"Yeah," she said. "Would you like me to shake it for you?"
"Yes please," I said.
She nodded, then handed me my inhaler. "I wish I wasn't sick."
"You're not sick," said Kenzie, as she tried to hold back tears. "You're dying, Nathaniel."
I sighed. "I don't wanna die."
"I know you don't," she said.
I scratched my head. "There's something that I was supposed to tell you around this time, but I can't remember what it was."
Kenzie looked at me. "The meaning of RCMJNBNOE."
"Right," I said.
"Are you in any pain?" she asked.
"My heart is beating slower than usual," I said. "It hurts."
"Should I get Joe?" she asked.
"No," I said. "If he comes in here, it'll just make things worse. I only want you in here with me, okay?"
"Well, if you're in pain, you should get help from him," she said. "What if you had another seizure?"
I shook my head. "I wouldn't give a shit," I said, putting my hand to my chest & breathing heavily. "I-I have you here with me, & that's all that matters to me right now, & furthermore."
"Nat, I'm calling Joe," she said, feeling panicked.
I grabbed Kenzie's hand. "Babe, please don't leave," I said. "I'll be fine, trust me."
Kenzie shook her head. "N-No Nat," she said. "I can't trust you about something like this! You're in pain, you're an insomniac, you won't eat a thing, YOU'RE DYING! You need urgent medical care. If you don't get Joe to look at you now, you'll die for sure!"
"KENZIE, WILL YOU JUST COME HERE?" I cried. "My time is ending soon. I-I need to tell you,- I need to tell you the,- the meaning of,- RCMJNBNOE."
Kenzie was bawling her eyes out. "I-I'll listen to you," she whispered. "What does it mean?"
"RCMJNBNOE, it means,-" I said, losing my breath. "I-It's just, another way of saying,-" I got even quieter. "I-I love you."
"Oh, Nathaniel!" she cried even more. "I-I love you too. I really, really do! You're the greatest thing that has ever happened to me, & I'm so grateful for us."
I smiled. "Me too, Kenzie," I whispered. "Me too."
"Thank you for telling me this," she said, wiping her tears. "I love you so, so much Nathaniel Marvin Wolff!"
"I love you too," I whispered again. "But I love you more."
Kenzie blushed. "Oh Nathaniel," she sighed. "You're so sweet. I'll never forget you, or the memories we've had together."
"I'll always be with you," I said. "No matter what happens, I'll always be there with you. I may not be there in person, but I'll be there in spirit."
"I'll have two guardian angels looking over me," she said. "You, & our daughter, Kassie."
"I'll get to see Kassie again?" I asked.
"I think so," she said. "I mean, she's in heaven now," she paused for a few seconds. "You'll be there soon, too."
"K-Kenzie," I whispered to her, breathing heavily. "I-I think it's time for me to go. Please don't tell anyone what I told you about the whole, RCMJNBNOE thing, okay? Let's just keep it between,- you & Me."
"Okay," she whispered to me. "I-I love you Nat!"
"I love you too, my love," I said, taking my last few breaths.
For a while, I thought that my heart was going to stop beating, but it didn't. My heart kept beating. I thought that this was going to be it. I suppose I was wrong. A few minutes later, I heard someone walk into my room. It was Joe.
"Hello Mr. & Mrs. Wolff," he said. "How are you feeling, Nat?"
"I thought that I would be dead by now," I said. "I'm having trouble breathing again."
"That was a side effect from the pills you took," said Joe. "Is your heart still beating?"
"Yeah," I said. "If it was still beating, would I be talking to you right now?"
"Yes, you would!" Joe laughed. "It looks like those pills were working for you. The side effects will go away soon, & hopefully you won't have anymore seizures either."
Kenzie looked at me, then at Dr. Jonas. "So, if Nat keeps taking these pills, he won't die anytime soon?"
"Nope," he said. "He'll be able to go home, & he'll be able to start walking around & being his usual self again."
"Oh my god!" she said. "Nat, did you hear that?"
I nodded. "When will I be able to go home?"
"I'd like you to stay the rest of the night," said Dr. Jonas. "You can go home in the morning. But, you will still need to use your oxygen tank & you will need to use your snoring machine at night, okay?"
"Okay," I said. "Thanks Joe."
"You're very welcome, Nat!" he said.
*Joe leaves the room.*