Haunted Kiss ✔️

Saying Good Bye

My soul felt empty, like my heart felt like death. As my tear stained face looked upon the only love I have ever known. I brushed his forehead, smoothing his hair to the side, his skin was still warm to the touch. My stomach turned, and my emotions began to overload. Feeling pain, shame, confusion, frustration, despair, sadness. My brain not able to understand what I was feeling, making me numb.

I stood, walking to the cliff, dialing 911. Everything became a blurry, mess, in my head. Watching as people scurried around me, a warm embrace took hold of my shoulders. When was a blanket placed on me? When did I get to the hospital? I felt like the world around me was moving at a speed, unbeknown to me. While I saw lips moving I was unable to hear, the words spoken around me had fallen on deaf ears. I was numb.

It wasn't until, I felt the embrace of my mother. The smell of her, jasmine cherry shampoo, pulling me back to reality. I nuzzle my nose deeper into her hair, breathing, hoping to wake up and this to all be a dream. When I felt my father's arms wrap around my figure, did I truly understand this was a nightmare. One I wouldn't awaken from, this was my life's reality.

Finally opening my eyes, seeing my family surround me. I took a shaky breath, not wanting to cry anymore. But the pain of losing James was too much. Making my breath hitch, a silent sob. My voice hoarse, and my eyes, to dry to tear. When Randy, stepped into view, behind the curtain.

"Rose, what happened?" He asked, in a tone I haven't heard since I was a child.

My family parted for him to walk closer to me, examining my face. He gripped my chin, turning my face side to side. His eyes roaming my flesh, looking at my complexion. I'm sure to his eyes, I looked like I was hit by a truck. But to me, I felt nothing. No pain, no hurt, I couldn't shed another tear. I just looked into his eyes, pulling me back to the time as a little girl. The older boy always picking me up and dusting me off, after a fall.

He looked, pained, maybe even guilty. When he released my chin, he took a step back, talking to my parents. I didn't care what he had to say, I only wanted this to end. I haven't even noticed my brothers, standing on each side of me. Both, squeezing my shoulders, as a symbol of our love. But

I felt nothing. Unable to give them the love they gave me.

The nurse came in cleaning my cuts, the makeup on my face washed away. Revealing the bruises that lay beneath. I'm sure now, that's what Randy was looking at. My tears must have created lines of clarity, showing through my cheeks. My mother gasped, looking at my face in horror, while the males of my family all clenched their jaws.

But I didn't care, I felt nothing.

Days had passed and the police ruled James's death an accident. Since my head was so badly injured, amnesia was my best option. I had no idea what happened anyway, so it wasn't hard to fake. I blacked out, then came to and my love was dying. Randy said, we must have tripled tumbling down, I was lucky, James wasn't.

But today, I lay in bed, not crying, but just laying. Wrapped in the covers, unmoved for days. I hadn't showered, since I can't remember. I hadn't seen the sun, since that day. I had no desire to live, but just be. Like every emotion, just turned off. Dena came to see me today. Like she did every day. Laying in the bed next to me. Just laying, she didn't force me to talk. She was just there if I wanted to.

But today was different, today she gently pulled the covers from me. Helping me sit up for the first time, today. What is today? What time is it? I looked at my digital clock, reading 1:20 pm. Why was she making me move? Dena helped me to stand, leading me to the bathroom. It's not like I was hurt physically, but I was broken mentally. I just didn't care anymore.