you look a little
pale today
{story a day}
Haley picked ten white daffodils because they were Billy’s favorite. Ten months, that’s how long he’d been lying in that bed, machines beeping with the persistent music of forced life. Some days, the rhythm of his breathing matched the pulse of her heart. Other times, she couldn’t find him anywhere, even as she sat there, holding tight to his hand.
When she walked into the lobby of the hospital, a wall came up around her. She stood near the door, flowers in hand, until she knew it was over.
She bent down then and placed the bouquet gently on the floor. And then she crushed each blossom, just the way she’d seen her mother extinguish a cigarette.
Outside, the sky refused to stop screaming blue.
.
I’ve signed up for A Story A Day’s May challenge, which is to write a short piece of fiction every day. I don’t think I’ll be posting every day, but I will be writing, and I’ll post whatever seems worthy.
Haley and Billy returned today, unexpectedly. This was a combo of a couple of prompts from the last few days.
.
.
.
May 10th, 2014 at 4:43 pm
Too sad! (Although of course you know when a reader protests in such a way, you’ve done it right.)
May 11th, 2014 at 9:09 am
i admit this brought back some memories. i know that same wall which surrounded haley and i know that screaming sky. well done. (and ps – you took me as far into the hospital as i wanted to go, no further. and exhale . . .)
May 11th, 2014 at 11:00 pm
dang. how vivid a picture, her crushing out the daffodils like cigarettes…and the screaming in that last line…taut emotion in this one….
May 12th, 2014 at 12:10 am
Oh no! So sad. I love how you build those things in for us to figure out. I know that wasn’t that hard-a-one, but still. Thanks 🙂
May 19th, 2014 at 2:16 am
great close ~