It was an ordinary watch that Christopher gave me so that I would feel more reassured. I picked up the watch and fumbled around at the pusher and crown, but to no avail. The watch hands were still motionless.
Feeling defeated, I flung it onto the ground and let out a screeching wail before covering my face in a sob.
Why is God always so cruel to me? Why doesn’t he grant me my very last wish on earth? I only want Christopher to live. Is that too much to ask for?
“Christopher…Christopher…”
Somewhere on the ground, unbeknownst to me, the minute and second hand of the watch started to go around. They continued to do so for a few rounds before it stopped with a click, as though something had been unlocked inside the clockwork. The sound was feeble against the crashing ocean waves around me.
In an attempt to sustain Christopher’s life, I bit my fingertips to feed more blood into his mouth. However, they were all damaged by too many cuts and abrasions for me to get much fresh blood. As I grew more desperate, I picked up broken glass and slit my arm open. Once fresh blood started to dribble down my arm, I quickly positioned it on Christopher’s mouth.
“Yvonne, you should live on…” uttered Lyle weakly. He saw what I did and furrowed his brows disapprovingly. “You’ll be able to last for at least two more days if you stop doing that.”
“I can’t just sit here and watch Christopher die in front of me.” Leaning my icy cold body against a rock, every breath I took was laborious. Even a short reply like that had rendered me panting uncontrollably.
“Only if… Only if…” Lyle’s voice shook. He was unable to finish his sentence.
I was too weak to analyze what he meant by “only if” when my vision started to blur. Before long, my vision went black, and I could no longer see anything. Christopher…
I fell into a trance, alternating between being unconscious and a dazed state. I would hold onto Christopher when I was awake. When I passed out, I remembered dreaming. In my dream, I was wearing a white wedding gown and walking down an aisle. At the end of the aisle stood Christopher, whose gaze was fixed steadily at me.
The man looked extra handsome in a suit that brought out the color of his sparkly, animated eyes. He then extended a hand toward me, taking my hand in his as I stopped next to him. Christopher, finally, we can be together, forever.
I want us to have many children. You’ve always stopped to watch children play in a playground, and you said that you wanted me to bear your child. Let us do just that.
We won’t use birth control. I’ll love all of our children equally with all my heart. If it’s a boy, you’ll bring him to his soccer game practice. Or we send him into the army, so he’ll train to be as strong as his father.
If it’s a girl, I’ll dress her up like a princess. Imagine how happy we’ll feel being surrounded by all our kids.
I was still lying on the rock when I woke up again. I shifted my body closer to Christopher and once again fell asleep in his embrace.
Suddenly, I started to hear a distant sound of a spinning propeller. I let out a slight smile. I must be hallucinating. I wouldn’t be hearing the sound of a plane flying across the sky otherwise.
In my trance-like state, I sensed someone trying to take Christopher away from me. I flew into a frenzied fit and kept yelling, “No, don’t hurt him! Please, I beg you. Don’t hurt him. Let him go!”
My effort was in vain as he was eventually taken away. The next thing I knew, someone came to my side and tried to move me around. When I opened my eyes and realized someone was trying to give me first aid treatment, I grabbed his hand abruptly and cried, “Never mind me! Save Christopher first. Save him now! I’m fine. I really am.”
“Miss, please calm down. Someone is already tending to Mr. Lane right now. Please stay still.”
“Never mind me! Save him first. Give him all the medication. Please do whatever you can to save him, even if it means sacrificing my life. I need him to live…” I begged them over and over again even though I couldn’t make out who was in front of me due to my blurry vision.
Just then, a man held my hand firmly and spoke in a comforting voice, “Don’t you worry, Yvonne. Christopher is safe now, so please calm down and let the doctors do their work.”
It was a soothing voice; it sounded like my father when he used to comfort me when I fell sick as a child. I finally relaxed my body and fell into a slumber.
