The Resurrection of Aubrey Miller(62)

Aubrey Miller was never death.
Aubrey Miller is just a girl.
A girl who has experienced a lot of loss, thus losing her way for a very long time by choosing to remain buried inside gloom and blackness.
A girl who has finally managed to find her light, coming forth through her fears and breaking free from her grave as she is truly resurrected.
A girl who I am proud to be.
Breaking free from my dream-like state, I turn to Linda and smile as I take my first step down the path.
“No more fighting, Linda. It’s time to go home.”

Chapter Thirty

It takes a couple of days, but after all the legal paperwork is filled out and she’s given the official okay to leave, Kaeleb and I carefully transport Linda home. We gladly take the advice offered to us by the staff and rent the best medical bed we can find, then after removing the living room furniture, we set her up right in the middle of the room. We also hire a hospice service to help us with her general care and to give us direction. They start by setting her up with an I.V. to deliver whatever pain meds she needs to make the rest of her time here on Earth as comfortable as possible. They also guide both of us in the little things, like helping her to the bathroom, general nutrition tips, and even how to properly give her medication and breathing treatments. Our first trip to the bathroom is surprisingly easy. As she puts her weight against me, it’s then that I realize how truly thin and frail she has become.
Over the next couple of weeks, I watch as her body slowly withers away, a true testament to how hard she was fighting to stay alive. Once Linda allowed her body to give in, there was no turning back.
My time on winter break passes quickly and as I stand here now, observing her as she sleeps somewhat peacefully, I know the calm exterior I’m witnessing is the exact opposite of the carnage and destruction being inflicted inside her body.
Cancer is a merciless pillager.
I’m disrupted from my thoughts when Kaeleb enters the living room, freshly showered and fully dressed, setting our bags gently on the floor before coming to stand by my side. I watch him as he gazes at Linda with concern filling his beautiful eyes before looking at me. He offers me a sad, uneven smile before rubbing the back of his neck and glancing at the bags in the corner.
“You ready?” he asks.
Following his gaze, I shrug my shoulders. “I guess. We need to wait for hospice to arrive before we go.” My heart clenches at the idea of leaving her, even if it’s just for the day.
“Of course,” he offers as he tucks a strand of black hair behind my ear. “I see you took your piercings out.”
“I did.” I sigh as I tear my eyes away from the bags. “I don’t need them anymore.”
His smile lifts as he strokes my cheek with his thumb. “You don’t.”
Dropping his hand, he adds, “I’m really proud of you, Bree. Not just with the way you’ve handled all of this with Linda, but also with your decision to stay with her.”
My lips form a modest grin. “Thank you, Kaeleb, for bringing me here, to her. You have no idea how much you’ve done for me.”
Kaeleb narrows his eyes a tiny bit before reaching forward and gliding his fingertips along my brow line, removing the hair from my face. He watches me for moment before inhaling a soft breath, whispering, “There you are.”
My heart skips with the term as it passes through his lips, the familiarity of his words sending my mind back to a time when I would have just jumped into his arms and hugged him for simply being him.
My chest thrums as he slowly leans forward and presses his lips gently to my cheek, cradling my face before releasing me. When he’s done, he takes a small step backward and gives me a wink. “It’s good to have you back.”
I remain silent, enjoying the tingle of where his lips just caressed my skin, and watch as he turns his back to me, walking to the corner and grabbing the bags before heading outside.
Linda stirs beside me. When I turn to face her, her eyes are open and a weak smile plays on her lips as she reaches forward. I take her emaciated hand into mine and she gives it a small squeeze before lifting her chin in the direction of the door. “You’d better not lose that boy again or I will personally haunt you for the rest of your life.”
A light laugh escapes me and my shoulders bob as I shake my head. “I’m not quite sure he’s mine to have, Linda.”
Her eyes drift closed as she inhales lightly. “He’s always been yours. And you his…” she trails off in a whisper before nodding back off to sleep.
I lean over her tiny body to kiss her forehead, muttering against her skin, “You’re as bad as Quinn, you know.” My lips curve into a slight smile as I step back and continue to watch her until hospice arrives.
Once everything is set, I grab some clothes and assure them of my return this evening. I’ve already withdrawn from my classes, explaining to the professors the situation here, and telling them that I need to take some time off but that I’ll be back as soon as I can. All were very understanding and gracious as they offered their condolences and well wishes.
The ride back to my apartment with Kaeleb is much more relaxed and engaging than the trip here. Obviously. We discuss a number of things: classes, food, music, movies, books, and of course, Walter. Who, by the way, has been a favorite return boarder at doggie daycare.
The conversation is a much needed relief from the intensity of the last couple of weeks. But soon, as my mind drifts to Quinn, I no longer want to make trivial conversation. I want to know what’s going on with my friend.
“Sooo…since you’ve been keeping tabs with Linda, I assume that you’ve also been speaking to Quinn? How is she?” I ask, my voice hopeful.