by Matt Shaw
“No!” she screamed. “Get off!” She pulled away from Frank, pushed him to the side, and hurried over to Holly. She reached into the water and pulled her out, onto the sodden floor of the bathroom, and held her close. Frank moved forward and turned the taps off to stop more water from spilling over onto the floor. He joined Karen by the body of Holly - his hand against her neck.
“Wait,” he said, “I can feel something...A pulse...It’s there....Quickly - phone an ambulance.” Karen didn’t move for a moment. She carried on cradling Holly. Frank shouted at her, “Call an ambulance!”
Karen let go of Holly and pulled her mobile phone out of her pocket before dialing for help. The call connected within seconds. “I need an ambulance!” Karen screamed before explaining what had happened and giving out the relevant address. She put the phone down and turned to Frank. His expression had changed for the worse. He was sitting on the floor, his back against the bathtub, with tears streaming from his reddening eyes. “Frank?” she asked. He shook his head.
“She’s gone. The pulse...” he shook his head again. “I can’t feel it anymore...”
“What? Get it back!” Karen clambered over to Holly and felt for the pulse - in the place where Frank had originally felt it. She started to panic as she couldn’t feel it either. “Get it back! Fix this!” she shouted at Frank. He didn’t move though. There was nothing he could do. Like Karen - he wouldn’t even know where to begin. He started to sob as he crawled over to Karen and pulled her into his arms. They both jumped when Karen’s mobile phone started to sing the tone though once more. Frank pulled the phone from his wife’s shaking hand on the off-chance it was the paramedics calling back. Perhaps they’d be able to help them get a pulse back? Perhaps there was something they could suggest to try and keep her holding on to her life until the ambulance got there. He froze when he realised the number, coming up on the display, was that of Holly’s home phone number.
“Look!” he showed Karen who snatched the phone from his hand.
“Hello?” she answered the phone. No one answered her. She could hear something though. Someone was there. A male’s voice. Muffled but definitely male.
“What are you doing there?” the man asked.
“Who is it?” Frank demanded Karen to tell him. She held her hand up in an effort to silence him. “Who is it?” he asked again - not getting the message.
“I said what are you doing there?” the man asked again.
Karen stammered, “I...I think it’s Josh,” she said. “It sounds like Josh.”
“Mummy?” a female voice came through the phone. Holly. “Mummy? I’m sorry...” she said. Her voice was quiet.
“Baby?” Karen wept. “Is that you?”
“I’m sorry, mum, I couldn’t think of another way. I couldn’t. I tried but...”
“Are you with Josh?” Karen asked. Frank came over and listened to the phone so he too could hear his daughter speaking. “Is that Josh I hear?”
“It is,” said Holly - relief in her voice. “He looks as though he’s mad at me,” she laughed.
Laughter broke through Karen’s tears, “I bet he is,” she said.
“Don’t you be mad, mum...I needed to do this.”
“I wish you hadn’t,” said Karen - the brief light moment of laughter replaced by tears once more. “You’re with Josh though, yes?”
“I am, mummy. And I’m happy.”
“Can I talk to her? Can I talk to her please?” Frank asked.
“Daddy?”
Frank took the phone, “What’s it like?” he asked. He was crying too despite his best efforts to hold it together for Holly. He knew why she had done it and couldn’t be mad at her for doing so. Like Karen he wished she hadn’t but - the thought she was somewhere with the love of her life...At least that was something for him to hold on to.
“It’s dark,” she said. “I can see a light.”
“You take your husband’s hand,” said Frank, “you take his hand you go towards the light with him,” he smiled through his tears.
“We’ll see you again, daddy. When you and mum come for the light - when you’ve lived your lives in full...We’ll be there waiting.” Frank couldn’t contain his tears anymore. Mixed emotions of grief for his daughter and happiness that she was with the one she loved and of the thought that there was somewhere better waiting for them. “I’m sorry I couldn’t wait to get here, dad, but you promise me that you and mum won’t hurry here like I did. You promise me,” she wept.
A brief hesitation and Frank promised her.
“I love you both so much,” she told Frank.
“She said she loves us,” Frank relayed the message to Karen who was trying to hear down the phone still. “And we love you,” said Frank. “Now - you take your husband’s hand and you go towards that light!” he said, despite wishing he could keep talking to her forever. “And remember that we love you. You never forget that. Promise me like I promised you,” he pushed her.
“I promise,” said Holly. She corrected herself, “We promise.” And, with that, the phone line disconnected. Frank dropped the phone and cradled his distraught wife. The both of them in floods of tears filled with the mixed emotions created by the call. The body of their daughter, the empty shell, resting on the floor behind them as her soul crossed over to the light - hand in hand with the man she loved.
The love of her life for the rest of eternity.
T H E E N D
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