My Forever June (11 page)

Chapter
Thirty

June

The flight to Seattle seemed to last forever. Alice had to ask me at least five times or more to stop fidgeting. I felt like a child being scolded, but I was so close to seeing him again. I needed to get to him so he could wake up and we could talk. The last time Alice took my hand to stop the fidgeting, she actually smiled lovingly at me. What she said next caused fresh tears to pool in my eyes and overflow.

             
She took hold of my hand. “June, I know we’ve been hard on you, and I’m very sorry for that. It was more me than Jim. We thought we knew the kind of girl who would make Tucker happy, but we, or more importantly, I was wrong. And all the while the right girl was staring me in the face.” She squeezed my hand tighter. “I want you to know that Jim and I have grown very fond of you over these past weeks, and we are very sorry for keeping you from Tucker, but we made him a promise. We only break it now because we feel it is the only thing to be done. I hope you can forgive us.”

I threw my arms around her slight shoulders and squeezed. “Of course
, I forgive you. I know you did what you thought was best for Tucker. And I have grown very fond of both of you as well.” It was a very special moment for me.

             
When we made it to the institute, I had to focus on my breathing. I was never good at handling anxiety. The nurse at the desk seemed to be new and going slug slow when looking up Tucker’s room number. But after a few delays, we did finally get the number to his room. As we approached his room, Alice and Jim took a seat on the bench by the door, allowing me to go in first.

             
The room was small but bright, and the curtains were opened wide, allowing the lovely sun to filter into the room and across the bed. I approached cautiously, not sure of what to expect. Would he be mad at me for coming?

             
I sat down on the side of the bed and took a moment to study my long lost lover. He was pale and very thin, only a shell of the adorable and vibrant young man I first met many months ago, and yet he was still so handsome to me; more handsome than I had even imagined. His deep red lips were still so amazing and his hair had grown longer and actually looked really good against his pale and perfectly shaped and sculpted face. I tried to fight the tears to be strong for him, but in looking at him now the emotions were very strong. I had missed him more than I had even realized…until now.

             
I took his hand gently in mine and relished how amazing it felt to touch him again. I moved in closer to whisper in his ear. “Tucker, honey. Tucker, can you hear me? It’s me, June. Tucker, please wake up.”

              I felt a slight movement of his hand in mine. My heart jumped as his eyes struggled to open. It was painfully slow, but his eyes did open. It took him a long moment for his eyes to focus on me.

“June? Is that really you? Are you really here?”

              I laughed softly. “Yes, it’s me. I’m here. I’m right here, and I’m not going anywhere.”

             
I quickly kicked off my shoes and crawled into the bed and snuggled as close as I could get, resting my head on his chest just like I always did. He pulled me very close, and I felt his chest heaving as he cried.

“June, I’m so sorry.”

              “Shhh.”

We stayed
cuddled tightly for a while, neither of us moving or speaking, only holding each other as if at any moment we could disappear, which felt true enough.

             
When he finally spoke, his voice was a mere whisper, “Somehow I knew you’d find me.”

             
I raised my head and gazed at him, a slight smile on my lips. “Of course. I’m your Forever June, remember?” I lowered my head back to his chest.

             
“I’m gonna have the surgery.”

             
I gasped and rose to look at him again, my mouth hanging open, but I couldn’t find the words to say. After a long moment, I closed my mouth and slowly nodded in agreement.

Chapter Thirty-one

June

There was something important I had to do before Tucker’s surgery. They hadn’t wasted any time scheduling the surgery, but I felt in my spirit that I had to do this. This is the one thing that would show my ultimate love and devotion to Tucker. My only hope was that he didn’t have heart-failure.

             
I rushed down the hallways. I had little time to spare. I had received a text from Jim informing me that they were prepping him for his surgery. I was almost there. Just a few more turns.

             
I burst into the room, startling the nurse and the Mitchells. The entire room was silent as they studied me.

Tucker reached for me. I stepped cautiously toward his bed. My eyes filled with fresh tears
at the sight of his freshly shaved head. They had informed us that they would have to shave it all off for this particular surgery, but it was still hard seeing it, knowing how much he had already given up for this condition, and it was still taking from him.

             
I inched forward and took a seat by his side on the bed.

             
His eyes pooled with huge tears that spilt out and down his face without caution. He reached his hand to my face. “What have you done?”

             
“I did it for you,” I said, reaching to touch my newly shaved head. 

             
“But why? Why did you shave your beautiful hair for me? June, why would you do that?”

             
I laughed softly. “Your hair was just as beautiful as mine and you lost yours. I wanted you to know how much I love you. I would shave my head a thousand times for you. Besides, it’s just hair. It’ll grow back, right?”

             
He laughed a weak laugh. “Yes. It’ll grow back. I love you so much, June. I hope you know that.”

             
“I do know. I really do.”

             
He reached up and rubbed his hand along my now smooth head. I repeated the gesture to him.

“Wow,” he said, “I knew you were beautiful, but I never imagined how breathtaking you could be bald. Love the earrings, too,” he said, reaching down to touch my dangling
, chunky earrings.

I winked at him. “Yeah, I thought you might.”

The anesthesiologist is here,” Alice said from behind me.

I reluctantly stepped aside while they did their thing. And in just a few minutes
, they were ready to wheel him to the operating room. It was all happening so fast, and I was becoming anxious. I had never handled anxiety too well.

Alice kissed her son on the cheek and told him that she loved him, and I was on the verge of hyperventilating.

Jim shook his son’s hand and told him to be strong and he would see him after. He was a big man, and he was being strong for his son’s sake.

“June,” Tucker said as they began to roll his bed toward the door.

I jumped in front of the door, stopping it. “Wait! I have to say my see-you-laters!” I squealed, my breathing coming heavy.

Tucker took my hand and pulled me to him, putting both of his hands on the sides of my face. “June, it’s okay, baby. It’s okay. I’m gonna be fine.”

I nodded but the tears were flowing anyway. “I know, Tucker. I know. I love you so much.” I pressed my lips gently to his.

He grabbed my bald head and forced the kiss to deepen. I felt his lips quiver under mine. He was scared too. As the kiss broke, he peered intently into my eyes. “You
are
my Forever, June. Don’t you ever forget that. Forever. I love you…and I’ll see you later.” He winked.

I forced a smile though I really needed to vomit.

I watched as they wheeled his bed down the hall until it was out of sight. From somewhere down the hall I heard him yell, “Forever June! Forever!”

I clasped my hand to my mouth. I sat down on the bench behind me before my knees gave way and began to pray harder than I had ever prayed in my life.

After a few minutes, I got up and walked the long walk down the hall toward the waiting room with the Mitchells by my side. Now, all we had to do was wait.

Chapter Thirty-two

June

The double doors opened in slow motion as the doctor came through, his face glum as he pulled off his mask and cap. The creepy sense of deja`vu set in. I felt anxiety well within me as he approached me at an incredibly slow pace. Tears welled in my eyes as I gripped the chair with great intensity. I suddenly didn’t have the strength in my knees to stand to meet him. He stopped in front of me, and my eyes rose slowly to meet his gaze. He shook his head as compassion consumed his expression. “I’m so sorry, June.”

I began to hyperventilate. It all came flooding back to me. I’d seen this in my dream. I knew how this ended. My breathing was coming too hard and fast.

“June!” I heard the doctor say as I crumpled to the floor and darkness suddenly clouded my vision completely.

* * * * * *

“June. June, can you hear me?” Someone was calling to me in a voice that seemed so far away. And someone was touching my head with a cool, damp cloth.

             
I opened my eyes and cringed at the pain I felt. “Oww,” I said, touching my hand to my head.

             
“You’re gonna be just fine.”

             
I couldn’t believe the doctor said those words to me. My voice broke as I spoke the words, “How can you say that? Tucker is gone.”

I began to crumble again until his
next words startled me. “What are you talking about? Tucker’s not gone. I was trying to tell you when you collapsed.”             

I shook my head in confusion. “But you were apologizing?”

“Yes. I’m sorry that the surgery went so long. I knew you were worried. We ran into some complications and it took longer than we had anticipated. But the operation was a success, and we feel Tucker should make a full recovery.”

“You mean he’s okay?” I could barely get the words out.

He laughed. “Yes. And he will be so glad when he sees you.”

The relief I felt was like nothing I had ever experienced in my twenty-three years. “Can I see him?”

“Yes. The nurse will take you to him.” Despite my headache, I jumped up and followed the nurse through the double doors and down the hall…to my forever.

Epilogue

June

One year later…

As I lay flat on my
back on the yellow checkered blanket, staring up at the beautiful fluffy cloud-filled sky, I marveled at the pleasure this simple act brought to me. I no longer took things for granted, knowing that at any moment the things, and people, I loved could be taken from me. Now, every moment was a gift, and a gift I planned to enjoy to the fullest.

             
It almost ended for me. The moment the doctor came into that waiting room so many months ago, my life almost ended forever. When the doctor approached me, his cap in hand, and uttered those painful words ‘I’m so sorry, June’, I knew my world was altered. I couldn’t have imagined the relief the doctor’s next words would bring me. Just thinking about those words brought a smile to my face.

“What are you smiling about?”
my husband asked, peeping over my head and studying my expression.

             
I reached up and took his hand in mine. “I was thinking about that day, in the waiting room, when I thought you died, and the relief I felt to learn you had made it through the surgery.”

             
“Oh yeah. That was a great day for me too.”

Tucker picked the book up again and continued where
he left off, reading from our favorite book,
Charity Moon,
the same book I read to him in the hospital all those months ago. It seemed like a lifetime ago now. He cradled me against him as he read, rubbing his hand along my ever-growing baby bump.

             
“What do you think about the name Levi if it’s a boy and Charity if it’s a girl?” Tucker asked in all seriousness.

             
I paused for a moment, contemplating his comment. “Hmm, naming our baby after a character in a book? Not a bad idea. What do you think my mom will think?”

“Umm, that’s easy. She’ll hate it,” he responded.

              “Let’s do it,” I retorted without hesitation, causing us both to burst into roaring laughter.

I was so proud of Tucker. Once he made a full recovery, he approached his father and asked if he
could have a team to help him build a beautiful and well-constructed building for the lower income families in the area. He said the idea came to him while in surgery and that he recalled it soon after waking. His father was so happy to have him back again that he agreed to his ideas, giving him all the freedom he desired. He had already touched many lives in the hospital with his story, now, with his new ideas, he was changing the world around him. And I loved him more today than I had ever loved him before.

It’s funny; I thought I had a lot of fixing to do to myself before I was good enough for someone. I know I surely wasn’t looking for love, but fate had another idea, and love found me when I wasn’t even looking for it. I guess I should say that Tucker found me, and h
e was mine, and I was his—Forever June.

Tucker’s POV

I couldn’t help but study June as she lay so peaceful beneath the tree, her now shoulder-length hair fanned out on the blanket around her. She was wearing a contented smile and her growing baby bump was only barely visible under her blue sundress.

             
She had not changed much since the fateful day of our first meeting almost a year and a half ago. She had grown more beautiful, if that were even possible. She was still addicted to coffee and sugar, but her clutter had lessoned and came into a healthy balance. She was now a successful artist, having had a profitable exhibit debut at the art gallery. As a result, her paintings were on display in many galleries in other areas.

             
I glanced over at Felix who was stretched out in an unnatural position on the blanket beside us. I still wasn’t convinced he wasn’t possessed. Perhaps this had something to do with his daily attacks on my newspaper (while I was reading it!) which scared me every time even though I knew to expect them. June didn’t believe me when I told her he would wink at me afterwards. So yeah, we still disliked each other, but I guess you could say that we had come to tolerate each other’s presence. This pleased June very much, so I guess it was worth the effort.

             
After our small wedding in Kennedy Park, I moved my things into her cozy cottage on the beach and that’s where we planned to stay until we outgrew it as our family continued to grow. She wanted six kids, I wanted two. I figured we’d meet somewhere in the middle, like always. Yes, life with my June was pretty sweet indeed. We had been given as second chance and we planned on making the most of it.

I pulled her into my arms and planted a seductive kiss on her luscious pink lips. A
s we snuggled intimately on the blanket canopied by the giant towering oak, we gazed at each other and chuckled, enjoying every moment of the rest of our lives together. I was hers, and she was mine—my Forever June.