One last Wish: Chapter 17
The taping was just about over and Justin was getting antsy. He just KNEW that there was something wrong with Hope.
Of course he couldn’t just leave behind his obligation to stay during the taping, but once it was over, he would be on his way to the hospital in a heart beat.
As soon as the taping was over, Justin rushed to his dressing room to grab his coat. Just as he was walking into the room his cell phone began to ring. It scared him to death to wonder who was on the other line and what they were about to tell him. Justin slowly took the cell phone out from his coat pocket and hesitantly answered the phone.
“Justin?” Justin could tell that it was Leigh. What scared him the most when she said his name was that it was apparent that she had been crying and the beeping noises of medical machines in the background were going off like crazy.
“Yes..”
“It’s Hope, she…”
Without even having to even think about it, Justin was out the door and on his way to his car. Before he could really get far, Lonnie, Nsync’s bodyguard stopped him.
“Whoa, wait a minute there Slim Shady. Where do you think you’re are going?” Lonnie asked teasingly.
Justin wasn’t in the mood to really deal with anyone, especially with someone twice his size. “Lonnie, I need to get to the hospital. Can u please let me get through man?”
Lonnie had noticed the anxiety that was settled in his eyes and was worried at how awful Justin looked. “Are you alright? Why do u need to go to the hospital? You feelin’ okay? Want me to go call…”
Justin was not in the mood of to argue or be babied. He just knew he needed to be with Hope. “Look, Lonnie..I just REALLY need to go see someone in the hospital.”
Lonnie was still confused and uninformed as to Justin’s situation with Hope. So he didn’t really know what the hell was going on. “I understand Justin, but YOU need to understand that I can’t let you go alone.”
Justin anxiously ran his hand through his curly hair and yelled, “damnit Lonnie. Either let me go or come with me!”
By now Justin had caused such a scene that the cameraman was so enticed to just turn the camera on him. Lonnie was so surprised and taken aback by Justin’s attitude and yelling that he decided to just let Justin have his way. He was obviously upset and apparently VERY moody. “Alright, alright man. Don’t give yourself a heart attack. Go ahead and get in the car, I’ll come with you.”
“THANK YOU!” Justin sarcastically replied.
Lonnie gestured for Justin to lead the way to the parking area and he followed. Justin was less of in a fit of rage. It was more of worry and anxiety.
(At the Hospital)
Hope was periodically coming in and out of the coma, yet she barely clung onto dear life. She was so weak and so frail that just touching her seemed like an overwhelming pain. Robert looked on at his ailing only child while he comforted his wife, Leigh. Leigh had been sitting next to Hope’s hospital bed gently stroking her hand.
Hope gently stirred in her place and moved her lips to signal that she wanted to speak. Leigh hushed her and waited for the nurse who had to have the breathing tube unattached in order for Hope to be able to speak. Since Hope couldn’t breathe well on her own, she had to keep her voice to a minimum, mainly a whisper.
“Hope sweetheart, just rest. Don’t strain yourself by talking.” Robert kindly said.
Hope slowly shook her head in disagreement and spoke, “I…have to…have to…”
Leigh ran her fingers through her daughters hair and asked, “you have to what sweetie?”
“I have to…wait…for Justin. I….promised him.”
Hope momentarily gasped and the nurse was urged by Hope’s actions to reattach the breathing tube. It was such a sweet, yet heartbreaking statement made by Hope. She was so determined to be able to see Justin just one more time. In her mind, she had made it this far and she wasn’t about to give up just yet. She was definitely a fighter, maybe a survivor at the least, but definitely one who had the will to try her best and keep her promises.
It was only a matter of time until Justin arrived at the hospital. Once he finally did, he was in shock at how much different Hope had looked from when he had lost seen her earlier in the morning. she could barely keep her eyes open, much less give Justin a little recognition showing that she knew he was there. But she could hear him. She could hear his heavy footsteps run down the hallway, then abruptly stopped at her doorway. How heavy his breathing was and how much worry was in his voice. “Hope? It’s me.”
Leigh and Robert stood back a little to let Justin take the seat next Hope’s hospital bed. She barely acknowledged his presence with a little nudge of her elbow on the hospital bed. Hope’s eyes slowly, but surely opened and a microscopic amount of glimmer filled her eyes when she saw Justin next to her. She looked over at the nurse who came up to her bed and knew what Hope was asking of her.
“Are you sure?” The nurse asked Hope.
Hope blinked her eyes twice to signal that she was certain of her decision.
The nurse slowly and hesitantly took the breathing tube out of her and turned off the machine. Hope was now free to talk as much as she could. If she could even do that much. “I told you…I’d…I’d wait…for you.”
Justin could feel tears form out of the corners of his eyes as he gave her a small smile. “I never stopped having faith that you would.”
Hope continued, never letting a tear slip, not even letting one form, “Justin, after I go, I want you to keep on living. Don’t hold onto the painful things in the past because life is short.”
It was almost over, everything that Hope ever knew was fading away from her mind so quickly, yet her heart held onto every moment it ever beat. Justin sat in utter sorrow and argued through a shaky voice and a tear-stained face, “No. You’re not leaving me. Not yet. Not now. Not when I just found you.”
Hope painfully lifted her hand up to his face and wiped the tears that had graced the side of his cheek. “Justin…listen…listen to me. This is it, this is the end for me. But not for you, you hear me? You have a wonderful future ahead of you. No matter what, I will by your side through it all. I’ll wait an eternity if I have to, to see you that one sweet day.”
Justin cried freely now and Leigh and Robert and even Lonnie looked on in tears and a breaking heart. “I don’t want to loose you Hope.”
“You never will….” Hope could feel her body slowly shutting down. The monitors that surrounded her confirmed this as they began to go off. Everyone stood holding their breath as Hope tried desperately to take one last breath. She held on just a little bit longer and whispered to Justin as he got out of seat and cradled her in his arms, “I love you Justin.”
Flashback
A gentle hand touched her fingertips as the two hands slowly and softly came together. Hope could feel a bright light shine on her as she slowly opened her eyes to see Justin's face looking down at her.
His ocean blue eyes looked on at her in concern which worried her. She tilted her head a little bit and noticed her parents looking down at her with tears in their eyes. Hope could feel tension and fright build up inside her as she gathered the strength to speak.
"What's wrong?" Hope asked fearful.
"It's alright Hope, don't worry. It will all be over soon." Her father said patting her shoulder.
"What? What will all be over soon? Mom? What's going on?" Hope asked panicing.
"It's alright sweetheart, just close your eyes and rest." Hope's mother said as she scooped her up into her arms and hugged her close to her as she wept freely.
Once Leigh pulled away from her daughter, Hope turned to see Justin sitting next to her and gently stroking her hand.
"Justin please tell me what's going on!" Hope asked as tears fell onto her cheeks.
When Justin didn't answer her, she began to look at her surroundings and try to make light of what was going on. She noticed IV's hooked up to her, oxygen pumps near her, and a heart monitor to her right. She became frantic as the beat on the monitor start to quicken and she could feel the world slowly fade. She turned to look at Justin and her parents once more and barely whispered, "I don't want to die, not now." The heart beat on the monitor flat-lined and everything Hope ever knew was gone...
Justin lifted his head and watched on in heartache as Hope closed her eyes and took her final breath. “I love you too, Hope,” Justin whispered as he slowly dipped his head onto Hope’s lifeless body and wept.
Epilogue(Final Chapter)
Email: dance2nsync@angelfire.com
