PREVIEW of my new story

"One Black Forest. Not to hot, just warm if you could"
"Anything else?" the woman at the counter replies.
"......yea......iced coffee if you would please."

The hospital isn't that long a drive from this shop. It's no Starbucks but it'll do. The sun's out, it should be bright and sunny the weatherman says. I always call bullshit. It's yet another cloudy day, the sun barely seeping through, the cool winter chill fills the room. Lucky I wore a jacket today without her having to tell me. I'm clueless at times it would seem like a curse. But her laughter would make me think it different, it's a gift. Her smile lights up my heart which is ironic because at the moment.....it's rather cold.

"I should've ordered the hot chocolate" I think along as I drive down the highway. But iced coffee....what should be hot in the first place is cooled down yet the sweetness is sweeter than anything from regular. I can't not order it. But her.....she's always for something different, especially during the seasons. "What the hell is a Black Forest coffee?" I chuckle at the thought of her reply.

I take the I-55b exit towards Quarry and turn right. The Hospital is just a few blocks away to the right. It's convenient for us since our house is only a few miles....I've never noticed it before til last year.....she just fell to the floor. "THUD!!"......I didn't know what to think, no idea what to do....the emotions I felt that day still ring inside me. The ride to the hospital inside of an ambulance, the doctor's diagnosis, the cat scans.....the realization that everything wasn't alright.
Everything changed.

I find a parking spot, make sure my keys are in hand and grab the cups. Locking the car I walk towards the entrance. The tall trees that surround the building to the fountain that sits beside it, they all just faze me. I'm too busy to stop and not their beauty.
"Room 206. Take the elevator. Down the Hall. To the left" is what's on my mind.
"Ding!" the elevator stops. Second floor. Down the Hall. To the left. Careful not to spill.
202, 204,206.......there she is. The love of my life.....lying in her bed, fidgeting with her fingers.
Perhaps this warm coffee would soothe her. I believe it will. It has to.
She's not ready to go. I'm not ready to accept it.
I love her to death.