Wait For Me

This is a story about love, sorrow, and disease. We will begin by introducing a prominent young man, Henry. Henry Drawben.

Henry Drawben is a man with vivacious blue eyes, wispy blonde hair, long limbs, and heavenly striking facial features; age of twenty-three. All the ladies surround him, wherever he goes. Henry is just about always dressed to perfection, he’s a great conversationalist, lovely to be around, and perfect for her.
Now, we shall introduce her; Elizabeth Brown.

Elizabeth Brown is a sickly woman of twenty-one. She has ordinary brown hair, drab brown clothes, but amazingly beautiful green eyes. Her limbs are long, but she is very un-athletic, she’s more of an intellect. She loves playing the piano, but is very shy and socially-awkward. There really is confusion when you think about him falling for her, he’s the best for her, she the least for him, yet they fell madly in love, and nothing could seem to break that. Don’t misunderstand, there were people who tried.

Mr. Jameson, for instance, was the father of Lindsey Jameson, one of those women who followed Henry’s every move. She was in love with Mr. Drawben, but he looked over all the girls, and sought only Elizabeth, but Lindsey didn’t like this, especially since Miss Brown didn’t seem like the best for Mr. Drawben. Mr. Jameson liked the fact that Lindsey actually took interest in a young man from their small English town, and he liked the fact that Mr. Drawben was of good blood, and money!

“Mr. Drawben, how do you do today, sir?” asked Mr. Jameson as he took Henry’s hand.

“Oh, it’s a fine day when I get to go see Elizabeth,” Henry sighed with love in his eyes. This put Mr. Jameson out of his good mood.

“Oh, that silly poor sick woman! What would you want to go over there for? You might get sick yourself, you know! All that just to see the saggy sick face of a poor young woman! Not a man of stature like you, I wouldn’t believe it for the world!” He figured surely his disapproval would stop this young man, but quite the contrary.

“Sir, I don’t appreciate you talking about Miss Brown that way! Good day!” Henry turned to walk away furiously.

“Henry, Henry, Henry! I’m sorry, young man. I just thought my Lindsey would be a better genetic match with you. I mean, she is blonde and does have blue eyes, like you.”

“Then it should be quite easy for her to find a mate if she’s that beautiful.” Henry said plaintively and walked away. Mr. Jameson just sighed, a man like that, with those wits would always win a fight with a man like Jameson, without wits, and Mr. Jameson knew it.

~~~

“Henry! Oh, darling how I’ve missed your touch,” Elizabeth whispered as Henry entered through the front door and rushed across the room to put his hand on her forehead. She was running a fever.

“Shall I call the doctor?” he whispered.

“No, I fear it much more than a fever, much more than a cold, a flu, but the doctor said it’s something they call fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva, which is a disease that….” she trailed off to sleep.

“Darn,” he whispered to himself. Oh, well, he was sure it wasn’t anything to worry about. He was going to take her away, to America; he heard something about Indians, and Pilgrims, Thanksgiving dinner, or something. He would give her anything. This was just Bronchitis, or whatever they call it, it’ll be over in two weeks, he told himself. Little did he know that fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva was a disease that turned muscle into bone, that all those times she had a hard time moving her arms, she was turning into a human statue.

“Elizabeth, Elizabeth, Lizzy, Baby,” he shook her gently.

“Yes, yes,” she woke rather quickly. “Oh, what was I saying?” she tried shifting in her bed, but she cried out in pain.

“Darling, what’s happening to you?” whispered Henry frantically, for this was the first time he took her ‘new’ illness seriously.

“Oh, right. My disease, turns my-my-Oh! The pain, Henry, the pain!”

“Doctor!” he shouted out. ”Doctor, help, help, don’t let her be taken from me.” he said rather to himself than anyone else. Elizabeth didn’t hear him, for she fainted from the pain of turning over in the bed for her wet, clammy hands take his warm, soft ones.

The doctor burst through the door and rushed to the bed side and looked at her, then slowly turned toward Henry.

“Doctor, do something!” Henry shouted in frustration as the doctor moved slowly, with no intention of doing anything for Elizabeth.

“Mr. Drawben, sit down, have a seat,” said the doctor. Henry figured something to be wrong, for the doctor’s statement was redundant.

“Ok, what?” Henry awaited in dread for whatever the doctor was to say.

“Your fiancée has fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva, as I’m sure she’s told you, and as she’s probably told you, it’s very-“

“She hasn’t had the chance to tell me what, ah, that FOP is.”

“It’s a ah, disease that, um, turns your muscle into bone.” This struck Henry directly in the gut. “It will soon crush her internal organs, and she will die. I’m so sorry, Henry, you can’t believe how unfortunate I am to be the one to deliver this heart break.”

“How long?”

“A few hours, it’s progressed to her legs, arms, neck, everywhere. Actually, you should say your goodbyes now. I’ll leave you to that. Please, if it’s possible, can you tell me the time, when it comes? It would help me, so I won’t have to stay, I’d rather not hear her, ah, screams, as it worsens. I know I’m being selfish-“

“You’re babbling, Doctor.” Henry interrupted him with tears in his eyes.

“Yes, sorry.”

“Does she know?”

“Yes.”

“Then, thank you, but farewell, Doctor.” The doctor left the room, Henry moved toward the bed, and heard the front door being shut quietly.

“Elizabeth, are you awake?”

“Yes,” she replied softly. “I can’t move.”

“The doctor told me, don’t try to move an inch, you understand? I don’t want you to have any pain.”

“Oh, Henry, you’ll have to marry another woman, make beautiful babies, at least you have the hope for having lovely children.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“I’ve always had worries that you’re children would never be the best they could be, because I’m not that pretty, I know it, but I thought maybe now you had a chance to make pretty children.”

“Any children I would’ve had with you would’ve been perfect.”

“Darling, it doesn’t matter now, there’s no hope for us. But there’s a hope for you.”

“No, Love, I’m never going to marry, for my heart will always belong to you.” Henry whispered. Elizabeth smiled.

“I’m happy.” she surprised him by whispering in his ear. He turned on his side to face her, who had gone through extreme pain to do the same.

“Why?”

“Because my last moments…are with you.”

“Hey,” he looked at her.

“What?”she bit her bottom lip.

“I will give you anything you ask for.” he saw in her eyes, her last moments.

“Well, certainly not anything.” she said, giggling.

“Well, what do you mean?”

“You wouldn’t give me future hovercrafts! Or one of those televisions they’re starting to make.”

“Anything for you, my Life.” Henry said with tears streaming down his cheeks.

“I want the moon,” she closed her eyes and whispered.

And the last words she heard before she passed into heaven were:

“Don’t ask for the moon! We have the stars!”