Magic

"His condition is slowly decreasing. I'm afraid there isn't all that much of a chance he'll survive this; the bullet was dangerously close to his heart."

Those were the exact words one of the doctors attending to Brian said, and they still rang in my mind as I stared at my motionless ex-boyfriend, lying still and empty on a hospital bed, with the uncomfortable beep of a machine measuring his pulse trilling in the background. His mother held back tears, and his father put a hand on her shoulder.

"We'll be downstairs at the food court, Kate," said Dan, ushering his wife out of the room and leaving me with Brian.

I hesitated, then walked over and sat down in a plastic chair next to his bed. Carefully, I stretched out a hand to grasp his. His skin was too cold - not warm and lovely like I remembered.

"Brian," I whispered. "It's me - Kate. If you can hear me...I'm sorry. After all that's happened...I realized that I need you. So just please don't let go. Please. I...I love you."

And in my heart, I knew it was true. But I wouldn't let myself believe it.



Time continued to pass, and every second felt slower, more dragged out, like time was trying to torture me.

Eventually, there was hardly any point of me staying in New York, so I took another road trip back to Seattle. When I entered the apartment, feeling tired after not sleeping for yet another two days (Red Bull, anyone?), Neil gave me a stunned look as I walked into the foyer.

"Hey," I greeted with a weary smile.

"Uh, hey. So, um...how are things?"

"The worst. But I don't really want to talk about it. I'm going to bed."

"Okay."

I stumbled into the elevator and then into my apartment, collapsing onto my bed and drifting off to sleep.

When I awoke in the morning, I felt gross - I was still wearing the same clothes I had when I had set off for New York. Ew. I took a long shower, enjoying the clean feeling, and then dressed in grey sweats and a purple t-shirt.

I tried not to worry about Brian, and tried my best to carry on with life like nothing out of the ordinary had even happened. But that was impossible. Brian became the center of my thoughts throughout the day, and that had me thinking: did I really love him?

Even if I did, I couldn't open up my heart to tell that truth.

As the day dragged on, there was nothing that could take my mind of my past lover - not the news or food or cleaning rooms that didin't need cleaning or drawing or checking e-mails....Nothing.

It was when I was watching TV and a commercial about charity donations came on that I remembered.

"Love can come in small packages," the narrator of the commercial was saying. I froze with my hand in a dish of crackers.

The package.

Brian's package.

Brian's package that had come in the mail.

I darted to my room and reached under my bed, finding a small parcel covered in a few clouds of dust. I flipped it over to the side with Brian Thomas written across the aged-looking brown paper.

I took a deep breath, wondering if I could really do this. After shoving Brian out of my heart, could I let this small part of him back in again?

I decided I could.

With quivering hands, I peeled off the paper of the parcel to reveal a tiny box. After another breath, I gently lifted the lid, and gasped at what I saw.

There, nestled inside, was an elegant silver chain. And on that chain, there was a beautifully-crafted crystal heart.

I held the necklace to my own heart, and cried, long and hard and deep. After everything I had said to Brian, all I had so rashly and cruelly told him, after kicking him out of my life...he could still love me.

And I could still love him.



As days past, I wore the necklace, and never took it off. And three days after finally opening the package, I got a call from Judy Thomas - they were coming to visit, and Brian would be okay. Instantly, it felt as though a huge weight had been lifted from my chest.

When the Thomases arrived, a couple days later, Judy gave me a warm and grateful hug. Dan smiled appreciatively...and Brian gave me a timid smile.

"Well, uh, Dan, I think we'll go get some coffee down at the restaurant, okay?"

"Uh...sure?" he said, oblivious to Judy's intentions.

As soon as they were out of the room, I flung myself - carefully - at Brian, wrapping my arms around his neck. He secured his around my waist.

"Brian...I can't tell you how sorry I am. For everything. And I know it's stupid to want you to forgive me, but -"

"I love you, too," he said simply.

I pulled back from our embrace a bit. "I'm sorry...what did you just say?"

"I said 'I love you, too'. I heard what you said at the hospital."

"Oh, Brian!" I cried, and there was nothing stopping me from leaning up so that I could kiss him passionately. He kissed me back, and he kissed my cheeks to wipe away the tears that were falling there.

"I see you got my present," he said once he had stopped kissing me, lightly picking up the crystal heart.

"Yes, I did."

"I never stopped thinking about you, Kate. I couldn't, because I am completely in love with you."

"And I feel the same. I just...I want you forever, Brian, but how can you take me back after what I did to you?"

He smirked playfully, and I remembered that smirk. It was part of what had made me fall for him in the first place.

"I can think of a good reason," he said slyly, and he leaned down to press his lips to mine.



Brian was okay. And we were back together - like we were supposed to be. There was nothing wrong with the way things had turned out. I was happy again, and somehow my love had saved Brian's life. Because nothing could tear us apart - not time, or distance, or a bullet near his heart. I didn't know that there was such thing as forever before Brian and I came together again. But I know what forever means everytime I look at that crystal heart, or look into Brian's eyes and see the other half of myself. Forever is what we have, what we need, and it's what saved him...like magic.