If Only for the Summer
Eighteen
The pair got to the hospital late the next day—Annie had misplaced her key card and needed to get a new one while the front desk was open—and Josh knew immediately that something was very wrong when they got to Henley. The nurse was posted outside of her door like yesterday, but the look she held was somber and full of regret. “I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this, but Miss Craig passed this afternoon, about an hour ago.”
“What?” Josh cried. Annie only burst into tears.
“We called her parents shortly after it happened. With her condition as it was, she didn’t have a fair fight against the pneumonia.”
“Can we see her?” Annie managed to ask through the sobs. The nurse nodded, and handed them both gloves, then escorted them in.
“Her mother said they should be here in about an hour and a half.”
Josh held back his own tears as Annie’s only worsened. Nothing could have properly prepared him to see the lifeless body of the girl that had weaseled her way into his life in only two months. They had thankfully taken the ventilator out, so her face was unobstructed. He had only seen her without her cannula once at the beginning of summer. It had been pitch black in the rain, and he had been more concerned with keeping his job than introducing himself to a girl.
“I need a minute, I’ll give you some time,” Annie said, rushing for the door. Josh didn’t know what to do, so he sat down and took her hand like all he was doing was visiting. He would be back tomorrow and everything would be fine, Henley would get better.
The more he looked at her, the more time he spent without seeing her chest rising and falling—even with the assistance of the ventilator—the more he realized that her disease took her from him before fall could come.
When Annie came back a few minutes later, her eyes were puffy, but she seemed to have gained control of her tears. “Um,” she said, pushing hair away from her face trying to think. “They called her parents so we should head out soon.” She looked around the room but her eyes landed on Henley and Josh saw them fill with water. He stood and pulled Annie into his chest as she let the sobs resurface.
Twenty minutes later, Josh and Annie stood on the side of Henley’s bed for their final goodbyes. Annie had her arm looped through Josh’s again as he leaned down and kissed Henley’s forehead. “I’ll see you later, Hen.”
-
Josh shifted uncomfortably in his dress shirt and tie as the foyer of Henley’s house in Raleigh filled with people dressed in black. Annie and Pat stood beside him chatting idly, but Josh was still numb from the service. His friends had to walk him back to the car once it ended, and Annie kept her arm in his even now.
“Annie, I’m so glad you could come,” Josh heard from behind him. The three spun to see a middle age woman who was an exact copy of what he assumed Henley would have been thirty years in the future. Pat excused himself as Annie hugged her with her free hand. When they let go, another man came over to join them, though he only looked mildly interested. “This is Henley’s father. Who’s your friend, Annie?”
“Oh, this is Josh.” He shook hands with both of Henley’s parents.
“How did you know Henley?”
“I was her boyfriend,” he said proudly, though it still hurt to talk about their summer in the past tense. Her dad visibly stiffened.
“Josh?” He nodded uncomfortably as Henley’s mom’s face contorted in thought. “That’s where I heard your name. I found a hat in her room in Bethel that had your name on it. Hang on,” she called as she disappeared around a corner. Henley’s dad faded into the crowd in the time it took for her mom to come back carrying one of Josh’s snapbacks. It had vanished from his truck earlier in the month, then reappeared on Henley’s head a few days later. He had honestly forgotten about it.
He fought back tears for the thousandth time since Henley had left him as he gave her a grateful smile.
-
By the beginning of the next week, Josh and Pat had returned to work.
During lunch on their second day back, they sat around with a few of the other guys from the warehouse, chatting mindlessly. Josh hadn’t laughed that much in a while.
They took their time, and still hadn’t gotten back to work once their hour was up. Suddenly, someone burst through the barn doors at the front of the warehouse. When the others realized who it was, they rushed back to work, except Josh. He leaned over to Pat who was working himself when he noticed the two bodyguards surrounding the man who had noticed them. “Who the hell is that?” he asked as the man turned like he had heard Josh talk. He knew who he was the moment he turned.
“That, my friend, is the boss of this whole operation.”
Josh turned back to Pat incredulously, “Then why the fuck did he call himself Henley’s dad at her funeral?”
-
It was less than a week later.
Patrick had been sent on another dirty job. They didn’t faze him anymore.
He pulled the tarp from the bed of the truck and opened the tailgate. Once he yanked the dead weight from the bed, Patrick let the body drop onto the shore of the lake. He sighed as the water lapped against Josh’s legs. A moment later, he took a hold of one of Josh’s feet and pulled the body into the lake.
Patrick had always been the one to do the dirty jobs. They didn’t faze him anymore.
“What?” Josh cried. Annie only burst into tears.
“We called her parents shortly after it happened. With her condition as it was, she didn’t have a fair fight against the pneumonia.”
“Can we see her?” Annie managed to ask through the sobs. The nurse nodded, and handed them both gloves, then escorted them in.
“Her mother said they should be here in about an hour and a half.”
Josh held back his own tears as Annie’s only worsened. Nothing could have properly prepared him to see the lifeless body of the girl that had weaseled her way into his life in only two months. They had thankfully taken the ventilator out, so her face was unobstructed. He had only seen her without her cannula once at the beginning of summer. It had been pitch black in the rain, and he had been more concerned with keeping his job than introducing himself to a girl.
“I need a minute, I’ll give you some time,” Annie said, rushing for the door. Josh didn’t know what to do, so he sat down and took her hand like all he was doing was visiting. He would be back tomorrow and everything would be fine, Henley would get better.
The more he looked at her, the more time he spent without seeing her chest rising and falling—even with the assistance of the ventilator—the more he realized that her disease took her from him before fall could come.
When Annie came back a few minutes later, her eyes were puffy, but she seemed to have gained control of her tears. “Um,” she said, pushing hair away from her face trying to think. “They called her parents so we should head out soon.” She looked around the room but her eyes landed on Henley and Josh saw them fill with water. He stood and pulled Annie into his chest as she let the sobs resurface.
Twenty minutes later, Josh and Annie stood on the side of Henley’s bed for their final goodbyes. Annie had her arm looped through Josh’s again as he leaned down and kissed Henley’s forehead. “I’ll see you later, Hen.”
-
Josh shifted uncomfortably in his dress shirt and tie as the foyer of Henley’s house in Raleigh filled with people dressed in black. Annie and Pat stood beside him chatting idly, but Josh was still numb from the service. His friends had to walk him back to the car once it ended, and Annie kept her arm in his even now.
“Annie, I’m so glad you could come,” Josh heard from behind him. The three spun to see a middle age woman who was an exact copy of what he assumed Henley would have been thirty years in the future. Pat excused himself as Annie hugged her with her free hand. When they let go, another man came over to join them, though he only looked mildly interested. “This is Henley’s father. Who’s your friend, Annie?”
“Oh, this is Josh.” He shook hands with both of Henley’s parents.
“How did you know Henley?”
“I was her boyfriend,” he said proudly, though it still hurt to talk about their summer in the past tense. Her dad visibly stiffened.
“Josh?” He nodded uncomfortably as Henley’s mom’s face contorted in thought. “That’s where I heard your name. I found a hat in her room in Bethel that had your name on it. Hang on,” she called as she disappeared around a corner. Henley’s dad faded into the crowd in the time it took for her mom to come back carrying one of Josh’s snapbacks. It had vanished from his truck earlier in the month, then reappeared on Henley’s head a few days later. He had honestly forgotten about it.
He fought back tears for the thousandth time since Henley had left him as he gave her a grateful smile.
-
By the beginning of the next week, Josh and Pat had returned to work.
During lunch on their second day back, they sat around with a few of the other guys from the warehouse, chatting mindlessly. Josh hadn’t laughed that much in a while.
They took their time, and still hadn’t gotten back to work once their hour was up. Suddenly, someone burst through the barn doors at the front of the warehouse. When the others realized who it was, they rushed back to work, except Josh. He leaned over to Pat who was working himself when he noticed the two bodyguards surrounding the man who had noticed them. “Who the hell is that?” he asked as the man turned like he had heard Josh talk. He knew who he was the moment he turned.
“That, my friend, is the boss of this whole operation.”
Josh turned back to Pat incredulously, “Then why the fuck did he call himself Henley’s dad at her funeral?”
-
It was less than a week later.
Patrick had been sent on another dirty job. They didn’t faze him anymore.
He pulled the tarp from the bed of the truck and opened the tailgate. Once he yanked the dead weight from the bed, Patrick let the body drop onto the shore of the lake. He sighed as the water lapped against Josh’s legs. A moment later, he took a hold of one of Josh’s feet and pulled the body into the lake.
Patrick had always been the one to do the dirty jobs. They didn’t faze him anymore.
♠ ♠ ♠
~et fin~