THE LAST HEARTBEAT
‘JACKLE!’ My mother cried out as she ran into the hospital room. She was in shock to see me lying on the bed, all covered in blood and scars, I looked as if I was about to be ripped apart. ‘Mother…?’ I said so weakly it felt like I used almost every muscle in my body to say that one word that I may not be able to say again. I struggled to focus on her while she ran toward me, calling out my name, crying so hard, holding my hand and pressing it against her heart. I tried my hardest not to go unconscious, but the more I tried the more blurry everything got. Soon all I was able to see from my mother was her light brunette hair and her Emerald green eyes which were the last time I thought I’d see them. ‘Jackle, it’s going to be alright. You’re going to be ok,’ she said to me, trying not to cry, and comforting me.
‘This…this is all my fault,’ she said to me, and I started to get flashbacks. We were on our way back after a long day at the mountains and today was going to be the day of my birthday. The moment the clock would turn twelve was the moment I would turn fifteen. We were a good kilometre away from home and I noticed that my mother kept glancing back at me, looking a bit concerned. I didn’t mind her concerned face, thinking she was just worried that we wouldn’t make it home safely, so to get her talking I asked ‘Mum, what are we going to do for my birthday?’ she smiled at me before saying ‘you’ll see, it’s a surprise!’ I felt a bit happier knowing that she was happy but as quick as lighting, there was a black figure in the middle of the road and before I knew it, the surroundings around my mother and I were in flames, the car was upside down and that strange figure had disappeared. The last things that I could remember from then before I fell unconscious were my mother lifting me in her hands the sounds of alarms going off. Then, shortly I woke up in a hospital bed, surrounded by doctors and nurses.
My vision was slowly coming back together and as it did, I looked at my mum again, giving her a smile and a soft giggle. My heart was slowly fading away as I tried so hard to sit up. ’Jackle don’t! You have to rest!’ I gave her a small smile and said ‘It’s fine mum, I want to do this last thing before I go,’ I swung my arms around my mother and as I did I could feel every inch of my body screaming in terror and pain, I could also feel the beats my heart was making and how it got slower and slower. The time was near. I hugged my mother and lay on her shoulder, staying close to her and trying not to scream at the pain I felt. ‘Jackle please don’t leave me! Dad left, I can’t lose you too!’ she cried all over my shoulder but I didn’t care, I didn’t have to care anymore. ‘Goodbye mother,’ I softly said, ‘NO! JACKLE NO!’ She was a fountain full of sadness. I was about to say my final three words, with my heart taking it’s last heartbeat ‘I love you.’
April 11, 2018