Her foot tapped on the floor, making an impatient noise. Her leg moved up and down, her mind trying to make the nervous feeling she had release through her body movements. She tried positioning herself on the couch. She crossed her legs then uncrossed them; rested her head on the leather's arm then jolted back up again. Her shoulders slouched as she felt the feeling of uneasiness grow. Her green orbs darted to the window that was overlooking her driveway then to the big, black grandfather clock sitting in the corner of the living room. It's hand ticked to the six, making the worn down clock chime six times. 

He was suppose to be here at five, she thought.

Her hand ran through her blond hair. The golden bracelets around her wrist tinkled with the movement. She stood up from the couch and began pacing around the living room. The sun was beginning to set, lighting the room up with warm colors. But she wasn't in a warm mood. The smiles and laughter she usually had was replaced with frowns and sighs. She continued her pacing. Her hands moved up and down trying to help her brain find a perfectly good reason he wasn't here yet.

He was probably still working at the office. Or helping an old woman into her room. Or maybe even buying her something, she thought hopefully. But... he would've called... 

She heard a low rumbling sound of an engine outside and rushed to the window to see if it was him. Her minute of happiness soon deflated when she saw it was her neighbor's motorcycle. Shoulders slouched once more, she continued her pacing. 

She had to think of something else. But what?

On impulse, she looked down at her hands. A small ring sat on her finger. The diamond perched on top sparkled under the warm tones of the sun. Her lips curved into a small smile, remembering the memory that came with it. She remembered it just as if it happened yesterday- actually it did happen yesterday- and it was the best moment of her life.

It was yesterday that he proposed to her. They were walking down the path walk in the park where they first met.  She began playfully teasing him, saying that when he fell over his shoelace while running, it was when he first saw her and fell head over heels. All he did was give out that comfortable chuckle he was known for, agreed, and pulled her closer. He led her to the park bench where he first asked her to be his girlfriend. She sat down but realized he wasn't next to her. Her head was suddenly turned by his fingers, and the sight caused her to gasp and cover her mouth with her hands. There he was: bent down on one knee, a beautiful diamond ring in a blue box, and a bouquet of red roses held together by the very same shoelace. Her eyes were pooling out happy tears as he asked her to be his forever and always. Her head nodded and she suddenly leaped into his arms, embracing him. His face was in her hair as they shared their very first hug and kiss being engaged. 

Her smile faltered when the sound of the phone rang, bringing her back to reality. Her heart began to lift from her sorrow, knowing that this was him. But for some reason, she felt whoever was at the end of the line and whatever they said wasn't going to be happy. She walked over to the phone and put it up to her ear. Sirens and voices she didn't recognize was at the end of the line, blaring at her.

"Ma'am?" a low voice asked. This definitely did not sound like him.

"Yes?" she answered with uncertainty.

The man on the other side cleared his throat. "You need to get to the hospital quickly. Something has happened to your fiance."

                                                                            * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Her heels clicked loudly on the pavement leading up to the hospital. Her breath was short. Of course when she was in a hurry, the only available parking spot was the one farthest away from the building. She pushed through the doors and entered the building. Doctors and nurses were milling about, going to the rooms and helping patients. Telephone rings can be heard, some lasting for about a minute and some even lasting for half an hour. Her head was spinning. There was too many people and she didn't know where she was suppose to go. She couldn't even go to the receptionist without being run over by a nurse or a wheelchair. 

A tap on her shoulder made her turn around. She came face to face with one of his friends, a doctor, that worked at the hospital. They exchanged eye contact and she instantly knew this was going to be bad news.

They began walking towards the elevator. During the ride, the doctor told her what happened. Her mind blanked out and her heart felt it would collapse under all the pressure. She wasn't able to listen to what he was saying. The only words she caught were 'crash', 'flip', and 'not going to make it'. The doctor was still talking once they got out. They walked through so many hallways as if it was a giant maze. She even thought the walls were beginning to close. Finally, after many steps of walking ,they both stopped in front of a white door, the numbers 244 attached with black figures. The doctor gave her nod, signaling her that she can go inside, and began walking down the hall, disappearing from her sight. She tried to keep a straight face, breathed in and out slowly, and walked in.

The room was small. Green paint and colorful pictures of the beach tried to give the room an upbeat mood. But it was a hospital, barely anything happened that was upbeat. The white curtains were pushed aside, showing the sun going to bed and the full moon arise to power. On her right side was a single bed. With quiet steps, she slowly walked up. The man she saw made her heart break. He didn't look like the happy man she knew. His head was wrapped up with tons of white bandages, a blotch of red on the side. Cuts grazed his cheeks and the side of his mouth. His lips were cracked and dark circles were under his loving eyes. 

She slowly sat down on the blue chair, never keeping her eyes off of him. Her hand reached for his and she instantly felt a spark, the same spark they felt when they were together. It seemed to have caught his attention. His eyes slowly opened and his head titled to the side, facing her. The sight of  his soon-to-be wife next to him gave him the urge to smile, but instead, turned into a painful wince. She gave out a little chuckle, hoping it can give him the energy to stay alive. 

They sat there, just holding each other's hands.  Everything the doctor had told her was beginning to sink in and she began sobbing. Her head buried into the blankets, soaking them with her sad tears. He began frowning. He hated seeing her like this, and he especially hated that he was the cause of it. He lifted her face up, trying to hide the pain he was in. In a soft voice, he began talking about their future together. A little house in the country, with a red barn to the side. Having the horses and chickens they wanted. They talked about the beautiful kids they were going to have. But most importantly, being with each other forever. She smiled as he said this, sniffling to the capture her tears again. 

As she was grazing her cheek, something came to her. An idea. She made a motion with her finger to tell him to wait. Leaving a confused man, she rushed out of the room and ran into the others. Her eyes scanned each room, looking for anybody to help make their dreams come true. She finally found one and explained to him what she wanted. The man listened intently and agreed. He went over to the computer and began looking up the information to become an ordained priest.

Rings. She needed rings. She ran to room to room until she finally spotted a couple. Very kindly, she asked for their gold rings and told them her reason. They nodded yes and easily gave her their rings. With a final nod, she went back to the second floor, the nurse she spotted before right behind her. Everyone's heads poked out of the rooms and stared at her as she ran in the hallway. They all thought she was some insane woman trying to get out of the building; but she didn't care. No one else mattered. She just needed to get there in time.

She finally reached his room and sat back down. He looked at her with a confused look on his face. His eyes went to her then to the nurse. When he finally spotted the gold rings in her hands, he understood. He nodded at the nurse to begin.

The nurse began to say a couple of lines, lines that were to bind these two people in holy matrimony. Her eyes darted to the clock and to the heart machine. The beeps were starting to get slower. They only had a few minutes left. When he was finally done, the nurse stood off to the the side to allow the couple to express their love.

She looked back to her fiance and began saying her vows. She talked about how happy she was and how much she was lucky to have him. She recited one of his favorite Shakespear's lines and said I love you, I love you, I love you about a million times. She slid the ring on his finger. Her head suddenly looked up when she heard the heart machine go slower. His chest was moving ever so slowly and he struggled to look at her. His lips began to open and in the faintest whisper he said his short vow.

"I...love you forever. R-remember that even-even if I'm not here with y-you physically,"

The heart machine gave off tiny beeps in the background, it's tempo steady but too slow. Her eyes darted around his face, and her hand squeezing his to give him one more spark of life. He shook his head and stopped the squeezing.

"I love you," he whispered. "Forever...and..."

A long beep was now ringing in the air. His hand slumped against hers as he gave out his last breath. With a sad sigh, she bowed her head. Tears streamed down her face, smearing her makeup as she put his cold hand against her cheek.

"...and always," she finished. "...always.."

:'(

Inspiration from Forever and Always by Parachute and Wong fu Production's Strangers Again

"I love you, forever and always, through the good, the bad, and the ugly"