by J. J. Franck
Mrs. McFarley was taken a back by what Avery said and then just opened the door wider a clear indication for Avery to enter the house. She was curious why Avery chose this day of all days to make her presence known. Mrs. McFarley had no knowledge that her son was seeing anyone. She remembered seeing Avery at the funeral, but just assumed she was one of the clerks at the precinct.
“How did you know my son?” she asked curiously.
Kirt followed Avery into the house. He glanced around longingly as if taking in all the surroundings because he knew it would be the last time he would be there. Kirt walked up to his mother, put his hand to her cheek, trying desperately to take away her pain. For a moment the woman shut her eyes, it was as if she felt the soft, soothing touch of her son.
“Mom, I’m sorry,” Kirt whispered. But his talking to his mother and trying to soothe her pain was useless.
Avery’s heart almost broke seeing the love Kirt had for his mother. Tears filled her eyes. Avery wanted desperately to tell the woman that Kirt was there. That this was her son's way of saying a final goodbye. But Avery knew the woman would not believe her and possibly would think she was some nut case. So she just stood there and let Kirt have his way and say his goodbyes the best way he knew how.
Avery cleared her throat and then quickly added. “He stopped at the library where I worked. We talked a few times.”
Kirt’s father walked into the room just then. He had a rough look to him of a seasoned police officer. “Who was at the door Hon?” he asked and when he saw Avery and was somewhat puzzled given the earliness of the hour.
Edward just stared at Avery standing with his wife. Captain Elliott had given him a heads up about a woman Kirt had known who help in solving his murder. He just assumed the woman standing with his wife was that woman.
Kirt walked up to his father. Avery could tell Kirt wanted to hug the man but knew enough not to as tears streamed down Kirt’s cheeks. It touched Avery that even in death a spirit had emotions.
“This young lady knew Kirt.”
Edward stared at Avery for the longest time with a curious look on his face. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe his wife, it’s just he found it hard to comprehend that both his sons were dead.
“I didn’t know he had a girl friend.”
“It wasn’t like that,” Avery cut in.
Nancy stared at Avery and then quickly added. “You were at the cemetery, weren’t you?”
Avery glanced down for a moment. “Yes. I did pay my respects to your son.”
“This is a sad time for us young lady. We lost our other son tonight.”
“I’m sorry,” Avery choked.
Avery didn’t want to tell them her involvement in Jake’s untimely death or the fact that it was Captain Elliott who pulled the trigger in an attempt to save her life. Avery didn’t know just how much of the events of last evening the Captain had told them. But she knew they would have all the details of their son’s death eventually. She feared how the Captain would handle the fact that their son Jake was instrumental in Kirt’s untimely demise. It would probably complicate their sorrow at the loss of both children and make their passing even more traumatic.
Kirt stepped closer to his mother and kissed her on the cheek. At that moment, the woman appeared startled for an instant. It was as if she could feel the kiss, but Avery figured it was just her imagination.
Kirt turned to Avery. “We have to be going now.”
Avery suddenly grimaced in pain. The room took a spin. Her face was void of color as she slowly took a step back before collapsing to the floor. Kirt reached out for her, but he was helpless in his attempt to assist Avery before she fell to the ground.
* * *
Avery lay semi unconscious on the gurney. She opened her eyes as the paramedic hooked her up to the IV. She tried to struggle, but it was futile, as she had no strength to fight them in their attempt to save her life. Kirt was at her side, his hand on her arm. Avery was sure she could feel the coolness of his grip, but she knew inside it was a figment of her imagination. It had to be because there was no substance to Kirt. Avery felt he was just a figment of her imagination. But then she felt his hand squeeze her arm and then she just turned and looked into his eyes. The coolness of his hand felt good.
Kirt turned to the paramedic. “You have to do something. Make her better,” but his words fell on deaf ears.
The paramedic continued to work on Avery, but in reality, there wasn’t much they could do given her current condition.
Tears were streaming down Kirt’s cheek because of the helplessness he felt not being able to do anything for the woman laying on the gurney. There was so much he wanted to say, but the words just would not come.
All Avery could do was reach up to touch Kirt’s cheek. The paramedic looked confused because it seemed odd the way Avery reached into nothing and appeared to soothe something in the thin air, and then she collapsed.
CHAPTER 21
Avery could find no peace of mind as she lay there in that cold hospital bed. It was not how she wanted to spend her last days, but she had no choice. Avery had fought relentlessly with no success at being admitted to the hospital. Once her parents were called as next of kin, they stepped in, and Avery had no other option but to stay there for observation. It angered Avery, as she was determined to stay active and in control until the very end. But there was no arguing with the doctors or her parents. Plus the fact she was in no condition to walk out of the hospital unassisted.
Kirt had been at Avery’s side through the whole ordeal of being admitted. He understood her concerns about being there but knew it was for her own good. Kirt had seen Avery’s deterioration that past week and figured being in the hospital was the best place for her now even though it wasn’t what she wanted. All he could do was watch while a nurse checked Avery’s vitals, but had no inkling what it all meant. It was only the interaction between people that gave him a clue just how bad things were.
Kirt had no way of knowing the severity of Avery’s condition. He only knew that it was a brain tumor and that in itself was serious. Given the pills she popped to get through the day, Kirt realized early on and without being told that the growth was terminal and inoperable. He had been around enough to know when a patient was only taken care of to make them comfortable and no more. Because no one was talking about how to get Avery over what was the cause of her problem Kirt feared the end was near. It worried him, but there was nothing he could do for the woman he was tied to. The beeps sounding from the monitor Avery was hooked up to was all that filled the room and seemed to reverberate off the sterile walls.
Once the nurse completed her task of checking Avery’s vitals, she made a notation on the chart. It wasn’t long when the room door opened and Avery’s parents walked in. Avery’s father had his arm around Claire who looked like she had been crying even though she tried to hide that fact. But the redness and circles under her eyes couldn’t conceal what she tried to cover up. The nurse turned to them with one of those looks that told all and was not that of encouragement.
It bothered Kirt because he felt there had to be something yet to be done. There seemed to be a pill for everything, so why not one for Avery’s condition. It just didn’t seem fair. It angered him the underlying meanings to the looks that had been given, but he was not privy to any of its mean.
“Don’t stay too long. Avery needs to rest.”
“Will she be able to go home soon?” Claire asked.
“It’s hard to say,” the nurse whispered and then continued. “We will know more in the morning.”
Claire turned to Avery and then looked back at the nurse. “We would like to take her home with us so we can care for her.”
Avery quickly piped in. “Mom, I told you what I want.”
“I don’t care anymore,” Claire said not letting Avery dictate her care. “You clearly can’t be alone right now.”
The beeps on the monitors quickened while the nurse walked over to Avery and
adjusted her pillow. Finally, to sooth Avery, the nurse patted her shoulder, but it was useless. She turned to Avery’s parents and squeezed Avery’s shoulder before speaking.
“I do think she should rest. This discussion is upsetting her,” the nurse said as she turned to Claire. She had been around enough parents and next of kin at a time like this to understand when to step in.
All Avery could do was shut her eyes. A part of her wanted to go home with her parents, to let them take care of her like when she was young and had a cold. Her mother nursed her back to health with a homemade chicken soup and lots of love. But Avery knew this was not going to get any better. The idea of watching her mother’s face while her body started shutting down at the end was too much for her to bear.
Kirt moved closer to the bed, he touched Avery’s forehead and ran his hand down the contours of her face. He could almost feel the warmth of her smooth skin. He wanted so desperately to take all the pain she was feeling away, but in all actuality, Avery doped up on morphine to the point that the pain was nonexistent.
Avery suddenly turned to Kirt because she sensed his touch. She felt the coolness of his fingertips. Her heart tingled as a soothing sensation went through her body. Avery was no longer fearful of what was to come because she knew Kirt would be there by her side to guide her.
Claire and her husband were on the other end of the bed, but all Avery could do was stare up at Kirt. She had a peaceful look on her face as she embraced the inevitable. All Avery wanted right then was to be left alone. It was as if there was no one else in the room but Kirt and her.
Claire touched Avery, startling her to the realization she was not alone.
“Avery, what’s wrong?” Claire asked as tears streamed down her cheek watching her daughter stare longingly into nothing.
Avery finally turned to her mother and forced a smile. She knew the end was near. As hard as it was, all she wanted was to be left alone to close her eyes and embrace the end. Avery didn’t want her parent's last memories of her to be like this. She wanted them to remember her in life, not in death.
“I want to be left alone, please mom,” was all Avery could muster up to say.
“Don’t talk dear,” Claire whispered as she stroked Avery’s forehead with the back of her hand. “You’ll feel better in the morning.”
Claire, in reality, had a hard time accepting the prognosis that Avery was given. It wasn’t a common cold her daughter was diagnosed with. This attitude angered Kirt as he glanced up at Claire not believing her false sense of trying to make Avery feel better. Like Claire could make it all go away just by saying it was so.
Kirt just stared at Claire in disbelief. “She’s dying for Christ sake!” Kirt snapped.
It was as if Kirt expected Claire to hear him, but his remark fell on deaf ears.
“Aunt Elsie will stop up to see you tomorrow.” Avery’s father said.
Kirt’s anger continued to build. What Avery needed was rest, not a parade of people making a pilgrimage to her room trying to pretend that all would be right when the most she could hope for was a peaceful end to the painful existence she had been living recently.
But then Kirt suddenly thought about his parents. It’s what they do when they aren’t in control of a situation. They knew the end was near yet they somehow felt the need to pretend that all would be better just by them, saying it was so. He had seen it so many times before when he had to give bad news to people about their love ones. There was this underlying belief that a person could will things to be better when they had no control of the outcome.
“I’m tired,” Avery whispered. “Would you mind if I sleep. I’ll call you in the morning.”
Avery’s father bent down and kissed her on the forehead and then took hold of Claire’s arm and guided her out of the room. Claire was reluctant to leave, but she had no choice. The two slowly walked out followed by the nurse while Avery shut her eyes.
Once they were gone, Avery turned to Kirt with a look of anticipation. She took a few deep breaths and then glanced around the room as she readily was willing to accept what was to come with great anticipation.
Avery had worked hard the past few days in helping Kirt pass through the light but now realized that possibly his not passing had nothing to do with solving who was behind his murder. It was to help her pass through the light, and that in itself made her relax and not fight the malady that afflicted her body. She no longer wanted to take any of the pills that prolonged her stay. All she wanted was the release from her failing body and the peace she knew that would come.
Avery had watched Kirt take his last breath without any reservation. She remembered that moment as she held onto his hand tightly and felt it suddenly go limp.
Kirt took hold of her hand. Avery felt it as if he were in the room. Then suddenly Kirt physical body materialized as he bent down and kissed her gently. A tingly sensation went through her as a veil like curtain slowly got drawn around her bed. Avery didn’t see it but felt the light slowly encompassing her being.
Suddenly the commotion from the hallway outside her room interrupted the light around her as it dimmed somewhat. Avery felt emptiness for an instant, but it was not enough to distract her. Kirt grabbed hold of her hand tighter, and the tingly sensation was back as the light abruptly got brighter. There was no more numbness from the morphine that dripped into her vein from the IV that hung above her bed. She had a renewed sense of energy.
Avery took a deep breath and focused on the dim light above the bed that seemed to swirl around until it formed a tunnel. It was a mixture of yellow, pink, and blue hues all moving at once. Invisible rays of light beckoned her to enter. Kirt was at Avery’s side stroking her hand. She felt the warm sensation of his touch. It sent chills down her spine as she turned and glanced into his eyes pulling her to him.
“You’re still here?” she whispered.
“I’m not leaving without you.”
Sadness filled his face as he bent down and kissed Avery gently on the lips. It was at that moment that she had a clear understanding of all that transpired recently. Kirt would guide her to the afterlife.
“Relax, just let it come,” Kirt said, as he continued to gently stroke her hand.
“I’m scared,” finally said.
Avery took another deep breath. The fear of the unknown troubled her. It had for a long while now. As vast as the library at Bobst was, there were few books that delved into how to accept death or what it was like to die. People talked about a bright light, or being beckoned by loved ones who passed before them. To Avery, it was a bunch of mambo jumbos, and none dealt with the acceptance of the end of life, as we know it. It was Kirt’s soft voice that brought her back to the here and now.
“Don’t be scared. I’m here. I’ll help you.”
Kirt slowly bent over and kissed Avery again but this time his human form dissipated and dissolved into Avery’s body. The two became one as little iridescent points of light filled her being. In the darkened room the swirling like glitter circled Avery’s human form and suddenly hovered over her as a physical form.
The beeps from the heart monitor could still be heard. The rhythm of the beats quickened for an instant as the two became one and then suddenly the beeps stopped, and the flat line filled the screen. A low hum replaced the beeps that could be heard earlier. An alarm quickly sounded. Nurses scramble into the room but because of the do not resuscitate order no extenuating measures were taken. They just stood around the bed staring at the lifeless form.
Avery’s parents hurried back into the room and stared at the staff that just stood there in silence watching the monitors.
“Do something,” Claire demanded.
“We can’t,” the nurse said as she walked over to the bed and then checked for a pulse.
The doctor on call made it into the room just in time to call the moment of death.
They all stood around the hospital bed as slowly the shimmering molecules start dissipating from the lifeless body on th
e bed. It circled around the bed like a funnel. Then the particles separate and became two, but remain attached to fingers that wouldn’t let go. They float for a few moments and then disappear into the darkness as they followed the bright light into oblivion.
The End
Now that you have finished my book, won’t you please consider writing a review? Reviews are the best way readers discover great new books. I would truly appreciate it.
Here is a listing off all the books I have available.
Under the name J.J. Franck
1501 Parcher Place - Drama
The house at 1501 Parcher Place stood beautifully preserved for years. But it held mysteries of its past residents that only Trish Morgan, a recent divorcee, can uncover. Trish had done a term paper years earlier and befriended the last descendent of the Parcher’s. This friendship leads to an inheritance that turns Trish’s life in a tailspin of despair when she discovers a past resident also haunts the house. In order to get peace back in her life she must untangle the relationships that led to a love triangle years earlier.
Trish struggles to rid herself of her deadbeat husband while solving the disappearance of Robert Parcher years earlier.
Raven - Political Thriller
Raven is a story about a homicide detective, Don Morgan, who while investigating the death of a brutally murdered woman, Raven VanBuren, becomes obsessed with her portrait. Raven was the personal assistant to a missing Senator which seems to complicate the situation. When Raven turns up alive Don has to face the fact that she is now his prime suspect in a murder and knows more than she is letting on about the disappearance of the Senator.
This story is set in Washington DC and leads Don into the world of high stakes political financing and uncovers campaign monies being diverted into Super Pac funds that only Raven has the information to uncover its meaning. Don can only hope while solving the mystery he can keep Raven alive in the process.