Once in a Lifetime

by Caila Olsen

  Chapter 23

  ADEN

  “Today is the day,” I type and I inhale a big breath.

  “Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Riley asks me.

  “As ready as I will ever be,” I type. “Thank you again for last night by the way. It definitely took my mind off what is about to happen today.”

  “You’re welcome.” Riley winks at me. “Just promise me that you will make it out of this surgery okay. When you do, there will be plenty more of what happened last night when you get out.”

  “I am holding you to that,” I type.

  “Do you have the watch?” Riley asks.

  I pull on the chain I have hanging around my neck. “Right here. Close to my heart,” I type.

  “Good. There is just something about it that seems sort of magical,” Riley says. “Don’t judge, but we can use a little magic right now.”

  “I feel the same,” I type. “So, what are you going to do while you wait these next couple hours?”

  “Wait here,” Riley says. “No way am I going anywhere.”

  “Come on, that sounds boring,” I type. “It would make me feel more at ease if you were out at least enjoying yourself.”

  “That will be hard to do,” Riley says.

  I reach over and grab my wallet. “Here take this and scout out the best place for a banana split for me,” I type. “That is the first thing I want to see from you when I wake up after surgery.”

  “Aden, this is no time to kid around,” Riley says sternly.

  “What? I am in the mood for a banana split.” I type. “I have heard that post surgery a person gets hungry. Please do this for me?”

  “Fine,” Riley says, taking the money from my hand, “But only because I love you.”

  “Thank you Riles,” I type, “You’re the best.”

  “I know I am,” Riley jokes.

  “Take your time getting it. I want you to do your research to find the best place. Even if it is half way across the city, go for it,” I type. “I won’t accept anything less than fantastic.”

  “I promise you it will be the best banana split you have ever tasted. Possibly the best in the world,” Riley says sarcastically.

  This should distract her for a couple hours at least. I don’t need her sitting around here anxiously waiting. She does that enough already.

  “Okay, go get me something delicious babe,” I type.

  “I will,” Riley says quietly. She leans in and gives me a kiss. “See you when you wake up G bear.” She turns and walks towards the door and pauses for a moment, then looks back and forces a smile as a tear runs down her cheek.

  “I will be fine Riles. I promise,” I type. “I love you.”

  “I love you too Aden,” she says.

  This is actually harder than I thought it would be, now that I am minutes away from going in. Within these few moments, the reality has sunk in of what I am about to do. It always just seemed like it would just be so easy. Go in, have surgery and come out. I am freaking out a little and I never freak out about anything.

  “Knock knock bro,” Ethan says as he and Sam come in.

  “Hey guys,” I type.

  “I see you sent Riley on a little mission,” Sam says.

  “I had to do something,” I type. “I didn’t need her to sit here and worry. At least it puts my mind at ease that she is out and about and hopefully not completely focused on the surgery right now.”

  “I agree,” Sam says as she rests her hands on my shoulders.

  “So are you nervous?” Ethan asks, looking down as he shoves his hands into his jean pockets.

  “Just a little,” I type. A bead of sweat forms on my forehead and I wipe it away.

  “Dude, that doesn’t look like just a little,” Ethan says. “Don’t worry, you won’t even know what is happening once they knock you out with the meds.”

  “Ya, it’s just right now I don’t have any meds in me so it’s kind of freaking scary to think your head is going to be cut open,” I type. It’s a good thing that Riley isn’t here to see me like this. I was able to hold it together for her at least.

  “Don’t think of it like that,” Sam says. “Don’t think of anything that will be happening. Think of it as you are going to just be going into a deep sleep for a bit and when you wake up, you will see your future fiancé and she will have a delicious banana split for you.”

  “I guess that’s one way of thinking about it,” I type. “In a few moments I am going to just sleep for a bit.”

  “I heard that some people get some pretty wicked dreams when they go under anesthetics,” Ethan says.

  “Well, as long as they are all good things, then it should be okay,” I type.

  “Just think of the happiest thought as they put you under then the chances of that becoming your dream will increase,” Sam says.

  “I will try that,” I type. “Thanks for the suggestions.”

  “Well, I don’t know if that is an actual thing, but it makes sense to me that the last thing you think of is what you will be dreaming of,” Sam says.

  “Sounds legit to me,” I type. “I will try anything.”

  “Sorry to interrupt but we are ready for you now Aden,” Dr. Harley says as he comes over and pushes the bed I am laying in, over to the door.

  “See you in a few,” Ethan says as he gives me a fist pump on the way by.

  “You have my proposal with you still?” I type.

  Ethan takes out a folded piece of paper from the pocket of his jeans and holds it up to me. “Safe and sound,” he says.

  “You will do great Aden,” Sam says as she waves goodbye.

  Dr. Harley turns the corner and I see Riley. “Wait!” she says. Dr. Harley stops and Riley comes over to me. “I love you. I promise to have your banana split fresh and ready for you to eat as soon as you’re done.” Then she kisses me one last time before I enter the surgery room.

  “I promise you Aden that you won’t feel a thing throughout this whole procedure,” Dr. Lang says. “I am going to give you some anesthetics now.” He takes a plastic mask with a tube and places it over my mouth. “Now, I am going to get you to countdown from one hundred out loud for me. Don’t worry about saying them correct. I just need to hear you.”

  I take in a deep breath. “Un uned, uny ine, uny at, uny evn….” I say, trying to count down. As I count down I think of Riley and the look on her face when I ask her to marry me. My eyelids feel heavy. I can’t keep them open any more. In just a few seconds I am completely out of it. All consciousness of the world is gone.

  In the distance I hear a faint voice calling my name. The voice gets louder and louder, then I recognize it as Riley. She is wearing a white long flowing gown. Her hair is full of curls. On top of her head is an arrangement of white flowers as if it was a crown. She is standing in a grassy open field. She looks like a goddess amidst the flowers. “Aden I do.” She says as she places her hand on my cheek and smiles.

  I feel very warm and happy inside. I reach out to hold her hand, but then she takes a step back.

  “What’s wrong?” I ask. She says nothing. I see her stomach growing and growing. She holds her stomach in pain, then lies down on the grass. She cries out in distress. I run beside her and take her hand. She grabs it and squeezes it with all her might.

  All of a sudden we are now in a small house. I hear crying coming from one of the rooms so I walk towards the sound. I look into the room at the end of the hallway to see a nursery. In a big chair sits Riley cradling a new born baby.

  “Do you want to hold him?” Riley asks.

  “Yes I would,” I reply. “He’s ours?”

  “Yes Aden, isn’t he the most beautiful little boy?” Riley responds.

  “I’m a father,” I say to myself. “This is my boy.”

  Suddenly everything around me starts spinning then vanishes. I stand in a dark, empty room with a big wooden door in front of me. The only light I see is coming from under the door. I push it open and
walk out to a dusty road. I look around to see savannah grass and plains. I think I am somewhere in Africa.

  “Daddy daddy!” a little boy with dark brown hair and the same green eye’s Riley has says as he runs into my arms. “We are going to give kids school supplies!”

  “Is that so?” I say smiling. I reach out to scoop him up into my arms.

  “Look how excited he is doing this,” Riley says coming up from behind us. “He is just like his father.”

  I am about to say something in reply, but before I can open my mouth, I am swept away again. This time it’s just Riley and I. We are sitting at a round white table with a flower arrangement in the center. The lights in the room are dim and all we have are the glow of candles lighting our faces.

  “It’s nice to have some time for ourselves isn’t it?” Riley says.

  “I suppose,” I say not knowing what is happening now.

  “It’s nice of Sam to offer to have a play date with our son and her girl,” Riley says.

  “Sam has a daughter?” I ask.

  “Are you feeling okay?” Riley asks. “We found out that Sam and Ethan were having a child shortly after we found out about ours.”

  “Oh, right,” I say.

  “Aden, I have something to tell you,” Riley says.

  “What is it babe?” I ask.

  “Aden, you’re going to be a father again!” she says excitedly.

  “That’s amazing!” I exclaim. Wow! I can’t believe we are having a second child.

  “To our growing family,” Riley raises her glass of water and I pick up the champagne glass in front of me and we toast.

  “To our growing family,” I say. I take a sip of the champagne and then I suddenly don’t feel too great. I feel like my body is losing all of its feeling. My hands go numb and I drop my glass. It shatters into a million pieces on the floor.

  “Is everything alright Aden?” Riley asks. She quickly rises from her seat to start gathering the pieces of glass.

  “I don’t know,” I say. I start to panic as I lose all feeling in my body now. I fall to the ground like a lifeless lump of potatoes. What is happening to me? I start to see black flecks in my vision and the room get darker and darker. I lay there in total darkness, limp and scared. Then I see a flash of light, then nothing.