Once in a Lifetime

by Caila Olsen

  Chapter 24

  Riley

  “I know that I am back a little early, but Aden doesn't have to know that,” I tell Sam as I take a seat next to her in the waiting room.

  “That actually looks really good,” Sam says as she eyes up the banana split I have in my hand.

  “I figured you would say that…” I say. “That's why I brought one for you too.” I pull out a second one I had packaged and put in a bag.

  “Omygosh, you’re the best!” Sam says, grabbing it immediately out of my hands. “You know I stress eat when I'm in situations like this. Not that I have ever been in a situation exactly like this.”

  “Is it the best banana split you have ever tried?” I ask, waiting for her to taste it.

  “I would say it is a top contender,” Sam says with her mouth full. “I remember when I was little, my parents had taken a trip with me to Italy and I had this amazing banana split with authentic gelato. I don't think I have had anything like it. This here though is pretty damn close.”

  “Oh good!” I say. “Then I am sure Aden will be happy with it. I should go and see if I can find Nurse Daisy, she could put this in a fridge for me until Aden is out.”

  "I think I saw her go down the hallway to the left not too long ago,” Sam says.

  “Thanks, I will be right back,” I say as I hurry down the hall looking left and right for Nurse Daisy.

  “Riley,” I hear a voice from behind me say. I turn to see Nurse Daisy.

  “Oh hey, Nurse Daisy! I was just looking for you. I have…” I start to say.

  “Riley,” Nurse Daisy cuts me off. “The doctors would like to have a word with you about Aden.”

  Okay, now I am worried. This could be one of two things. Aden’s surgery could have gone really well and all that's left is recovery or they don’t think it worked and he may be mute for the rest of his life.

  “Sure thing. Is everything okay?” I ask.

  “Just follow me,” she says, gesturing for me to come.

  Oh no, this can't be good. She usually reassures me when everything is going to be fine. Poor Aden, he will be so crushed if this operation didn't work. I know it will be a little difficult always having to communicate using that speaking device, but we have both learned to deal with it quite well in the short amount of time having to use it.

  I follow Nurse Daisy down the long hallway back to the operation room. We pass Sam and Ethan, who are still outside in the waiting room. Sam looks at me with a concerned face. I shrug my shoulders as if to say I don’t know what is happening. Nurse Daisy continues on to the room they brought Aden and stops just outside of it.

  “Can I go in and see him?” I ask.

  Nurse Daisy doesn’t respond. She just gives a small knock on the door and Dr. Harley comes out of the room.

  “Riley, can we take a seat over here to talk?” Dr. Harley asks, gesturing over to a small table.

  I nod my head and follow him to the set of chairs in the corner. I sit down slowly. My hands feel like they are shaking uncontrollably with nerves right now. I am getting a really bad feeling about all of this. My heart is racing a rapidly and I just want someone to tell me what is going on.

  “Riley, as you know, this is a very complicated surgery we went in to perform on Aden. Dr. Lang has spent years, even before being introduced to Aden, working on and developing this procedure. As you know, there are risks going into an operation of this calibre. Even though the chances that something major could happen are quite low, there is a chance.”

  “What are you saying?” I ask, leaning in closer.

  “Dr. Lang unexpectedly nicked a small part of the brain,” Dr. Harley starts.

  “What do you mean, nicked a small part of his brain?” I ask, my voice shaking. “He’s going to be okay isn’t he?”

  “It sent a shock through the rest of the brain causing it to stress. This in turn has an effect on not just the brain, but all of the body. Aden’s body couldn’t handle the stress,” Dr. Harley explains. “Riley, I am afraid that Aden didn’t make it.”

  What I am just told doesn't register with me. Everything just seems like a whirlwind of words and noises rushing past me. I just sit there trying to process what he just said. Then it hits me. It hits me like a hundred pound boulder that just fell on my shoulders. Aden is gone.

  “This can't be right. You've made a mistake,” I start to cry.

  “I am afraid there is no mistake,” Dr. Harley says solemnly.

  “But he can't be,” I insist. “I travelled across the city just to find him L.A’s best banana split,” I say as more tears stream down my face.

  Nurse Daisy comes up from behind me and sets her hands on my shoulder consolingly. “I am so sorry Riley,” she says.

  I turn and wrap my arms around her and bury my face into her shoulder and sob. “Can I see him?”

  Dr. Harley nods his head and leads me into the surgery room. There, I see Aden lying motionless on the table. His skin looks pale and his eyes are closed. I hop over on my crutches to the table and reach out to hold his hand. It is just like before when he was in a coma, limp and lifeless. This time though, there is no hope of him coming back. I won't be able to hold his hand as we walk through a flower filled park on a nice summer day. I won't be able to hold him tight when I am scared. I won't be able to look into his big, beautiful eyes and tell him I love you. I won't be able to hear the sound of his voice ever again. What about our plan to travel and have babies or help the less fortunate? He is never going to wake up.

  I wipe a hair that has fallen out of place on Aden’s forehead. Around his neck I see a silver chain. The chain to the pocket watch he gave to me. I thought that it was supposed to have some magic left in it. I guess not. I gently slide the necklace off Aden and hold the watch in my hand. I notice something strange about it. The clock is ticking. How can that be? It's been dead for over a year now.

  “Riley, I think it's time to go,” Nurse Daisy says, coming up behind me.

  “No, I need to stay a little longer!” I insist.

  “Come here sweetie,” Nurse Daisy says, “We need to go.”

  “I can't leave him here!” I cry.

  Nurse Daisy wraps her arm around me and leads me out the door. I try to resist at first, but then give up. There is no point in fighting it. Aden is never coming back. What's the point of trying anything at this point? How am I supposed to live life without Aden by my side? Aden was my rock. Without him, I feel helpless and alone.

  We walk until we reach the waiting room where Sam and Ethan are.

  “Riley, is everything okay?” Sam asks as we approach.

  “Does it look like everything is okay?” I ask as tears run down my cheeks. “Nothing about this is okay.”

  “What's wrong?” Sam asks, but this time turning to Nurse Daisy for an answer.

  “Aden is dead! That's what's wrong!” I cry in anguish.

  “Oh my god!” Ethan says under his breath. “Aden is really gone?”

  “Yes Ethan, you heard correctly,” I say. “Why do I have to be the most unlucky person in the whole world?”

  Sam immediately comes up and holds me in a tight hug. “I am so sorry.” She whispers as her voice shakes.

  “I just want everything to go back to how things were before the accident,” I say quietly.

  I hear a sniff from beside us. Ethan wipes away a few tears from his eyes. “This just doesn’t seem real,” he says. “My best friend is gone. My brother.” Then Ethan reaches inside his jean pocket and pulls out a small folded paper. “I think you should have this.” He says as he hands me the paper.

  I unfold it slowly. Inside is a hand written note. I could recognize the penmanship anywhere. It's Aden's writing. The start of the first line says, To Riley, my once in a lifetime. It's the only words I could read before my eyes well up with tears and make my vision too blurry to read any further. I look up at both Sam and Ethan. “Excuse me for a moment. I think I need to get some air.” I run down the hallway as
fast as I can on crutches, down the stairs and out the front doors. I feel the coolness of the summer breeze immediately blow across my face. It feels good. I breathe in a gulp of air, then I fall to my knees and curl up at the side of the building just crying. I try to read the letter from Aden. It's too much for me to handle right now, but I continue on. I try taking in a few deep breaths to try to calm myself down.

  Chapter 25

  Aden

  To Riley, my once in a lifetime,

  Riley, you once asked me a question. You asked me, if our life story was made into a book, what would you call it? Now, I never got a chance to answer you then, but I have been doing a lot of thinking about it lately. Once in a lifetime is what I would call it. Since the very first time I laid eyes on you, I knew you were something special Riley. It's not every day you get to meet a girl like you. You are smart, beautiful, and funny, you have a heart of gold, you are caring, loving, and I could go on and on. You know how lightning only strikes something once and never again? You are that lightning that struck me straight in my heart. You are the only girl that has made me feel the way I do. You gave me a smile and it made my heart run wild. I thought maybe this would just be a passing love, but you caught me by surprise and it turned into a lasting love that continued to grow. You make me want to be romantic and act so different when I am around you. I am so glad that I found you Riley.

  Riley as long as the stars are above us in the sky, as long as the seasons continue to change, as long as the sun continues to rise, that is how long I will love you. I want to wake you up every morning with breakfast in bed and bring you coffee and kiss your sweet lips. The love I have for you is so much that it is worth more than all the gold in the world. I want to stay with you forever. I want to be with you until we are grey and old.

  Riley Warren, what I am trying to say is, will you marry me? Will you be my wife? Will you be the mother of my children? Will you be the one to grow old with me?

  Riley Warren, please say yes. I cannot imagine a life without you in it. My grandmother’s watch was right. You are my true love. There is no one in the entire world I would rather be with.

  # # #

  “The worst moment is when the person that gave you all your memories becomes a memory.”