Dying Words
"I thought you weren't calling me anymore."
The flat tone made his heart sink. This was not how it was meant to go.
"This is...not something normal."
"What do you mean, not something normal?" How to put it...
"I'm dying."
"You're dying? What?" This really was it.
"I've been in a car accident." There was silence. Could he hear her frown?
"What are you talking about?"
"I know it might not be easy to take in, but if you need I can pass you to the police man stood nearby and he'll explain it. Or, I can." The frown was getting louder with confusion.
"What happened?"
"Basically this idiot was drink driving and smashed straight into me. He's dead already." He looked over at the arm, covered in blood, hanging limply out of the other car not a hundred feet away, the airbag covering the man's face.
"Are you going to hospital?" Finally, some worry. He hadn't heard anything but that flat, angry voice for days.
"No."
"Why not?"
"'Cause as soon as they release me from the car I'm going to die." He paused as this processed. How do you say these things right?
"I don't..."
"If you want me to explain I will, but it's...upsetting." The frown was gone. He knew there were only tears from now on.
"Tell me."
"The other car somehow made my car crush me perfectly at my waist. I'm alive 'cause I'm not bleeding but if they take me out of here I will...not stay together." She whimpered. "This is a call to say goodbye. I called my parents in case they can make it in time as no one has any idea how long I will last. I could have been dead by now or be okay for hours."
"Why won't they do something? There has to be something!" Denial.
"Even if they got me out without losing my...well...you know...then it would be impossible to replace what has been crushed. I don't have a stomach anymore apparently." He stopped, waiting to see if he should go on. There was no noise at all. "And my liver might be destroyed, as well as-"
"Okay!" Her voice cracked and he heard a tear drop down her face.
"I'm sorry." She started to breathe more heavily. "I'm sorry about everything. That this happened while we were...like we are. I'm sorry I've been such a complete failure to you."
"You haven't been a-"
"I'm sorry I haven't respected your space or that you have your own things to deal with."
"Wait, stop-"
"I'm sorry about everything and I know I could go on."
"Stop! I-"
"But I won't go on. I'm just sorry, for whatever I need to be sorry for."
"But..."
"No, there's nothing we can do." He looked over at the police and paramedics stood nearby, hushed in silence. "There's nothing anyone can do."
"I love you." Three words he hadn't heard in far too long.
"I love you, too." Four words he hadn't said in far too long.
"I'm gonna' go now."
"What? Why?"
"I'm going to need to talk to them about...afterwords."
"But..."
"What else can we say?" The tears had slowed in his ear. "I love you and you had better not stop because of me."
"Stop?"
"Living." The frown was back. "I'm not going to be here anymore. Go, live your life, do all those stupid cliches they say in the movies."
"I love you."
"I love you, too. Goodbye."
"No..."
"It's okay."
"No it's not."
"No, I guess it's not. But it will be."
"I love you so much."
"I love you more."
"Don't."
"You know I'm joking, like always." He smiled and he thought he heard her do the same. "Goodbye."
"...bye..." He kissed the air. He heard her do the same.
"Bye."
"Bye."
The flat tone made his heart sink. This was not how it was meant to go.
"This is...not something normal."
"What do you mean, not something normal?" How to put it...
"I'm dying."
"You're dying? What?" This really was it.
"I've been in a car accident." There was silence. Could he hear her frown?
"What are you talking about?"
"I know it might not be easy to take in, but if you need I can pass you to the police man stood nearby and he'll explain it. Or, I can." The frown was getting louder with confusion.
"What happened?"
"Basically this idiot was drink driving and smashed straight into me. He's dead already." He looked over at the arm, covered in blood, hanging limply out of the other car not a hundred feet away, the airbag covering the man's face.
"Are you going to hospital?" Finally, some worry. He hadn't heard anything but that flat, angry voice for days.
"No."
"Why not?"
"'Cause as soon as they release me from the car I'm going to die." He paused as this processed. How do you say these things right?
"I don't..."
"If you want me to explain I will, but it's...upsetting." The frown was gone. He knew there were only tears from now on.
"Tell me."
"The other car somehow made my car crush me perfectly at my waist. I'm alive 'cause I'm not bleeding but if they take me out of here I will...not stay together." She whimpered. "This is a call to say goodbye. I called my parents in case they can make it in time as no one has any idea how long I will last. I could have been dead by now or be okay for hours."
"Why won't they do something? There has to be something!" Denial.
"Even if they got me out without losing my...well...you know...then it would be impossible to replace what has been crushed. I don't have a stomach anymore apparently." He stopped, waiting to see if he should go on. There was no noise at all. "And my liver might be destroyed, as well as-"
"Okay!" Her voice cracked and he heard a tear drop down her face.
"I'm sorry." She started to breathe more heavily. "I'm sorry about everything. That this happened while we were...like we are. I'm sorry I've been such a complete failure to you."
"You haven't been a-"
"I'm sorry I haven't respected your space or that you have your own things to deal with."
"Wait, stop-"
"I'm sorry about everything and I know I could go on."
"Stop! I-"
"But I won't go on. I'm just sorry, for whatever I need to be sorry for."
"But..."
"No, there's nothing we can do." He looked over at the police and paramedics stood nearby, hushed in silence. "There's nothing anyone can do."
"I love you." Three words he hadn't heard in far too long.
"I love you, too." Four words he hadn't said in far too long.
"I'm gonna' go now."
"What? Why?"
"I'm going to need to talk to them about...afterwords."
"But..."
"What else can we say?" The tears had slowed in his ear. "I love you and you had better not stop because of me."
"Stop?"
"Living." The frown was back. "I'm not going to be here anymore. Go, live your life, do all those stupid cliches they say in the movies."
"I love you."
"I love you, too. Goodbye."
"No..."
"It's okay."
"No it's not."
"No, I guess it's not. But it will be."
"I love you so much."
"I love you more."
"Don't."
"You know I'm joking, like always." He smiled and he thought he heard her do the same. "Goodbye."
"...bye..." He kissed the air. He heard her do the same.
"Bye."
"Bye."