Until the Day

Hex sat on the left side of Elaine's hospital bed in a small steel chair. A white hospital robe was draped over her emaciated body. He wished she would wake up, but every day he had visited, she would still be comatose. He was kicking himself, how did Din even fool Elaine? Wasn't she the smartest person he knew? Even when he hated her, which was just part of the brainwashing, he relented that she knew more than he ever could.

He cried back when Dr. Gage said that Elaine might not make it. The curse had been broken, but it was both his and her fault that he may have been too late, there was equal blame among everyone who was fooled, even Pain and Kalan didn't know, but how could they? Even with his fledgeling god powers he couldn't tell.

He was still sad, sad that she was keeping her curse induced illness from him. Even sadder that she was forced to or she would have been ridiculed by him until the very end, at least he thought she would have thought that. He wished she didn't have to keep such things from him, he wished none of what he said to her was ever said, besides what he said during the love spell. It was sad that the way the love spell made him feel was closer to his own emotions now than they were when he was with Din.

Kalan walked in with a new bouquet of roses for the vase at Elaine's bedside. He looked to Kalan, who had a somber look on his face.

"Hey, is it okay if I ask you to do something for us?" Hex asked.

"What is it?" Kalan questioned back.

"I want to talk to her, but she's not awake, is there any way you could use a spell so I could talk to her?" he questioned further.

"I have one, but I would have to ask the doctor to allow the usage of magic." Kalan took out the old wilting roses from the vase and placed the new ones inside.

"Can you ask him? Just this once? It's been weeks, and I've been dying to talk to her." He lightly bounced his leg with his foot, he was restless and impatient. He wanted to talk to her so badly that it was tearing him up inside.

"I will go ask him, you should wait here, with her." Kalan pointed to the sleeping Elaine, and walked to the door.

"Alright." He turned back to Elaine, and even though it was hard to look at her, it was even harder to look away, his love for her won over his sadness from seeing her in such a state.

He heard the door close to his right, and the deafening buzzing of the machines coupled with the beeping of the heart monitor and the air noises from the breathing machine that she was tied to. She was even intubated, she couldn't even breathe on her own she was so weak.

He waited for a few minutes, sitting there, feeling sorry for himself. His therapist had told him to stay positive, but as each week passed, he was growing more skeptical of Elaine's ability to wake up again.

He heard the door open again, and heard what he thought to be Kalan's footsteps, he didn't look away from Elaine, he was either too enamored or too sad to turn his gaze away from her again.

"He said we could, but that Elaine would have to borrow some of my power first. Get into a comfortable sleeping position, because this spell is supposed to knock you out." Kalan tapped his shoulder.

He nodded, and leaned forward onto the hospital bed, he put his arms under his head to cushion himself. He closed his eyes

As soon as he felt Kalan's hand on his back, he fell asleep. He arrived in a void. After a few seconds, Elaine materialized in front of him, looking how she always used to.

"Elaine? Is that really you?" he asked.

"Kalan told me about the spell he was about to use, I didn't think it would work on someone as weak as me. You have no idea how much I've missed you." Elaine's voice was weak, she tried to reach for him, but they could never seem to get close enough to each other to touch.

"I've missed you terribly as well. None of this was your fault, but... You took all of it upon yourself anyways. I've owed you my life at least twice now." He felt his face wet with tears, but his vision stayed the same.

"Does this mean... We're... Together now?" she asked.

"I thought you'd never ask." He grinned, his lips twitching and wobbling.

"Is that a yes If it is, I would be the happiest girl in the world." She clutched her heart.

"I'm usually not so sappy or saccharine, but if you would have me, I would try my best to please you in every way possible." He sniffled, and wiped the tears from his eyes.

"Of course I would, I would only say no under just one condition, that love spell... I couldn't do that to you, you know that." She lowered her head.

"You know what they say; 'If you love them, let them go'." He couldn't understand exactly why he was so happy yet so sad at the same time.

"I do, I really do." She looked back at him, the expression on her face was a mixture of joy and sadness.

"Is this... The last time we will ever talk to each other?" he asked, the thought of her dying ripping his heart in two.

"I hope not, but it's not my place to decide what fate gives me. Just know that I will always love you, even the myriad of years I spent in hell didn't quell the flame in my heart, the one that started the moment I saw you." She shook her head.

"I will wait however long it takes until you come back, I promise." He reached out for her, and she tried to grab his hand, but every time they came close, they were pulled back by an unknown force.

"It's almost time for me to go, just tell me you love me, just this once, that's all I need to go on." She clutched her heart.

"I do, I love you, there's no doubt about that, I felt it between us without either of us having to say it, but if it will help you fight back, I will tell you I love you for however many times you need me to say it." He nodded.

"I will take those words wherever I go, for as long as I live." She smiled sadly.

"Promise me you'll do your best to stay here with me," he said.

"I promise I'll do my best, why would I ever want to leave if I finally have you?" she asked.

"I don't know, but be strong, I will do what I can to help you," he said.

"It's time now, goodbye, Hex." Elaine turned away.

"Goodbye, I love you," he managed to croak.

"I love you too." He heard her sniffle.

He felt his spirit being pulled back into his body. He opened his eyes, even though his eyelids were very heavy. He forgot to ask her something, so he groggily turned to Kalan and slowly rose up.

"I forgot to ask her what happened to Damon," he half-mumbled.

"Oh he's dead, and in hell, and he broke up with Elaine once she visited him, so I don't care about him anymore. I am guessing you two made it official, so let me be clear." Kalan sat next to him on the hospital bed, his hip lightly touching Elaine's hand.

He looked at Kalan, who had a very scary look in his eyes.

"If you hurt her for any reason, I will end you, I swear it. She has gone through too much for my liking, so you had better behave towards her. If you make her cry, I will not hesitate." Kalan cracked his knuckles.

"Whoa, whoa, Kalan! Buddy! You don't have to resort to threatening me! I swear I won't do such a thing!" he raised his hands.

"Also, do not call me buddy ever again." The scary look in Kalan's eyes faded.

"I won't, I won't." He shook his head hard.

"Understood? Are we clear?" Kalan asked.

"Crystal clear." He lowered his arms and folded his hands on his lap.

"Good, I will leave you to watch over her, you have my number, since you added it earlier, so call or text me when you leave." Kalan hopped down onto the floor and walked out, leaving Hex alone with Elaine.

He sat there for what seemed like an eternity, feeling sorry for himself again, because most of the memories he had of Elaine were of him being terrible to her, which made him even sadder. He wasn't a very religious person, but he prayed he could make better memories with her soon, and that she would wake up eventually.

Read the book here: https://www.moonquill.com/book/113