Chapter 1 - Infinity

Matilda sat at the dining table, drawing what seems to be a castle surrounded by beautiful oak trees. She was lost in her thoughts and creative world that she had completely forgotten about dinner or her parents watching her. Ms.Brown leaned over to watch Matilda draw herself at the entrance of the castle, smiling about. She was a very bright child and had an interesting imagination but Ms.Brown never thought it would come to this - the castle was a reminder of her past life which she chose to ignore. However, Mr.Brown was busy cutting a piece of chicken on his plate and twirling spaghetti onto his fork. He paid no mind to how Matilda expressed her imagination, as long as she didn't come home and introduce him to her imaginary friend. Ms.Brown took a sip of her drink, completely awed by Matilda's use of creativity, other than her husband who only buried what seemed to be the best of him. But Matilda was lost in her world for the entire dinner, barely speaking a word, so Ms.Brown cleared her throat, hoping to get her attention.

But she barely budged. It was as if she was cast into her world and the real world was nothing but a simple dream. Mr.Brown turned to his wife, giving her a small smile. "My love, it's better to have her as quiet as a mouse rather than her complain about dinner." He took a look at her plate, "Not much is eaten but I assure you that it's best to let her do what she's doing." Ms.Brown sighed. "Besides, you should be more focused on tomorrow's appointment." She slouched back into her seat. "Oh, yes. I remember." Her voice trailed off. He caught on and grabbed her hand. "It's going to be okay. I will be here with you through it all - at work. Boss has been bugging me to go in and help with what he calls, "the biggest day for the company," He then grabs both of their plates and heads to the kitchen as Ms.Brown follows him. "As you've told me, there's nothing to worry about so you should go in tomorrow." She reassured him, using his own words against him.

Matilda was finished with her detailed drawing and grinned to herself. She was a distinguished person for her age and anything she does, the results are amazing. Ms.Brown walked over to the table and smiled, "Looks amazing, love. What is it?" Of course, she knew what it was, but she desperately wanted to make conversation. "A castle and I'm the queen!" Matilda responded happily. She was in love with the idea of owning a castle one day and awarding everyone with candy. But Ms.Brown was worried. Worried that she's too deep in her imaginary world that she'd be heartbroken at the realization. How could she tell her daughter that owning a castle is not a dream come true and it's just a fantasy. Matilda ran off to her room to hang her drawing on the wall while Mr.Brown helped clean the kitchen with his wife.

The remainder of the night was suppressed. After bathing Matilda and putting her to bed, Ms.Brown made herself comfortable, ending her night with her usual nightly reading while her husband laid next to her, typing away on his laptop. Shortly after, they gave each other a peck on the lips and whispered "I love you" before falling asleep. The next morning felt just right. Matilda was busy playing with her toys while Mr.Brown did his morning routine - shower, change, coffee, and sit for a short breakfast with his girls. Ms.Brown was doing her routine but all she thought about was the appointment she had in a few minutes. What if the doctor tells her what she doesn't want to hear?

Matilda was taken to school just before Ms.Brown's appointment. She waved her goodbye and drove off, completely overrun by unsettled nerves and terrible thoughts that clouded her mind. She turned on her favorite radio station, Wine and Gossip, which started with a music intro.

I love you for infinity…

"Aw, my favorite song." She whispered, a smile forming on her lips. She started singing along until a gut feeling took over. Glancing around, she noticed that none of the drivers looked suspicious. She wanted to shake this feeling away but it only stayed. She kept her hands on the wheel as her breathing got heavier. Suddenly, the wheel became stiff and completely formed a mind of its own. The peddle lowered itself down, increasing the speed of the car. The speed reached 60… 70… 80… until it reached 90. She tried turning the wheel but it wouldn't budge. The tires turned right, causing the car to drive into a tree with dangling branches that almost covered the entire vehicle.

Mr.Brown was sitting at his desk, his fingers glued to the keyboard when he received an unexpected phone call. "Is this Mr.Brown?" He responds yes. Silence filled the room around him as his face dropped. A co-worker of his stopped near his desk, asking him if he was alright but he didn't answer. As he stayed on the phone, he grabbed his belongings and ran out of the door, completely ignoring his boss' yells. He reached the waiting room where he was greeted by a young female doctor. "Mr.Brown?" She asked, her brows creased in curiosity. He nodded as she led him down the hall of weeping parents, friends, patients in wheelchairs, and doctors speaking with one another, filling in files.

She turned to room 7 where Ms.Brown laid, her eyes closed and her breathing very soft and slow. She looked terrible, her skin was covered in bruises and cuts, her forehead was wrapped up and her arms laid lifelessly next to her body. "What happened?" He asked, setting his stuff down and taking small steps to his wife's bed. "Well, the police were able to gather some witnesses that stayed behind. I'll call one of the officers here." The doctor left the room, leaving Mr.Brown distraught. The door opens again, as an older officer walks in. The look on his face was enough to tell Mr.Brown that there wasn't any good news.

"Officer Honey." He shakes his hand before stepping on the other side of Ms.Brown's bed. "From what I was able to gather, the witnesses that stayed behind mentioned her car swerving into a tree. The detective and I noticed that the peddle inside the car was broken and loose. It seems like she was pushing it down which caused the impact of the car crash. We are still gathering evidence and reports." Mr.Brown was focused on how his wife looked, pale and bruised. Officer Honey excused himself and left, as the same female doctor walked in. "She underwent surgery, barely making it through but we did the best we could." She turned to fill in some paperwork that laid on the table.

Mr.Brown grabbed ahold of his wife's cold hand which didn't smell like the cocoa butter lotion she loved. The heart monitor didn't give him any hope as the lines caught a small amount of activity. He began talking to her, completely forgotten about the doctor in the room. "It's not your time to go and it's not time for you to leave Matilda. Don't leave me." His voice cracked. He knew it sounded selfish of him to disapprove of the idea of her leaving but he didn't care. She was a part of him, the reason he's the man he is now. With the soft beeps from the heart monitor, the low footsteps outside the door, and his beating pulse, Mr.Brown found himself in a deep state of discomfort.

Ms.Brown's hands got colder, something he didn't know was possible, and the monitor beeps got slower. Suddenly, there was a loud flat beep that lasted until Mr.Brown got the doctors to come in. "You need to leave, sir." A doctor ordered, pushing him out of the room. He didn't take a seat or get coffee, instead, he paced back and forth in the halls, wondering what was happening behind room 7 door. There were muffled shouting and then silence. The door swung open and the doctors exited, watching Mr.Brown approach them, sadness radiated off of this man. He was hoping that the woman he loved and adored was alive and awake. But the look on the doctor's face only proved that his hope was a complete waste.

"I'm sorry, sir."