Prologue
ICU 147 ICU 147 ICU 147…GET HIM IN THE WARD!” The medical examiner kept chanting.
Alizia holds onto herself, tightening her grip on the serrated, black railing as more tears stain her face. The ambulance siren shoots goosebumps through her nerves; she feels her body numb and cold.
The whites of her knuckles appear as her grip tenses up upon seeing the paramedics slide across with the man lying on the stretcher. The melody of the ambulance synchronizes with the rhythm of her heartbeat. Very loud.
The restful ambiance of the hospital remains, she was standing and waiting for two hours already, just like the many others, though, for others it must be a normal wait but for her it is far from that, it is a battle. A battle between her heart and the ticking clock on the wall.
Tick tick tick.
And then, a definitive click signaling the inevitable has come.
That’s it, time has arrived.
The surgeon in scrubs undoes his mask, “I am very sorry, we couldn’t save him…” He says, head lowering towards the ground.
The world suddenly feels cruel; it’s like doom is at her knees; she suddenly goes deaf to every word uttered after ‘sorry’.
“No,no,no,no,no,no!” She instantly drops to the ground, her kneecaps feeling cold against the hard tiles. Everything appears stark black to her even though the floor is white, it is like gloom against light.
The nurse places a gentle hand on Alizia’s arm, offering her sincere sympathy. “I know this is an incredibly tough time for you, but I promise it will get better with time,” she says softly.
Alizia remains stoic, her mind consumed by grief. “Everyone has to leave at some point,” the nurse continues, her voice gentle and comforting.
“Please, miss, can you tell us if you prefer a burial or a cremation for him?” the nurse asks gently. “Our hospital provides these services for the dead.”
“Burial,” Alizia replies without hesitation. Her eyes still held a wide-eyed, shocked expression.
She couldn’t help but recall the conversation she had with him when he was still alive. He had expressed his desire to be buried and to rest under nature’s embrace. Alizia had laughed it off, scoffing at the idea of him passing anytime soon.
“Noo, you are still 40, a young man, you’ll live long, so don’t act like a grandpa on the verge of death.”
Little did she know that it would turn into reality.
Today was supposed to be a good day. The morning in Rotherbaum was beautiful; warm sunlight flooded through her window and warmed her after her cold shower. The alleyways were in their Saturday mood, bathed in golden hues from the sun. Shops lined the street with colorful awnings, inviting shoppers with open doors.
The church service was filled with hope. Alizia and Ben’s family were there, sitting together, the priest delivering his sermon. That’s when it happened. A heart attack. Ben had cried out in agony, and everyone’s heads turned towards them. A kind man had called the ambulance.
In short, this was where she stood now – in front of his lifeless body, hidden under white covers. Lifeless to everyone but her. She could imagine the agony in which he must have died.
“If only I had listened to him,” she whispers, her voice heavy with regret. Her words echo through the room, reflecting the weight of her emotions as she gazes upon his lifeless form.
Regret was a relentless companion, and it never truly departed.
