Forever You by Lynn, Sandi (autobiographies to read .txt) 📗

her reaction. I reached over and lightly took her hand in mine as I whispered, “You don’t have to do

this.” I watched her take in a sharp breath as she continued.

“I couldn’t bear the thought of my father having to go through that torture and pain again like he did

with my mother, so I decided I was going to spare him from having to.”

“Ellery,” I whispered as I leaned closer to her. I still had her hand in mine, and she didn’t try to

pull away. The feeling inside me was overwhelming as I softly rubbed her warm skin with my thumb.

“He was going out on one of his drinking binges, and I knew he wouldn’t be home until the middle

of the night, if at all, so that was my opportunity to put my plan into action. I filled the bathtub with hot

water, laid back, and took a razor blade to both my wrists. Can you believe it was the one night he

forgot his wallet and came back to the house? Talk about fate, right? He found me and called 911. I

almost didn’t make it; I had lost so much blood.”

I couldn’t say a word. I was choked up as I just sat there holding her hand. I was feeling her pain,

and it hurt me so much to know that my friend, this beautiful woman, went through something so

terrible.

“I guess God had other plans for me. I went through a year of chemo and went into remission. I was

given a second chance at life, and for that, I’m grateful. Like I said yesterday, I was young and stupid,

and I made a terrible mistake.”

The overwhelming need to hold her finally won. I let go of her hand and put my arm around her,

pulling her into me. She rested her head on my shoulder.

“That’s why you have this overwhelming need to help others, isn’t it?” I asked her as I lightly

kissed the top of her head. “You’re a good person, Ellery Lane,” I whispered in her ear.

Tonight was a turning point for me. Ellery let her guard down and showed me her broken side. I

knew when I saw the scars on her wrists that she had a troubled past. I never dreamed she would

have to fight cancer. She closed her eyes as she left her head resting on my shoulder. She was

exhausted, and it was late. I needed to get her home. I picked her up from the sand and carried her

across the beach. She put her arms around my neck and laid her head on my chest. I held her tight. I

needed her to feel safe with me. I opened the door to the Range Rover and gently laid her in the front

seat. She started to stir so I whispered to her, “Sleep, angel.”

I pulled out of the parking lot and drove to her apartment. I kept looking at her as she slept

peacefully. She looked like an angel. Everything I tried to bury tonight came back to the surface and

drowned my fears with a bit of hope. Maybe, just maybe, something more could come of our

friendship one day. I pulled up to curb of her apartment. Her purse was lying next to her so I opened it

and grabbed her keys. I got out and walked around to the passenger side, and I opened the door. I

carefully picked her up as she put her arms around my neck, and I carried her to the door. I inserted

the key, unlocking the door and lightly kicked it open with my foot. I carried her down the hallway to

her bedroom and gently laid her on the bed. I looked around the room and saw a blanket in the corner.

I walked over, picked it up, and covered her with it to keep her warm. I stood over her while she

slept and ran the back of my hand down her soft cheek. “Sleep well, angel, and sweet dreams.” She

didn’t move or make a sound.

I walked out of the bedroom and stood in the middle of her apartment. I looked around at the

practically bare space that is her home. It reminded me of a box. With the sale of her paintings, she

would be able to move into a bigger and better apartment. I made the decision that I was going to help

her find one.

***

The next morning after my shower, I sat on the edge of the bed and looked at my cell phone,

debating whether or not to text Ellery. I looked at my watch, and it was still early, but I decided to

send one anyway.

“Hi, I hope you slept well. I just wanted to see if you were up and how you were feeling.”

As I hit the send button, I could hear voices coming from downstairs. Who the hell is here at this

hour in the morning? I walked down to the kitchen where I found Ashlyn talking to Denny.

“Ashlyn, what are you doing here?