Luna Page 8

  “Sly, it’s Luna. You’re in the hospital. We’re going to get you better; don’t you worry about a thing.”

  I sit tentatively on the chair next to his bed and try to focus on the man before me.

  I start to speak just in case he can hear me. I talk about everything we usually do. Our hopes and dreams of a better life when he’s fit and well. I talk about our memories and laugh about the funny moments we’ve shared. I stroke his hand and kiss the back of it and then press it to my cheek. I will Sly to live with every beat of my heart because the thought of him not in my life is unbearable.

  I’m not sure how long I sit with him before the door opens, and the doctor comes in with several nurses. He smiles and approaches the bed.

  “It’s time Luna. We need to try to bring him round.”

  I feel the fear grip my heart as I look at the questions in his eyes. Then I look at the lifeless body of my best friend and the tears threaten to spill. I swallow hard and nod. Leaning over, I kiss Sly’s cheek and whisper, “Come back to me, Sly. Please, I’m begging you.”

  Then I move back and let the hospital staff do what they do best.

  ~ 16 ~

  Devlin

  It feels like forever as I wait for Luna. She’s been gone for ages and every minute that ticks by seems like an hour. I know she needs this time. Sly is important to her. He’s her only real friend, and she thinks of him as family. I know these next hours, if not days or weeks are going to be the hardest of her life and that’s saying something after the life she’s lived.

  It makes me so angry when I think of the people who have put her through hell on earth. Well, I know a lot about Hell. You could say I major in it and I intend on giving each one of them the full guided tour when it’s time.

  To distract myself I think about the men who did this. Carlos Vincenzi and his gang of thugs. Petty criminals and mafia wannabees. Caleb and Marius did a good job in scaring them almost half to death. I just hope it’s enough because if I ever see any of them again, I won’t hold back, repentance or not, they are going down.

  It must be an hour later that Luna comes back. She looks weary and fragile and my immediate instinct is to pull her close and soothe her troubles away. She looks at me fearfully.

  “They’re turning off the machine. Do you think he’ll be ok?”

  I nod with a belief I don’t feel. She needs hope to get her through the next few hours. I can give her that at least.

  She sinks down heavily next to me and I take her small hand in mine. She looks at me gratefully.

  “I can’t believe all you’ve done for Sly and for me.”

  I shrug and then try to distract her attention from what’s happening down the hall.

  “Tell me how you met Sly.”

  She smiles and I see her think back to a happier time.

  “I think it must have been a year ago ago that I met him. One night I was heading home, and a customer tried to get me to go with him when I left the club. I tried to get away and then Sly appeared out of nowhere. He squared up to the man who was full of alcohol and cowardice. He ran off and Sly offered to walk me home. At first, I didn’t know he was homeless. He seemed a little scruffy but not like the usual drunks and desperate men that line the sidewalk. He had good conversation, and we spoke about things that nobody had ever spoken about to me before. He walked me home and saw me safely inside. The next day he met me when I left and offered to walk with me to work. I didn’t find it strange, it just felt normal, like it was always meant to be. From then on, he became my official escort. I loved those times we shared; we were so alike in every way. We shared the same outlook on life and even the same hopes and dreams. It’s as if we were made from the same mold.”

  She breaks off and I see the memories swirling around her mind. She smiles and appears lost in her thoughts so I remain silent and let her have this time.

  After a while, she whispers, “I was shocked when I discovered he lived in the alley. He brushed it off but for a long time I worried about him. I still do. It was many weeks before I could persuade him to join me for dinner and even more before he agreed to use my facilities and let me wash his clothes.”

  She looks into my eyes and I see the pride in hers. “Sly has impeccable principles, Devlin. He sticks to his guns and never strays from his high values. He taught me a lot and I owe him so much. His friendship is unconditional, and he expects nothing in return. He’s a special man.”

  We are interrupted by the door opening and the doctor looks in and gestures for Luna to follow him.

  “He’s coming round and I think you should go to him. I must warn you though, he may not last long.”

  I sense her fear as she jumps to her feet and I stay in my seat but she turns to me and says in a small voice.

  “Please, will you come with me.”

  My heart breaks at the knowledge I can’t help her in other way than be there by her side, so I nod and follow her to his room.

  Luna

  My heart’s thumping so badly I think I may have a heart attack. I saw the surprise in Devlin’s eyes when I asked him to come with me. The trouble is, I’m not sure I’m ready to face what the future may bring. I’ve always been alone, and it’s only when Sly came into my life that I discovered what true friendship means.

  I head into the room and approach the bed with trepidation. The machines are now silent and the breathing is no longer harsh and machine-led. The man fighting for the right to live is doing the best he can but I sense he is close to leaving me.

  I approach the bed and the tears pool in my eyes as I see the weak, fragile body of the man who has brought me so much joy. Taking his hand, I whisper, “Sly, it’s Luna. Can you speak?”

  I hold my breath as I see a flicker of his eyelids and his breathing changes. His lips move and I lean in closer. He says in a husky voice, “Luna. My darling girl.”

  I brush the tears away that fall down my cheeks and try to smile with a braveness I don’t feel inside.

  “It’s me, Sly. I’m so sorry, it’s all my fault.”

  He turns slowly toward me and his eyes open and his beautiful blue eyes stare at me with such love in them I almost gasp out loud. He whispers, “You have nothing to be sorry for my darling.”

  For a moment, he just stares at me and I him. We smile and share the familiarity only friends can. Then he says huskily, “You have your mother’s eyes.”

  For a moment my whole world stops. I think I must have misheard him and just shake my head. “What do you mean? You don’t know my mother.”

  He shakes his head sadly. “I’m sorry, Luna. I tried to tell you so many times but there was never the right moment. Now I must tell you before it’s too late. Please don’t hate me for what I’m about to say.”

  My head is buzzing and I can’t think straight. I see a flash of pain in his eyes and reach out and stroke his hair from his face. “Are you ok, Sly?”

  He laughs softly. “I’ve been better.” He appears in pain but looks at me with an expression that takes my breath away. He says gruffly, “Anyway, you must hear this. It’s no coincidence that led me to you. I had been searching for you for many years before that day.”

  I sit down because my legs will no longer hold me. My mind starts racing as I know what he’s about to say. He looks worried and says in a broken voice.

  “I met your mother and fell in love almost immediately. She was much like you. Beautiful and kind. We married within a few months and you were soon on your way. We had never been happier.”

  He falters and I lean closer. His words are slurred and difficult to hear and his breathing ragged. I can tell this is painful for him but he needs to say his piece.

  “Then I was sent to war. I was in the military and was posted abroad. It was a long tour, and I thought of you both every hour of every day. It was a hard six months, and I wondered if my baby had arrived. The day I was due to return home we were ambushed on the way to the airport. I was injured and as it turns out, I was the l
ucky one. Thirteen others didn’t make it that day. They were slaughtered by the rebels and it was only because they thought I was dead that I survived. By the time I was found I was in a bad way. I spent the next year in hospital in a foreign country. I couldn’t remember my name, let alone where I came from. Gradually over the months, I pieced my life back together and resolved to return to my family.”

  He breaks off and takes a deep breath and I stroke his face and whisper, “It’s ok, you don’t have to explain.”

  He looks at me with such pain-filled eyes, I feel the air surrounding us choking me with grief.

  He rasps, “The day I returned home, I found you crying in the yard. You were a baby in a pram and looked uncared for and cold. I was angry and stormed inside. I found your mother in bed with a man, both of them drugged up to their eyeballs. I flew at the man and a fight broke out and your mom screamed at me to leave. She shouted terrible things and told me you weren’t mine. She wasn’t the beautiful woman I left behind - she was a stranger.”

  I watch as the tears trickle from the corners of his eyes and my heart breaks. His voice grows even weaker as he says, “I knew she was wrong. You were my beautiful girl. I looked into your baby blue eyes and you stared back at me. Something passed between us and I vowed to make something of myself and come back for you. I wanted to grab you and run but I had nothing. I wanted to make you proud, so I did the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. I walked away.”

  Just for a moment, there is silence in the room. We hold hands and take a moment to deal with the situation. Sly is fading, I recognize that. Every word is a struggle, but it’s his final one. He needs to say his piece and I need to understand.

  He whispers, “I came back six years later, but you were gone. You had moved and nobody knew where. By the time I found out where, you had left. I never gave up though and called in many favors from my military background. The night I found you was the happiest night of my life. You were every bit as beautiful as I remembered and I was the proudest man alive.”

  My tears fall onto his hand and he smiles. “Don’t cry for me, Luna. I don’t deserve your grief. I was never around for you growing up and I wanted to get to know my baby girl without the past getting in the way. So, I became your friend and discovered what a very special person you are. I couldn’t bear the thought that you would look at me with disappointment and even worse - hate. I wanted to spend every minute with you that I had because we had so many wasted years to make up for. We shared a special time that means the world to me. I love you, Luna, as a person and because I’m so proud to call you my daughter. You make me the proudest man on earth and my only regret is that we had such a short time together.”

  He gasps as the pain hits him and I look at the doctor with fear. He steps forward and injects something in the tube that feeds my father and looks at me with a sad expression. “I’m sorry but this is the best I can do. All I can give him is something to dull the pain.”

  I look at my father and my heart breaks.

  “Please don’t leave me, daddy. I’ve just found you, how can fate be so cruel?”

  He speaks falteringly. “I’ll never leave you; I promise you that. I’ll be with you every step of your way through life. I’ll be watching over you in death where I failed in life. We may have had a short time together but at least we made it. Please don’t grieve for something we never had. Just remember the good times we shared and know that I’ve always loved you and always will - wherever I end up.”

  I can’t help it and the tears fall freely. This is too much. I feel a hand on my shoulder and hear Devlin say softly.

  “You won’t be alone, Luna. I promise you, Sly, I’ll take care of your daughter.”

  Sly smiles and I see the relief in his eyes. He looks at Devlin and something passes between them. I see his eyes widen and an expression passes across his face that can’t be explained. He looks calm and peaceful and as if a great weight has lifted. For the first time since I met him, Sly looks content.

  He turns to me and says in the barest whisper. “Take care of him, Luna. He needs you as much as you need him. You will know what to do.”

  I smile with a braveness I don’t feel inside. I lean toward my father and kiss him softly on the lips but as I pull back, I know he is gone. His life has slipped from his body in a matter of seconds and all that remains is his human shell.

  I lean down and hug the man who I was privileged to know for the shortest of times. His body is still warm but his heart beats no more. I cry in the arms of the man I loved with all my heart and never understood the real importance of our friendship. And I cry for the future we have been denied by the cruel hand of fate taking him from me.

  All around me is silence while I am left to spend the last precious minutes with the man I never got to tell, I loved him.

  ~ 17 ~

  Devlin

  Once again, I sit at my desk in the den and start my working day. It’s been four days since Sly passed and I’ve watched as Luna struggles to come to terms with it.

  I haven’t left her for a second. While she sleeps, I work and when she’s awake, I listen to her stories of the man she never knew was her father.

  I never knew grief could be so draining. She’s exhausted but still insists on cooking for us and keeping the house clean. I expect it’s a distraction from her grief so I say nothing and allow her to deal with her loss in her own way.

  The door opens and I look up in surprise as she enters the room. She looks around in awe and says softly, “I’m sorry to disturb you, I brought you a coffee. I thought you could use it.”

  She sets the mug down on the corner of the desk and makes to leave and I say softly, “Come and sit down, Luna.”

  She turns and smiles a watery smile as she perches on the edge of the seat opposite. Just for a moment I stare at the beauty before me. I have never seen the like of her before and she brings out protective feelings in me that I never knew I had. I watch as she looks around the room with wide eyes.

  “Oh my god, Dev. This room is like a small library. How many books would you say you had in here?”

  I shrug. “Too many.”

  She smiles. “You can never have too many books. Imagine the worlds inside every page. Tales of bravery exist alongside those of weakness. Fantasy and make-believe sit side-by-side fact and learning. You can escape life through these books and surround yourself with magic. I’ve always loved to read, maybe it’s because I never had much in my life. They gave me so much more than a story they gave me soul food.

  I grin. “Soul food?”

  She giggles and the sound of it lights up my heart. How I’ve missed that sound.

  “Yes, soul food. They take away the mundane and replace it with excitement. They take the ordinary and add an extra to it. Life is full of hope and anticipation in the words on these pages and anything is possible. They give you faith and a yearning to experience life. You can never have too many books, Dev. There’s always something left to learn.”

  I nod in agreement. “It’s true, I share your love. In fact, I encourage my children to read a book a day. They need to widen their minds and learn everything. Only then can they face the future with the knowledge they need.”

  She leans her elbows on my desk and props her face up as she looks at me with a dreamy expression. Much like she did when I first met he and I feel my heart quicken and my stomach quiver. She’s so innocent and so beautiful, inside and out. Even now I can’t read her. She is like a book I have yet to read. Something to discover and learn a great lesson from. She is a challenge and a desire to discover. She is everything I never knew I wanted and I breathe a little easier when she’s around. She smiles, and I am lost in her beautiful blue eyes.

  I think we just look at each other for several minutes before she says softly. “You’re nothing like I thought you’d be.”

  I smile. “Why, what did you expect?”

  She shrugs and I see a sparkle in her eyes. “I heard you were distant
and ruthless. I was told not to anger or antagonize you because you had no compassion. I was warned away for my own good because you cared for nothing except money and power.”

  I lean forward and fix her with a hard look. “And now?”

  She shifts closer until our faces are centimeters apart and says softly. “I like to make up my own mind. In my experience people hide behind their reputations and relish the mystery. I think you’re a fraud if I’m honest because the man you portray is nothing like the man I’ve come to know over these few long days. The man I see before me is kind and loving and has compassion by the bucket loads. The man I see before me is magnificent and doesn’t even know it.”

  She bats those beautiful blue eyes and reels me in. I am lost to her for the first time in my life and she doesn’t even know how hard I’ve fallen. My world begins and ends with her and I can’t imagine facing the future without her in it. Yes, as she says, we’ve only known each other for a few long days, but as corny as it sounds, I have known her all my life. I have been waiting for Luna. I know that now. She is my heartbeat and the breath in my body. She completes my soul and I haven’t even had so much as a kiss from her lips. I would do anything for Luna because she makes me human.

  We hear the front door slam and the sounds of Marius and Caleb arguing as usual. Luna smiles and jumps up. “Typical teenagers. I expect they’re hungry. Boys always are, it’s because they grow so quickly. I’ll go and make them a sandwich or something.”

  As I watch her go, I feel at peace. The house is now a home, and she is its heartbeat. The children need a woman around the house, as do I. A mother figure to anchor them and to bring out the best in me. She is my equal because she questions and challenges me on every level. However, there is still something burning in my soul when I think of her. Why can’t I read her, or see her in my mind? This has never happened to me before. I see every soul that lives and those that burn. Who is Luna and why is she here?