Healed Read Free

I’m still alive, still seeing, still feeling, still breathing. But inside I feel dead.”
    “That’s a normal feeling , Lexi.” He kissed my forehead and whispered in my ear. “When Eddie died, I felt like I had been transported to a far away planet and had been left there all on my own. I know how you feel, Lexi. Please let me be here for you.”
    I opened my eyes and saw the tenderness in his, they were gazing into me as if trying to repair my soul. For a second, we were one. We both understood the pain and inner turmoil one experiences when a loved one dies. I knew that he was a kindred spirit and that he cared, he truly cared about me. More than I would have ever believed before. More than I would have ever hoped for.
    “Thank you , Bryce.” I spoke softly and squeezed his hand. I needed him to know that I wasn’t pushing him away. I just needed this time to be by myself, to come to terms with the grief that was consuming me and burning a fire in my soul.
    “I’m looking for Luke Bryan.” I ran up to a doctor who was walking past me. “Please , please, tell me where he is.”
    He looked at me with a funny expression and pointed down the hallway. “Go past the desk, look in the third door on the right; I think he’s in there.”
    “Okay. Thank you.” I started running down the hall, but stopped when I got to the desk. I was scared. I didn’t want to go to the room. I wanted to postpone the moment. I didn’t want to accept that he was dead. Maybe if I just went home, I could pretend, pretend that he had just gone on a trip to Boston and that he would be back. I could wait for him to return. Maybe, if I prayed hard and long enough, he would come back. Maybe it was time for me to start believing in miracles. I turned around, suddenly feeling calm and grabbed Bryce’s hand.
    “We can go.” I smiled at him. I felt as if I were walking on air.
    “What’s going on, Lexi? You haven’t been in the room as yet?” He frowned at me and I reached over and rubbed his temples.
    “You must stop frowning , Luke.”
    “I’m Bryce.”
    “Oh, sorry.” I bit my lip. “Shall we go and get a shake?”
    “Don’t you want to see Luke?” Bryce came to a halt.
    “I don’t want to see.” My eyes widened in fear. “I don’t want to see him. Please.”
    “Lexi…” Bryce’s voice trailed off as his phone rang. “It’s my dad.” He put the phone back in his pocket.
    “You can answer it.”
    “I’ll call him back once you have done what you need to do , Lexi. I’m sure he just wants to rush home to get ready for another date.”
    “He’s still your father, Luke.”
    “I’m Bryce , Lexi.”
    “Sorry, my brain is a little fogged up right now.”
    “Let’s go in the room.” He turned me around and we walked until we reached the third door on the right. “Do you want me to walk in with you?”
    “I think I should go in by myself,” I whispered. Bryce nodded and stepped back and I took a deep breath and walked in the door. I was overwhelmed as soon as I set foot inside the room. It was crowded and I felt my blood pressure soaring as I scanned the room to look in the beds. And then I saw him. My Luke. And I fainted once again. Only this time I didn’t see Luke’s childhood face. This time I was in a meadow and there were blue butterflies flying around saying my name, “Lexi, Lexi, Lexi.” And I thought to myself, I never knew butterflies could talk .

Chapter 2
    Bryce
     
    I don’t like hospitals. They make me think of death. And only death. When I was in boot camp, we had all talked about our least favorite spots. The guys had laughed when I had told them that I hated hospitals most of all. Even though babies are born there ? Someone had asked me one could dreary night when we wanted our minds to be on anything other than the war. I’ve never met a baby, I had told him, not one that I’ve held and bonded with. I didn’t associate hospitals with babies. Just death. And I’ve known too many