My Winter Bucket List

The Bucket List series
 
Chapter 22

It's the thirty-first of December and Nathan hasn't improved since Christmas day. I've been there a few times since, but only with Alex. Jimmy's always there - they're best friends so I don't ask why. His family is there alot too, but I don't speak to them very much.
I take a look at the list I have pinned on the cork board. The only item left is meeting my dead birth parents. I lay down on my bed, staring up at the ceiling. Dorian said he might come round so I left the window open. I'm scared for Nathan. I think he won't make it.
It feels so weird. At the beginning of the Summer Holidays, I had a huge crush on him, but he was dating Ashley - so I moved on. I realised it wasn't going to happen. So I kissed Alex. Then, after he half turned me down, and I half turned him down, I ended up with Dorian. Who cheated on me. Then I had the trial date with Jimmy where he took me down the old town for dinner and then took me to the all-year round carnival. We stayed together for a few months before I realised I didn't actually like him. So we broke up. Then I started dating Dorian again and now I'm sitting here, staring at the ceiling wondering what the hell I did to being fourteen.
Did I miss out on still being an age where I can act childish? Or did I finally grow into the age I should've been acting long before? I close my eyes, deciding that I should drop the whole matter before I over think it.
Suddenly, the bed dips on one side and then on the other side of my body. I feel two more dips either side of my head before a set of lips kiss mine. I open my eyes after a few seconds when Dorian pulls away, smiling down at me. I smile slightly up at him. He's above me, his knees either side of me and his arms beside my head.
"What would  you have done if it wasn't me here?" He asks, grinning.
"Kneed them in the special place," I reply, a smile playing across my lips. He kisses me again before sitting  on my legs. He takes one of my hands and plays with my fingers. Even with a cast, he acts as if it's not there. I realise he's got the second coloured cast. "Nice cast," I say, smiling. He looks down at his blue cast and nods.
"Yeah, it's special," he agrees. My phone goes off, intrupting us. Dorian leans over to the bedside table and picks up my phone. "You know, when the phone was created, the creator thought the correct way to answer was to say 'Ahoy'." He presses the answer button. "Ahoy," he says, grinning. I smile, recognising the Big Bang Theory quote. He nods, listening and his smile fades. "Yeah, I'll tell her." He lowers the phone slowly from his ear and hangs up, staring at me.
"What?" I ask, trying to sit up slightly.
"Nathan's family have decided to take him off life support. Alex phoned to say that if you want, you should go say goodbye," he explains. I swallow, and before I know what's happened, Dorian's arms are wrapped around me and my head is on his shoulder. I hold back tears - I didn't even know Nathan that well. I was closest to him when I was dating Jimmy - but I haven't spoken to him since the break up.
"Ok..." I say quietly.
"They're taking him off the life support tomorrow afternoon, so you have time."

***

I'm back in the bare room, Alexandra Davis' voice echoing around the room. The four numbers are still here. One, four, ten, fourteen. But something's different. The one is further away from me than the rest. The four's the closest. The ten is back to front, and sort of.. standing up - facing away from me. It's not laying down like the rest. But the fourteen, that's what catching my eye the most. It's not even a fourteen anymore. It's broken into peices, and they're scattered around that small space.
"And you - Karis Evans," Alexandra's voice rings through again. "Don't think you got off so easy." I cover my ears and scream. Last time, the voice grew louder but this time, it doesn't. I take my hands away from my ears. "-Never hated you Karis, never even disliked you." I swallow as I listen. But it doesn't continue with the words. Instead, she says the sentence again. "I never hated you Karis, never even disliked you. I never hated you Karis, never even disliked you." She continues like that. In the tape, she spoke of Alex. She spoke of him first. He dated her once but broke up with her because he liked someone else. Alex was her first kiss - just like me. Number one. My first, her first. Number one.
I look over to the number one, further away from me than the rest. Alex and I grow apart alot. He's got a girlfriend now. He's moved on. I swallow, slowly working out the matches. Alex is one. Dorian's favourite number is four. Maybe Dorian is four. One, four. Ten, fourteen. Ten's facing away from me - probably even ignoring me. Fourteen's broken.

"Come on, Karis," I hear, waking me up. I look up into Dorian's blue eyes. I could write books just about his eyes. I could spend forever just staring into them. I had fallen asleep this morning after the party last night. It's the new year. We're in the new year. 2013. That's now. "We've got to get to the hospital." I nod, rubbing my head. We're still at Tessa's house - they had the new years party where we were both invited.
"Why are you going to the hosptial?" Julia asks, walking into the room, her hair looking impecible as always.
"Nathan's being taken on life support today - we're going to say goodbye," I tell her.
"Nathan's on life support?" She asks, worry ringing throughout her voice. "Nobody told me that."


Ahaa, so Dorian and Karis both have the same last name. Big whoop. They're not related so it doesn't matter. I know a load of non-related people with the same last name :) Poor Nathan. I chose my fate with him. Anyone understand the dreams yet? the Alexandra Davis bit was just a little extra. :) Comment for a reminder of the next chapter, and thankyou for reading :) Poor Julia - no one's told her about Nathan. :(

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