Target

What? I recall her file and was certain it mentioned a brother. Natal Parks, if I remember well. “You must be confused,” Alysha says. “Anyway, don’t worry. Gwenn will take care of it.” I shake my head. We sit there for about an hour when I hear a soft knock on the door. It’s Gwenn. “Hey,” she says softly. “Liam, if you don’t mind,” Alysha starts. “Of course not. I’m right around the corner.” She nods. “Thank you.” I leave, reluctantly. “Hey mate, how is she?” Louis asks. I shrug. “She’s taking it pretty well, I guess.” What did she say again? ‘How can one run from death when running only brings you closer?’ To me, it doesn’t make sense. But well, it’s not the first time that she loses me. She’s too wise sometimes.

“I’ll be right back. I’m going to grab something to eat.” To my surprise, Niall didn’t offer to go with me. When I am in the cafeteria, my phone rings. I don’t look who it is and answer it. “I hope you have some good news for me.” It takes me a few seconds to register the voice. I’m still too devastated about Alysha. It is Conrad. He never called me himself, except yesterday, which now seems a lifetime ago. The moment I realize it is him, I realize something else. “You set this up.” “What can I say? I started to get impatient. And I told you yesterday, I knew you were reluctant. So I decided to help you a little, just this time.” “I still had a few more days. I actually still had about a month,” I hiss. “You wouldn’t have done it. You care too much for her. But I’ll let it go this time, because I got the results I wanted. But don’t expect me to be so lenient next time.” I’m shaking. “There won’t be a next time.” Conrad laughs. “Just tell me the words I want to hear Payne,” he says with a cold voice. “Fine, she isn’t dead yet. But she won’t make it.” “Good. We’ll meet each other soon Liam.”

I sit in the cafeteria, shaking. I feel a hand on my shoulder and jump up. “Relax, it’s just me,” Harry says. “Sorry… I am just…” “You don’t have to explain yourself, I understand you’re going through a rough time. I just thought… if you want to talk about it, I am here for you. We all are.” “I know.” I wish I could tell him everything. “I am going back,” I say, standing up. Harry gets up as well. We part ways, he goes to Zayn, I go to Alysha.

When I arrive at her room, Gwenn leaves. “Perfect timing,” she says. I nod absentmindedly. “Hey,” I whisper. She looks worse than when I left her. How long was I gone. Alysha pushes herself up and wraps her arms around me. “Liam, I love you. Please remember that.” She is in tears now. “Of course baby. I’ll always love you.” Somebody interrupts our moments. This time, it is a nurse. The same nurse I saw earlier. She checks the monitors and grabs a syringe from a drawer. “What is that?” I ask. “Painkillers,” the nurse replies. I watch as she injects the content in the IV. After that, she leaves us lone again.

Alysha yawns. I am on high alert suddenly, I don’t know why. She is fighting to stay awake. “Baby, if you’re tired, sleep,” I say. “I don’t want to.” “You are contradicting yourself, you know that.” “I know,” she smiles. “But what’s wrong with me wanting to spend as much time as possible with you?” “Nothing.” I kiss her softly. “I love you Liam,” she repeats. After that, we don’t say anything anymore. To me, it feels like there is nothing to be said anymore and I think she feels the same. I see her slip away. First she falls asleep, but it’s a restless sleep. It’s like her body keeps fighting. The silence in the room is only disturbed by the beeping of the heart monitor. Suddenly, the beeping doesn’t stop. I finally let the tears out I’ve been holding back. I feel a hand on my shoulder and see the nurse. “Would you come with me?” she asks. I don’t want to, I want to stay with her. But I stand up, knowing I can’t stay here forever, although I want to. Gwenn sees my face and starts crying as well. She buries her face in Harry’s shoulder and he tries to comfort her, but I can tell he is having a hard time. Louis and Niall too, even though they met her only yesterday. In a numb, I follow them to the family room. I've been preparing myself for months for this, from the moment I met her, I knew she had to die, but I can’t comprehend it. She is now an angel.

Notes

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