Flames In The Fire

John POV

"You are not listening to me, John. Ellie is sick. She is too sick for you to take home. It would be best if you put her in a long-term care facility. She needs round-the-clock care until she dies," Dr. Joshua Newbern says to me sternly.

I look over the wall of awards. He probably knows more than I do, but I know my wife, and I will be damned if I put her in a hospital to die alone.

"I said I am taking her home with me," I say.

Josh stares at me. I think he is stunned that I am refusing to do what he wants. "Listen, John; I have known you and Ellie for twenty years. I mean, we all went to high school together. I remember the day you two got together like it was yesterday. I have been here every step of the way for her. I am begging you to listen to me," Josh pleads with me.

I shake my head. "I am taking her home, Josh, and that is final. That is what she wants to do, and that is what we are going to do," I say.

"She will not live long outside the hospital, and you know that, right? Will she consider staying a few more weeks?" Josh asks me.

"Ellie is headstrong and a fighter. You have no idea what she is capable of, and neither do I. She wants to go home, and that is what we are going to do. Please make the arrangements and discharge her," I say.

Josh takes a deep breath. "You will need home health, a nurse around the clock, and someone to sit with her. She cannot be left alone. How are you going to do this and be a cop?" Josh says.

"I will figure it out. I will hire someone to stay with her. My insurance will pay for a nurse. We will work it out," I say.

"John, I understand why, but I do not agree with it," Josh says.

"No, you do not understand. Your wife is healthy. My wife is dying. She is a beautiful young woman, and she is going to die. I want her to die where she wants to die and not in some damn hospital or long-term care facility with people she does not know. Ellie wants to go home, and I will make her last days perfect," I say.

Josh starts scribbling on papers. "I will write the orders for everything she needs. John, if it gets bad, I want you to call me immediately, and I will come to her," Josh says.

"Thank you for everything you have done for Ellie," I say. "Everybody loves Ellie. There are a lot of people who will help you with her. I do not see her living long outside of the hospital, and there are no treatments left for her," Josh says. "I understand perfectly. It is what she wants," I say.

I walk out of his office and down the hall. I take the elevator up to the fifth floor. I want to cry, but I cannot right now. I have to have my brave face on when I see Ellie. I get off the elevator and walk to her room. When I reach room 5523, I take a deep breath and then go into the room. Ellie looks up and smiles at me when I walk into the room.

"Is Josh going to let me leave this horrible place?" Ellie asks.

I sit down on the side of the bed. "Of course, he is going to let you leave. We are going home as soon as he writes all the orders for you," I say.

Ellie touches my face and smiles. "Thank you for not making me stay here, John. I want to go home and see my animals," Ellie says.

"Oh, I thought you wanted to go home to be with me," I say to her.

"Yeah, I guess you are a bonus. I need you too, but you don't have a fur coat or a wet nose," Ellie says.

I have always said she loved her animals more than me. I know she misses all of them. Her rescue dogs and cats mean the world to her. She has been in the hospital for three weeks this time. Her best friend comes over every day to help feed them while I am at work. Ellie has the heart of a saint. I think that is why I do not understand why someone so special has to be so sick.

The nurse knocks on the door. "Mrs. Daniela Bradley, I have your meds," she says. "Ellie, please, it is Ellie," she says softly. "Sorry, Ellie, I have your meds. Dr. Newbern will be by with your prescriptions to take home and your orders," the young nurse says. "Thank you," I say to her.

Ellie takes her meds. I sit on the side of the bed. I know she will be sleeping soon. The pain medicine always knocks her out. She hates it, but without it, she does nothing but screams. It is unfair for someone who could dance the night away to be confined to a wheelchair. She cannot walk anymore. She cannot brush her hair without half of it falling out. I look down at her nails. Her nails were painted every day, and now they are brittle and cracked. Her beautiful glowing skin is replaced with scales from the treatments. No matter how she looks to everyone else, to me, she is the most beautiful woman on earth.

Ellie reaches out to hold my hand. "I love you almost as much as my animals, John," Ellie says with a smile on her face. I laugh. "I love you too," I say. I hold her hand until she falls asleep. I need to make some calls to get the house ready for her. Her health has deteriorated so much over the last three weeks we will need a hospital bed and a shower chair. I need a nurse for when I work to stay with her. I will give her everything she needs to live out the remainder of her life in our home. I want to make sure she has everything she needs.

I kiss her on the forehead. I love you always, my Ellie.

John POV

I sit on the side of the hospital bed, watching the most beautiful creature I know sleep soundly from her pain med. I would give anything to take the pain from her. Why couldn't it be me sick? She does not deserve to be lying here in this cold hospital. Soon, my Ellie, I am taking you home today, my love.

*FLASHBACK*

Noah and I sit at the bar. How in the hell I let him talk me into coming to his sister's wedding. I do not want to be here. Jana and I broke up last week, and I do not want to be around anyone. I want to be at home alone, mad at the world.

"Have a drink," Noah says, handing me a shot.

"Really, you want to get me drunk?" I ask him.

"If you are going to be a sourpuss all night, you should go ahead and get drunk," Noah says.

"You know I do not drink," I say.

"Yeah, that is right. Mr. Straight, how could I forget?" Noah says, laughing.

I have never enjoyed drinking or wanted to drink. I got enough of alcohol watching my father drink himself to death. I look across and see her, Daniela Morris. I cannot help but watch her walk into the reception. At least on this night of hell, I can see her beautiful face.

"Well, is that flame still burning?" Noah says.

I have always had a crush on Daniela, but we come from separate sides of town. Her family is wealthy, and mine, well, we are just your typical middle-class working people. I have not seen her since we graduated from high school three years ago. She is still as beautiful as ever. She went to college, and I became a cop, just like my father.

"Shut up!" I say to Noah. "You should go talk to her. My sister invited her to the wedding, and I know there is not a plus one for a fact. She is single," Noah says.

"She would never talk to me," I say.

"Why not? You are a catch!" Noah says, laughing.

I sit watching her walk across the room in her long pale pink dress, her blonde hair flowing beautifully. She is the most beautiful creature I have ever seen. Daniela is not just beautiful; she is kind and has a smile that lights up any room.

Noah jumps up from the bar. "I will be back, my friend," he says as he dashes away. Noah goes straight to Daniela. I see him talking to her and pointing at me. I am going to kill him when this night is over. I want to crawl under something.

Noah returns without Daniela. He smiles like a jackass, and I want to punch him in the face. "Guess what she said, Mr. Perfect," Noah says.

"Why did you do that?" I ask him.

I feel a small hand on my shoulder. I turn around, and Daniela is standing behind me. "Hi," I say. It is all I can manage to get out.

"Hi," she says softly. "I am sorry. My idiot friend here is drunk. I hope he was not rude," I say to her.

"No, he told me that you wanted to dance with me," she says. "He did. I am sorry, Daniela, but I do not dance," I say.

"Ellie, no one calls me Daniela anymore. Just Ellie," she says. "Ellie, I am a terrible dance partner," I say to her. "I am a great teacher, come on," she says. She reaches for my hand. How can I say no to her?

I take her hand, and she leads me to the dance floor. A slow song is playing as she gets close to me. "I promise I do not bite, John," she says. "I am sorry, I am a little nervous," I say. I smile at her. I feel like an idiot standing here, letting her lead me.

"See, you are not so bad; you are doing great," she says. "What did Noah say to you?" I ask Ellie. "He said that you were dying to ask me for my number but that you were scared of me. Are you scared of me, John?" she asks me.

"No, I am not scared of you. I did not think you would ever give me your number or talk to me," I say.

"Hmmm. So you are afraid of me," Ellie says, laughing. That smile. "Okay, fine, I am terrified of you," I say.

"I tell you what, John. I will give you my phone number on one condition," Ellie says.

"What is that?" I ask her. "You have to promise me that you will call me tonight after you drop me off at home," Ellie says.

"Oh, you need a ride home?" I ask her.

"Yes, I came with my mother, and I would be forever grateful if you got me out of here," Ellie says.

"Deal, I do not want to be here either," I say.

"Really, you do not want to be here with me?" Ellie asks.

"No, No, No. I want to be here with you, just not at this wedding reception. Noah dragged me here," I say.

"So, are we ditching this wedding reception or what?" Ellie asks.

"Let's do it," I say to her.

Ellie leads me off of the dance floor, and we sneak out the back. We run across the parking lot for my car like two kids playing hide and seek. We jump into my truck laughing.

*Present DAY*

"John, John, John," Ellie says my name over and over in her sleep. I rub her hand, waiting for the nurse to come back with her release papers.

The door opens, and the nurse finally comes into the room. "Dr. Newbern has her orders ready. I called an ambulance to take her home. They will be up in a few minutes if you want to go ahead home and wait for her. Home health should meet you there," the nurse says.

"Thank you," I say to the nurse.

I kiss Ellie on the forehead. "I will see you at home, my love," I say to her. I leave the room. I cannot help but break down as I walk to the elevator. I am not ready to lose her. I know it is coming, but I am not prepared.

*Flashback*

Ellie POV

I slip into a pale pink dress and pink sandals. I look for my pink designer purse. I cannot keep up with anything anymore. I go downstairs to see if I left it in the living room. I hear the car already outside to take me to the wedding reception. I missed the wedding, but I will make the reception. My mother will kill me if I do not make an appearance at her best friend Teresa's daughter's wedding. Maybe it will not be too bad. I might see some people from high school.

I left for college right after graduation, but I had to return due to severe migraines and fatigue. I will start back next semester. In the meantime, I plan to work for my father and rest as much as possible. I finally locate my purse and run out the door to a very annoyed driver.

"Your mother is going to kill me if I do not get you to the reception?" the driver says.

"Relax, William, it is only fifteen minutes away," I say as I get into the car. I miss driving. The doctor says I cannot drive until the migraines stop.

William gets into the car. "You do realize you are very late, miss," William says.

"I am sorry. You are waiting for me, right?" I ask him.

"No, I believe your mother will be bringing you home," William says.

"Damn, I will find a friend to bring me home. I cannot deal with her trying to nurse me today. I am just fine," I say.

William looks at me and grins. I am fine. I am only tired. I wish everyone would give me some space. William drives the fifteen minutes to the reception hall. I get out of the car before he can open the door for me. I am not in the mood to be here. I just want to get this over with as quickly as possible.

I walk into the reception. I look around, looking for the bride and groom. Everyone seems to be having a wonderful time. The room is decorated mainly blue, with fairy lights everywhere. It is so dark in here. At least I do not have to worry about getting a headache. I look over to see Noah making a mad dash for me.

"Hey, Daniela," Noah slurs. He has obviously had a lot to drink. "Celebrating your sister's wedding, I see," I say.

"It is really good to see you," Noah slurs. "You too," I say. I start to make my way in the other direction when he takes my arm. "Listen, John is here, and he wants you to come to talk to him," Noah says.

"Oh, he does. Where is he?" I ask. Noah points to the bar. John Bradley, wow, I always thought he was hot. He was on the football team, and I was a cheerleader, but he never talked to me. I believe he ran in the other direction any time I got near him.

"He is over at the bar," Noah says, pointing at John. I look over and see him. Wow, I look over to see John sitting at the bar. He looks like he wants to be here as much as I do.

"I have to find mother and your sister, and then I will be over to say hi," I say. "Cool," Noah says as he walks away. I watch him walk back to the bar. I make my rounds quickly to let my mother know I made it and I speak to the beautiful bride. If I had driven myself, I could duck out of here now, but now I am stuck here. At least John can keep me company if he does not run away when he sees me.

I walk over to the bar. I tap him on the shoulder. He turns around and smiles at me when he sees me. I smile back. His beautiful eyes and smile make me melt. I have always had a crush on him.

"Hi," I say to him. John makes a quick apology for Noah getting me over to him. He has no idea how happy it made me that he wanted to say hi. Men are intimidated by me because of my family. It is hard to meet someone. They hear my last night and then run. I am not my family.

I spend the next thirty minutes wrapped in his arms on the dance floor. When John held me and clumsily danced with me, I felt something I have never felt before in my life. Strange that one interaction made me feel so much in such a short amount of time.

I convince John to ditch the wedding. We sneak out the back door and run across the parking lot to his truck.

"Will your mother not be looking for you?" John says.

I laugh. "It will be fine," I say. He opens the door, and I get into his truck. "Where do you want to go?" John asks me. "Anywhere with you," I answer him.

We drive twenty minutes to the lake. He pulls into the parking lot, and we walk down to the water. The lake has a lovely sandy area that my father had put in when he was mayor. The parking lot was his idea too. I think it messed up the look of the lake, but what do I know.

We sit down in the sand close to the water. "I have a blanket in the truck if you don't want to mess up your dress," John says.

"I hate this dress," I answer him. "You shouldn't. You are breathtaking in it," John says.

"Thanks," I say.

We talk for hours about his work as a police officer, his family, and his messy breakup. I talk about school and how I want to go back. It is nice to have someone listen and not try to tell me what I need to do with my life.

"I guess you should drive me home, John," I say. John leans over and kisses me softly. "Sorry, I have wanted to do that since high school, and just in case I never got a chance to do it again," John says. I lean in and kiss him. "I wasn't going to miss the opportunity in case you never call me," I say, smiling at him.

John walks me back to the truck, holding my hand. "Are you going to call me?" I ask him.

"Hell yes!" John answers.