His Halloween Kisses (7 page)

****

Byron woke up to find himself in a hospital bed. Oh right, he'd hit a pothole and rolled his car. His car. What state was it in?

He tried to sit up, but sharp pain in his arm and leg made every movement excruciating. To his right, a bag of fluid dripped slowly down a pipe into his arm. A drip. He still felt drowsy. Ali. Where was she? Pictures of the night before flashed through his mind—Ali talking to him through the car wreckage, Ali stroking his hand in an ambulance, and then Ali slumped over asleep on the edge of his bed.

His heart swelled with the desire to see her, to thank her, and tell her he felt ready for “them.”

“Hi.” She came from the doorway, a bag in her arms. “You're awake?” She tried to smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. “How are you feeling?”

“Sore but good. Did you spend the night here?”

She shrugged. “Couldn't leave you all by your lonesome in this place.”

“Thanks. Thanks for everything.”

“It's a pleasure. You rescued me once.” Her smile went a bit wider, but dark rings under her eyes and messy hair betrayed what type of night she'd had.

“Don't you want to go home to rest?”

“Wendy said she would be here in a couple of hours. She messaged me at six after they left.”

“Oh.” He had the best family in the world.

“I'll stay here until they come.”

“Okay.” He couldn't argue. Hospitals weren't the friendliest places, and Ali's face, although tired and serious, was the best medicine.

A nurse came in at that moment and stood by the metal trolley at the foot of his bed. “Let me check you. Excuse me.” She looked at Ali to dismiss her.

Ali disappeared out the door. The nurse checked his blood pressure, pulse, temperature, and removed the drip, replacing it with a small dressing.

“I think you can be discharged this afternoon. I'll ask the doctor to come in and check you before I fill in a discharge form.”

“Okay.”

“You ready for some breakfast?”

He nodded slowly, not sure if he could get hospital food down.

His breakfast came a few minutes later with a couple of pills to swallow. The food looked surprisingly inviting, and he tucked into some fruit and yoghurt, tea, and a slice of toast with jam. Where was Ali?

“Byron?” He lifted his head from his plate at the familiar voice of Kelly. She ran towards him and took his hand. “What happened? I got here as fast as I could.”

Every muscle in his body stiffened. No—not Kelly. Why now? What did she want? Sure, she may want to check he was still alive, but what about Ali?

At that moment, Ali walked in and stood by the doorway, and her face dropped. All of the colour drained from her, and she remained frozen like a deer before its prey.

“Ali.” Desperation tinged his voice.

Kelly dropped his hand and stared at the dishevelled woman in the doorway, her face hard. “Kelly, meet Ali.”

“Oh, so now I understand,” Kelly said with arched brows.

“I'd better go.” Ali walked towards the chair by his bed and grabbed her handbag, then headed towards the door.

“Don't go.”

Ali turned. “Wendy said you didn't have a fiancée.”

“I don't.”

Ali shrugged. “Look after yourself.” She disappeared, and he lay there helpless to do anything to get back the woman he loved.

****

Ali walked down the hospital corridor as if in a daze. Her heart felt fully alert though. How could it rest when her whole world had come tumbling down? She'd been so ready to tell Byron how she loved him now, that she was ready to take a chance with their relationship. She'd waited until he'd woken up and eaten breakfast—planned to tell him then.

Just at the same time, Kelly had shown up. Obviously, they still were a couple, else why would she be here? According to Byron, hadn't she been rethinking her need for space in their relationship? Obviously, Kelly had also realised how important Byron was to her after considering she may lose him to a tragic accident.

Who was Ali to break up a longstanding relationship, an engagement even? No, as much as she loved him, she wasn't like that.

Yet, she couldn't get away from the painful look he'd given her as she came into the hospital room to find Kelly by his bedside, holding his hand.

The hospital corridors seemed to go on forever. She needed to find another snack as she hadn't eaten breakfast. The shock had brought on the shakes from her usual blood sugar dip when something scary or jarring happened. She found the vending machine she'd used the day before and chose a chocolate bar and fruit juice; about the healthiest option for breakfast for now. Sitting down in the waiting area to munch on her snacks and message one of her friends to fetch her, she looked around at the people waiting. Many had anguished expressions. Were some waiting to hear news of their loved ones? Were they afraid or losing hope, or did they merely battle the irritation of a long wait in a crowded, stuffy room full of strangers?

Her gaze rested on a lady's bag by her feet. The bulky bag was crafted out of unusual fabric. Ali couldn't keep her focus off the design—a background of orange contrasting with the black paisley pattern, with spider webs in the centre of the spirals. Very Halloweenish. Maybe she'd become obsessed with the holiday and saw it in everything. She shook her head, trying to dispel the unwelcome thoughts.

No, she had to move on. Think of the good things in her life. Her job had become much more appealing—teaching art was challenging, but she loved every minute of it. Maybe she had a new career. She could add onto her diploma—study teaching. Would make the evenings less boring. Studying to be an art teacher would give her something to look forward to.

Ali polished off the chocolate bar and was part-way through the fruit juice when an African lady sat next to her with a sigh. She glanced at her and wondered what brought her here, whether she was all right. The lady placed a plastic grocery bag down on the floor by her feet and sank back into the chair, rubbing her hand where she'd held the handles. Ali looked down at the bag to see why it was so heavy.

Inside lay a plump, orange pumpkin.

Things had become too wacky now. What did the universe try to say to her?

That Byron and she were meant to be together? Should she have fought a little harder for him? Was Kelly only there to hurt him?

She stood up on tired legs and gulped down the last few sips of juice. After locating the dustbin, she disposed of her carton and wrapper and stood for a moment, unsure what to do.

The last few weeks of her life played out like a movie in her head. Something had changed. Her whole mind-set had adjusted since she'd met Byron. This new burning passion for life had filled her—an expectation of wonder, of pure good she'd never experienced before. What was it about him? Surely not only kissing her in the dark. She'd tasted something about his essence for the first time on Halloween night. She could sense the essence of Byron in the dark, would know his touch anywhere because there lay goodness in it; she'd found something vital in him which she wanted to drink from the rest of her life.

“Ali.”

She turned to the sound of her name called. Wendy rushed up to her and gave her a sideways hug, then pulled back and smiled. “Where are you going?”

“I'm not sure. Home?”

“Why? We wanted to see you. Mom is buying Byron a bunch of flowers at the kiosk. Can you believe it? Flowers.” Wendy gave a funny twist of her mouth, and Ali laughed.

“Come to Byron with me.”

Ali stood nailed to the floor. Part of her wanted to flee, to not face up to Kelly and Byron together, but the other part, the brave heart of her soul, wanted to profess her love for him.

“It's Kelly, isn't it?” Wendy took her hand and squeezed. “I saw her storm off in a huff out the hospital a few minutes ago. Don't let her get to you. Byron doesn't love her. He never did.”

“Oh.” Ali felt her cheeks throb. Could Wendy see how much that last statement had affected her?

“Kelly looked all perfect on the outside, but inside she was pretty rotten. Not a bad person, but she messed him around. Know what I mean?”

Ali nodded. She knew fully what she meant. Ewen had rung her up to dry—taken every drop of love out of her and wanted more.

Did she have any left to give to Byron?

A broad smile took over her face. Of course she did. Byron filled up her tank until she wanted to dance a jig and giggle right there in the hospital corridor with nurses and doctors walking past in their starched uniforms, and patients being discharged in wheelchairs.

“I shouldn't have left him. I didn't want to intrude.”

Wendy gave her the warmest, sweetest smile, and she recognized Byron in it. Her heart sang another jig.

“He's waiting for you.”

That was all she needed. She marched back along the shiny, sterile passage which although dark and dreary, seemed to be filled with light.

Byron lay on the bed, his eyes closed. Was he sleeping? She tiptoed up to him and sat on the chair she'd spent the previous exhausting night on. Trying not to wake the patient, she placed her bag in the shelf in the unit next to his bed. She watched his steady breathing in and out, and her heart pinched. How could it hurt so much to see the one you loved in pain? She felt such a strange cocktail of happiness and sadness that robbed her of breath for a moment.

Byron seemed to sense her and opened his eyes. He gave a sleepy smile, and she so longed to touch his lips with a gentle kiss.

“Kiss me,” he said, his voice gruff with wooziness and emotion—could it be?

“But…”

“No buts.”

“Okay.” She stood up and bent over him, brushing his lips with her own, then pulled away.

“Nope. Definitely not good enough.” His voice rang clear now and sent a shiver through her.

“Will this do?” She pressed her lips firmer on him, sinking into him. Surprising how soft and moist his lips were even after an accident. Her world shifted on its axis, and the room spun. Tingles of delight streamed through her body, sending her heart into a sprint race.

Exhausted by the impact upon her emotions, she pulled back and glanced at him. His pupils were large with desire—or so it looked like it—and his cheeks flushed with healthy colour.

She sat back on her chair and spied Wendy and his Mom at the door watching the whole scene.

“Oh,” wobbled out of her mouth.

Once again, they'd kissed at one of the most inappropriate times and places.

“Mom. Wendy. Come in. Meet my new girlfriend, Ali.”

Ali jerked her head towards him. “Really?”

His mother had her in her cuddly, warm arms in a moment, and she'd come home. Somehow she knew this family would be a big part of her life from now on.

“So happy, Ali. I liked you from the start,” his mom said as she pulled away. “Thank you so much for rescuing Byron after his accident.”

She shrugged. “I couldn't exactly have left him at the bottom of a hill in the dark.”

“No, Ali.” Byron called for her with his hand. “You were amazing. You talked to me for so long while I was trapped in the car even though I couldn't seem to get the energy to respond. You held and kissed my hand in the ambulance, and you spent the whole night here on that horrible, lumpy chair. That was awesome. I love you, Ali. I think I've loved you since our first kiss.”

She kissed him lightly on the cheek, unable to resist some contact with him. “I realised how much I actually loved you when I thought I would lose you. I'm so sorry I didn't want to listen to your story.”

“I haven't even told the story yet. How come you trust me?”

She rubbed the top of his hand with her thumb. “Instincts, I suppose.”

“I was on the way back from breaking up with Kelly when the accident happened.”

She nodded. “I think deep inside I knew that all along, but when Kelly came here, I doubted us. I felt ashamed of us.”

Locking gazes with those eyes, those deep brown eyes, sent her body into a whole new dimension.

“You weren't annoyed by my inappropriate gifts?”

Wendy snorted from behind them.

“What?” Ali turned abruptly to face her.

“He's always given the wackiest gifts. Things no one would ever want and need.”

“That's not true,” said Ali. “His gifts have changed my life.”

“Huh?” Everyone looked stunned, even Byron.

Ali focused on him alone and tried to hold back the tears. “You know that necklace you gave me—the Halloween one? Well, the students in my class thought it was so funny, they couldn't stop talking about it. They were so inspired to design their own versions that I'd won over the hardest class in the school—the Grade Five boys. That should earn me the biggest brownie points with the principal. And because of that lesson, I've decided to study education. I've found the perfect career—teaching art.”

Byron smiled at her. Were those tears in his eyes?

She cupped her mouth to stop from blubbering.

“And the cat. Well, that one proved even more wonderful. I was so upset when I first found her. I mean, who gives someone a pet without asking? A pet is a big responsibility and can change your life forever. Well, Blackie
has
changed my life forever. My friends don't go out every night now. They want to stay at home to watch Blackie get up to all her antics. She's the funniest creature in the world and does the craziest things. Yes, they do go out still, but most nights, they bring their boyfriends over. It's so much better. I hated being alone. Feels like I've got my life back. So yes, Byron, your gifts have changed my life, but the best gift you ever gave me was a kiss. Four of them to be exact. Or is it five? I've lost count.”

He stretched up and kissed her soundly on the mouth. “On Halloween night, my Halloween woman.”

When she looked up, she noticed that Wendy and Mom had disappeared out the room. Probably uncomfortable with all the soppiness. Ali didn't mind. Byron wanted another smooch. She could kiss him in the strangest places for the rest of her life.