This story is a work of fiction. If you're under 18, get out now, please.
The next morning I woke up alone. I assumed Crystal was just in the bathroom or something so I turned over and went back to sleep. But te minutes later I was awoken with a start, as a large crash sounded from outside. I leaped up from the sofa, threw on a robe and ran out the door, where I gasped in fright.
The cart Crystal had brought into the valley was tipped over, the cans and other things inside spilled out. Crystal was clinging to it, bent over on her knees, breathing heavily. She was wearing the clothes i'd brought down for her the night before, and she was covered in sweat.
"Crystal!" I cried, running down to her. "Crystal what's wrong??" I helped her up and she was trembling.
"I....I don't know..." She panted, "..I came out to get something, and I felt nauseous. I...I threw up in the bushes over there and then I couldn't keep my balance, I grabbed the cart and....It fell......"
"Lets get you inside." I Put her arm over my shoulder and helped her in and upstairs to my bedroom. As I lay her down I asked, "What happened?"
"I don't know....It feels like I have the flu...only worse..maybe..." She trailed off, and a look of fear crossed her face.
"Maybe what?? What?"
"Well...I was thinking...there could have been a leak in my radiation suit. If there was, I could have caught something from the outside. Or I could have mild radiation poisoning."
I froze. Radiation was deadly. Even I knew that. "Does that mean...is it fatal?"
She looked at me, and sadness appeared in her eyes. "Chances are....that it will be."
My insides began to crumble. I bit my lip, trying to stop the tears, and took a deep breath. "What...what can I do?"
"Well, take my temperature, and, get all the medicine you have. I'm sure theres..." She let out a groan of pain. "something we can do."
"Ok," I said, and went downstairs. As I reached the bottom stair, I paused, and collapsed on the floor, sobbing my eyes out. The miracle that had come into my life not 24 hours ago, and who I was falling terribly in love with, was going to die. No, no, I couldn't let it happen. I had to do something. I wiped my tears away quickly, and got up to go into the kitchen, where I kept the medical supplies. At first I just got the thermometer and aspirin, but I decided to grab the whole kit and bring it up to her. I entered her room carrying the carton with all the supplies in it. She wasn't breathing heavy anymore, but still sweating and trembling. I got out the the thermometer.
"Ok, I have the thermometer. Open up."
She gulped and opened her mouth, and I gently placed the object under her tongue. While her temp was being taken, I brought out the asperin, went to the bathroom to get a cup of water. I also got a washcloth and soaked it in some cool water.
I came back to her, and placed the cup and washcloth on the bedside table. I removed the thermometer and looked closely at it. My heart sank.
"God...your temperature is 103."
She groaned. "Oh no..that's bad." I got a couple of aspirin out and asked if they would help. "Maybe," She said. "It's worth a try." She took them, and I put the cloth on her head. She sighed. "That's better. Rob should be here by tonight, I hope he has plenty of gas. He'll probably have better supplies, and maybe....I think if he does get here, by this evening, he can help me get well again."
"I hope he does," I said, taking her hand gently. "I hope we can save you."
"Don't worry. Even if I don't make it, he can still take you to that town he found in California."
"I don't care about that!" I said maybe a little too sternly. "I care about you. And it's not just because your the first human i've seen in months, it's because I...I don't know. I just really really care about you. I've grown to like you so much I..."
She craned her head up, listening intently to my stuttering words.
"I really care about you," I finished, I still couldn't bring myself to say my true feelings for her.
"Oh Jamie," She breathed, clutching my hand in hers. "I don't want to die. I care about you so much too. I'm not ready to lose you yet. I don't want to be ready to lose you."
Tears were streaming down our faces now. "Shhh" I said, tying to calm her down. "Don't get upset, you need to rest. I'll do my best until Rob can get here....Are you contagious?"
She sniffled. "I don't think radiation poisoning is, no."
I lifted her delacite hand up and kissed it. It was moist and burning. "I'll be back in a sec."
She smiled weakly, closeed her eyes and fell asleep.
I left her alone, and wept once more outside her room .
I checked on her every hour, and when I wasn't watching over her, I kept an eye out for Rob. Crystal told me what car he said he had, and that he'd be wearing a bright blue suit like she had been. Her temperature fluxuated up and down throughout the day, the highest it got to was 104. Her condition steadily worsened. Around 3 pm she said her throat was sore, and she trembled all the time. I gave her asperain and kept soaking her head in kool water often, I did the best I could to help her stay alive until Rob came with better supplies.
A little after 9:30 pm, and making sure she was ok for the moment, I had a chance to sit outside in the dark, and think about all that had happened. Everything had happened so fast, but finally I had a chance to think it through. Crystal was so special to me. If she...I could barely even think of it. If she left my life now, I couldn't imagine what i'd do. I couldn't believe how I was feeling. I had met this woman yesterday. Was I really falling in love with her?
"No, I told myself, It must be a spur of the moment thing, it's just because I haven't seen another human being in months, that has to be why."
But as much as I tried to convince myself it wasn't true love I was feeling, I still could not stop thinking about Crystal. The feeling I had inside was hard and strong, and it never went away. It was always there in my mind, like a cancer. No, not a cancer. This wasn't bad, it wouldn't kill me. This was a feeling that wasn't like anything else i'd experienced. I thought about Crystal and I, going to that valley in California, owning a house, making love with such intensity and feeling that I would never have sex with anyone else ever again, and it would be fine with me! I thought about us talking, having fun, doing everything and spending the rest of our lives together, and finally growing old, and dying in each other's arms, warm and happy with each other even in the long and dark eternal sleep.
I almost cried as the entire scene played out in my head. I was the most beautiful sight I could ever imagine. I didn't want to think of my life becoming anything unless beautiful Crystal was in it. Even if the vision in my head never came true exactly as I thought of it, I didn't care what happened as long as she was there with me. Any doubts I had been having were gone now. I was madly in love with Crystal, and I had to tell her before it was too late.
I got up and started for the front door, when a faint light suddenly shone against my house. I looked behind me for the source, and was shocked to see two lights making their way towards me. The light got brighter and brighter as they got closer. I couldn't see the shape of what it was yet, but It didn't take a genius to know that I was seeing headlights. Help had finally arrived.
I rushed inside and grabbed an old oil lantern that I had sometimes used to go outside at night. I went back outside and help the lantern I and I shouted loud,
"Here, here!!!! We need help! OVER HERE!!!!!"
I screamed my lungs out and waved the lantern around so hard I might have dropped it and set the house on fire. But I had to get his attention, I just had to make sure he got here.
He saw me. He was heading right for me, as he got closer, I saw he was driving a small red car, kind of an old model. About ten feet away from my front stair, he stopped and turned everything off, and out of it stepped a form with another blue suit. He came forward took off the helmet, and I found myself looking face to face with a relativly handsome young man. He looked at me then took my hand and shook it warmly.
"You must be Jamie, i'm Rob," he said "Its great to meet more human beings who have survived all this."
"Yeah great," I said impatienly. "Do you have medical supplies with you?"
He looked at me curiously. "Yes, I always carry a wide array of supplies."
"Good." I took a deep breath. "Crystal is sick." His eyes got wide, but before he could answer I went on. "Get what you have and come with me, it's serious."
As soon as he got his stuff, I led him upstairs to where she lay. I went in first, then motioned him to follow.
She was awake, her eyes were bloodshot. I felt her forehead, she was on fire. She was mumbling something I couldn't understand. Rob must have heard it. He said, "She's delerious." I winced, that was not good.
"Crystal?" I said quietly. "Honey can you hear me?"
She turned her head a little. "Who..." she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Jamie...?"
"Yes, yes it's me. Rob's here, hon, he can help now."
"I'm...sorry."
Before I cold ask what she was sorry for, Rob interrupted. "It's obvious she has radiation poisoning. When did this start?"
"This morning," I replied shakily. "Around...10 am I think probably."
"Take her temperature," he said, and opened up his medical kit.
I opened up her mouth gently and put the thermometer in. After a couple minutes I pulled it out, and gasped in despair. "106," I groaned.
"Shit. OK, let me take it from here, i'd like to be alone to do this."
The last thing I wanted to do was to leave Crystal right now, but I knew that Rob could heal her better than I could, so I convinced myself to be torn away from her. I took her hand again, she barely moved.
"I'll be back," I whispered. "Don't die."
Then I let go, and left the room. Rob shut the door behind me. Downstairs I walked sullenly, and sat on the couch where Crystal and I had made sweet love. I buried my face in my hands, and felt my heart breaking inside.
Stay tuned for the fouth, and final part of this story. Questions and/or comments are always welcome. :-)