Page 29 of Diamonds in the Dark
I follow the signs until I find the information desk. I walk up and the woman behind the desk is filing some paperwork and asks me to hold on one second. I am hoping I can find my voice when I have to speak.
“Sorry about that, honey, how can I help you?” she says
“I need the room number for Zach Abner please.” I croak out.
She types on the computer in front of her while I am praying, I am not crazy. I am wondering if there is even a real person named Zach Abner when the lady speaks.
“Okay, I found him in the system, but you have to be immediate family to visit him.”
“I am his wife. We were just married recently. I lie, hoping I sound at least a little convincing.
“Oh, okay it doesn't have a wife listed but I don't think that is something someone would lie about,” she says. I feel guilt running all through me. I just bold faced lied to this woman and I don't even know why yet and bless her heart she is trusting me.
“What's your name? I will add it on here, so you won’t have any problems getting in to see him in the future. I will also go ahead and give you a pass to his room. He is in the ICU on the third floor. He is in room 14.”
I tell her my name is Gwendolyn Abner. I hate lying and now I am officially in the hospital records as the wife of a man I don't even know.
The lady hands me my pass and I make my way to the elevators. I find one that is empty and rush to get on it, then quickly hit the close door button. I want to be alone with my thoughts for a minute. I must not be crazy because so far everything Asher told me to do has worked and Zach really does exist. I still don't know how Asher just up and vanished into thin air like he did or why I am here posing as someone's wife. I guess I will find out what's going on soon enough. The elevator door slides open, and I look for a sign to direct me to the ICU. I come upon the nurse’s station and the lady behind it asks for my pass. She looks me up and down. A feeling of dread falls over me. I think she is going to bust me and call me out for being a fake. She doesn't. She just looks at me with sympathy, then tells me that when I go in, Zach is non-responsive, that he won’t talk to me and that he is in really bad shape, but for the time being he is stable. I nod my head and walk past her to the door she is holding open for me. She points me in the right direction, and I take my time finding Zach's room. I don't know what is expected of me once I get there. This is where Asher's instructions stopped. The thought of turning around and leaving crosses my mind, but I want to find out what this is all about. My curiosity wins out and I continue to look for Zach's room.
At last, I find the room and stand outside the door. It's all glass walls but the curtains are pulled so I can't see inside. What does Asher expect me to do now? I sigh. I reach for the door handle and gently pull it open hoping not to disturb anyone that may be inside. I hear voices inside the room as soon as I step in. It sounds like Asher and someone else arguing. Surely, he’s not arguing with Zach, he's supposed to be non-responsive and in bad shape. I stand there listening, they aren't making much sense. I guess I walked in too far into the argument to understand what they are talking about. I gently pull the curtain back a little and they both go silent.
“Gwen, you came!” Asher jogs across the small room, pulls me into his arms, and whispers in my ear. “I was starting to think you weren't coming!”
“What is going on here, Asher?” I ask.
I look at the bed and see a man lying there with every cord and tube imaginable running from his body. He looks dead to be honest. Why am I here? I wonder.
“Gwen, this is my twin brother Zach. He is introducing me to a man standing in the corner of the room. He looks just like Asher.
“Zach, this is my uh, girlfriend? Gwen.” He turns to look at me and to make sure I am okay with being introduced as his girlfriend. I nod yes and turn my attention back to the man in the bed. The man looks like a sick version of Zach and Asher. Zach and Asher look just alike except Asher is more muscular and softer looking. Zach looks like he has had a little harder life; his features are sharper. The man lying in the bed looks more like Zach than Asher but still the same. I am puzzled. I am in the room with three men who all look alike.
“Asher, who is the guy in the bed if Zach is standing over there?”
Asher takes a deep breath. “Gwen, this is all going to seem confusing, please, just bear with me.”
“I am already confused! Tell me what the hell is going on and tell me right now Asher!” I hiss. I am almost in a panic. I don't know what is going on or why I am here. I want to be in the loop right now. I don't like this. It's too much for my mind to handle. My boyfriend can disappear into thin air. I just lied about being married to the man standing across the room from me, who is supposed to be the patient in the bed but isn't and doesn't even look sick to me!
“Okay, the guy in the bed is Zach,” Asher says.
I look over at Zach standing across the room and he nods his head in agreement. Then he speaks.
“It's nice to meet you, Gwen. I wish it had been under different circumstances. I was in a car accident last night and as you can see it left me knocking on death's door. He looks over at the body in the bed.
“How? What?” I stutter. Asher takes me by the arm, moves me to the chair behind me against the wall and helps me sit down. I'm glad he did because I feel dizzy and like I have walked into an alternative world.
Asher and Zach both look at me and then at each other. I feel like I am either going to scream or pass out. Asher finally speaks.
“Gwen, I am going to tell you everything now and I hope in the end you will still love me. This isn't going to be easy, and I know it's going to be hard to believe me, but please just bear with me.” He takes a deep breath, and I can tell he is scared to go on, but I need him too. I need to know what is going on.
“You know I was in the military, and you know most of my story already. The part I left out was because I didn't understand it either and I sure didn't know how to explain it to someone else. I didn't understand why you could see me when no one else could. For four years no one has been able to see me or communicate with me in any way until the day you did at the cemetery. The grave I was standing at the day you met me, that is my grave. My body is buried in that plot. I died four years ago in a bombing overseas.”
I stare at him, wondering if I am crazy or if he is. At this point it only seems logical to me that one of us has lost our damn mind. Is this his way of trying to get rid of me? Seems a little dramatic to go through all this trouble just to scare me off. Then again this isn't just unbelievable, this is completely insane.
“Gwen, I know this is a lot to take in all at one time and I am sorry I didn't try to explain all this to you sooner. This is why I was trying to stay away from you. I wanted you to move on because it was the right thing for me to do. I just couldn't stay away from you though. I needed you and I was selfish. Then, when I realized you felt the same way, I crumbled. I wanted to tell you all of this so badly. I wanted you to know the truth, but how do you tell someone this and expect them not to walk out of your life thinking that you are crazy?” He says.
“You claim no one has been able to see you for four years or communicate with you. How am I able to?” I ask. I don't know what to believe at this point. I want to run from this room and never look back. But my love for Asher is keeping me planted in this chair. I want to hear the rest of this story whether it's true or not.
He lets out a sigh. “Apparently you are my soul mate and I messed that up by going on a suicide mission and getting myself killed. Because you are my soulmate, you can see me as if I am still alive. Gwen, I don't understand it either. I am learning as I go.”
