No More Time

“Give me time.”
It was ironic; she needed the time but there was no time to be given. After all, it was the one thing one couldn’t buy, the one thing that flowed through one’s hands without ever being stopped.

He needed time: maybe in time, a cure would be found to beat the sickness that ate at him and heal him. But he had no time. Maybe some months if they were lucky. And with that deadline looming he made a decision that he wanted her to accept. But for that she needed time.

Couldn’t someone – God or some power from above – stop time and give her it so she might come to terms with everything? The doctor had said “I’ll give you a moment” when he announced to them that there was no treatment, no procedure that could heal Jason. Only give him a little more time to put things in order.

But a moment wasn’t nearly enough to realize that suddenly time had run short. That this vow “till death do us part” would come so much faster than either of them could have anticipated. Except he’d known. Or he’d guessed. And now he decided that the treatment, which would grant them more moments for her to keep memories, was too much. That he would rather die remembering her name than having his mind taken away.

Somehow she understood… he was a brilliant engineer and she could see how struggling with equations hurt him even now. But what he was asking her… Giving up any hope that maybe, just maybe the treatment might work some miracles on him. Giving up any hope that he might be there to see their child born.

“You know I would give you the world if I could Kelsey.”
She knew. He’d given her so much more than she’d ever expected to receive.
“You’re young. Time will heal the wounds.”
She wasn’t sure of that: hadn’t Jason taken on the role of time to heal the wounds inside her heart that festered until he came into her life? But now it was her turn: he needed her blessing. He needed to know she would love and support him through this. And as much as she hated it, she knew she would. Her turn to give.

©scolpron2017

In response to Linda G Hill’s stream of consciousness Saturday give/given/giving and in response to the Daily Post writing prompt Heal.