Gil ran into the emergency room, frantically looking for someone to help him. Grabbing a nurse he asked where she was. The nurse led him to her, she had been hit head on by a drunk driver. Induced into a coma because her airbag didn’t deploy and she was thrown head first into the windshield. Her injuries were life threatening, they didn’t know if she would make it. So they called him. He is her emergency contact, just like she is his.

The nurse pulled back the curtain and he gasped. He had never seen her like this, he never wanted to see her like this. Tubes and blood soaked bandages covering her beautiful face and red hair. Slowly he stepped in, sitting next to her and taking her hand. He leaned forward and kissed her cheek “I’m here Cat, please don’t leave me” he whispered

He sat like that for hours, un moving, watching her, willing her to open her eyes, smile at him, anything to let him know she was in there and fighting, but there was nothing. Nurses came in and checked on her, ran tests, but there was no change. If she didn’t awake from this coma, she was going to die, and Gil’s will to live would die with her.

He slowly moved for the first time in hours, climbing into the bed with her. He wrapped his arms around her and laid his head on her chest, listening to her heart beat. He had never held her before, much less listened to the beat of her heart. This was an intimate act that he never got the privilege to enjoy, and probably never would again.

A few more hours past and he moved again, lifting his head up so he could whisper in her ear.

“Catherine, I need to tell you a few things” he whispered softly praying she could hear him. “I love you, I always have, I was just never man enough to tell you, and I’m sorry for that.” He softly, absentmindedly stroked her stomach as he spoke. “You are my everything Cath, my reason for living. If you leave me, I won’t be able to go on living with out you.” he softly kissed her temple “Please come back to me baby, I need you, I want to show you what true love is like”

He laid his head back onto her chest and softy cried. Suddenly he heard a rumbling in her chest and he looked up. “Lindsey” was all she said. Her eyes were open her mouth moving.

“Cath?” he asked questioning weather it was a dream or reality

“Lindsey” she said again “if I die, you need to take Lindsey. You need to go on for her” she struggled in a raspy voice

“You heard me?” he asked overjoyed and a bit embarrassed

Catherine nodded “I-I lo- I love you too” she managed to get out

Gil brought his hand to her cheek, stroking it softly as he kissed her forehead . He tears flowing freely now. “I’m gonna go get the doctor, I love you” he whispered before leaving the room and grabbing the first nurse he could find.

Walking back into the room all that could be heard was the steady tone of Catherine flat lining. “No, no, no, no!” Gil screamed as she rushed to her side and took her hand. But a nurse pulled him away and pushed him into the hall. He sank against the wall, sobbing as doctors and nurses flooded the room trying to revive her.

They pronounced her dead at 7:36 am.

Gil sat against that wall, sobbing, until a small hand touched his arm. Seven year old Lindsey Willows looked straight into his eyes. “Who’s going to take care of me now?” she asked

“I am Lindsey,” he said wiping at his face and getting up “That’s why I’m your godfather” he said standing and picking up the little girl “we are going to get through this together” he said walking out of he hospital, leaving his heart and soul behind.