Hazels' Eyes
By: Coyotegurl Nikki
How it started............
The party was so boring. I almost couldn't take it anymore, that is until I saw her. She was
sitting by herself at one of the forgotten tables. The tablecloth was all disheveled, and yet she
didn't seem to notice. Her dark chocolate brown hair fell around her bare shoulders
gracefully. She blinked and her dark lashes fluttered across her silky skin. I felt a chill in my
spine. "Get ahold of yourself Chris, this is no time to fall in love." I told myself, trying to keep
from staring directly at her. Maybe it was the alcohol or my body calling for a companion, but
I wanted this strange young lady so badly.
"Hey, Chris man we're leaving in about half an hour. Meet us at the coat check." Joey yelled
across the room.
I barely heard him over the sound of my own heart beating in my ears. When I turned back she
was gone. My eyes darted across the room looking for any sign of her. I began to panic, not
knowing the reason.
Suddenly, there she was. Standing in front of me breathing her sweet breath on my face.
"Oh! Excuse me I didn't see you here." She said realizing she had bumped into me.
"It's fine really. Uh, my name's Chris." I stuck my hand out for her to shake.
She took it gladly and her skin felt warm against my own. She looked up and half smiled. God
her eyes were incredible that night.
"I'm Hazel. My sister brought me here, she said I don't get out that often." She blinked again
and I shivered as she opened her eyes and looked deep into mine.
"Well Hazel," I said smiling, "Did anyone ever tell you, that you have beautiful eyes?"
~FlashBack~
The alarm woke Chris from his dream. He reached over and shut it off before it awoke the
sleeping form beside him. He rolled over next to her and whispered in her ear.
"Mornin you." He slipped his hand into hers as she stirred.
Hazel yawned and stretched her arms up over her head. She kissed Chris lightly as he
traced the outline of her face. "Mornin. Whatever happened to lettin me sleep when you
were home?"
He laughed and sat up in the bed. "Hey I never promised anything, I just told you what you
wanted to hear." He grinned and backed away as she swatted him.
They went about their normal routines, that same routines had occured since they moved in
together two years ago. Chris met Hazel in a club, he dreamt about that night a lot. He had
never felt so completely and utterly consumed by one person in his life. Yet Hazel did that to
him. She filled his thoughts and his dreams. She turned his life around just by being
herself.
~End Flasback~
The alarm brought sound to the silent bedroom. Chris rolled over and pushed the clock from the
nightstand. He pressed the heel of his hands to his eyes as the morning sun hit the carpet, then
little by little the rest of the room. The spot in the large bed next to him was empty and cold. He
ran his hand over the cotton sheets, as if she would suddenly appear. He showered and dressed,
stopping to smell her bottle of perfume. It was half empty, Chris smiled knowing to Hazel it was
half full.
~Flashback~
JC and Justin were already at the studio when Chris got there. JC met him at the front
doors, smiling as hard as he could.
"So, did you do it yet? I know you asked her right?" Justin asked impatiently.
"No, I haven't J. I have to wait until the perfect moment. I mean it's the only time I am
going to ask her to marry me so it has to be perfect." Chris ran a hand through his hair and
smiled as he thought of her.
Recording resumed as usual, and by eight that night Chris was out the door and on his way
home. He wanted to take Hazel to their beach. The beach where they watched the sun come
up their first night together and where all the guys ganged up on her and tossed her in the
water on her birthday.
She was alseep on the couch when he rounded the corner. Her eyes opened slowly as he
leaned down over her. "I missed you."
She smiled that lazy smile of hers and pulled him to her by his neck. "I missed you more
Christopher Alan."
He kissed her softly as she sighed. "Let's go." He said pulling her up off of the couch.
"Where are we going Chris?" She moved some hair out of her face as he just smiled and
started leading her towards the beach. His heart sped up as she remained silent the whole
way.
The sand was chilly in the moonlight on her bare feet. She wiggled them around until she
saw Chris kneel.
She raised her hand to cover her mouth in suprise.
"Hazel Elizabeth Morgan, I love you with all of my heart and soul. You are my rock and
you have stood by me through all the hard times.I can't imagine a life without you in it." He
wiped a stray tear from his eye, then hers. "From the first moment I saw you I knew I
would hold you in my arms for the rest of my life. Will you marry me?"
Tears warmed her face as they fell. Her eyes sparkled in the moonlight as Chris gazed up at
her lovingly, as he placed the ring and she nodded her head yes.
~End Flashback~
The room was dark and lifeless, same as the day before and before that. His eyes were dull and
glazed over. He listened to the heart moniter beep, and the iv drip. Chris twirled the gold band
that wound around his left ring finger.
~Flashback~
"You may now kiss the bride!" The preacher said happily as the couple before him
embraced their love in front of all their friends and family. The guests stood as the preacher
annouced the couple for the first time. "I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Christopher
Kirkpartick." Everyone clapped as they walked down the aisle hand in hand.
~End Flashback~
He wiped the tears from his eyes, as he stared over at the hospital bed. It was to plain he thought,
she liked purple and big flowers. His head ached at the thought of the way she used to be.
~Flashback~
"Heads up!" Justin yelled over to Joey. He spun around and caught the basketball bafore it
knocked him senseless.
"Justin are you sure you told Chris and Hazel one o' clock? They should have been
here."
"Who should have been here?" Chris said as he swung the gate to the backyard open and
let Hazel through first.
Lance clapped his hands. "Ok now we can really play some ball."
Joey's brother made them an even six, so they split into teams as Hazel went over to talk
with JC and Justin's girlfriends.
They played ball for a good hour until Casey, JC's girlfriend yelled that the burgers were
done. This was the first barbeque that they had had in a long time. Chris walked over to the
grill and breathed in the smoky air.
"Mmmmm Case, smells good. What did ya do with my wife?"
Casey looked over at him funny. "Nothing, she said she was going to use the bathroom and
thats the last I've seen of her."
Chris wiped his forehead with a towel and scrunched his face. He started asking all around
if anyone had seen her. He made his way to the bathroom and knocked on the door when he
found it shut. "Hazel? Sweety are you in there?" He didn't get a response and pushed the
door open.
Hazel was sprawled out on the floor in the bathroom. Her dark hair had fallen from the
ponytail and was framing her pale face. His heart sped up as the realization hit him like a
hammer.
"Chris, dude did you...............Oh god! Lance call 911!!" Justin yelled. He moved Chris and
lifted her from the bathroom floor. Chris was in shock and he couldn't move from that spot.
The next hour went in a blur as the EMT ushered him onto the ambulance and poked his
new wife with needles.
~End Flashback~
"That seems like so long ago." Chris said to himself. His clothes were wrinkled as he stood and
walked slowly to the door of Hazel's hospital room. The lights from the hall hurt his eyes and he
squinted. The doctor met him in his office and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I know this is hard for you Mr. Kirkpatrick, but have you made the neccesary calls yet?"
Chris nodded and stood to leave.
~Flashback~
"Ahhhhhh!! Joey put me down, put me down!!" Hazel screamed as Joey rushhed towards
the swimming pool.
"Don't dish it out if you can't take it Hazel my darling!" Joey laughed as she kicked and
screamed the whole way down. When she emerged from underneath the brillian blue water
the whole party was in histerics.
"Ok, so yeah I admit the exlax was a funny suggestion, but Chris was the cook. He added
them to the brownies, not me." Hazel smiled at her husband, halfway hiding behind
Lance.
He turned to talk to his mother as a couple people helped Hazel out of the pool.
"So, how long has it been for her?" Bev, Chris' mother had become very close with Hazel
and no one ever mentioned it but they worried over her. Every ache every pain caused a tug
at Chris' heart.
"Well, she's been in remission for 6 months now. The doctors says everything looks good,
but it could come back." He looked over at his love. Her eyes laughed when she did.
Bev wrapped her arms around her son and held him tight. "Just be there for her Chris,
thats all that she needs."
Chris smiled and kissed his mother lovingly. " Thats all I ever wanted mom, thats how I
always want it to be."
~End Flashback~
The phone weighed a ton is his hand. It seemed like the world was spinning around him, and he
was losing what kept him grounded. The clink of the change in the slot echoed in his ears as he
made the hardest phone calls of his life.
~Flashback~
One year later....................
Chris's mother answered the door, to find all four guys standing there. They tried to smile,
not one actually feeling like it.
"Hey Bev. Where's Chris?" Bev sighed and pointed towards the beach.
"He is always out there. Ever since Hazel got sick again. He thinks somehow its his fault,
that he wasn't here enough." Bev moved aside and let the four men in.
"Well, can we see her?" Lance said quietly, not knowing how loud he could be.
"Sure go on up, she's in the master bedroom." She scooted them all up the stairs before
they could chicken out.
Justin opened the door slowly and Hazel sat up the best she could. "Hey you guys come on
in." She managed to say in a scratchy voice.
They filed in and seemed afraid to move. "You guys I have lukemia, it's not
contagious."
Joey sat on the edge of the bed and kissed her hand. "So Hazel eyes, how are you
feeling?"
Hazel smiled, still beautiful underneath all the pale skin. She was underweight and all of
the guys knew the doctor had given her a week at the most.
"I'm great, but I hate being stuck in this bed. I want to get out before, well you know." She
coughed and jumped as a pain ran down her back.
The guys stayed only half an hour later, not even seeing Chris. He wasn't dealing with it
very well and couldn't stand to see her waste away. She refused treatment this time around,
he could hear the doctors words like it was yesterday. The lukemia had spread and her
prognosis, two months, that was seven weeks ago.
~End Flashback~
Chris had sat on their beach for the last time three days ago. He hadn't left the hospital but once
since she was admitted. Just an hour ago he called all the guys and their closest friends and
family. One by one they arrived at the hospital. Bev hugged her son as he leaned into her
shoulder.
"It'll be ok baby." She said into his ear as she lovingly rubbed his back.
Chris let go of his mother and walked back to Hazels' room. The doctor nodded as he looked
over her heart rate.
"I'll leave you alone." He said to Chris as he shut the door behind him.
Chris took Hazel's thin hand in his and kissed it. "I love you Hazel eyes." Chris said through
tears. He smoothed her chocolate brown hair as she opened her beautiful eyes for the last
time.
"Well Hazel," He said crying, "Did anyone ever tell you, that you have beautiful eyes?"
How it ended.........
She was laid to rest three days later. Her ashes were spread in the cool sands of the beach where
they're life started together not so long ago. Chris turned to speak to everyone as the waves
crashed against the beach.
"She came into my life when I wasn't even looking. Her heart touched mine the first time I looked
at her. Her soul was mine and we were one. I guess God was jealous that he let such a piece of
heaven get away." He choked up and his mother put her hand on his shoulder. He looked upward.
"So my Hazel, if your listening, I love you and I can't believe your gone. Maybe God is looking
into those eyes as we speak.
The wind blew as the crowd seperated and left.