| He was momentarily blinded, his first thought that he'd been shot in the face, his eyes wounded. But when the beating of his heart rang loudly through his ears, he realized that he had only been squinting his eyes shut, and that he hadn't been shot afterall. That was when he noticed the colour leaving Ralston's face, and heard him utter, "Andrea." Pacey spun around in time to see Andie slump to the ground. "No�" he breathed, running to her. A pool of dark red blood had begun to collect on her beautiful silk blouse, her eyes were closing. "Andie, come on, wake up. Don't do this to me." "I didn't mean to � I really�" He turned to glare at Ralston. "Call 911," he ordered. "She needs help fast, call the police!" Ralston slowly began to back away, shaking his head. Then he fully turned and ran out the door. Pacey guessed that he wasn't calling the police, or going for help. He figured that Ralston Mackey was going to catch the next flight out of town. There would be no way to cover this up. Pacey got up quickly, and made his way to the phone, dialing 911 and ordering them to come as quick as possible. He returned to Andie, and knelt beside her. "C'mon McPhee," he ordered, taking her hands in his. "Don't leave me now, not after everything we've been through. You've got to fight, please!" He had begun to cry. "Please don't leave me!" He could hear sirens in the distance, and not wanting to move her, he lay down on the floor beside her, putting his face next to hers. He kissed her cheek. "Please Andie," he pleaded. "Return to me." * * * I came here to let you know The letting go Has taken place Pacey sat in the deserted waiting room on the hard, plastic chair, his head in his hands. It had been almost an hour since Andie had been brought in, almost an hour the doctors had been working on her two doors down the hall. From where he was seated, he could see her bare legs sticking out beneath the sheets, and was grasping the simple thought that he kept seeing them move. For the past half an hour, he'd been praying to whichever gods were listening to spare Andie's life, to bring her back to him. Head in hands, he suddenly heard the sound of feet padding down the hallway, and thinking it was a doctor, he glanced up. Andie McPhee, clad in a white hospital gown, was coming toward him. He blinked furiously, but when she remained, he slowly got up to meet her. He embraced her at once, bending down to kiss her, and nuzzle his head on her shoulder, as he'd done so many times. Her lips were so warm� "McPhee, you're alright. Thank goodness�" She just smiled at him, and touched his face. He suddenly caught movement down the hall, and glanced up. A chill ran through his body as he saw the same two legs beneath the white sheets that he'd been seeing for the last half-hour. Andie turned to see where he was looking, and then she turned back to face him. "I had to say goodbye," she said, quietly. "You're dead?" He cried. She shook her head. "Not yet. When I go back to my body, I will be." He held her closer. "Then I'm never going to let you go." "Pacey, you have to." She slowly released herself from his embrace, and stood just before him. "I did as you asked. I returned to you this one last time � to tell you goodbye." "No � no, you can't be gone! Andie, I love you - how can you just leave me like this?" "I have to," she replied. "But I couldn't cross over without telling you one last thing." "What." "I love you," she breathed. "I have loved you since that moment that I ran into you, a million summers ago. I've been in love with you, Pacey Witter, and that love has never wavered." "But you left me, you left town." "That's what I thought we needed, what I thought you needed. They say if you love someone, you have to let them go. If they come back, then they are truly yours. You returned to me, Pacey, you tried to make my life better, you tried to save my life. I'll never forget that." |
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