'June thank god! I am going to call an ambulance.'
'No!' June sat up, 'Leave me alone, this is none of your business'
�none of my business? How can you say that? June, even though we are not together anymore, I still care a great deal about you. I just want to help you get through this. I am going to kill that Gabriel when I get hold of him! How could anyone be so sick as to do something like that'
'Who told you? Oh god, leave me alone Jim! If you care for me as much as you say you do, then you will leave me to do this in peace.'
'What! You expect me to just walk away, and live with this for the rest of my life. It would finish me off. I might as well join you'
'Well I didn't expect anyone to find me until it was to late, and anyway for once don't you think I have the right to be just a little selfish? Good old Aunty June hey, listens to every ones problems. Well I have had enough! Who is there for me? No one, that's who! Every time I get a little taste of happiness, it gets snatched away from me. Well no more, enough is enough!'
'June I am so sorry, this is all my fault! If I had only seen what I had right in front of my nose, and not run off at the first sign of trouble.'
'Well you only did what every other man has done to me, taken what you wanted and left.'
'That's not fair! I would never intentionally hurt you. Look, let me at least get you a glass of water. We can talk things through, you might change your mind.'
'I will not, I can't take any more!'
'You might, but by then it will be too late. You know as well as I do how slow, and painful a death this can be. Remember Lucy Tyler a couple of years back, it took what, 10, 12 hours for her to finally die'
'I don't care! I just want this pain to go away! I can't get it out of my head; I can see him standing over me, pulling at my top. Ohh!' June sobs 'After all of these years, I had managed to push it to the back of my mind. But now I feel like it has happened all over again. I am not strong enough to go through all this again, not on my own.'
'Your not on you own, you've got me. We can work through this together, and I promise that I will never leave your side again.' June looked into his eyes, they were both crying. Jim reached hold of her hand and squeezed it. June pulled her hand away from him, leaned over the couch and was violently sick. Jim rose from his knees, 'I will just get you some water.'
'Don't leave me!'
'I won't me a minute.'
Jim entered June's kitchen and closed the door behind him. He reached into his jacket and pulled out his mobile. He called for an ambulance, hoping that it was not too late to save her. When he went back into the lounge he found that June had lost consciousness Tears flooded down his face. The woman that he loved to pieces was dying in front of him, and there was nothing else he could do. He prayed to God, something he had not done since he was a little boy.
****
Jim had been waiting at the hospital for over an hour, and no one seemed to be able to tell him anything. Gina had arrived, and offered him her support. Jim however shut her out, as he blamed her for letting things go so far with Gabriel. Then a young nurse came out of the room where June was being treated. Jim rushed over to her, 'how is she?'
'Are you a relative?'
'She's my fianc�e,' he lied.
'Well the next few hours are going to be crucial. We have pumped her stomach; thankfully we don't think that she had taken that many. The bottle probably wasn't full.'
'Can I see her?'
'In a minute, when the doctor has finished with her.'
****
Jim entered June's room, and was taken a back by the sight of her lying there, hooked up to loads of machines. She looked so pale, yet at the same time peaceful. Jim knew that even if she pulled through, the road to recovery would be a slow painful one. But Jim was determined to help her, how ever long it took. Jim sat down, and held her hand, determined to keep his promise not to leave her.
'Oh June, I love you so much, more than I ever felt it was possible to love anyone. I need you June. Please, I beg you. I would do anything to see you smile again, to hear you laugh. Please wake up.' Jim broke down again; even at the worst point of his drinking he had never felt so low. He couldn't imagine his life without June in it.
****
A few hours later Jim lay asleep head down on June's bed, his hand still firmly holding hers. June stirred, and quietly whispered, 'Jim.' Jim woke instantly, and smiled. 'Oh thank god. How do you feel?'
'My head is killing me. Why am I here? Oh... Gabriel' it all came flooding back, and she sobbed.
'It's OK June. Let's not think about it now. Your tired, you get some more sleep.'
'Jim, please stay with me until I drop off. I am scared.'
'Of course I will.' June fell asleep straight away. Jim kissed her on the forehead and whispered, 'I love you.'
****
Epilogue
June was released from hospital a few days later. Jim moved in with her in order to see her through the difficult days which lay ahead. Jim never quite got round to moving out again.
Although they decided to take things slowly, they knew that what they had was special. All of this, and Jim's problems with Marie, only made their for each other love stronger.
June returned to work 2 months later. Gabriel had taken a transfer by then, shocked by his part in June's suicide attempt.
Back to Homepage Back to Stories