2026 Entry : Hindsight

Instructions

Hindsight : ---- "Please! I need to see him!" "Miss, we can't let you." "Please! It could be the last time! I need to return something!" "It's too late." "You don't understand!" Natalie struggled with a couple of Nurses trying to keep her out of a hospital room. She was yelling, desperation like a strong poison infiltrating her voice. Tears falling when they hadn't fallen in years. She had grabbed a taxi, and drove here. She told herself she wouldn't. It was better to just let him go. But Natalie couldn't let him die without telling him, and a small part of her hoped that maybe, just maybe, he'd feel the same. | Six Years Ago| Natalie took out two cases of earbuds from her bag, one pair was his, he'd left it at her house. "You ever wish you could run away? Go to another life. Where everything was just how you wanted it to be and your internal thoughts didn't plague you?" Aaron said, tossing a pencil and catching it repetitively. Natalie shrugged, "I don't think it's an option." "But if you could, would you?" "Yeah." She started staring absently, cars driving past the school. Concrete steps were their chairs and the road their entertainment right now. Aaron stood up, "Any reason?" Natalie sighed, "Life just seems so.. Dull. If you know what I mean. I feel like I'm in a loop. Living for the weekends." He nodded. They were just twelve, but all the same, the word 'escape' seemed so sweet. She wanted an adventure, like the ones she read about. He wanted the same, he wanted to play music. Music was what connected them in the first place. Footsteps. 'Lovely.' Natalie cringed as a small group of boys stared down at them. "Having fun with your girlfriend, Aaron?" Aaron's face turned red, "It's not like that, man." The other boys just laughed, "yeah, yeah, yeah. Make sure you invite us to the wedding, alright?" Natalie felt bad, he was always getting teased like this, well, she got teased too. It simply didn't bother her. "They're just jealous. Don't listen to them." "Yeah, whatever." Awkward silence. He picked up his bag, "I'm going home, see you Monday." "Uh, ok." She opened up the other case of earbuds, she always listened to music on the walk home, 'Dang it.' Red, not blue. These earbuds weren't her's. They did see each other Monday. But they didn't talk. The teasing seemed to have finally gotten to him. 'He'll be fine tomorrow.' Natalie kept saying to herself. But he never was fine. Perhaps the illness people often refer to as 'growing up' had finally taken hold. He had grown introverted, quiet, sad. They didn't talk again until six years later. | Present | The struggle was intense, Natalie had grown desperate. Scared. And for good reason. Suddenly, a third nurse rushed down the hall, out of breath he said, "The.. p-paitent.. said to let.. her in.." Wasting no time, she rushed toward the staircase, went up a level, then ran to a room in the far back. Yet, when she got to it's door, she hesitated. Did he even remember her? Were all those amazing interactions made up fantasies? No. Taking a deep breath, she walked through. There he was, in bed, hooked up to several IVs. The first thought that went through her was, 'Gosh. He looks older.' Natalie waved. He sat up, coughing at first, "You look significantly (cough cough) older." "Uh, same here." "You came to see me?" "Pretty much." She sat down in a chair close by, "How's life?" "Uh, bad." His voice was weak. "Right, sorry..." "I know I'm dying. You know, when the doctor told me, a very specific conversation came to mind." He paused, as if waiting for her to fill in. Like a strike of lightning, a memory, thought to have been deeply buried, resurfaced. Natalie slowly opened her mouth, "You ever wish you could run away?" Aaron laughed lightly. She kept quoting this conversation from six years ago, "Where everything was just how you wanted it to be and your internal thoughts didn't plague you?" Aaron stared into her soul, "I don't think it's an option." Natalie kept remembering more, "But if you could, would you?" "I would if I went with you." '...' '.....' '...?!...?!' Aaron kept staring at her, not at her eyes, just at her hands. "I...I love you, Natalie. -(cough cough) I-I tired to hide it. I even tried to run from it, but I never forgot about you. And, and I'm sorry I never told you." She was already gone, the earbuds! How could she notice she had dropped them?! Across the hall, down the staircase... Yes. She picked up the black case, opening it to reveal the red interior. She rushed up to the room, she was going to say it back. Because it was true for her too. Love. Approaching his room, something felt off. She slowed, what was wrong? A doctor looked at her darkly, he spoke the two words that would become a vacuum in her heart forever, two words that would alter her world-view and conquer the joy in her. But, before he even said it, the thought had flashed through her mind, "Aaron's gone." -