Free My Forever June by DeAnna Kinney Page B

stacked on the edge of his bed and a bag of toiletries lining his bathroom sink. He glanced around and then turned to smile at me.
                  “You didn’t have to go to all this trouble.”
                  “Baby, it was no trouble at all. I would’ve just been sitting here waiting on you anyway. So I figured I might as well make myself useful.”
                  He took two long strides and was standing in front of me, scooping me into his arms for the best hug I had yet to have from him. But then he stumbled.
                  “Tucker, are you all right?” I asked, holding onto him to steady him.
                  “Oh yeah. The tests were tiring that’s all. I’ll be fine. I just need some rest.”
                  I wasn’t convinced, but I helped him to the bed and he took a seat on the edge. He pulled me to sit beside him. He gazed down at me and before I could catch my breath his lips came down on mine in a sweet but passionate kiss. I returned it with eagerness. It seemed like days since we had our last kiss, which might as well have been forever, at least it felt like it.
                  He pulled back and stared at me, his mouth agape as if something was suddenly wrong…and then it was. He was staring off into the distance, his expression frozen—and I jumped up and began screaming for the nurse.

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Twenty-one
    June
     
     
    I bit my fingernails to the quick as I paced about the room. Tucker had gone into another frozen state and the doctor had been called, as well as his parents. I was worried to the point of sickness. I had vomited three times already. Watching him transition to his frozen state was heartbreaking. This time I actually got to fully witness the transition between states. It was as if he knew he was leaving me. His eyes took on a pained expression, but just briefly, and if I had blinked I might have missed it. I explained this to the doctor, and he was puzzled.
                  After a few hours of waiting with nothing happening, Tucker’s parents decided to leave. I assured them I would call them once he resurfaced from this.
                  I sat there beside his bed and stared at him, willing him to show me some sign that he was in there. I had no idea when or if he would resurface, and it was killing me. What made me mad was that he was such an amazing man, and he didn’t deserve any of this. We had just found each other for cryin’ out loud! I beat my fist on my legs as I tried to make sense of all of this. When it came time for me to leave, I begged the nurses to let me stay with him. What if he returned while I was gone! But they refused, saying it was their strict policy. Bull crap!! I was angry and heartbroken as I pulled away from the institute and headed toward home. This was the hardest thing I had ever been through in my life and I wasn’t handling it well at all. I didn’t understand how this could happen. Had I done something wrong to make God punish me? ‘Then punish me , not Tucker’ is what I wanted to say to God, but I didn’t have the guts, because, deep down, I knew that wasn’t the true reason. There had to be another reason, and though I didn’t understand, I would have to accept it—somehow.
                  The next morning, I rushed into his room, just knowing he would be sitting up in his bed waiting for me. My heart broke when I entered and he was still in the frozen state I had left him in.
                  The nurse, named Rosy came up behind me. “I’m sorry, dear. There has been no change. The doctor will be in later to check on him.
                  I decided to read a little to him. I had no idea if he could hear me, but I needed to do something, and reading would steady my nerves. I pulled out a book I used to love but hadn’t read in a while and