Free I Can't Die Alone by Regina Bartley Page A

even have to leave the house for.”
    There’s that witty sense of humor. 
    “Fine,” I groaned. “Get some paper.”
    He ran out to grab a tablet and pen and rushed back to the bed, nearly bouncing me off as he jumped onto it. 
    “Okay,” he said. “Let’s put ten things on the list and if we make it through this list then we’ll add more. Sound good?”
    “You’re the boss I suppose.”
    “Right you are.” His smile made my knees weak. “You start naming some things you’d like to do and I’ll write them down.”
    Hmmm. What did I want to do? “Um, you already gave me my first date so we don’t have to list that.” I smiled. Sitting there thinking about all the things I wanted to do wasn’t easy. The things that I knew that I could never do were what came to mind. “I want to watch the complete Hunger Games series of movies in order from start to finish.”
    “Again with the television.”
    “You asked.” I shrugged.
    “Okay a movie marathon. What else?”
    “I want to get a tattoo.”
    “Good answer,” he replied. 
    “I want to ride a motorcycle,” I admitted and his face lit up. 
    “I have a motorcycle, so that one is definitely getting crossed off this list.”
    “I’d love to learn how to bake cookies from scratch. My mom was really good at it, but she never got to teach me. And I’d like to sleep under the stars. Like outside.” 
    He smiled and continued to write. 
    “I want to be kissed.” I hesitated, as he lifted his head up to look at me, and I continued quickly. “I want to make something with my hands.”
    “Like what?”
    “Maybe a bird house. I like birds.” 
    “Okay, you need three more things.”
    “Oh, I know… A picnic. I’d like to go on a picnic. I think I’d also like to go to a bar. Even though I’m not twenty-one. I still want to see what all the fuss is about, and maybe I’ll get to experience my first drink of alcohol too.”
    “That’s ten, and everything on this list we can do. It’ll be perfect.”
    I was actually excited and it felt good. Bo had such effect on me. He was a living, breathing reminder of the good that I never wanted to forget. His life wasn’t measured in time like mine. He was free to live and breathe as he chose, and he’d chosen to make my last moments a whole lot better. I’d never be able to thank him for it. Even if we never crossed a single one of those things of the list it was still wonderful to think that we could, and it felt even better to know that I might get to cross them off with him. 
     

Chapter Thirteen
Checking it twice

    “Wake up sleeping beauty. We have a lot to do today?” 
    “What time is it?” I asked an all too cheerful Bo. I’d never been a morning person.
    “It’s ten,” he replied. 
    Crap. It was practically afternoon.
    “Why are you home?” I asked him as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes.
    “I called in sick.”
    “Which you’re clearly not, or else you are one happy damn sick person.”
    He chuckled which made me groan louder. “You’re funny when you’re grumpy.” 
    “Ha ha, what are we doing?”
    The bed creaked as he sat down on the edge of it. “We are going to cross some things off of that list of yours. So go get ready.” 
    My eyes were closed but I still smiled. That list was now my happy place. I loved that he was determined to make sure that my last days were amazing.
    “Get out so I can change.” 
    “Feisty,” he wagged his brows. “Meet me in the garage when you’re done.”

    ***

    It took me longer than normal to take a shower and get dressed. My daily routine wasn’t as easy as it used to be. On top of the cramping pain, I had to deal with morning sickness. It was dreadful. I had to keep running back and forth to the toilet in an attempt to vomit. Not a good feeling. I’d much rather just get sick, than constantly feel like I was going to.
    Once the urge subsided I was ready. I slipped a pain pill into the zipper of my wallet and walked out to