Jack collected the other one, nodding at her and saying he wouldn’t be long. He just stepped outside into the hallway when he saw in the room across from them an old woman laying there alone. She had no cards, no visitors, no nothing. It was pretty down right depressing, and upsetting, given the time of year.
He frowns, before he walks across the hall and slips into the room, glancing at the name on the door as he does.
Her eyes slowly open but its obvious she can’t see very well.
“…Jackson…?” she asks.
He hadn’t thought she’d wake up. He thinks fast. “Yes.” he said quietly.
“…I haven’t… seen you in… years…” she whispered.
“Then, then it’s time. Isn’t it?” Jack asked as he set one vase of flowers at the table positioned at the foot of her bed.
“…those are lovely flowers.”
“All for you.” he said as he set the other vase down.
“We… used to pick those… when we were young, remember?”
“I do, Lisa. They… they were good days.” Jack said as he arranged the flowers gently. He used to pick flowers with his own grandmother, before she passed away, so this was easy to talk about, surprisingly. “I’d make daisy chains.”
“…and… put them in my hair…” Lisa whispered as her eyes began to shut.
“Yes.” Jack said as he pulled some daisies purposely from one of the vases and began to quickly work with the stems, as he walked around the bed. “Because they suit you.”
The daisy chain made on the spot was easy to do. Jack reached out and set them on the old woman’s thinning white hair. “Merry Christmas Lisa.”
She said nothing. She was asleep.
He left the room, crossed the hall, and returned to Katelynn.
“All gone.” he smiled at her, before taking his seat again.
She looked back, smiling. ‘Thank you Jack.’
She could hardly contain herself any longer as she began to peel the oxygen mask off of her, taking it off.
“Katelynn what… you shouldn’t do that,” Jack said as he scooted closer in his chair. “No, leave that on…!”
Jack Maple 