Stealing Promises by Brina Courtney Read Free Book Online Page A

they should be here any moment.
    Levi began coughing up more blood and someone suggested turning him on his side, but Victoria knew it wouldn’t help. Levi was dying. The love of her life was leaving her.
    “No,” Victoria said, “you promised me! We’re together forever, remember?” He didn’t respond. “Levi, remember?”
    He looked past her for a moment, the light fading from his beautiful brown eyes.
    “Levi, tell me you remember. Levi tell me something!” She could feel she was losing him. She pulled him tighter to her chest and began to rock, tears still steadily falling from her eyes.
    Levi turned his head and looked straight into Victoria’s eyes. “I’ll always be close, I promise. Love you.”
    “ I love you, too,” she said through her sobs. A few people gasped nearby as Levi took his last breath. The ambulance arrived to find Victoria cradling her lost love. They attempted to pry him from her arms, to attempt life saving measures, but she wouldn’t let go. Eventually they had to physically remove her to get him into the ambulance. They wrapped her in a blanket and allowed her to sit with him. She clung desperately to his hand, praying he would just open his eyes and breathe.
    “ Levi, why won’t you breathe?” she continued to mumble to herself as the technicians tried to ask her questions.
    Victoria felt foggy, but she heard a voice break through the ramblings in her head. “What’s your name, hon?” A black woman with braids on top of her head was speaking to her. She had on a blue uniform. Somewhere it registered to Victoria that this woman could help her. Maybe she could help Levi.
    “ Victoria.”
    “ Okay, Victoria, who is this?” She pointed to the lifeless figure in front of her.
    “ My Levi.”
    She nodded with understanding. “Yes, I can see that. Is there someone we can call, when we get to the hospital?”
    The woman had a kind voice and suddenly it dawned on Victoria to ask, “Is he dead?”
    The woman’s dark brown eyes darted to the front of the ambulance before she responded, “Yes, I’m sorry, but he’s gone.” She put her hand on Victoria’s back and rubbed it lightly. Victoria flinched under her touch.
    Victoria nodded but she still gripped Levi’s hand tightly. She would will him to live. She would have to.
    When they arrived at the hospital they unloaded Levi’s stretcher. He was strapped to it, and as they unloaded him, Victoria had to release his hand. She sat crying silently in the ambulance as she watched the technicians zip up the body bag around Levi. She hadn’t even realized they’d put him in a bag. When had they done that? And what hospital was she at? Did anyone know they were there?
    She slowly climbed out of the back of the ambulance, hugging the blanket tighter around her body. She realized she felt incredibly cold, almost like because Levi wasn't here anymore the world couldn’t be warm.
    The technician from before, the woman with dark hair, approached her slowly and carefully. “Honey? Who can we call for you?”
    Victoria heard the voice, but it didn't make sense in her mind, all that she could think about was the buzzing and Levi lying on the ground. She felt like she was going to cry, but the tears refused to come. She knew there was a dark hole inside her now, and she wanted to crawl into it and never come out.
    Finally she realized the woman standing next to her was asking her questions, so she looked at her to acknowledge her presence.
    “My father, my father is Joe Blane. Where am I?” she asked quietly.
    The woman nodded, as if she knew that name. She put her hands around Victoria’s shoulders, and even though Victoria wanted to move away, the woman directed her into the emergency room to get checked out.
    She sat Victoria down on a cot and went over to a doctor holding a chart. The technician from the ambulance pointed at Victoria and the doctor nodded his head, taking off his glasses and rubbing his face. He approached