“Here, let me set this tray down for you. You need to eat and keep your strength up. That’s what she would want.” Sounds of tray scuffing against the table in front of her and retreatingfeet piqued her interest. Her eyes opened enough to see Jenkins sitting hunched on the couch adjacent to her. She sat up quicker than her body was equipped for, and a stabbing pain shot through her spine.
I need to get into a younger body.
Jenkins’s feet dangled a foot from the floor. He had a bandage above his left eye, and there were some bruises starting to form on his arms. Other than a few scrapes, he looked perfectly healthy. She let out a relieved sigh, and Jenkins looked over at her, his blue eyes darkened as he watched the older woman. He shrunk back, cautious of the stranger he sat near.
“I’m sorry, I lost—” she almost finished with Kinley but remembered that the body she was in didn’t know Kinley. She recovered quickly: “—my husband today. So, I am not quite myself.”
Jenkins’s face softened, and he leaned forward again. “I lost my sister today.” He sniffled as tears flowed down his face. He lifted his puffy red rimmed eyes to meet her gaze and her heart broke all over again.
Her voice cracked. “I’m so sorry to hear that. I’m sure she was a wonderful girl who loved you so very much.” He nodded and rubbed his nose on his hospital gown sleeve.
Was it just this morning we were eating sandwiches and buying new clothes?Her heart pounded at the thought, a new lump formed in her throat. Kinley was the person she felt so attached to, a reminder of her own dark-haired, blue-eyed daughter, Lizzie. Now she was gone, and she had no one.
What is the point of opening yourself up to loving someone if life is fleeting? When I kept myself closed off, I may have felt lonely at times, but at least my heart didn’t ache for those I’ve lost.
“Would you like some of my food?” Jenkins pushed the tray towards her.
“You’d share your food? With me?” She stared down at this young boy who simply nodded at her. He came from an abusive home, had little food to eat, just lost his sister, and was now willing to share the small amount he was given, to who he thought was a complete stranger.
The world collapsed around her. In all her lives, she hadn’t been met with this level of sacrifice, and she wanted to give him the world.
Oh Darla, please be okay. Pull through, not just for me, but for Jenkins,she thought and gave him a warm smile.
“Yeah, I think my new mom would be proud of me for sharing.”
New mom. He thinks of me as his new mom?Her new body reacted easily as new tears formed, not tears of sadness, but tears of something else, something new.
“I’m sure she would be very proud of you.” She reached out and gave his small hand a squeeze. He smiled in response and looked back down at his food tray.
“How about I eat those vegetables for you, and you eat all the yummy things?” She gave him a wink. He smiled big and took a big bite of the ham and cheese sandwich.
She reached down and grabbed a cold sliced carrot and popped it in her mouth. Asking more about his mom seemed unnecessary. A new sense of urgency blossomed deep inside her as she thought about her old body and that it was still being operated on.
Jenkins ate quietly and offered the occasional smile at Mrs. Brown.
I knew so much about Kinley, but never took the time to get to know him. He’s my family now. I won’t switch with him. I swear, if I can get back to my wealth and power, I am going to give him the best life possible.She thought as she grabbed the last carrot from his tray.
“How old are you?” His face lit up at the direct question.
“I’m fourteen, just like my sister is. Um, was.” His voice got low, and his eyes lowered.
Twins, they were twins!Her mind raced as she took a new account of his appearance. He looked so much more like Kinley than she first realized. Their eyes were the same color and shape, and even though his hair was much shorter, it was the same jet-black shade.
Jenkins and I have both lost so much in our lives, we need each other now more than ever.She wanted to reach out so badly and wrap his small body in her arms, stroke his hair and tell him it was all going to be okay.
She wanted to tell him all about her gift, about how she has lived so many lives, and how for the first time, she wanted to stay longer so that they could be together, that they could work together and continue to build a better life.
Just as Jenkins finished drinking the last bit of milk, a nurse approached them. Her smile was warm and inviting. She was much younger than the other nurses Mrs. Brown had seen so far, but she still had a hint of positivity in her demeanor.
“Jenkins, she is out of surgery and is in recovery waiting to wake up. Would you like to go sit in her room and be there when she wakes up? I’m sure it would mean so much to her.” Her perfectly straight teeth glimmered even in the dim waiting room and even Mrs. Brown felt comforted by her presence. Jenkins nodded before turning to Mrs. Brown.
“It sure was nice to meet you.” Jenkins hopped down from the couch and around the table toward the waiting nurse, before stopping and turning toward her once more “And I’m sorry about your husband.” Jenkins turned back to the nurse and looked cautiously at her.
What is he possibly thinking about right now?She considered the young boy.
“Do you think you could go with me? I don’t want to wait alone.” Jenkins’s blue eyes met hers, and it felt as though he could see right through her, that he knew she was truly Darla in this body. She looked up at the nurse who gave her a quick shoulder shrug.
“I don’t see why not.” The nurse’s small voice tried to sound positive and authoritative, but it came out conflicted with the uneven rise and fall in her pitch.
