A love story about two people. He's a Dragon. She's a Butterfly.

Chapter One



By the time Dan had gotten to the hospital, Jenna was already in a coma and the doctors had said that her heart was failing. He was hurt but knew better than to show it. Why wasn’t he called sooner, why now when it was too late? He knew the answer to that question, but still he had so many things that he had wanted to say. Why did he wait so long? Why did she have to do this? Why, Why, Why?

Jenna and Dan had been separated for almost a year, so it was no surprise to him that her family would call him at the last moment. Jenna’s family hated him. It was his fault. He was the one that caused the separation and caused their daughter so much pain. Then why was their daughter here because of what the doctors thought was an overdose? Dan didn’t know the answer to that question. Was he the reason for this? There was so much going through Dan’s head right now. He hated not knowing but also knew better than to react on his first impulse.

Dan took a couple of deep breaths. He muttered a prayer. His gaze went from one end of the room to the other. The room was brightly lit, a chair and table next to the bed. He could smell the familiar smell of the hospital. Not that he spent much time in hospitals it was just something he never quite got used to. Every hospital smelled the same. Familiar only upon entrance, a smell he never really liked. A smell that meant that what he was seeing was real, and not a dream. There was a TV that hung from the ceiling across from her bed, it was silent, meaning that her condition was real, there was no need for outside stimulation when all her senses where buried deep inside of her somewhere. He waved off the obvious, he would get through to her somehow, he had to, he was her only hope. Hope was all he had and he refused to give it up no matter what. They had let him go in alone to have a little time with her for himself. Finally he looked at her. She was lying on the hospital bed. She looked as though she was sleeping. He remembered how beautiful she looked when she slept. The tears came. How could this happen? How could he have let this happen! He looked up and said, “ God, please don’t take her. It’s not her fault. She did what she thought she had to.”

He slowly made his way over to her bedside. He could hear her heartbeat on the monitor slow and erratic. Her heart. The thing he had loved most about her. Why was this happening? It couldn’t be, it was all a bad dream and in a couple of minutes he would wake up. But there it was. The monitor faintly showing the rhythm of her heart, yes it was all too real. He knelt down beside the bed grabbed her hands and started sobbing.

This was his butterfly; this was his hope, his dreams and his life. She was too young and precious to him to be lying here dying. After all wasn’t he her dragon? Couldn’t he fix just about anything? How could he let this happen to her? He thought about when they got the tattoos. It was both their first and even though they were probably a little too old to be doing it they did it anyway. Hers was a beautiful, self-designed butterfly on her thigh; his was a one of a kind dragon on the right side of his back. From that moment on they had playfully referred to each other as the dragon and the butterfly.

Now his butterfly lay dying and there wasn’t anything he could do. Or was there? He remembered telling her that they shared a special bond. Something only very few people share. He remembered telling her that one night while they were asleep. Somehow a piece of their hearts was replaced in one another. So that for the rest of there lives they would be one. They would be connected; it was a very special kind of love they shared. He knew this sounded foolish after all this was real life not some fairytale. Fairytales always had happy endings; real life didn’t always work out the way we planned. It was just his emotions playing tricks on him, sorrow, guilt, love, all of these and more and it tore at his heart.

He held her hands in his. He placed them over her heart and he prayed. He didn’t know whom he prayed to he just prayed. He asked that his life be given for hers. He said that she had a piece of his heart so let that carry her through. He cried, he couldn’t let this happen he just couldn’t. He needed her to know how much he loved her. He needed to hear her voice one more time. He wanted to tell her that everything was going to be all right. He didn’t know how long he knelt there. Things started going through his mind, events, and memories of happier times. Everything started to move. The room was spinning, his mind started to go blank.

Then it was dark.

When he woke he lay upon a blanket of grass. He was on his back. It was light, the sun shown through, white pillow like clouds were dancing their way across a sky so blue it was as though someone ripped a page right out of a travel brochure. He could hear birds? Songbirds. Where was he? This just didn’t make sense. He stood up, started to look around. That’s when he heard it laughter, female laughter. He looked around and that’s when he saw her. It was his butterfly, but how? She lay dying in a hospital bed. This couldn’t be happening.

He slowly walked towards her. Was it her? “Who are you?” he asked
“It’s me Jenna, you silly dragon.” She replied
He reached out and grabbed her. They held onto each other tightly. They both started crying. “Where are we?” he asked.
“I don’t know. You must be in my dream.” she said. “But how did you get here?”
Dan looked at her. “I don’t know, I was next to you in the hospital and then next thing I know, I’m here.”
Tears started to well up in her eyes again, “Dan, I’m dying.” “I just so much wanted to let you know how much I loved you, I always have and I always will, I wanted to say I’m sorry.”

Dan reached up to put his finger on her lip. “SHH, you don’t have anything to be sorry about, it was me, and it was my fault. “I love you too Jenna.”

“I have loved you from the day we met and will until the day I die.” Please forgive me for what happened.”
She reached down to hold his hand. “We should forgive each other Dan; I still can’t figure out what happened or why we still love each other so.”

Dan looked into her eyes. He always loved those beautiful blue eyes “ It’s because we were made for each other, the two of us had the same kind of hearts, it’s just that we had to many other things going wrong in our lives and we lost track of each other and ourselves.”

She moved forward to kiss him softly on the lips. “What ever happened I just wish we hadn’t wasted so much time and still had time to be together, but I have to go now and will wait for you, my dragon, to come sit by my side.” She started to turn away.

“Wait!” Cried Dan “Do you have to go now? Let’s just stay here and be together forever!”

Jenna turned back, her voice filled with sadness. “ We can’t stay here silly this is just a dream.”

“Where are you going?” he cried.

“To wait for you, see that light over there? I have to walk into it, but I will wait for you on the other side to come and be with me.”

“No”, he grabbed her hand, “I won’t let you.” She pulls away, “I’m sorry this is the way it has to be.”

She started to walk away. Dan started running. He knew that if he had any chance to save her this is what he must do. He would just as soon give his life for hers; she meant that much to him. He knew he loved her that much. He has known this since the day they met. He ran past her, she tried to grab him but he was too fast.

She started to run after him but couldn’t catch up. He turned around and yelled, “take care of yourself butterfly, I love you with all my heart.” He’s close to the light now and with one leap he jumped in.

The last thing that he sees is thousands of rose petals, falling, falling from the sky.

Then everything went black.

Jenna falls to the ground sobbing; slowly she reached out towards the light and screams “ NO.”

The last thing that she sees is rose petals thousands of them slowly falling from the sky. Then everything went black.

Nurses and doctors ran into the room followed quickly by Jenna’s family. She was sitting straight up in bed crying, sobbing “NO, NO, please not him.” The heart monitor is beating strong, the doctors can’t figure out what’s going on. This girl just lay in a coma, her heart failing, dying. Now she was lying up in bed screaming “No” with the monitor beating a perfect heart rhythm. What was going on? Then they looked down. Dan was still on his knees slumped over her bed. His breathing was shallow. They reached for him and set him into a chair. He was not responding, a doctor put his stethoscope up to Dan’s heart. His heartbeat was faint, very faint. The doctor yelled “nurse better get him into intensive care NOW! I don’t think he’s going to make it.” Jenna still lie sobbing at his side “please be all right, please be my mighty dragon, please don’t die for me, it’s not fair.”

The nurse looked at the doctor as they lifted him onto the gurney. “Doctor, what just happened here?” “I don’t know,” replied the doctor, “I think the only ones that do, are both in no condition to talk about it right now.”