Melody of the Roses

His head lay on the unusually flat pillow. As he rolled to the side, he noticed how annoyed the sheets had started to make him. He guessed they must have been stitched together from bits of paper, for comfort was definitely not their expertise. His head ached. Pounding through his ears and around the base of his skull, he could feel and sense every detail of life with a stinging hurt. He tried to lift his right hand to caress his forehead but found the movement caused him so much pain he almost fainted from the effort.
So he lay still as he let his eyelids fall open. His memory failed him as he searched for an answer to where he was. The ceiling above his head was dirty and paneled with white holey pieces of material. He glanced to his left and saw a window which displayed a field of green trees beyond. Keeping his breathing steady he shifted his weight to the right side of the bed and stared in that direction. Just as his eyes met her, she spoke in a soft yet irritating voice,
"Oh goodness! You're finally awake. How do you feel? Are you alright? The doctor said you'll be fine. He said the injuries were not deep enough to cause any real damage. So you should regain full use of your hands again, that is, once the healing is done. Oh, honey we were so worried. But everything is going to..."
Memories flooded his mind as the realization of where he was set in and her voice began to fade in his ears. Nevertheless, for the next three minutes she continued her speech of comfoting words to him. Pleasant as her words were, he found them more annoying than comforting. Eventually, her presence diminished altogether as exhausted weariness grew on him and he fell into a welcomed slumber again.
When he awoke only an hour later, a younger woman was now by his bed. Elegance and beauty poured out of her as she relaxed against a high backed chair. A few minutes passed before she noticed he was awake. Seeing his eyes rest upon her, she smiled, delighted and reached out to caress his shoulder. He welcomed her touch and eased his body closer to the side of the bed. In a charmed yet somewhat reserved voice she asked,
"You know where you are?"
He inclined his head, indicating a positive response to her question. Relief fell from her shoulders as her eyes swelled with tears and she turned away from him.
"Analeigh"
His voice was rugged and heavy with desperation. He waited for her to respond and longed to reach out and grab her hand. Fear of her silence gnawed at his bones and sent chills through his spine. If there was one person in the whole world whose disapproval he could not bear to know, it was hers.
After what seemed like a century, she finally spoke. Her voice was strained, longing, fearful. Yet passion could still be heard seeping through and the softness of her very being couldn't help but grace her words. She spoke slowly and clearly, as if every letter was part of a desperate plea for help and the words fell upon his ears like a river rushing around a tight bending curve in the earth.
"What was it like? How did it feel?"
Her questions seemed fairly simple yet they entailed a life time's worth of answers. He knew no easy response would suffice her curiosity so he readied himself for a detailed account. Pulling the air through his lungs and steadying his mind, he began.
"It was beautiful... But not at first. At first it was dark and empty. I felt the blade shape its way through my wrist and as it did, I felt darkness take over. At first, every annoying sensation of the world around me was as if it were super magnified. My heart filled with doubt as it desperately tried to calm its own erratic rate. My ears started to ring but only for a few moments and then came a deafening silence. I couldn't stop my eyelids from sliding down over my eyes and the only sensation I knew then was the feel of my own blood rushing from my veins."
He paused and gazed up at her wondering whether she wanted him to finish or not.Her intense look made him aware of her wishes without having to express any words and he continued. His voice was slower this time and close to a whisper.
"But once that passed... Analeigh... it was wonderful. It was blissful. Perfect, like a melody from a long lost song. It grabbed hold of me and we danced to a stunning rhythm. The darkness faded and I was surrounded by stars of shining light. Every part of my being was fulfilled and satisfied. My worries were emptied from me and I felt a waterfall of weight slip off my very bones. The chills, the aching... all the pain was gone Analeigh. I was sitting among a field of wild roses and I smelled every sweet scent they had to offer."
In a more frantic, stern and longing tone he echoed,
"I smelled the roses Analeigh."
Light tears started to slide down his cheeks and his voice changed from anxious contained excitement to desperate hopelessness.
"And then it was gone. Just like that, I was pulled from the depths of beauty itself and thrown into darkness. Pain... excruciating pain enveloped my entire body and I could feel someone pulling me back. I tried to fight it. I tried to return to the roses, but that hand had such a tight hold on me. I couldn't breathe. I felt my lungs gasp and panic for air. I just wanted to go back to the roses but it kept pulling and with every surge, the pain grew stronger. Until finally every beautiful grace that I had experienced left me completely. My hope for happiness drifted away and I let myself sink into despair. The next thing I know, I'm lying in a hospital bed."
Analeigh let his voice fade out before she lifted her head and formed words. Her cheeks were covered in tears and her lips trembled. Her voice full of yearing desire and bleak hope, she said,
"Death sounds even more magical that I dreamed of. I wish I could have felt it with you. I wish I had the strength..."
Her voice died out as sad sobs escaped her lips and she was unable to form any more words.