Chapter 2

30 MINUTES EARILER

--BOONE--

"I'm sorry sir, but we simply don't have the resources to continue treatment," a nurse spoke to Boone.

"You don't have enough resources?" he asked confusedly.

"I'm sorry, but there's a shortage of just about everything worldwide. Especially after the war... we can only do so much anymore," she said depressingly. Boone stared back at her, his face wore a look of subdued pain as he stood there in the middle of the hospital hallway, lost for words.

"The best we can do now is hospice. You can bring her back home tomorrow morning and make her as comfortable as you can for the time she has left," she says as she hands him a brochure. Boone grabbed it and somberly looked down at the cover. It showed a terminally ill patient, smiling however, accompanied by a family member and a nurse. He studied the cover while his mind was tormented by the imagination of how that would actually be, slowly watching his wife die.

"Once again, I'm very sorry Mr. Carter. I'll give you some time," she said as she walked away. Her steps quietly echoed through the hall as she walked along the white hospital floor tile.

Boone let his arms fall to the side with the brochure still gripped in his right hand. He lifted his head up and held his eyes shut for a moment, trying to compose his inner thoughts. He reopened them and turned himself to face the door next to him. Through the window slit he saw across the hospital room, out to the window in the back. It showed the night Chicago skyline, the glowing skyscrapers and streetlights beaming back at him. He dreaded what he would have to do next: walk in and tell his wife that she was going to die. His heart raced as he fumbled with the words in his brain, trying to prepare something to say. His mind couldn't stop picturing the face of despair he would see on his wife as he broke the news to her. Boone's eyes began to water as he spiraled further down the mental rabbit hole. He looked down and wiped his eyes with his wrists, still holding onto the brochure.

He took a deep breath as he accrued the courage to step in. Shakily, he grabbed the door handle with his left hand, stuffing the brochure in his back pocket with his other hand, and stepped through the doorway. To his right, lay his wife, dressed in a hospital gown. The only sound in the room was the sound of the heart monitor beating rhythmically. As he walked in, his wife turned her head over from looking out the window to face him. Her face, once glowing and full of life, now pale and sunken. Her red hair was thin and frayed, and her nose occupied by a breathing tube. Despite that, her smile when she saw her husband was still as pure and full of love. Boone held eye contact with her in silence for a few seconds, studying the details of her face, for he would not have many more times to do so.

"Hey Miriam," he said finally.

"Hey Boone," she responded weakly.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Better now that you're here," she said, smiling once more. Boone smiled back as he felt tears begin to well up behind his eyes again. He tried his hardest to hold them back, he wanted to stay as positive as he could for Miriam. If she could still carry her patented beautiful smile through all this, then he could too.

"I overheard the nurse," Miriam said. Boone's heart sank in his stomach. In some ways he was relieved he didn't have to be the one to tell her anymore, but he still felt the pain of the realization that his wife now knows her days are numbered. He slowly walked towards the window at the other end of the room. For a moment, he looked out at the city before him, but soon his eyes shifted and focused on the reflection of himself. He had silky bond hair that draped partially across his forehead. His face was narrow, with defined cheekbones. His brown eyes shifted over to look at the reflection of his wife in the windows, as she looked at his back.

"I'm sorry Miri," he said sadly.

"Don't be sorry honey. There's nothing you can do," Miriam responded.

"There has to be something I can do. All these powers and I still can't help you," his voice breaking up a little.

"What you can do," Miriam started, "Is come here and talk to me." She spoke. Boone turned around to face her. "I've missed you."

Boone smiled softly, and grabbed the back of a chair, bringing it over next to her bed. He positioned it up next to her and sat down. He looked into her eyes, admiring their shine, as she did his.

“Are they taking good care of you here?” he asked.

“I can’t complain,” she replied. Even if they did mistreat her, she wouldn’t complain. “Are you taking care of the house?”

“Of course,” he assured. “I’ll bring you back home tomorrow. I think you’ll like some of the things I’ve done to the place.”

“You’ve done some things to the house?”

“Yeah,” Boone said. “Nothing crazy. Planted a tree in the front yard. A small one, but still a tree.”

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“What kind of tree?”

“I honestly have no idea.”

“I wouldn’t even know the tree if you told me what it was,” she laughed. “I’m not sure why I asked that.” Boone laughed quietly along with her.

“Before we leave the city though,” she started again. “I want to see The Bean one last time.”

“That giant mirror?”

“It’s not a giant mirror Boone. It’s The Bean.”

“I just don’t see the appeal in it,” he said. She stared into him, silently pleading.

“Ok,” he conceded. “We’ll go see The Bean.”

“I figured you might have been finally tapping into that sentimental side you have buried deep down,” Miriam said. “No, that’s not the right word. Expressive, maybe?”

“What do you mean?”

“You planted a tree. Never in a million years would I have guess Boone Carter would plant a tree. You’d live in a grey one by one if it wasn’t for me.”

“I am sentimental,” he argued.

“To me,” she corrected.

“Nothing else to be sentimental about in the world.”

“Sure there is. I know you’re stubborn, but I’ll spend my last days on Earth opening you up to the beauty of it. What’s left of the beauty anyway.”

My last days stuck out in Boone’s head.

“Don’t talk like that,” he sighed.

“I don’t see the point in avoiding the inevitable,” she explained. “Something isn’t beautiful because it lasts.”

Boone held his head low, scratching his chin as he fell silent.

"I heard that Regis is going to announce that we are meeting with some people from Andromeda tonight," Miriam said, breaking the silence. "Isn't that exciting?"

Boone subtly nodded his head. "Sounds exciting. I'm just not sure I can believe it. They would never contact us before, I find it hard that now, especially now, they would agree to that."

"Well, we gotta hope for the best, right?" Miriam said. “Maybe some of your friends are here too. In Chicago. Leo, Tommy, maybe even Frank.” Boone looked up at her. “I think you should go see them.”

“Maybe.”

“You should, B.” He didn’t waver.

“I want to see them,” she added. “It would be nice.”

He sighed. “Yeah. I’ll give them a call.”

“Thank you.”

They went quiet again. Boone stayed focused on his wife's face, still detailing every part of her, perfecting his mental image. The two of them sat in silence for some time, looking at each other. They held onto this moment as if it was slipping away. Total silence wasn't awkward when it was with each other. Boone enjoyed these moments, as just being around his wife satisfied him.

"How've you been?" Miriam asked.

"Fine?" he replied, somewhat confused. "Same as before."

"No. How have you been really?" She clarified. "I know you Boone. Somethings bothering you."

He looked down for a moment as he processed her question. What's bothering me is the love of my life is dying, he thought to himself. But he knew that's not what she meant. Miriam was right. She saw through him like no one else could. Something was troubling Boone deep down. He looked back up to answer her.

"I've been thinking about the war a lot recently," he sighed. She maintained eye contact with him to signal she was listening. "I can't shake this feeling that... maybe I did the wrong thing." Miriam's head leaned back slightly, as she recognized his concern.

"If I had known things were going to play out the way that they did, then..." He paused for a moment. "I don't know what I would've done differently. I think that's what bothers me the most. I just don't know." Boone held there for a moment, before taking Miriam's hand in both of his. His skin was heavily tattooed; ink traced over bones and knuckles on his hands and traveled up his arms.

"I was supporting my home. I thought I was doing the right thing. The whole world fought each other because our planet is dying and in the end all we did was start killing it faster," Boone said.

“So you do have some sentiment in you.”

“Miriam, I’m serious.”

“I know,” she said, correcting herself. “I’m sorry.”

Miriam brought her hand over and placed it on top of Boone's. She took a breath and collected her energy for her response.

"I know that couldn't have been easy. I know that weighs on your conscience. But you did exactly what you should have done," Miriam said. Boone listened on with curiosity, surprised with her response.

"You're right. This planet is dying. And when people's backs are against the wall, with their own way of life depending on them, they will do anything to save their people," she continued. "Anyone else would've done the same thing to save their own, and that's just how cruel humans can be."

Boone's eyes wandered as he listened to her words, trying to find some kind of clarity to his guilt.

"The war is the reason we can't help you," he rebutted. "So much of the world is destroyed, and people like you are paying the price for it."

"Look at me," Miriam stated. Boone's eyes regained focus as he looked at her.

"You are so extraordinarily special. You have gifts that people only ever dream of having. What you did was save us. You saved me. You're the reason why I am still here. And I couldn't be more grateful. If it wasn't for you, I'd already be gone. Everyone here would already be gone. I may be on my way out already, but because of you, I can go happy," she said. Tears once again built up in Boone's eyes.

"And most importantly," she continued, "You're mine. I can die a happy woman knowing I got to spend my life with a man like you."

A tear streamed down Boone's face, as did Miriam's as they squeezed each other's hands tighter.

"So, if you are ever having second thoughts about the war, and what we had to do to survive, just know that others would've absolutely done the same, and would've felt no remorse." Miriam took her thumb and brushed it over the tops of Boone's fingers. "It takes the bravest of people to make the hardest decisions."

He sat there, watching her thumb brush his fingers at his took comfort in her words. He managed to start putting the pieces together in his mind, and with her guidance, he finally started to feel some inner peace. She was right. It was them or her, and Boone chooses her every time.

He stood up and leaned down towards her head, planting a kiss on her forehead.

"I love you Miri," Boone said as he closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against hers.

"I love you too B," she softly responded. He brought his hand up and cupped her face with it, holding her, savoring the feeling of her skin against his. Miriam put her hand against the back of his as the two of them stayed like this, the feeling of one another on themselves resonated through them.

A distant boom in the night interrupts their moment. Boone stands up straight and turns around to face the window. In the distance he sees a building with an eruption of fire spewing out from one of its upper floors. Orange flames light up the night sky, seemingly dimming the glow from the buildings around it.

"Oh my god," he mutters. He stands frozen next to Miriam's bed, watching the scene in the distance. He turns back around to see Miriam looking up back at him. Her eyes beam a look of worriedness at him, which only works to upset Boone even further. He looked back at the flames, his fear started to melt away, being replaced by confusion. The two of them watched for minutes, speechless. The flashing lights of police and firetrucks began to invade the picture, piling up at the base of the building.

Boone turned back around again, looking at Miriam, he could see that she already knew what he was about to say.

"I have to go," Boone said apologetically.

"Go, my superhero."