I Will Always Love You

By Jennifer Curtis and Victoria Curtis

Do you enjoy reading short stories? Well, this book is right up your alley!

"I Will Always Love You": This goes into the life of a young girl that finds her true love, and then tragedy hits. Her life is changed forever and not what she had planned. While dealing with her new life, love finds its way into her heart again.

"Free": Have you ever wondered what your life would be like if you were a prisoner? That is just how Lexie Marie feels. She thought she had it all: perfect grades, being on the track team, and going to college to become a doctor. But she let life get in the way, and while being so young, she became a prisoner in her own life. She had to fight her way out of the situations she had gotten herself into. In the end, she was finally free.

"Justice for Leo": A young boy loses his brother in a gang killing. He wanted to get justice for him, but only being a young child himself, he wasn't sure how to go about it. That is until he had a dream of his brother, and he showed him how to do it.

"If Tomorrow Never Comes": Do you ever have a day that you wish you could repeat? Maybe to save someone or to make amends with a friend or family member. Or to even help a stranger in need. Welcome to the day a nurse had; she had to repeat her day over and over until she finally figured out what she had to do to get to tomorrow. Be careful who you offer to help; you never know who is listening.

"Unexpected Love": Love is all around, and some people get it, while others don't. But for one lady, it was very unexpected. She never believed that her life would turn out the way it did.

"The OATH": Have you ever had a dream that was so vivid and seemed so real? Dr. Tori had a dream just like that. But was it really happening, or was it just a dream?

"Friendships Last Forever": People make friends during their lifetime; some come and go, whereas a handful might last forever. Some friends even wait for you in the afterlife.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fulton Books, Inc.
• Release date: Sep 29, 2023
• ISBN: 9798889822950

Book preview

Table of Contents

Title

Copyright

I Will Always Love You

Free

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Friendships Last Forever

Justice for Leo

The OATH

If Tomorrow Never Comes

Unexpected Love

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

About the Authors

cover.jpg

I Will Always Love You

Jennifer Curtis and Victoria Curtis

Copyright © 2023 Jennifer Curtis and Victoria Curtis

All rights reserved

First Edition

Fulton Books

Meadville, PA

Published by Fulton Books 2023

ISBN 979-8-88982-294-3 (paperback)

ISBN 979-8-88982-295-0 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

I Will Always Love You

(By Tori Curtis, August 2, 2020)

Watch out! were the last words I heard Curtis say before the accident. It all started the night before our wedding. We spent the day together, since the next day, we couldn't see each other until the wedding. Curtis and I have been together for eight years; he popped the question on Christmas Eve two years ago. Anyways, we decided to go for a drive: see the country, try to see if we wanted to buy some land and build our new home or buy an older one and fix it up. It was about 2:00 p.m., and I said okay. We got about six hours left before I must go be with the girls and get stuff ready for tomorrow. He laughed and said, I know. I know. The guys want to throw me a party tonight, but I'd rather be with you. I told him that was sweet, but I didn't mind him going out tonight with his guys because I'd get him the rest of our lives. He smiled and said, Well, babe, that's true.

Curtis had seen a small dirt road out of the corner of his eye and turned onto it. I asked where we were going. I thought we were just driving around to enjoy the countryside. He said, We just want to see where this little road goes.

I said, Okay, well, let's keep going. We noticed that the road started getting small and turned more into a trail instead of a road. Curtis pulled the Jeep over, and we both got out. I looked around and told Curtis, Hey, since it's a pretty fall day and we have time before we have to be back in town, why don't we go exploring like we used to. He agreed, so I gathered a few bottles of water we had and put them in my bag. We both headed out to walk the trail. It was such a beautiful scene of the country. The sky was clear and bright blue, and the wind was slowly blowing through the trees. The birds were singing, and deer were roaming around, and a few squirrels were jumping from tree to tree.

I told Curtis, Wouldn't it be nice to have a cabin out through here and seeing this every day?

He smiled and said, Yeah, it would, and a nice place to raise a family.

I replied, Definitely would be nice. We walked down the trail some more and came across a small stream. I told Curtis, Well, if I knew this was here, we could have brought our fishing stuff.

He laughed and said, Yeah, true. Then he said, Hey, Amber, go look at that tree.

I looked at him funny and said, Okay. As I was walking to the tree, I noticed that there was a small basket behind it. I told Curtis, Look what I found.

He said, Well, what's in it? I opened the basket, and it had two wineglasses and a bottle of my favorite cherry wine and a blanket. We laid out the blanket and lay down in it, and Curtis poured us a glass of wine. I told him this was perfect, and when I looked up at him, he had the biggest smile on his face and said, Yeah, I know you would like it.

I said, How did you do this?

He replied, You see, this is already our land. It was my grandfather's, and he left it to my uncle James, and he gave it to us as a wedding gift. I had tears in my eyes as I leaned over to hug him, and I was just speechless. I could not believe that this perfect piece of land was ours, and we were going to build a home on it. Curtis and I lay on the blanket and talked about our future. I could not believe that in less than twenty-four hours, I was going to marry my best friend.

Three hours had passed, and it was nearly six o'clock, and we had to be back in town and ready by eight. I got up and helped Curtis fold the blanket and put the glasses and the wine back in the basket and started back down the trail. We reached the Jeep and put the stuff in it and got in and got ready to go. I asked Curtis if he would be okay to drive since we did have some wine. He said, No problem. I only had one glass. I will be fine.

So we headed down the road and finally reached the main highway. We were about a mile from town, and he asked me to drive the rest of the way. He was getting sick to his stomach. He pulled over, and we traded places. As I turned left and headed to town, I saw a dump truck that was crossing over the lines and back before I could move out of the way. I heard Curtis scream, Watch out!

All I remember then was waking up in the hospital in pain. The nurse came in and told me that I had been in a bad car accident. I asked her if Curtis was okay. All she would tell me was that he was in surgery. She told me that my dad and sister were in the waiting room, ready to see me. I told her that she could send them in. As they came in, I saw their eyes filled with tears. I told them that I was okay and that everything would be fine. I then heard someone in the hall scream, No, not my baby. My sister ran into the hall, and a few minutes later, she came back in with her head down and eyes full of tears. I tried to raise myself up but couldn't.

I yelled at her, What is it? She looked at Dad and shook her head and then fell into his arms. I said, Ellie, what is going on?

Dad, still holding on to her, looked at me and said, Honey, I'm sorry. I took a breath, then everything went black for a few minutes.

When I opened my eyes, I was still in pain, and my sister was sitting with me. She yelled at the nurse that I was awake. The nurse came in and asked me how I felt. I said I was in pain and that my legs felt funny. I tried to sit up again and still couldn't. After a few hours, the doctor came in and talked to me, Ellie, and my dad. He told me the car accident had crushed my legs and that I would not be able to walk again. I couldn't believe it. I lost the love of my life and now my legs. I just lay there and wished I were dead. Curtis's mother came in my room and gave me a hug and told me she loved me and that I needed to fight because that was what he would have told me to do. I looked at her with tears in my eyes and cried and said, You are right. She stayed with me for about an hour, talking about and remembering the good times, and before she left the room, she told me that she donated Curtis's organs since she was legally the next of kin and had the rights. I smiled and said, Thank you. I know that's what he wanted. He was always helping people in need. I was still in the hospital when they had Curtis's funeral. The doctor told me that I could go, but I just couldn't make myself.

After three months of recovery in the hospital, I was released, but I didn't go home. I went to the Corbin rehab. The doctor and physical therapy department wanted me to gain upper body strength since I would have to be in a wheelchair. I felt like I was in jail with all the rules at the rehab center. At first, I didn't care what I did. My life was all crumbling in front of me, and there was nothing I could do. I had been in the rehab center for about four months and was doing very well with my upper body strength; I could move myself from my bed to the wheelchair and back or to a chair and back. I was feeling a little better every day.

April 21 of 1986 was when my life changed. That morning, when I went to the physical therapy room, Julie told me that Friday would be her last day for a while. She was going on maternity leave and would be gone for at least twelve to sixteen weeks. I had gotten close to her over the past few months, but I understood. She told me David would be covering her shift until she got back and that he used to work there full-time but had to take some time off due to medical issues. I hugged her and told her that I would miss her. Just then, David walked in and said, Hey, guys, I'm back. It seemed the whole place lit up, and everyone was hugging him or shaking his hand and welcoming him back. He walked over to me and Julie.

She said, David, this is Amber. She was in a car accident seven months ago and has been here with us to get her strength back.

He leaned over and shook my hand and said, Well, hello, Amber. It's nice to meet you. My name is David, but most everyone calls me Dave.

The next few days, I seemed to work ever harder than I had before. With two physical therapists, it was hard. Friday, the group threw Julie a baby shower and wished her luck. I hugged her and thanked her for all she had done for me, and I wanted to see pictures soon. She hugged me and said, Oh, don't worry. You will. She also told me to keep up the work and never give up.

The next few weeks, it seemed Dave had worked me to the bone, but I was able to do more, and it felt good to get some mobility back even though it was from the waist up. But he thought I could do more. This was when I looked at him funny and said, Okay, what are you talking about?

He patted my shoulder and said, Well, Amber, I have read and reread your health records and looked at your X-rays and MRIs, and I don't think there is any reason we can't get your leg muscles working again and you could walk again.

I said there was no way. The doctor told me that I would never be able to walk again.

He laughed and said, Well, doctors don't know everything.

That Tuesday, we began just working on my feet and ankles, doing exercises and moving them up and down. Well, mostly he did since they were still kind of numb, like they were asleep. After two weeks, I was able to move my ankles up and down and move my toes some. The next step was getting my thigh muscles tightened and stronger. It took a while for that four weeks, and I was ready to give up. It was so hard, and I felt like I couldn't do it and was back at square one. But Dave kept encouraging me and said, You can do anything you set your mind to. I will always be here to help you. Just trust me and have faith, Amber. I wanted to cry because Curtis used to say that to me when I would doubt myself. I had never heard it from anyone else.

I told Dave that I was ready to give it all I had and try my best. He hugged me and said, Yes, that's what I wanted to hear. As he took me back to my room, he sat in there for a good twenty minutes, and we went over a plan for the next steps that I needed to do. I could not believe that I might get to walk again, but if it happened, it would be a miracle, and if I couldn't, at least I tried, right?

The next day after breakfast, Dave and one of the physical therapy assistants came to my room and asked me if I was ready. I rose up and said, Yeah, sure, let's get this day started. It seemed like the hallway from my room to the gym got longer and longer and we would never make it, like one of those movies or a mirror maze. My anxiety was so up I could feel my heart in my throat. We arrived at the gym, and everyone was busy working with their patients, and it seemed like a normal day.

Kristian, the assistant, came over and handed Dave a pair of braces. I asked him what they were for. He said, Don't worry. I am going to put this on your legs to help you stand. Stand—I haven't stood in almost a year. After they put the braces on my legs, they wheeled me over to a platform with metal bars on both sides of it. Dave told me to grab the bars and that he would be in front of me and Kristian behind me with the wheelchair. If I felt like I was going to fall, they would be there. I grabbed the bars and scooted to the edge of my chair and tried to stand, but it didn't work. Dave hollered for another assistant to come help hold me up. He put a gait belt on me, and he and Dave lifted me up out of the chair as I was holding to the bars and Kristian was behind me. They let go of the belt, and I maybe stood for like thirty seconds and fell backward.

Kristian was behind me with the chair and didn't really fall but fell into the chair. I told them that I couldn't do it. Dave took my hands and said, Yes, you can. You stood for thirty seconds. It is going to take time, but we believe you can do it. Every day we worked on the same thing until I was finally able to stand for a whole two minutes. I felt like a new person. I haven't stood in a year. Even though it was just a few minutes, I did it. After therapy, I was thinking of Julie and had a look of sadness on my face, I guess, 'cause Dave said, Amber, what's wrong?

I said, Well, it's been almost three months, and won't you be leaving 'cause Julie is coming back?

He smiled and said, No, I'll still be here, and I can still work with you if you allow me to.

I told him, Yes, but I don't want to hurt Julie's feelings.

He said, I think she will understand.

Dave and Kristian worked me every day, and on Tuesday, December 15 of 1986, I took my first four steps. I couldn't believe it. It had been thirteen months since the car accident, and I actually stood up and took a step. It was hard work. I was tired, but I did it. Everyone in the gym, even patients, were cheering me on. Julie ran over to me and yelled, Oh my god, Amber. You did it, and hugged me. We both cried and laughed. After a break, I tried again and walked six steps.

After a few more tries and exercises, Dave took me back to my room. He sat there with me for about ten minutes and said, I told you that you could do it. I asked him why he cared so much. He smiled and said, Well, I care for all my patients.

Four more months of hard work, and I was walking with a walker, and I could move around. I moved slow, but at least I could walk. April 18, 1987, I was finally walking with a cane. After twenty-one months in the hospital plus the rehab center, I was released to go home. August 23, I was leaving and getting ready to go home. That morning, my dad and sister Ellie came and picked me up; before they got there, Dave came by and saw me. We sat there talking, and he finally told me why he was so hard on me. He pulled his shirt up, and that was when I saw it.

I was in shock. I couldn't believe it. He told me that he had a heart transplant, that there was a perfect match in the hospital, and he was the next on the list to receive one. All the transplant people told him that it was a young male in his twenties that had been in a car wreck. I cried and couldn't believe it. Did Dave really have Curtis's heart? Was this the reason we were clicking and I cared so much about him? He told me that after his surgery, the first few months were rough, and he wanted to give up because he felt so bad, but with encouragement from friends and family, he worked hard and was back up to his self and was back to work in no time. "That's when I met you, Amber, and