Main Characters:

Emma Wilson

Julian Johnson

Chapter One:

Good old Memories

A few years ago, in the city of Princeton, New Jersey, a story emerged, with a passion so strong that it was impossible to ignore. In one of the streets of the immense city where two guys lived, there’s a young boy named Julian Johnson, who dreamed and became a great doctor like his father who had always admired. He was a kind and very talented person; he always was gentle every time he had the opportunity. His mother, a woman dedicated to caring the animals, she always supported and showed pride towards his son. They lived in an apartment surrounded by beautiful houses.

On that same street, in one of those houses lived Emma, Emma Wilson a beautiful and charismatic young woman who, like Julian, was kind and willing to help. His parents worked at a well-known law firm. Emma had always had many pets, which had fostered her immense love for animals of all kinds.

Julian and Emma were best friends, went to classes and did the homework together, despite having such different personalities their friendship was very strong, they never separated from each other. One day, without warning, their lives changed forever, and Emma had to leave.

Why? The day she had to say goodbye was sad, but Julian promised himself that he would not let Emma leave with tears in her eyes, and she would leave New Jersey with a smile that adorns her face. Julian gave Emma a string with a pendant, "Friends today, tomorrow and always." The farewell was sad and this is how this story begins.

Years passed and the children grew up becoming totally different people than they had been in the past, Julian had to fulfill the military service during a whole year. At the end of the year, he started to feel interested in the Medical University of Washington DC, where are produced great doctors as he always wanted, he had achieved his goals but something was missing, something that felt empty.

On the other hand, in London, Emma had become a beautiful woman and had decided to study biology at the University of Oxford, then chose to study a second university degree in veterinary medicine. She became a teacher at the University of London, and at night, she collaborated in the research of animal species. Every time she had the chance, she helped anyone who needed it.

Chapter Two:

Home, sweet, home

Princeton, New Jersey

Characters:

Emma Wilson

Emma´ s mother

Julian Johnson

Emma came back to the United States to visit her family in New Jersey, feeling different ... She remembered her childhood in the city of Princeton, the park, the zoo, all the memories from her childhood, Emma, who loved going to the park, to the zoo and looking at all those fascinating animals.

Now Emma had a dog, a beautiful golden retriever called Rose, which had been adopted a few years ago. Convinced of wanting to visit the zoo again, approach to her mother and also ask her to accompany her to the zoo, Emma, attempted to invite her mother but she was more of a woman on walks in the park, so finally, they went to the park, walked for a few minutes, sat below the shadow of a huge tree, and talked for hours, all felt good but something made her feel ... empty.

Upon returning to the Wilsons' house, Emma's mother became seriously ill, with the worry of her mother, she took her mother to the nearest hospital but Emma did not know New Jersey. The anguished and the ambulance arrived at the house, Emma followed them in her car to the hospital.



In the waiting room of the emergency entrance, where there was anguish and despair, Emma waited for some doctor to come to her and give her some news. So, it was a few minutes before a doctor approached and informed her about the situation. “Your mother is fine; she had a problem because she did not take her pills at the right time. You should control her medicines and, in a few days, she will be better” said the doctor. Emma, through tears, smiled knowing that her mother was fine.

Suddenly by the speakers of the hospital, someone, announced the name of the Doctor who had helped her mother was Julian Johnson. Upon hearing this, Emma remembered her childhood friend.

-Julian? Julian Johnson? Do you remember me? ... I'm Emma Wilson, we used to be best friends.

Julian -surprised- did not know what to say because he had not seen Emma for many years, she had changed so much, even looked more beautiful than ever, he did not know what to say and was totally impressed -Emma has returned to New Jersey and she still reminds me- he thought, a light coming from the ambulances made shine the pendant Emma had around her neck. "Friends today, tomorrow and always" and his face lit up.

The hospital speaker again said his name and Julian had to say goodbye, but not before making sure that this time they would be in contact.

After a few days, Emma received a call, on the screen of her cell phone showed Julian, she could not help but smiled when she saw his name and without hesitation on the second call she answered.

-Hello, It’s Julian -He said on the other side of the line, he was nervous and his voice was shaking, he did not know why, after all he was talking to Emma, his childhood friend -Just wanted to know how your mother is, how is she?

-She is better. Emma said as she twisted a lock of her hair between her fingers, she was nervous, she did not know why, she only knew that she was nervous, deep inside she knew that she should not be nervous, after all she just was talking with Julian, her childhood friend.                                                                                                                           

--Well, we should go out one day, to talk about our lives, we have not seen each other for a long time.

Julian nodded and said "yes".

Chapter Three:

A roller coaster

At the Zoo

Characters:

Emma Wilson

Julian Johnson

One of those days, they had an ice cream on their way to the zoo that Emma liked to visit, they talked for hours, especially on what had happened in their lives during all that time. Both had changed, but in some way they were still the same, but there was something that did not fit, something made them feel uncomfortable, like strangers. They talked about so many things, laughed at everything that had happened and walked through the zoo, Emma looked beautiful, Julian looked more handsome. The looks between them were strange, different.

It was then that they understood that something had changed between them, not only they had grown up, but those strong feelings of friendship that had always existed between them had become stronger and stronger over time, and had transformed, if before they looked like Friends, now they could not deny that there was something else, although none dared to accept it.

At nightfall Julian took Emma back to her house, the house that she remembered perfectly, where they used to play in the afternoons after completing their tasks -The house that now looked so different- leaving her in front of the door, had to restrain his impulse to hold her tightly and keep her in his arms forever, she did not want him to leave, and he did not want to lose her again.

Emma opened the door with one hand and with the other said goodbye to Julian, then entered, but stood in front of the hall window until she saw the car move away in the dark mantle of the night. Suddenly she felt the hot heat of her cheeks blushing each time she thought of Julian.

So the days went by, they kept seeing each other, for weeks, they went to different places, while Julian showed the city to Emma, every moment they spent together only intensified what they felt for each other, the long looks, the comfortable silences, they got to know each other more in a week than the other people had done, everything was told, every time Julian had free time he went out with Emma and they went through each of Julian's favorite places and he took her to the places he knew that Emma was going to like.

Every night they talked on the cell phone, for hours, they could not deny that there was something between them, it was evident to everyone around them, except for themselves. They had spent so much time together that they had both forgotten important things about their personal lives.

One afternoon, Julian's cell phone received a message - "I'm going back to New Jersey tomorrow. Kisses ", was his girlfriend, who was in New York for work and now that she was coming back to New Jersey things were going to get complicated.



On the other hand, Emma had neglected her mother´s health, so she got very sick. However, seeing Emma so happy, talking about her afternoons with Julian and her innumerable outings.

Emma’s mother preferred not to tell her about her health. Every day Emma's mother got worse, and Julian avoided talking to her, he was trying to push her away, he felt something for Emma, something very strong, but he had a relationship that he had forgotten about for being with Emma so long, he could not avoid feeling guilty.

Emma called him, texted him, and every day she insisted on knowing what had happened. The emptiness she had felt had disappeared every time she was with Julian and now he had left her. Emma's mother became ill, so much that it was no longer possible trying to hide it, she was too weak to get her out of bed and take her to a hospital, but it was her only option. 

Emma picked up the phone and dialed to emergencies, the voice who answered on the other side was so familiar, the voice belongs to someone who was avoiding her calls, she had to put aside the fact that her heart was broken and face it or her mother could die "My mother is pretty ill, she needs an ambulance" she said, and then she cut the call.

Hearing Emma's voice on the other side of the line surprised him so bad that the phone slipped from his hands. Without saying a word, he rapidly sent an ambulance to Emma's house. The paramedics arrived quickly, and Emma's mother was taken to the hospital immediately, but things got complicated on the way, Emma's mother collapsed, her vital signs dropped drastically, without warning, she fell into a coma before being able to reach the hospital.

The paramedics managed to stabilize her until they reached the hospital and once inside they took her to the surgery room.

Hours passed, and nobody said anything, hours of suffering and anguish that Emma had to suffer alone. She did not want to lose her mother, did not want to lose the only person she still had. Emma´´´´ s father had died 4 years ago and now her mother. The tears kept pouring out of her eyes and rolling down her cheeks until her shirt was wet. After stop crying, she saw the nurses go by and run to the surgery room, and heard the speakers calling to multiple doctors to the room where her mother was, she even watched Julian run from one room to another covered in blood, but nobody said anything to her. 

The surgery took about 16 hours and the waiting room had become the most exasperating and cold room in which Emma had been before, every hour she stand up from her sit and walked by to the reception asking about the situation, they just told her that her mother was in the hands of the best doctors. She did not doubt it.  She did not doubt that Julian was the best doctor, but the anguish and worry did not leave her alone.

It was early in morning and she started to feel sleepy, she did not want to fall asleep. While she was trying to keep her eyes open Julian approached her, she could not stave off running to hug him tightly, and start crying in his chest, she was so scared, she needed a friend, and she needed Julian.

-Your mother ... We managed to stabilize her, but ... - he hesitated for a few seconds, he could not tell Emma, but professionally he had to do it, no matter how hard it was for him. -Her brain is dead, she is ... She fell into a coma.

Emma could not avert crying once again, her mother was not dead, but almost, Julian wanted to be with her, she needed him, but he could not, he could not just forget Christine, his girlfriend, for Emma. She might did not even feel the same for him.

Julian directed Emma to the intensive care room where they had taken his mother, and then left her there, so she could be alone with her mother. He could not avoid feeling bad for her, but what could he do now?

Emma continued returning to the hospital every day from very early to late at night, Julian could not help but look at her, want to be by her side, hug her, and show her that he was there, show her support. He tried to concentrate on his work, but seeing her there, was so sad, she was so lonely, like a child, he wanted to run to her side and say -"Here I am, here I will be, today, tomorrow and always"- and that was true, he wanted to be there for her, forever, and always take care of her, he did not want to leave her alone, not for a second, but, nevertheless, he had left her alone, constantly. He could not help but think of those times that Emma had called him, that she had sent her messages, and he had ignored the calls, he had avoided her.



Now, Emma needed someone, who was there for her, in every moment, every second, but Julian could not be that person, no matter how much he wanted, it could not be who that was by his side, that will hug her, that will bring she coffee, to relieve her hurt, that she could rest in his shoulder, he wanted to be that person. Emma wanted him so hard that the insight that he was going out with someone else that was not her was repulsive, Julian remembered every time that he had had the chance to tell Emma what he felt, every time had ignored her calls, her messages, and now, now that she needed him, he could not be there for her.

Emma was lonely, she wanted Julian to be there, by her side, to tell her that everything was fine, to tell her that it would be there for her "Today, tomorrow and always", as he said on her necklace, when they were kids.

That phrase seemed the most real promise anyone could have ever made, but now, it seemed false, unreal. She saw him passing by the side of the room, and not once had she spoken to him, she could not even see him. Now that she needed him, they were so distant, more distant than they could have been when she was in London, but now was different, now she needed him, really needed him, so much so that combined with the anguish of the night she could lose her mother, and whenever a nurse came into the room to check her mother's signs, made her break into tears. She stayed there at night, she left so late and returned early.  Emma began to feel alone, her house was lonely, there was no nobody, and the laughter of her mother no longer resonated a by the walls of the house, the melodious sound of the grand piano of the living room it was not there anymore.

Emma had even stopped eating, she could not just stop thinking about her mother, all the time she was anguished.

One night, she decided to stay there, in the hospital with her mother, she did not want to go home, she did not want to leave her alone. That same night, she lost everything, everything she had, everything she still had. During the night, the heart of his mother failed, her organs failed. The doctors entered the room, took her mother out and took her to the surgery room, even Julian was there. He looked at her for a moment, then left with the other doctors.

A long time passed, so long it seemed an eternity, or surely it was the despair that had made her think that the hours did not pass, Julian left the surgery room and went to talk to Emma.

He had his head down, looked like a child who had done something bad.

-Julian said: Your mother...She is dead.

Emma's knees failed and she fell, but Julian stopped her before she fell to the ground. She had lost everything, she broke into tears that she couldn't stop and and that one after another threatened his stability, if he still retained it. Julian hugged her as hard as he could, as strong as she had wanted to- "I'm here Emma, I'm here, I'll never leave"

Those were the words she had wanted to hear all this time, she only wished, that it had not been now that his mother had left her. Julian's words of support beat hard against his chest.