Halo let me go and stepped back. “Fine. I get it.” She smoothed down her long sleeve t-shirt. “Everyone needs a break. You do what you need to to get through this. But I don’t ever want you to bring this shit back into her room. Do you understand?”
“I do.”
She gave a curt nod. “Go for a walk. Get some air,” Halo ordered, then she and Crux went back into Skye’s room. I watched from the doorway as they returned to their vigil at her bedside while the nurse was checking the monitors. I then ambled down the hall until I got to a bank of vending machines. I fished in my pockets for some money.
I returned to Skye’s room… Skye’s room. I hated calling it that. The hospital room. Room 403. I returned to room 403, with sodas as peace offerings. Halo and Crux quietly accepted the gesture, and we sat, silently sipping pop to the sounds of beeps and whispering machines.
I stared at Skye, looking so small in the bed, so defeated, the machines standing over her like dangerous Druidic cultists toying with her life force.
I promised Skye I wouldn’t tell the other two her wishes. Did I promise? I couldn’t even remember anymore. If I told them, would she know? Would she think I broke my word and give up fighting? Don’t they deserve to know? Maybe Halo or Crux have it within to do the thing that I couldn’t.
“Maybe you should write all this down,” Halo said.
“Sorry, what?” I shook my head, pulling myself from my thoughts.
“Put this all to paper. Like a memoir,” Halo said. “Exorcize your demons.”
“That’s not a bad idea,” Crux added. “We all need to find ways to deal with this and you’re the writer.”
“Yeah. Maybe,” I said. Words hadn’t flowed from me and onto a page since before the move. I was just too busy. And then Skye got sick. “I can try.”
There was a knock on the door and Dr. Houser walked in. “Sorry to interrupt, but there’s been a development in Skye’s condition. We need to prep her for immediate surgery.”
We all shot to our feet.
“Does this mean…?” I began.
Dr. Houser’s eyes shone and he nodded. “We have a heart.”
Chapter 13
SKYE
Imighthaveheardtheir voices first. Or maybe I felt their auras. The bond. The connection to the people I loved most.
“Open your eyes, beautiful,”
“You can do it.”
“Wake up.”
I opened my eyes, and they felt so unbelievably heavy. My vision was blurry, and all I could see were fuzzy figures looking down at me. Someone squeezed my hand. I squeezed back. I closed my eyes again. Maybe I fell back asleep.
“Come on,” someone said, the tone in their voice urging me onward.
I forced my eyes open again, and the fuzzy figures slowly came into focus. One by one I recognized the people watching over me. Severen. Halo. Crux. Charisma.
“Am I…?” My throat was so dry.
“You made it,” Charisma said.
Halo stroked my cheek. “You got a new heart. You’re going to be alright.”
I think I hummed something affirmative. I was so exhausted.
A new face entered the circle. A nurse. She spoke with a raised voice, her words carrying. “Skye? I’m nurse Lawrence, do you remember me?”
“I don’t think so.” Was I supposed to?
