The room was familiar as she woke; it was a prison cell in hell of which the sentence would never end; she hoped to be in her own room every time she opened her eyes, but to her disappointment, she was still right there amid despair. The loud medical equipment beeping away and making alarm noises every now and again woke or kept her up most of the time. “How is anyone supposed to get better with this racket going on?” So she would think to herself more times than not. Taylor Maddison had been in the intensive care unit for six days; she was expecting all her friends to be visiting her soon; she was excited to see them all, especially Ryan. But, as the moments passed, her head reeled more, the burning in her eyes intensified, and her muscles grew weaker. Her mouth was dry though no amount of water could quench her thirst.
In the corner of the room sat her father sleeping upright on a couch the hospital staff had provided him. He refused to leave her side; even when the hospital staff tried to get him to go home for a few hours, always assuring him, she would be there when he returned. However, he refused. He wanted to stay by her side, sharing the burden of the struggle. If she needed anything, he would be there very close to her.
Her struggle had begun months ago; the lives of herself and everyone close to her had changed forever. The doctors only gave her three months to live; Taylor was at month eight, but the fight had not gotten any more manageable, and none of the treatment seemed to help anymore. Then, earlier that week, she fainted and hit her head against a sharp edge of a table; she had lost consciousness and was rushed to the hospital. Taylor had only woken two days after the accident. Ever since that day, her dad was there by her side; she would wake up many times, finding him asleep, understanding how little he had gotten ever since they diagnosed her; she would just leave him. He had devoted all his time to the care of his daughter; she loved him dearly for that.
A familiar face entered the room; her best friend, Ryan. He was one of her biggest supporters during these challenging times. Her weak heart was beating a little bit stronger with his comforting presence in the room. They had shared a special moment the night before her accident, he had visited a lot since then, but this time everything felt so different, almost like it was going to be their last time together. His sunken eyes had grown into a permanent shade of grey; he had lost a lot of weight too. The whites of his eyes had also changed into various shades of red, with thin red veins dominating his eyes. His face was swollen; she could tell he had been crying. She knew he didn’t sleep well either; he would assure her that he was okay, but she knew better. Most of the time, she wished he would just be honest with her.
They have been in love since they discovered each other in an online game three years ago; however, the romance never sparked until now. Although, Ryan realized they were running out of time, he took the chance and gave her the kiss both of them desired. They planned to meet the next day to spend some time together, but things never worked out as they planned.
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Their gazes met, she gave a weak smile, her eyes sparkled in the dim light of the hospital room, he smiled back, holding back tears that had been building up since he arrived at the hospital. He took her hand and placed it firmly in his, it had a note in it, but he held it tight. His warm hand was comforting; hers were as cold as ice even though the room was not.
“Are you ready for Champions of Kerr tomorrow?” Ryan decided to break the silence. Some color returned to her as those words brought some excitement. They had anticipated the MMORPG release for over a year now; when she got the news of her illness, however, she was saddened that she wouldn’t have the opportunity to spend time with her friends in the game they all would enjoy playing. However, living longer than expected gave everyone hope that this dream of her’s would come true.
“There is no way I’m missing it; besides, that’s why I’m still here.” Her smile caused Ryan to lose control over a single teardrop that escaped his left eye. “What is in the note?” She asked very weakly; she could feel her breathing was getting heavier, dim stars were visible, but she gave them no thought.
“It is my username in the game so that you’ll always be able to find me.” Another tear escaped his left eye; he quickly wiped it off and looked away from her.
“I love you.” She said to him with tears in her eyes, false tears though, nothing came out even though to her they felt real. Ryan looked down at her and started crying; he laid his head on her chest and couldn’t stop.
“I am so sorry.” He replied repeatedly; her heart grew very heavy, the temperature of her body dropped, the machines in the room got louder distracting her for a moment. Then, finally, Ryan looked up, and her father was right next to him with panic.
“It’s going to be okay, my sweetheart.” She saw the worry in her dad’s eyes.
One of the nurses rushed into the room and immediately asked the two men to leave. But, instead, Ryan gave her another kiss; her father slightly pushed him aside and embraced her.
“I will be right outside.” He whispered heavily. She nodded as she could feel her legs and arms filling with pins and needles. The note was still in her hand when Ryan’s hand slipped out of hers; she squeezed as hard as she could. She couldn’t feel it in her hand anymore, only a burning sensation. Her head reeled more than ever as she saw her father and Ryan exit the room. She looked over to the Nurse pressing a button violently on the wall. She knew there was nothing more that they could do, the reeling stopped, and the numb feeling in her legs and arms spread to the rest of her body.
For the first time, she was not scared to go anymore. The fight was brutal, but she fought it longer than most. Finally, total peace came over her as her breathing slowed. Her body turned to ice as she slowly felt the drowsiness go away. Her heartbeat grew louder but also slower; her concentration was shifting, her mind growing dark. She saw her mother and father holding her; it was a happy moment she did not expect. Reality or illusion? She could not tell. “I’m finally coming home to you, mommy.” With all sensation and consciousness leaving her, she heard her heart give its last beat, she fell into a deep sleep. Her hand opened as her life essence left her body; the note she held tightly fell to the ground, revealing what the note had said. “I love you. Yours forever faithful Gothexe.” It read.