Last Moments (standard:Psychological fiction, 1216 words)
Author: Paladin	Added: Dec 02 2005	Views/Reads: 3505/2228	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
A highschool couple who has been together for over three years, and have to face death together. Modeled after what I think my boyfriend and I would do in this situation, it is very real and heart-wrenching.

It had been a month since she had caught the avian flu, and every day
had been a fight once they detected its presence. Immediatly, she was 
bused to the hospital for intensive care, but even the most experienced 
doctors couldn't find her a cure. They said it would be a matter of 
days, and her parting wish was to see her boyfriend before she left. 

******************* 

Jonathan had recieved a call during school hours that his highschool
sweetheart was dying of the avian flu. For days, he had been waiting to 
hear any news of what was happening to Taylor. His parents picked him 
up from school at 11:38 in the morning, the end of fourth period, to 
give Taylor her final wish; her moment of peace. 

When they arrived at the hospital in grim procession, only Jonathan was
allowed to pass into the quarantined section. they handed him a mask to 
save him from any potential bacteria, but he threw it into his pocket 
with a silent curse: if she was dying, he might as well risk his life 
also. 

As he saw her, he took in a sharp breath. This wasn't the vibrant,
laughing beauty he had once known. Taylor was now anemic, pale, and 
cold looking, far from what he knew. He slowly walked over to the bed, 
trying to take in what was happening right in front of him. She was 
dying, there was nothing he could do to save her, though he desperately 
wanted to. 

As he sat down on the bed, the metal springs clinked, and she opened her
eyes abruptly, the sharp grey green contrasting to her very white skin. 


She smiled, and whispered one word, “Jonathan.” 

Taylor tried to sit up in bed, but her muscles didn't have the amount
oxygen required to move, Jonathan saw. Each breath was rasping, 
painful, and it took all her strength to keep drawing in air. He hated 
to see her like this, but it was too late to run away from it. 

He rested his hand on her cheek which he noticed was already cold and
thought with a sudden, stark realization, “Shes on her way out already, 
she's only alive to see me.”  He gave her a soft, sad smile, risking 
breaking into silent tears. 

She wrinkled her nose and whispered, “Well, don't you go crying, or I'll
start crying and then we'll have a huge crying fest. Then my mom will 
start cying and then the doctors will--” And there she broke off, set 
into a coughing fit. Jonathan heard that the fatal flu had taken over 
the tissue in her lungs, and was slowly dissolving it inside out, 
leaving fluid and blood inside the remaining cavity. 

“No talky sexy”, he said quietly. She shut up and looked at him. He
rested his forehead against hers, amazed by her willingness to still 
comply with what he wanted. 

There was really no need for words in the next couple of moments.
Jonathan picked Taylor up gingerly and cradled her in his arms, 
surprised by the lightness of her body. And together they both cried 
silently, not wanting to let each other go. 

“I hate seeing you like this... You can let go now; it's okay to, I'm
here.” Jonatahn kissed her nose gently, something he relished in doing, 
but occasionally forgot about how much he enjoyed it. 

Once Taylor broke her moment of silence. “But.. I'd rather live in
suffering then let go of you. It's not fair!” 

The soft defiance broke off there and Jonathan smiled through the silent
tears. “Stubborn to the end”, he thought. 

“I know it's not fair; it's never fair... but you know I'll see you
again.” 

Taylor glanced up at him with a smile. “Is that what you really think,
or what you want me to leave thinking?” She broke down into coughs 
again, this time worse, the spasm lasting longer. 


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