Radiant Eclipse

“She may not make it. She's lost a lot of blood, and she's spiking a fever of almost one hundred and four.”

I'm perfectly fine. What are you talking about? I can hear everything you're saying, right now, whoever you are. Fever? What fever? I feel cold, actually. Someone cover me with blankets.

“Isn't theresomething you can do? I mean...she can't be...She can't die.”

Johnny?

Johnny! Thank god you're here! Please tell them that I am listening. I can hear you guys talking. I was scared. I thought maybe I was trapped in my own body or something. I could hear you guys perfectly, I just can't seem to open my eyes, right now. Do you have them closed for some reason? Why aren't you replying? Why can't you talk to me? Johnny?

“I'm sorry. We did all we could do. The rest is up to Vickie, now. She has to push through this herself. We've got her layered with ice and cold blankets to try and bring down the fever, but her internal thermometer is shot. I'm sorry. I will let you stay with her as much as you like-”

“You will doeverything you can to save her, damn it! I don't care what it takes, or how risky the procedure, you will bring her around! I...I can't tell you how much she means to me, Doctor. She's my life. Please save her. Please?”

“...I'm sorry.”

It's okay, Johnny. It'll be alright. Don't you worry about me. I'm fine. He's wrong. I feel perfectly fine. Except for a slight headache, there's nothing wrong with me. You'll be okay...I think...
___________________________________________________________________
My stomach was turning, like I had eaten something bad, passed its expiration date, and every time I felt awake, even a little bit, I could feel myself trying to throw up whatever contents were upsetting my system. Nothing ever happened, though. I would feel my throat opening, and I sensed that my mouth was forced apart, but after a moment of nothingness, I returned to sleep once more.

I never saw anything when I awoke. I just felt that I was. Not to mention I would hear people speaking, like doctors, nurses, and the occasional murmuring and sobbing that forced me to realize it was Johnny. Each time I woke to the swelling rush of sickness enveloping my body, I kept hoping that it would be the time where I could open my eyes, where I could feel what was happening to me, and that I could speak. But it didn't happen.

I don't know how much time elapsed before I woke up to the immense and heavy agonizing crying of Johnny. I just found myself listening, wanting to cry with him, but unable to do so. So I just listened closely to his sobs, prayed to God that he would find healing soon. I didn't care what that meant. If it meant I lived, that would be the most gracious mercy I had ever received. If it meant I had to die...Well, I would bare the pain so Johnny wouldn't have to anymore.

“She's been in a coma for over two weeks, now, Mr. Seward,” I heard the familiar voice of the doctor, who had come to be known as Dr. Langston. “Since no other family members have stepped forward to decide on the issue I am about to present to you, you must be the one to make the choice.”

“Please, don't do this.” Johnny cried. I felt my heart shrink into itself at the sound of terror and pain in his quivering voice.

What is he talking about, Johnny? What decision? I'm just in a coma. I'm still technically alive. Why is there an issue?

“At this point her fever hasn't budged, and her breathing rate has slowed. She can't do anything on her own at this point. You, unfortunately, are faced with the decision of life or death, right now. You have to choose if she would have wanted to live, or wanted to die.”

My stomach turned again, and in the distance I heard a beeping noise. I don't wanna die! I'm not dead! I'm right here, listening. I can hear you. How do I prove that I can hear you? There has to be a way. Johnny, I'm alive. I'm alive, damn it! SOMEBODY LISTEN TO ME!

Beep!

I wanted to cry and punch things and yell as the doctor and Johnny fell silent.

What now? Am I bleeding from my eyes or something? What!?

”What was that? What just happened?” asked Johnny frantically. I could hear him shuffling around as well as the muffled sound of another pair of scuffling feet.

“That machine there is hooked up to her brain, to tell us if it's active or not,” the doctor replied.

Of course it's active, numb nuts! And if you don't wake me up right this minute, I'm gonna put you in a coma!

“And?” Johnny questioned hopefully, his voice intent on the doctor's curiosity being good news.

There was a moment of silence, and I could hear the soft throbbing of my heart as I thought, No matter what happens, I want you to know that I love you, Johnny. If I make it out of this, I want you and me to get married. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I need you.

BEEEEEEEP!

“Vickie's alive,” the doctor said in shock. He yelled for a nurse, then said, “She's responding to our conversations. Nurse! Bring me that computer I asked for! ASAP!”

“She...She's gonna live? Please tell me she's gonna live?” asked Johnny.

Why aren't you answering, Dr. Langston? Answer him! He's asking you a question. I'm asking you question! Why am I suddenly able to be heard? Sure, it's through a brain monitor, but why now of all times?

“So long as you stay with her,” he answered, as I felt a sudden hot exhale of breathe in my throat, a monitor far off freaking out as the doctor started yelling and shouting for another doctor to help him out.

My heart raced, and I suddenly felt like my limbs were on fire. I screamed in agony, whether it was out loud or not I have no idea. I just knew I screamed. My lips suddenly felt chapped and caked with dried blood, and every time I breathed in, my lungs felt like they were being doused with gasoline and set ablaze with the strike of a match. My ears were ringing, causing me to lose the sound of Johnny's voice, and I inhaled the scent of a horribly cleansed hospital room. My mouth tasted stale and dry, like I'd eaten twenty saltine crackers in less than a minute, and I could tell my teeth hadn't been cleaned in awhile.

“She's coming around!” yelled the doctor, his voice more audible than it had been earlier. It was no longer muffled sounding, like I was listening through a shot glass against a wall.

“Speak, Vickie! Say something!” Johnny shouted over the frantic demands of Dr. Langston.

I thought I was! Was I not? I'm trying!

“C'mon, Vickie! You can do this! Please do this for me! I won't ask you to do anything else for the rest of our lives, I swear. Just do this one thing-”

“HELP!” I shouted, the sound of my real and honest voice stirring a horrid feeling of heat deep within my esophagus. I coughed, tasted the metallic sensation of blood in my throat, and shouted hoarsely, “Johnny! Help! I can't see! Why?”

Johnny said, “I don't know, yet, Vickie. It doesn't matter right now. All that matters is you listen to me. I love you. Okay? So you have to have strength and keep going. Got it? Do me that favor.”

“I...Can't...see!” I struggled to say, as I felt my head twirling around in circles, the vomiting sensation becoming real as I felt my body get rolled to one side, the ugly humiliating sounds of fluids leaving my body echoing in the room as the doctor yelled for some fancy medicine.

As I was rolled back onto my back, I could feel a hand familiar and soft holding both of my own, and there seemed to be a faint illumination far off in my blackened vision as Johnny kissed my cheek and then my hands. I cried, thinking that it'd be a miracle if I could just see Johnny's face before I died, when the room rolled into a giant ball of white light and then I fell back onto my hospital bed.

Eyelids fluttering, I squinted at Johnny, at the way his face was overgrown with a slight beard, and how he was still wearing the clothes he'd worn to the the mall, and I focused as best I could on the way his eyes, watered over and glossy, seemed to penetrate my thoughts and assure me that everything would be okay from now on.

“You smell like BO,” I said in a cracked voice.

Johnny laughed and brought me into his arms as I felt the heat in my body flood away, my arms trying to grasp onto him limply. I wanted to wrap myself around him tightly, but all I could manage was to let my arms shake towards him. He pulled away as I saw Dr. Langston, an elderly gentlemen with hard work written all over his wrinkled face, smiling and pressing a syringe into my flesh. I winced, but continued staring at him as he said, “You'll feel a lot better after you wake up from a little soothing nap, Ms. Nelson. Congratulations.”

My head began to spin again, and Johnny smiled at me as I reached for his cheek, but fell short and into a black sleep more hopeful than before...