Painless

Hanna caught pneumonia two weeks later and couldn't fight it due to her immune system. Jack spent every night up in her hospital room, praying that she would make it.
Hanna didn't like when he did that. She just wanted the pain she felt to be gone. Over. Forever. Even though it tore her apart to think about leaving Jack, she knew the time was coming soon. She wanted it over quickly. Like ripping a band-aid from your skin. Quick and painless. Even if it weren't possible, it was nice to think about. She held on to the sweet, small things that kept her awake during those last few hours. Jack's kisses. Or his hugs. She thought about his jokes. And how exceedingly tall he was compared to her.
He sat over her a lot of the time. Always holding her hand and kissing her fingertips. She felt it in the pit of her stomach that the end was soon. It was just something you could feel. She knew that Jack felt it, too. He was getting tenser, and gripping her hand tighter.
"I love you, Hanna." he whispered. She opened her now dull eyes and gave him a weak smile.
"I love you, Jack."
She couldn't help but wonder where her parents were. They had to come up to the hospital for her final moments, didn't they?
"You're going to make it." he told her. Hanna wanted to scream. She was tired of his false hopes.
"Where are my parents?" she wondered aloud.
"They should be on their way, baby." he said. She nodded once and closed her eyes again. She just wanted the end to come.

Ten minutes later, her parents walked in, smiling and carrying gifts. Hanna wanted to groan, but it took too much energy. Energy she knew she needed to say goodbye.
"Hanna." her mom started, doing one of those sad smiles where you're partly frowning. Hanna looked up at her mom and half-grinned.
"Hi, mom."
"Oh, Hanna." Mrs. Everhardt wrapped her fragile daughter in her arms and kissed her cheek several times. Hanna felt her mother's tears hitting her cheek. When she pulled away, she used her sheet to wipe them away. She thought to herself how stupid it was to wait around for her death. Three very important people were standing around her, just waiting. It just had to make it harder, Hanna decided.
She started to feel weaker as her slowed thoughts followed in sync with the beeping of her heart rate monitor.
"What's going on?" her mother asked, frantically. Hanna took a deep breath and thoroughly started to enjoy the feeling of death crawling through her veins. She felt her body shut down. It was relaxing, she thought. The searing pain that was once in her lungs was now a dull ache of happiness. She smiled and opened her eyes.
Jack was standing over her, shaking his head. "No..no.." She nodded and lifted a hand to his face. She didn't have enough strength to keep her hand there long, so after a few seconds she let her hand fall from it. He bent down to kiss her. She returned the kiss with as much force as her body would allow her. Which, wasn't much at all.
Jack pulled away and started crying. She wanted to reach out to pat his back. Maybe reassure him, but she couldn't. She felt as if she should say goodbye. Maybe ease everyone's minds. She closed her eyes and felt someone take her hand.
"Stay with us, Hanna." a woman's voice cried. Hanna shook her head inwardly and mumbled 'no', under her breath.
"I love you." she managed to let escape her lips. The last three words to ever be spoken by Hanna Joy Everhardt could never be deciphered to who it was toward. Jack felt and knew it was for him. For, he was the last to kiss her. Her mother thought that it was for her because she was the last to say anything to her. Her father felt it was for everyone, because Hanna wasn't one to disappoint.
All three of them agreed though, that the moment Hanna's heartrate flat-lined was the worst moment they had ever expirienced.
But, Hanna was peaceful. And that's all that matters.