Fathom(7)

I was starting to choke up and wiped the tears away with the back of my hand. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

“Morgan, I don’t know what to say.”

“Say you won’t leave me.” I pressed his hand to my chest, terrified that he was going to let go of me.

“This isn’t supposed to happen,” his voice faltered and he cleared his throat. “Once a couple cords, it isn’t supposed to be like this.”

“Like what?” I asked, afraid of his answer. He pulled his hand away.

“It isn’t supposed to hurt like this. I don’t think I can handle going through this again.”

“Thayde, I’m so sorry I hurt you. If I could apologize a hundred times, I would. Please believe me!”

“You were right. Maybe I put too much pressure on you to be with me because we corded.”

“No!”

“Maybe I’d been waiting for you for so long that I’d built up too much of an expectation.”

“No!”

He nodded and looked at his feet again. “We aren’t right for each other.”

I had lost him. His words were like an axe’s final blow. My body began shutting down. Frantic, my heart began to pound as I started to hyperventilate. A loud ringing began in my ears. I looked to Thayde, his face filled with alarm and quickly he began to fade to blackness. I was gone before I hit the pillow.





Chapter Three




Limbo



How did I know I was gone? Because I floated up above my body and watched everything happen in slow motion. A flood of doctors and nurses swarmed my room moments after the heart monitor sounded its deathly, monotonous beep. Thayde grabbed my shoulders, screaming and shaking me before the doctors pulled him away. He backed against the wall and sank to the floor, holding his head in his hands, his mouth open wide as if he was still screaming, but there was no sound.

They worked on me for what seemed an eternity, with no result. The shocks they gave my heart did nothing. It was only when the doctor began to pronounce me dead that the heart monitor shot to life. The confusion on the faces of everyone gathered around my bed was more than words could say. They began taking my vitals and re-recording everything again. Finally, the tension in the room eased and when they eventually finished everything they could at that time, they filed out of the room.

A pretty nurse squatted next to Thayde and asked him if he was all right. His face was so grief stricken I could barely bring myself to look at him.

“Is she going to be okay?” His voice was tormented.

“It’s hard to say. We got her heart beating again, but she’s in a coma.”

Thayde’s head dropped into his arms supported on his knees. The nurse put her hand on his shoulder.

“Sometimes being in a coma is a good thing. It allows the body to heal.”

When he didn’t say anything, she stood.

“We’ve contacted her parents and they’re on their way. You should go home now. Visiting hours will be over soon.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” he mumbled into his arms.

She opened her mouth as if to argue, but seemed to change her mind. Her hand rested briefly on his shoulder before she left the room.

Thayde watched me from where he sat. I lay wrapped neatly in the sheets, my long hair splayed about my face. The heart monitor beeped dully. Using the wall to help him stand, Thayde warily got to his feet and walked to the side of my bed.

“Baby?” He whispered in a desperate voice. Shaking, he took my limp hand in his. “Morgan? It’s me.” He looked me over and leaned in, carefully kissing me on the lips. “I’m so sorry I did this to you.” His soft fingers touched my cheek and he traced my face.

I looked awful – my skin alabaster, my lips purple. I wondered if they were cold.

“Baby, please wake up. I can’t live without you.”

I thought I’d lost him. It was what had killed me. He knelt and began to pray.

“Please, don’t take her from me. I love her. I can’t live without her. Take me instead. She’s too important. Please bring her back.” He rested his head on the bed. “Please tell me what I’m supposed to do to help her. She’s going to destroy herself.”

I reached across the bed and touched his head, drawing back in surprise when my hand passed through instead of resting on top of his hair. Instantly, his head snapped up and he looked about the room.

“Thayde,” I said, realizing at the same time he couldn’t hear me.

“Hello! Visiting hours are over!” A happy voice chimed. “I’m afraid you have to leave.”

Thayde looked back at me. “I can’t leave her.”

“Well, I’m afraid you have to.” The orderly made his way to the curtains that framed the windows and drew them shut. “No exceptions are made.”