Barely Breathing

Prologue

I'm Emma Swan and I have Cystic Fibrosis. It's a hereditary disease, if one of your parents has it, chances are you do too. It's where the mucus in your system kind of builds up, also affecting your digestion and respiratory system. This may create an over/underweight problem. For example, I myself have difficulty gaining weight, so I have to sometimes get a feeding tube. If I have breathing problems I have to get an oxygen tube that goes through my nose and around my head. Other than that, if I go to all my doctors appointments, I usually don't have many problems.

That is, until I met Killian.

I never knew how much more my life could get messed up before I met him. It wasn't supposed to happen like this. Sometimes I want to go back to when it was all easier. Well about as easy as life gets when you have CF. Back before this mess. When I ate ice cream and French fries everyday. Sure I never gained anything but hey, I got to eat ice cream and French fries everyday. Those were the best years of my life.

Now my life is in ruins. I'm not sure it'll ever go back to the norm again. I used to be at peace with my condition and now? I keep asking why me? Why was my mom's family burdened with this horrid disease. That's putting it into nice terms.

I used to never be ungrateful; always appreciative for the extraordinary opportunity to go to college. I was happy I got to live the way I did with my disease. I had great friends whom I loved and they loved me back. Now they won't even so much as look at me. Pitiful and too scared of what has become of me. Unsure of what they could do, if anything, to help. I don't want their pity. I want their love, their bone-crushing hugs, I want to see my best friend smile again. One that reaches her beautiful brown eyes. To just look at me. Please, look at me.

Now I'm barely living. Barely breathing.
How did it ever come to this?
Well, let me back up a few months.