This is a bit shorter than I wanted it to be.
Panicked, I press the nurse button.
People flood in and shove us out the door.
I sink to the floor and bury my head in my hands.
After nearly five minutes, they all come out.
"She's awake."
I walk back into the room.
Her eyes lock with mine.
"Did I die?" she whispers.
I sink down into the chair next to her.
She holds onto my hand, and her's is cold.
The doctor walks in with worry lines on his forehead.
He checks up on her and then walks out.
****
The next day, Natalie's last day, she's hardly even alive. Her chest hardly moves, too.
All I do all day is sit here and hold her hand.
Around six at night, she opens her eyes a crack.
"Spencer." She whispers.
I look at her. "Will you lay with me?" she whisper. "Until I'm...until I'm gone?"
I swallow the pain and nod.
"Of course." I whisper.
I climb into the rickety old hospital bed, and I just lay there and hold her.
She hides her face in my chest, inhaling my scent.
Five minutes later, the doctor comes running in so fast that he almost trips on the tile.
Panting, he says.
"Guys, get out."
"What?" No!" I say.
"I got it! I mean we did! The bone marrow! Get out now! Our time is limited!"
I'm away from Natalie in seconds. I kiss her.
"I love you. So, so much."
All of us rush out of the room.
****
We sit in the waiting room.
This is considered an emergency procedure.
We sat there for hours.
When the sun comes up, I'm sick to my stomach.
The doctor walks into the waiting room at approximately 7:43 in the morning on January forth.
He lets out a long breath.
"The procedure was successful. She's just woken up, and from the looks of things, she's going to be just fine."
"Oh my god." I don't even know what comes over me, but I stand up and hug the guy, like a full on hug. thank you. Oh god, thank you so much."
I rush down the hall to Natalie's room.
I walk in the room.
She's mid yawn when I walk in.
Right when our eyes lock, she grins.
They didn't have to cut her open, they just put a tube in her arm in a vein and inserted the blood.
"I'm alive." She says.
I bend down and hug her and pull away, placing both of my hands on her cheeks.
There's a soft knock on the door.
"I hope I'm not interrupting." A voice says.
I turn around.
Nate stands there. He's in a t-shirt and jeans.
"Nate?" Natalie asks.
"I just um...wanted to make sure you were okay."
"Well, I'm alive." She says.
"Okay." He says.
wait, how'd you know?" she asks.
"It was all over the news." He says. "I got here as fast as I could yesterday."
"Yesterday?" she asks, confused.
Realization fills his eyes. "They didn't tell you." he says.
"Tell her what?" I ask.
"I donated." He steps a bit more into the room.
"What?" Natalie whispers.
He shrugs. "I remembered back in high school when we thought you were pregnant and went to the doctors. They said your blood type was AB positive and I said mine was too. I had to help. I couldn't live with myself if I didn't."
It clicks in both Natalie and I's head.
"You saved my life." she says.
He shrugs.
I hug him.
thank you." I say. "Seriously, how can I repay you?"
"You already did." He says.
"How?" I ask.
"Because I treated her horribly, even though I loved her. I still do. More than I love my wife. But I don't want her back, because you make her happy. You treat her the way she deserves, if not better. For that, I am thankful."
Natalie sits up and hugs him.
I don't get mad, either.
It's a short hug.
"Well, I'm going to go. Take care guys. If you need another transplant, you know my number."
He walks out of the room.
