Heaven Door | The Finale of the Dragon Children Trilogy.

4 | Hospital For The Dead

Cecilia stepped through her hospital, examining her patients as she went. She looked over at her assistant, who stopped her in her tracks. "Doctor." Cecilia smiled. "Yes, Phoebe?" Phoebe pointed over to a room, which had its door closed. "The patient in there.. his name is Turner." She looked over. "He's a bit.. demented. He believes his wife is still alive, and she'll be back any second." Cecilia looked at her. "What's wrong with that? The man is just waiting for his wife." Phoebe shook her head. "No, miss. His wife died 30 years ago." Cecilia stopped. "And he, himself.. his pulse has gotten weaker, and his heart rate has dropped exponentially." Cecilia took out a clipboard, and began writing. "Phoebe, this is your patient." Phoebe sighed. "I know, I know, but I've tried everything. It seriously isn't working." Cecilia shook her head. "Fine. You owe me a nice coffee from the cafe after this, though." Phoebe nodded. "Yes, miss." Cecilia pulled down on the door handle and stepped inside. "Pan?.." Turner spoke through his shallow breaths. Cecilia smiled, and shook her head. "No, Turner. I'm the new doctor." Turner looked away. Cecilia closed the door after her. She took slow steps, and sat down, next to the bed. "I understand you're waiting for your wife." Turner nodded. "Yes, doctor. She promised me she would be back. She was only going out for a smoke." Cecilia wrote with her pen. "And how long ago was that?" Turner looked at the clock. "Maybe.. 30 minutes ago?" She froze. "Right.." She looked at him. "Turner, how old are you?" Turner scoffed. "Rude question. Well, I must be around.. 50 now." Cecilia looked at his file. He was 83. "I understand. Apologies." She stood up and went to the monitor, which showed his heart beating slowly. "Turner.." Turner looked up at her. "Doctor?" Cecilia sat back down. "What I'm about to tell you, is.. well, don't panic. It'll simply worsen things." Turner stopped her. "Wait. Could we wait for my wife to come back? If it's bad news, I want to be with her for it."

Cecilia took a deep breath in. "Turner, you have stage 6 alcoholic dementia." Turner didn't say anything. "I understand this may be a lot to take in.. but, listen to me. You aren't 50. You're 83. Your wife, Pam.." Turner stopped her. "Don't say it. If you're saying what I think you're gonna say.." Cecilia stayed silent. "My wife.. Pam.. is she dead?" Cecilia froze. It took her 10 seconds to nod. "Oh.." Turner grabbed his head. "Oh.. no.." Cecilia looked at the monitor. His heart started beating. Rapidly. "Turner, calm down." Turner grits his teeth. "How am I supposed to calm down?! My wife is dead! She died, and I wasn't there for it!" Cecilia ran to the monitor. "Turner, you were there! She died 30 years ago.. you were both in an accident!" Turner screamed at her. "LIAR!" His voice broke. He started coughing, as he rolled off the bed. "Turner!" He ripped all of the oxygen, and fluids that they were putting in him, clean out of his arm and chest. "Turner! Enough!" She tried to grab him. Turner swung his arm.  "Get away from me!" He coughed up blood. His body crawled toward a syringe, which was on the ground. Cecilia paged Phoebe. Turner picked up the syringe in his right arm. "Turner, NO!" She screamed. He dug the syringe into his left arm. The needle said 'Erythropoietin'. Turner's eyes widened, as he took a final look to the ceiling. "Ghuh.." He gasped. The air was no longer going into his throat. It was blocked up. Cecilia panicked. "Shit.. how did that poisonous syringe.." She grabbed the defibrillators. "Get up, Turner.." The light disappeared from his eyes, as she rubbed them together. "CLEAR!" She shouted out, as she pressed down on his chest. "Come back to us, Turner.." She pushed down again. "Damn it.." 

Phoebe, panicky, swung the door open. "CECILIA!" She felt a strong, sharp sense in her back. "Gah!" She groaned. Cecilia looked back. "Phoebe.." She ran to her. Phoebe pushed her arms out. "No.. don't.. come any closer.." Her body started deforming into a pile of gold dust. "Ceecee.." Cecilia watched. "PHOEBE, WHAT'S HAPPENING?!" Phoebe stopped breathing. "I don't know.. but I.." Her eyes started tearing up. "Cecilia.. I'm scared." Her body almost fully disappeared. All that was left was the front of her face. "I can't see anything.. I can't breathe.." Her lips remained. "Cecilia.. help me.." All of a sudden, she was fully gone. Cecilia's eyes widened with rage. A man stood behind her, covered in a dark cloak, holding some sort of weapon in his hand. "Pitiful." He spoke. "Cecilia.. it's been a while, hasn't it?" Cecilia spoke, sternly. "Who are you?" The man smiled. "Oh, right. This cloak.." He pulled it down, revealing a half-burnt-off face. "I suppose it covers up my features, doesn't it?" Cecilia froze. "Faolan.." She picked up a syringe off the floor, and hid it behind her back. "What did you do to Phoebe..?" Faolan gasped. "Ah, Phoebe. That was her name." He raised his weapon. "I pulverised her soul. My commander founded this new weapon." Cecilia acted as if she was interested, asking more questions. "How does it work? No, what does it do?" Faolan smiled. "It reaches the innermost part of you.. your soul." He jabbed in the air. "Once it does, it digs through it. While the soul isn't a physical object, it is possible to reach with this power. After that, it makes the soul disappear. Then, the weapon slowly deforms your body into nothing but atoms. That's what the dust is." Cecilia smirked. "And what if they just.. break out, from the afterlife?" Faolan shook his head. "Oh, no. It basically.. erases your existence. With no soul, you don't exist. You don't have an afterlife." He smiled. "Phoebe is gone, Cecilia." 

Cecilia lowered her eyebrows. "No.. Phoebe isn't gone." She clenched the syringe behind her back. Faolan still hasn't noticed. "Phoebe lives on.. inside ME!" She dashed as fast as she could at Faolan. Faolan grabbed the cart, full of medical items, which stood next to him and rolled it at Cecilia. She lowered her body, and slid directly under the cart. She aimed for his thigh. She took her arm from behind her back, and swung the syringe into his thigh. Faolan kicked her face, and sent her toward one of the walls. Cecilia groaned, as she started to feel her nose bleed. "Kh.. take THIS!" She shouted, as she threw the syringe at Faolan from afar. Faolan smirked, as he grabbed the syringe in his hand. Cecilia gasped, as she landed her feet on the ground. Faolan crushed the syringe in his hand. "It truly has been a while, hasn't it?" Cecilia looked at him. "I'm not speaking to you." "Sure, you're not. Do you not remember, us working together for Kraghon?" Cecilia frowned. "That was in the past." "Oh, the past, of course. But, why don't we bring the past into the now?" He smiled. "What are you talking about?" Faolan walked toward her. "Join the New World Order. Leave this world behind. Don't you want to see.." His face was close to hers. She could feel his breathing brush against her skin. "Don't you want to see your dear brother?" Cecilia gasped. "Naphtali?.." She looked away. "I.." She shook her head. "No. I'd never join you." Faolan frowned. "Wrong answer." His hand reached for her collar. He grabbed it, and twisted it, pulling her toward him. "You truly are an idiot." He pulled his fist back, and swung at her face at full force. "You could've had.. eternal life!" Again. "Why would you make.. such a STUPID DECISION!" He threw her against the wall behind them. "Koff, koff!" Cecilia started coughing up tons of blood. She stood up, her legs shaking. "For being a healer.. I see more dead in this hospital than alive." Cecilia wiped the blood off her nose. "Just.. shut up." 

Faolan laughed. "You are STILL going to fight?" Cecilia raised her fists up, in the air. "Yes.. because.. those two taught me to never give up." Faolan's face dropped. "Oh, here we go. All this talk about Artemis and Lucina." Cecilia's eyes were burning with rage. "Don't you dare talk down on them.." She started limping toward Faolan. "I.. I'll kill you!" She swung her fist. Faolan stepped to the side, as Cecilia's body fell to the ground. "Ghuh.." Faolan stepped on her back. "You're weak." The hospital was surrounded by a white, powerful sphere. "This hospital falls. Today. Now. Soon, you will join that warzone.. which the Holy Stones are being sent to, as well." He stepped away. Cecilia spoke through her pain. "Wait.." Faolan stopped. "Why.. did.. Naphtali join.. you..?" Faolan smirked. "Maybe he realises this is what's right." He vanished. Cecilia spoke to herself. "No.. that can't be right. The Naphtali I know would never.. do that.." The hospital began to rumble. The innocent patients ran along the hallways, panicking as to what was happening. "Naphtali.. would you do that to me? I can't smile.." Her eyes started crying. "I can't smile until it's with my dear brother.. again.." The sphere collapsed in on itself. Soon after, it caused an explosion, which killed everyone inside. Everyone, except Cecilia, who surrounded herself in a protective bubble. The hospital was blown to smithereens. Cecilia was blown away. Blown away from her life work, and her precious patients who did not deserve what happened to them. Her body began vanishing, as she was slowly sent to the warzone. "Phoebe.." She clenched her weak fist. "I fight this war.. for you."