The Long Journey of Emily B. Harthwan

Ivy Leaves on Ivory Walls

I woke up suddenly. I felt this sharp pain, like someone was stabbing me with a knife. Everything was fuzzy. I could only remember my dream, and how I chose life over death. My boyfriend over my brother. Charlie over Charlie. And I remembered the task my brother had given me. I saw Charlie being led out of the room. "Charlie!" I yelled. "I choose you."

"Emily." he said, running over to me. I embraced him, and I never wanted to let go. "I chose you." I whispered. "What?" he asked. We were pulled apart by one of the nurses. "No," Charlie said. "I need to stay with her." "No," said the nurse Faith. "The doctor needs to make sure she's okay, and your need to get checked over too..." Checked over? What did that mean? A doctor came in later, and he did all the usual stuff. Then he asked me what I remembered. I told him everything, but I didn't tell him about my dream. I didn't know how to explain it. He told me I was clear and that I could go home tomorrow.

Later that day, I was let outside for the first time since my accident. The sun felt amazing. I took a breath of fresh air, and it cleansed my lungs. The garden was beautiful and green. A lush oak near the back. A small pond with a little fountain that was very relaxing. And right next to the door, was a little rose garden. Most of the flowers were white or pink, but right in the center was a dark red one, just like in my dream. I smiled. "Thank you Charlie." I whispered to the sky.

I sat down by the wall. It was very white, like ivory. And it was covered in ivy, crawling up the wall like snakes. I pulled out my journal and began to write some new lyrics, when Charlie came out. Alone. No one was helping him. "Charlie!" I exclaimed. "Your..." "Yeah." he said. "I can see blurs of things." He walked over to me. "See," he said, reaching for my face. "This is your face." He said while gently caressing it. "Come sit." I said. "Its nice under here." He sat down next to me and held my hand. For a while, we just stared at the sky, then he told me. "I have kidney disease."

A/N: I did a little research on Kidney disease, so everything you read are true facts.

"What? When did this happen?" I asked. He just looked down. "Yesterday," he said "My doctor came in with the result of my blood test. My blood is filled with waste, that's why it's not clotting. Apparently I've had it for years, but its never been a problem till now." I felt terrible. I didn't know what to do, so I hugged him. "I'm so sorry." I whispered. "No," he said. "All I want now is to keep you safe." I felt his arms surround me. "Always."