A Little Too Soon for Goodbye

26 -Tired

I'm sleeping a lot more now. I've noticed that. I can't move as much, and I'm still losing weight that I don't have to lose.

Adrien has noticed too.

He pretends to be okay, like he hasn't seen the exhaustion covering me. Ever since Valentine's Day, a week and a half ago, I've been declining a lot faster than before. It's to the point where I'm having more and more bad days than good.

Adrien and I sit on my bed, and I sketch. Gabriel agreed to feature a few of my designs, and the show is in an hour. I sent some in to him, and with a few small edits, he has sent me pictures of my designs coming alive. The show is too far away from the hospital for me to be able to go, so Emilie is going to FaceTime me during it and show me my designs.

Along with my designs being in the show, I am getting five percent of the show's revenue, and all of that money is going to my medical expenses. The show is also a fundraiser for a company that is researching the cure for cancer, and I hope that the money helps.

About ten minutes before the show starts, my phone starts buzzing. I pick it up, and answer Emilie. Her face is bright as she smiles, saying hello. I greet her back, and Adrien says hi.

She is chattering away with the entire process, and I can't help but be excited. The lights dim, and she slightly squeals and flips the camera around.

Gabriel walks out onto the runway and makes a few announcements. He is stoic, just like always. But as he turns to walk away he sees Emilie holding the phone and slightly smiles, then walks back stage.

The show starts, and I've never been more amazed. My designs are alive. They're on models, walking down the runway. There are flashes throughout the crowd, and I can't wait to see the photos the press releases. About a third of the designs are mine.

But as the last one comes out, I gasp. It's the prom dress I designed. The one I was planning on wearing to prom with Adrien before I was too sick to not be able to leave the hospital.

The model wearing it slightly resembles the old me. Her skin is a healthy, pale color. Not like my sickly looking skin. Her hair is long and lush. It's thick and hangs down to her waist. Her eyes are the same shape as mine, but besides that our faces aren't similar at all. Her eyes are a dark brown color, and her lips are full and pink.

But the dress. Oh the dress. It's my favorite shade of pink, and has layer after layer, allowing the skirt of the dress to be big and poof out. The bodice is a corset, and there's boning, framing her figure perfectly. The dress is tight enough that it stays up, and the sleeves are hanging off of her shoulders. As she walks, it looks like she's floating. I've never seen something so beautiful before.

The crowd must think the same, because the flashes stop for a second as she walks out, but then pick up more than they have before. I take a screenshot when she gets right in front of Emilie, and have never been so proud in my life. The show ends, and Emilie says goodbye and hangs up. I stare at the now blank screen, still in shock at what I witnessed.

I turn to Adrien, and give him a gentle kiss. "Thank you." I whisper, kissing him again.

—————

My parents come by later, hugging me and talking about how their lives are going. My grandma, grandpa, and uncle are here too. Adrien had to leave earlier for a photoshoot, but is going to be back soon.

My family showers me in flowers and teddy bears and cards, all from family who couldn't come. My mom sits next to me on my bed, and my dad holds my hand. We sit and talk, memories filling the room and playing out in my mind.

"Let's take a picture." I say, and everyone agrees. We take it, and I look. I don't see me at all. I see a girl who is small and weak. Fragile. She looks like she was folded out of paper. My heart breaks for her, and I didn't realize how bad I looked until then.

Why did this happen to me?

—————

I'm sleeping more than being awake now. I'm up for probably six hours a day. The rest is spent sleeping. Breathing is hard. My chest burns with each breath, and my body wheezes with the effort. Adrien pretends like it's normal. He went back to online school so he can spend all day with me. He talks, I listen. I try to talk, and I get winded.

I can't help but feel bad. I want to pretend like I'm okay, like it isn't almost my time. But I know that it will be soon. I just don't know how soon.

One night, I woke up for a few minutes. All I did was stare at the ceiling, feeling my body slowly die and fail me. It was as if I could feel the world giving up on me, and there was nothing I could do besides let it happen. Every moment brings another thing dying in me, and I'm not ready for death to take over.

I used to think wasn't scared of death. That I was only afraid of the process of dying, but now that I'm so close to it, I know that I was wrong. I fear so much, and death seems to just stretch in front of me. No future, no life, just death.

—————

March 23rd -4:37 pm

No one's pov

Adrien sat by Marinette on her bed. She was curled up in his arms, barely awake. Her arms were covered in goosebumps despite the three blankets and the boy beside her heating her up.

She was surrounded by her family and friends. Adrien was reading her his favorite comic. His favorite character was Ladybug, while she preferred Chat Noir. He was in the middle of a sentence when she softly asked, "can you get me some water?"

He nodded, being ever so gentle with her and her fragile body. He grabbed her water bottle off of the complementary table and took it to the drinking fountain out in the hallway.

That was the last time he ever saw Marinette awake.

March 25th -9:08 am

Adrien stood by Marinette. The only thing keeping her alive was the tube going down her throat. It was forcing air in and out of her lungs. She was declared brain dead the day before.

His mother and father were there, standing on either side of him. His father had a hand on his shoulder while his mother was holding onto his hand. His other one was tightly grasped to Marinette's.

Her parents stood on the other side of the bed, and Tikki and Plagg were there too. "Are you ready to turn off the machines?" He asked, and somehow through the sobbing and the heavy grief that was already over them, Marinette's parents managed to say yes.

Plagg turned off the ventilator first. Her chest stopped rising and falling. After that he took the tube out of her mouth, and he stepped back. When the heart monitor stopped beeping, he shut that off too and called time of death.

A single tear ran down Adrien's cheek, watching as the girl he loved slipped away from him forever, and feeling her hand turn icy cold.

The End