Wonderland

❄B56❄ That 'What If'

Chapter Fifty-Six

Brayden's POV

That 'What If'

She was found unresponsive outside of a home an old couple was currently restoring.

She wasn't yet dead, but she was on the brink of it. She was in a coma, caused by severe carbon monoxide poisoning. Her entire life was now dictated by life support, her breathing aided by a ventilator.

The old couple assumed that she might have been there for a little over a day. They don't know for sure; they were just about to start restoring the house when they found her. They said her arm was bleeding profusely, however, not enough to cause significant blood loss that could kill her.

Doctors conjectured that Heather had left the engine running in her car. If she had been inside that car for a while, then it's more than likely she was breathing in carbon monoxide (CO) into her system, as a running car engine can produce CO.

CO prevents the body from getting the oxygen it needs to breathe. It latches itself onto hemoglobin, a molecule that carries oxygen in your bloodstream, and accumulates. Soon, the hemoglobin in your bloodstream will start to lose its function. Your body will start to run out of oxygen.

The doctors say that if Heather was found sooner, there might have been a chance of saving her. But it's been more than a day, and CO poisoning is known to have devastating effects on the brain. They think that even if Heather were to survive this ordeal, she'll have problems with her memory. She might have problems supporting herself in the future. She won't ever be able to live a life without someone by her side. She might never get to hold a job or lead a life on her own.

Her chance of survival is grim. Doctors don't think she'll ever wake up, but they're hoping for that 'what if'. They want to keep her alive for a few days and see how things go. They don't want us to lose hope.

One of nurses emerged from Heather's room with a backpack. "We found this in her car. It was placed on the seat beside hers." She wasn't talking to me. She was talking to Mr. Forde, who was also at the hospital with us. His eyes were red. Swollen. He took the backpack from her and nodded. The doctors left us alone in the whitewashed hallway. I officially hate hospitals now.

"She'll survive. I know she will. She's strong," Isabelle murmured, from beside me. She sounded determined. She squeezed my hand reassuringly. I hadn't known I'd been holding it. "You should go see her when the nurses are gone."

"I can't," I said, shakily. "I'm terrified of what I might see." I refuse to come to terms with the fact that the girl lying on the hospital bed is Heather, my best friend. The girl I really, really love. I'm not ready to see her in a half-dead state yet. I don't want that to be the last memory I'll ever have of her. I want to remember her as the girl I knew before all this happened.

Mr. Forde sat down on one of the chairs outside of Heather's room and opened her backpack. I watched as he ruffled through it. It sounded empty—

Until he pulled out an envelope.

His hands shaking uncontrollably, he opened it, and produced from it a letter with multiple pages attached together. Having not even read through the first page of it, he broke out into a sob. He covered his eyes with his hand in an attempt to stop crying, but he failed. He got up, letter still in hand, and walked down the hall with his back hunched, not speaking a word to anyone. It was right then that I pitied him. I can't imagine what it must feel like to see your child in the hospital, on the brink of death.

"What was he reading?" Isabelle wondered.

"I don't know," I lied, but I knew what it was because I saw that letter once in its early stage. It must've been her suicide letter.

"Oh my god." Isabelle was stooped on the ground, peering into Heather's backpack.

"What?" My stomach flipped with anxiety.

Without a word, she pulled out two envelopes. One was addressed to me, another to her. My letter was significantly bulkier than hers.

To: Brayden

From: Heather

I couldn't make it past the first line before I started crying.