Mac Vs PC: Infected

Cmd - Opt - Shift - Delete

"Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower."

- Steve Jobs (Apple/Macintosh)

--

Mac's words were left aching in the air between them. She knew the truth hadn't settled in when his eyes searched hers for a denial. The time for her to explain was now and it needed to be quick before he shut her out. She opened her mouth to explain everything: how the sickness took everything out of his mother, how the meds made her feel numb all over and how the pain seemed to always seep through the pain-killer dosage. She wanted to explain how Pamela explained it to her, how she convinced her through the denials and fears; but her mouth went dry.

"This doesn't make sense." She watched his hair shift over his forehead hiding the crinkle in his forehead as he frowned. "She was in a coma before she passed. She couldn't have signed these."

Holding a hand to her chest, she took a deep stabilizing breath. "She wasn't in a coma. She was never in a coma. She lied. She didn't want anyone to talk her out of her choice."

She watched the color seep out of Mac's face. Pale and shaken, he opened his hands towards her as if he could stop her words with the gesture. The papers slipped from his hands scattering across the floor.

"I was her next of kin, I was the only one who had access to her charts and the only one she would let the doctor tell the truth to. I begged her to be honest. I swear I tried."

Mac's lips moved but no sound fluttered through. His lips were far past pale turning a sick shade of blue. When he tried again, his voice was low. "You tried?"

"How dare you keep this from us." Piper turned towards Susan, her form still crumpled on the floor. If those eyes didn't hold so much hate, Piper would have thought the old lady was broken and lifeless the way her legs spread out from her body. "I should have had our lawyer fight it when she gave you power of attorney. What was she thinking?"

Piper asked the same thing, but Pamela only gave her an amused smile and said that she trusted Piper's decision making. Concerned at her mother's silence, Piper looked around for her mother only to find her gone. Was it too much to ask for her to stay and defend her? She understood, more than anyone, how grave the situation was but she thought her mother would stand by her. Pressing her shaking hands to her thighs she faced Mac's family.

"Last March, Pam started researching about physician assisted suicide. Someone in her terminal illness support group brought it up and she wanted to explore her options." She watched Susan's eye flare up at the world 'options' but she stayed quieted. She tried to meet Mac's gaze, but his gaze was focused on the sheets of papers that lay at his feet. "She talked with other people in her group about what their choices were, she meet with family members of those who chose assisted suicide, she discussed in depth with doctors about the reaction she would have to the prescribed morphine and she listened to a priest preach about the beauty of courage, strength and life and she chose freedom. She wasn't afraid or bitter or angry she was just so tired and in so much pain. I wouldn't have agreed if she wasn't fully informed and if she didn't feel so strongly about it."

"If she felt so strongly about it, she would have told her fucking family." Now Mac's gaze hit hers, hard and unyielding. "She wouldn't have lied about being in a coma," his voice broke at the last word in disbelief, "and she would have told us. W-w-we would have talked about it together, as a family."

Piper was surprised her heart was still beating, she felt numb all over and her bones ached from the wait of everyone's stares and judgments. "She didn't want to have any doubts. She wanted to be sure." Piper wished Pam had written something to Mac to explain everything because Piper was doing a great job at butchering this.