Organized Chaos

Chapter 2 The Hopital

            I woke up to bright lights and a slight beeping noise. As my eyes adjusted, I saw only one face. Blue eyes soaked with tears and pain.

            “Austin,” I breathed.

            “Shhh. You had a heart attack. Relax. Please.” He looked scared. He looked worried. He looked like he was going to pass out.

            “What time is it?” I slurred; the pounding in my head making it impossible for me to turn it.

            “Three thirty-seven a.m. How are you feeling?” Honestly, I didn’t know how I was feeling. I wasn’t scared or worried. Not about myself at least. And sure enough, as I looked at Austin’s wrist, there was a scratch right down the center. He tried to hide it, but it was too late. I’d already seen it.

            “I can explain. After you passed out, I called 9-1-1 and got in the ambulance with you. Zach drove everyone else and I was alone with you. Your heart stopped twice and I used the only thing I could find. A needle. I’m sorry. The pain was too much. It was literally torture.”

            The beeping got louder and faster as the silence lengthened. I was starting to get light-headed. As I closed my eyes, I could feel myself losing consciousness. Someone screamed, then darkness.

            When I opened my eyes again, I saw all my friends, each one handling their emotions differently. Austin, sobbing into his hands. Zach, fighting it with everything he had. Lily, crying her eyes out. Elizabeth, hugging Lily. And finally Joey, praying in a corner. When they saw me awake, five pairs of eyes turned to look at me. Austin was the first to speak.

            “Please don’t ever scare us like that again.”

            Lily and Elizabeth went next. “We’ve been with you the whole time. So don’t worry.”

            Joey finished his prayer, stood up, and slowly approached the bed. “How are you feeling?”

            I was too stunned to speak. When I finally found my voice, “I’m worried about you guys. Regardless of what happens to me, I’m worried about y’all.”

            Zach looked at me, pain in his eyes. He lightly ran his hand up my arm. He wanted to make sure I was okay. Without taking his eyes off mine, he said, “Olivia, you might not make it.” Tears streamed down his face. Reality hit me so hard, it hurt. I could die. In fact, there was a high chance of it. I looked at each of my friends, first Lily, then Elizabeth, Joey, Austin, and finally, Zach; all with a look of pain in their eyes. We were all thinking the same thing.

Was this my death bed?

            Then my emotions kicked in. Everything. The stress, worry, confusion, confliction, and fear all engulfed me at once. It was too much. Tears streamed down my face. It was all just too much. Instantly, Zach pulled me to him, my head against his chest. I could feel his shaky breathing, and knew he was fighting more tears. But that just made me cry more. My body shook with each heaving sob. Zach hugged me tighter, which only made it worse. In fact, he started crying again. Tears pricked his eyes as he turned away from me. I looked at Austin through blurring vision. His shirt was soaked with tears. Then something happened that changed my life forever. No matter how much longer it lasted.

            Zach took my hand, looked into my eyes and said, “Olivia, I love you. You’ve always been more than a friend to me. And I don’t know what I’d do without you. I do know that I’m alive because of you.” He paused then added softer as tears streamed down his face, “please don’t leave me.” Those were the most beautiful words I’d ever heard in my life. They were also the last. Just as I was about to speak, the world blacked out. Forever.