Matters of the Heart

Chapter 28: Breathless

Chapter 28:

Breathless

As much as Emily didn't want to tell her, she had made a promise to her that she was done lying. And at this point, lying was a waste of time. She couldn't smile and pretend everything was fine. So she explained everything. It was all very complicated and convoluted, but Emily tried to put it all as simply as possible. The treatments weren't working the way they'd hoped. Her medications were only doing so much. Her heart was working too hard, causing problems with her lungs and her kidneys. A transplant wasn't a good option.

The best chance she had was an experimental surgical procedure. The problem was that the surgery was still very new and her heart wasn't very strong. It would be extremely risky for her. There was only a thirty percent chance she'd make it through the procedure. But it was her best...and her only option, because if she kept deteriorating her body was going to shut down. Her lungs would fill with fluid and her kidneys would fail. There were medications that could help slow the process, but that was just a temporary solution. If they didn't fix the problem she would die.

Emily was able to explain everything without bursting into tears. In fact, she felt a strange sense of calmness as she was talking. She had cried so much after talking to the cardiologist that she didn't have much energy left to feel sad anymore. The dam that had been barricading her emotions had collapsed, leaving her with no option but to ride the raging current. She didn't want to waste her energy on tears anymore. But that didn't mean she was entirely numb to the pain. When she saw the distraught look on Alison's face she felt like she might drown in her sorrow.

"Em..." That was all Alison could get out before she started hyperventilating.

Alison put her palm against the nape of Emily's neck, pulling her towards her. She pushed her forehead against Emily's. Emily saw her close her eyes to try and stop her tears, but it was no use. Emily felt Alison's heated breath against her face when she exhaled a quiet sob. For the second time in twenty-four hours, Emily watched someone she loved very dearly cry over her. It was worse than the feeling of death looming over her. It struck a part of her soul that she couldn't soothe.

Not many words were exchanged between them that night. Just when Alison thought she was done crying, she'd start again. And Emily would hold her until she stopped. It went on for hours, until Alison finally cried herself to sleep in their bed in Emily's arms.

Emily stayed up watching her, tenderly caressing her face. Occasionally Alison would let out a quiet whimper. Every time she cried out Emily would kiss her right temple and Alison would calm down.

After a while, Emily couldn't hold her eyes open anymore.

Unfortunately, she woke up in the dollhouse. When she opened her eyes she was sitting at a table in a tiny room staring at a tinted glass window. Her legs were shackled to a metal chair. Her palms were face down beside a red button. Bells chimed and suddenly she heard,

"Game time."

A light went on behind the tinted window and she saw Spencer looking back at her. She was hooked up to a bunch of electrodes and wires that ran into a machine next to her. Spencer stared back at Emily, her eyes wide.

"Spencer?" Emily gasped.

To her surprise, Spencer reacted to her voice.

"Emily!" She exclaimed.

"Oh my God, are you okay?" Emily questioned.

"Uh...yeah. I...I think so." She didn't sound convincing. "What about you?"