Bundle of Branches

Chapter 6

"Good morning, Chance," says Izzy, softly. She places a cool cloth on his forehead.

Chance grips the bedsheets. "Z-Zola?" His eyes flutter open. "Where 'm I?"

"Shh." Izzy takes his hand. "It's Zola. I'm here." If it's Zola that Chance wants, then she will give it to him. There is no way she'll remind him that Zola died three years ago - and in his fevered state, he wouldn't be able to process that information anyway. "How did you sleep?"

"Appl' picking?" Chance stumbles over the words, his mouth clumsy. "Or... goin' to school..."

Izzy feels his forehead. He's burning up. "We can go apple picking later, okay? Try to take deep breaths for me."

Chance inhales, his chest rattling, and then he lets the breath out in a rush. "Hey, where's Izzy?" He tries to sit up, his body shaking from the effort. Sweat drips down his face. "She has... she has t' be here." His eyes are unfocused and half closed.

"I'm here," Izzy whispers, slipping back into the role of herself. "I've got you, buddy. I won't leave you, I promise." She puts her arm around Chance's shoulders and gently lowers him back down onto the bed, where he promptly falls asleep, his breathing shallow.

"How is he doing?"

Izzy jumps, whipping around, and lets out a breath when she sees that it's only Paula. "Oh, it's you." She smiles, her eyes sad. "He... doesn't recognize me."

Paula pats Izzy on the back. "That's normal, honey. Mental confusion is a symptom of sepsis." She grabs a blood pressure cuff from a cabinet and wraps it around Chance's arm. "His blood pressure is very low... this could either be as a result of his internal bleeding, or it could mean that he's progressed to septic shock."

"Septic shock?" Izzy's blood runs cold. "What does that mean? Is he going to die?" She feels a bolt of fear run down her spine.

"I'm going to be honest with you, sweetheart." Paula looks Izzy in the eyes, her gaze empathetic. "He may not live through this. Septic shock is serious. His organs could fail."

Izzy's head spins. "What do we do? What do we do?" Her hands are shaking, they're trembling, and she sits on them. Chance could die. This was real. He could actually die, leave this world, pass away, and she was not prepared for that.

"I'm going to start him on an IV, and adjust his dosage of antibiotics, alright? If he experiences any more trouble breathing, let me know - I can give him an oxygen mask." Paula's face softens. "We've got to work together in order to help him beat this, Izzy. I know it's hard seeing him so sick, but I need your help."

Izzy nods. "Yeah, know. I just... if he dies..." She trails off, staring at Chance. His face is flushed, and his mouth is open slightly. "I don't think I would be able to live in a world without him. He's been my best friend this whole time, and... I need him." Saying it out loud is freeing, and Izzy feels a weight lifted off of her chest.

"I understand you think you need him, but you can live without him. When my Tanner died, I thought I was ready to die too. You get past it. You let him go, and you move on with your life." Paula's eyes are misty.

"You're talking about him like he's already dead," says Izzy, her voice cracking. "Look... I'm going to choose to believe that he will survive this thing. That's the only thing that is giving me hope to push on right now." She lightly strokes Chance's forehead, studying his face.

Paula sighs. "Alright, dear. If that's what works for you." She attaches an IV bag to the stand, and then hooks it up to Chance's arm. He stirs, moaning slightly, and his eyes open. Paula takes this opportunity to place his pills in his mouth and coax him to swallow them, gently giving him some water. He swallows, and then falls back asleep, his breaths coming hot and fast.

"Is that... would that be considered difficult breathing?" Izzy's head is foggy - she's stayed by Chance's side for the last two nights, only getting a few hours of sleep. Her whole body aches from staying in the same position for so long. "I can't really tell." She stands up, but her knees buckle, and she falls back to the floor, hitting her head against the table. Her vision fades out.

When she comes to, she's sprawled in a folding chair next to Chance's cot. Her forehead stings, and when she touches it, she can feel a row of stitches. "Paula?" She rasps, her mouth dry. "What happened?"

"You fainted, sweetheart." Paula steps into view, holding a glass of water. "Here, drink this. And take some Ibuprofen. You've been too focused on Chance that you haven't been taking care of yourself." She hands Izzy the glass and two small red tablets.

Izzy swallows the Ibuprofen and finishes the glass of water, but her head still pounds. "I'm still staying with him. I have to comfort him whenever he wakes up. Sometimes, he asks for me." She tries to stand, but white spots swim in her vision, and she sits back down again. "I just... won't stand up. Or walk around."

Paula shakes her head. "You can stay with him for some of the time, but no more 24/7 bedside vigils. You're going to make yourself sick. When was the last time you had an actual meal?"

"Um..." Izzy bites her lip. "I can't remember. But you have to let me stay here! What if I promise to start eating regularly, and I'll go on walks to visit Dante every now and then?" She stands up again, and this time she manages to stay standing.

A smile appears on Paula's face. "You've always been tenacious, you know that?" She gives a small nod. "Yes, you can stay with him - but only under the conditions you just described. If you break those, I'm afraid I'm going to have to send you away."

Izzy's heart melts with relief. "Thanks, Paula." She hugs her, smelling her lavender perfume, before turning back to Chance. "Hey, buddy," she whispers in his ear, even though his eyes are closed. "Sleep tight. I'm going to be here when you wake up."

His eyelids flutter, and he takes a breath. And that's when Izzy notices that his breathing is even worse than before. It's rapid and uneven, and she can hear rattling sounds in his chest.

"Paula?" Izzy says, her heart in her throat. "Come here, listen to his breathing. It's- I don't know. It's scary. I think- can you give him an oxygen mask? Please." She realizes her hands are shaking again, and she does her best to still them.

Paula takes an oxygen mask off of a shelf and places it over Chance's face, then delicately hooks it up to the oxygen machine, which begins making a slight whooshing sound. "There you go," she says to Chance, watching as his chest starts to rise in more even breaths. "You fight, okay? Fight this - for Izzy." She gives Chance's hand a squeeze.

Izzy smiles. "Yeah, Chance." She swallows back tears. "Fight this for me."