A Penny For Your Thoughts

Chapter Twenty~ Life is in the Blood

"I am breaking up with you."

Michelle said it for the fiftieth time that morning to herself in the mirror. She couldn't do it, she couldn't just call Luke and end things! It wouldn't be fair to him- he was drunk- but at the same time him kissing Anna was not fair either. She slumped down on her bed and thought about what she wanted. Did she really want to end things with Luke just over a stupid party? Honestly no, she didn't. She might have loved him too much to just throw the past four months away.

Suddenly her phone rang, she excitedly picked it up thinking it was Luke. But it was just Abigail.

"Hey," Michelle answered. "Where are you?" Abby hissed over the line. "At home... Why?" Michelle said surprised at her tone of voice. "At home? I'm at the hospital!" Abby snapped. "Why what happened?" Michelle asked concerned. "Are you really that oblivious? Or did no one actually tell you?" Abby asked upset. "What on earth is going on?" Michelle snapped at Abby. "Luke is in the hospital!!" Abby shouted. "Where?" Michelle asked calmly, now was not a time to freak out like Abby was. "John Hopkins. Get your butt down here now!" Abby said hanging up.
Pulling on random clothes she rushed out to her car and began driving. Stopping a red light her heart raced, what happened to Luke? Then his cologne started filling her nostrils when she realized she had pulled on a hoodie of his. He left it there one night when they came back from pouring down rain. Tears started to fill her eyes and she could barely see through the blur. How could she be so stupid? She was going to break up with this morning but then THIS happened. She felt like it was her fault.
After half an hour of anxiety filled stress, Abby saw Michelle walked through the guess door. Her red curly hair was mangled into knots from her combing through with her fingers so many times.
"what happened?" She asked. "Luke overdosed last night," Abby said looking away. Her heart sunk- overdosed? "Yeah," Abby nodded, "He was taking Tylenol, his migraine pills and iron pills and... Ugh it was such a mess." "Wait!" Michelle paused, "Iron pills? Luke has anemia?" "The worst of it," Abby said commonly, "He didn't tell you?" Michelle was confused. Luke-her boyfriend- was slowly dying of anemia and he didn't tell her. "No not at all," She swallowed the lump in her throat. "Well I guess he was waiting to then," Abby said not knowing what Luke was trying to do. "So um... how... long have YOU known?" Michelle asked. "About two years," Abby said. Michelle fell back into s hospital bench. Two years he had this.
"Is it just anemia? Or is there something else too?" Michelle asked. "Well when he was born, he had a pin hole in his heart, he had blue lips as a baby. Then he was diagnosed with anemia at 16, the rarest blood type. Added to that is celiac disease - when he falls he doesn't stop bleeding," Abby said like an information book. Michelle gasped, "That's horrible! Is thee a blood donor?" Abby rolled her eyes, "Obviously if there was their blood would be Luke's by now."
She couldn't take it all in. Luke was slowly dying... And she couldn't do anything about it. How she wishes he didn't spend last night so mad at him. Maybe this wouldn't have happened. "I need to see Luke. Now." Michelle said getting up. "He's in his room," Abby said.

Walking down the cold corridor she wasn't sure which room it was until she saw that open back with a birthmark right above the right shoulder. "Luke," she croaked out. He turned around- pale with purple lips- his appearance nearly scaring her. "Michelle!" His eyes brightened. He ran towards her and picked her up into a hug, tears streaming down her face. When he set her down his nose was in her neck and he said, "You came." She pushed his chest away from her, "I hate you! Why didn't you tell me?" She was mad, with every right. As his best friend- his girlfriend- he should have told her.
"Michelle," He pinched the bridge of his nose sighing. "You should have told me!" She yelled across the room. "What? How was I supposed to you?! What could you do about it! I'm dying Michelle!! There's nothing I can do about it MYSELF!!" Luke shouted back at her. Michelle's heart dropped to the floor as she slowly made her way back to him wearing her arms around him. "I'm sorry I'm so stupid..." She said. He said nothing but stood still- he seemed stiff. For a while he didn't say anything until he said, "Michelle I'm dying." She felt a hot year on her shoulder and couldn't help but cry to.
But what use does crying do when someone you love is dying?
"I want to help," Michelle said stupidly . "Here let me help you enjoy your life as a 18 year old before you die young," she repeated in her head. Ugh.
"Unless you've got my blood type the most you can do is complete some things on my bucket list. "I've never tested my blood besides when I was a baby," She said looking up at him. "I was joking," Luke retorted, "No one on the East Coast has my blood." "You never know," Michelle said leaving his arms and headed for the nurses desk.
"How can I help you?" The nurse asked with a pleasant smile. "I'd like to take a blood test.
After about half an hour of taking the blood test, Luke, Michelle and the rest of his family (like his mom and dad) ate Popeyes in the hospital room. "Because this is definitely the healthiest food," his mom rolled her eyes. Dylan glared at her while shoving a fry in his mouth. Michelle laid close to Luke on his hospital bed simply with their fingers laced.

"Michelle Hartford?" The doctor came into the room. She sat up straight and answered, "Yes?" "Your tests came back," he said with a shocked look on his face. She got up and took the papers flipping through them. "And?" Luke asked expecting it to be negative.

Michelle dropped the papers on the floor.

The doctor looked just as shocked.

Luke bent down to pick up the papers. He ran his fingers through his hair shocked.

"Well?" Dylan asked. His mom covered her mouth in shock. "She came back positive."