Swept Off My Feet- Rini Fanfiction

There's Not A Star In Heaven That We Can't Reach

(A/N) ily guys <3

*Nini*

"...but for right now he's stable," Doctor Miller told all three of us.
Every single word he said to us as we sat in the waiting room blended together and I couldn't focus.
"Will he be okay?" Ashlyn asked.
"We're keeping a close watch on him," the doctor said. "His surgery went well, except he lost a lot of blood in places we didn't realize. For example, the bleeding was starting to flood into his lungs."
Cue the tears again.
"So we had to extract the water and blood from his lungs."
I looked over at Ricky, and even his face looked extremely worried.
"We hope that he will get better by tomorrow," Doctor Miller announced.
"Can we see him?" I asked in a small voice.
He gave a slow nod. "For a brief ten minutes. He needs sleep after the surgery."
I was a little more relieved knowing that I could finally see him after the three hours he had been in the O-R.
Doctor Miller gestured for us to follow him and all three of us followed.

*Ricky*

We followed the doctor through the many turns of the hospital.
If my friend hadn't been in surgery three hours ago, I would have laughed at how huge the hospital is and the maze of hallways it contained.
Doctor Miller stepped into a room all the way at the end of the hallway and we slowly followed.
I felt my face turn pale. EJ looked horrible. He wasn't the strong, tan, and confident athlete we all knew.
He was white as a ghost, his hair was messy, and he just looked physically drained.
"I'll let you have a minute," Doctor Miller said, looking over at the nurse who was checking his IV.
The nurse exited too.
"EJ," Ashlyn said quietly and walked over, taking his hand.
Niki walked over to the other side of him. I joined her.
Nini ran her hand over his arm, careful of the IV wires.
None of us thought he would wake up, but his eyes fluttered a bit and Nini gasped.
"EJ?"
He didn't open his eyes yet, but his body shifted.
"Please wake up," Ashlyn whispered to him.
That's when he opened his eyes slowly.
"Oh my god," Nini said, putting a hand up to her mouth.
"Hey man," I smiled.
He smiled slightly, looking exhausted.
"What's up?" He said.
Both Nini and Ashlyn started to cry a little, but I had to keep a strong face for them, no matter how much I wanted to cry with them.
"How are you feeling?" Nini asked, bringing her hand up to his face.
"Like shit," he replied.
I smiled. "Taking it like a champion."
I put my fist up for him and he did the same. We bumped fists.
"I'm sorry," EJ said to us all.
"You don't have to be sorry for anything," Ashlyn said, squeezing his hand.
"I just want to go home," EJ said quietly.
"I know," Nini said softly. "Tomorrow."
"Tomorrow," EJ repeated with a slight smile on his face.
Nini nodded. "Tomorrow."
Then EJ closed his eyes again.
"EJ, I think it's better to keep your eyes open," Ashlyn told him, tears still coming down her face.
EJ slowly opened his eyes, then closed them again.
"EJ," Nini whispered, taking hold of his hand.
"It's okay, guys," I told them. "Let him be. He's tired."
As if on cue, the machine that EJ was attached to started to repeatedly beep.
All of our heads shot upwards to look at the screen.
Numbers were dropping and his heart rate was slowing.
Nurses rushed in the room and we all stepped back.
"Blood pressure is dropping," one said.
I took Nini by the shoulders and brought her to the back of the room, to give the nurses room.
Ashlyn followed us.
"What's happening to him?" Nini asked.
A nurse searched through drawers full of medical supplies and brought out a breathing machine.
They hooked that up to EJ and placed the cup over his mouth and nose, in an attempt to help him breathe.
"Pulse is slowing down."

*Nini*

Words I never thought I'd have to hear in front of me.
"We're losing him!"
"No!!" I cried.
The nurses all rushed around, trying to get his pulse to speed up, trying to get his BP to increase, etc.
One nurse came in with paddles and ordered everyone to stand back.
She placed the paddles on his chest and yelled; "clear!"
She shocked the paddles and EJ's body jerked upwards.
"Charge to 350," the same nurse ordered to another nurse.
Then she placed the paddles back on his chest and shocked them, causing EJ to jerk upwards again.
Then we all heard it. The prolonged sound that rang almost throughout the whole hospital. Everyone went silent.

*Ricky*

"Time of death, 12:51."
My mouth dropped open.
"No," I said out loud. "No, that's not possible!"
Nini backed up into me, in shock.
Ashlyn has one hand on her mouth, the other, propping herself up against the wall, as if she might fall over.
"NOO...." Nini screamed, falling to the floor. I caught her, but I wasn't strong myself in that moment and I almost let her drop.
"Get them out," a nurse instructed.
One girl, about twenty, who must have been an intern came up to us.
"We're very sorry for your loss. Please come with me."
"No, he's not dead!" Nini cried.
"Please come," the nurse said, gesturing is out of the room.
I began walking out of the room, taking Nini with me, leaving Ashlyn in the room in shock.
Once we were out in the hall, I brought Nini in for a hug.
She cried against my shoulder and I eventually found myself letting out the tears I've held in for the past three and a half hours.
"He's gone," Nini cried loudly.
I didn't stifle the sounds that I made, because I knew that with something like this, it's okay to cry.
It's okay.
If anything, I cried almost as loud as Nini.
I looked in the window of the room we were just in and Ashlyn wouldn't leave, no matter how much the nurse told her.
I saw a blue sheet being pulled up over EJ's lifeless body.
I squeezed my eyes close.
Nini stepped out of our hug and looked in the window.
"Don't look," I choked.
Her eyes were still glued to the window.
"Nini, I said-"
"Stop!" She screamed, looking at me. "Just stop!"
She looked back through the window.
Then she put her hands up to her face and cried even harder than before.
She turned her back to the window and slid down, so she was sitting on the floor at my feet, her head buried in her hands.
"I'm sorry," she cried.
I slid down with her, taking her hands away from her face.
"I miss him already," she cried.
"I do too," I said, my voice cracking.
Then she burst out crying again, not holding back.
She leaned next to me, and put her head in my lap, tears never leaving the both of us.
I put my head back and looked up at the ceiling, stroking Nini's hair.
"Please," I whispered.
Then I swallowed hard, still processing EJ's death.
"Please take care of him."