The Brightest Stars

Kristen

No. Not again.

I watch Ash yells at the nurse at the front desk. She's now asking for someone named Lauren after they told her that Ainoha is in surgery right now. She then bangs on the desk and yells, "Goddammit! My cousin is having an asthma attack and you don't happen to have a room?!"

"Kris!" I turn around to see my brother frantically move Belle. My eyes fall on her wobbly hand over my brother's legs and my heart stops. "Ana!"

I run over to where he is and copy what I observed Ash do. I put two fingers on her wrist and it's as if I've been stabbed when I feel no pulse. "Belle!" Tears threaten to fall as I move her head and feel her skin quickly turn like ice. "Belle!"

Ash kneels by me to take a look at Belle. She looks for a pulse and her eyes grow wide. She looks back at the security at the front desk and yells, "Code Blue! Code Blue! Cardiopulmonary arrest!" The moment she says this, a few nurses run over and start calling out a series of commands. I watch as the security takes the phone and frantically says something.

A young woman in light blue scrubs comes out of a door and runs towards us. A group of people has surrounded us and she yells at them to step aside. She looks at Belle and says, "Patient update."

"Annabelle Hendrix. Suffered an asthma attack about twenty minutes ago and is now in pulmonary arrest. Eighteen-year-old female with a history of pulmonary damage from birth. Survivor of a failed abortion. She takes--" 

I blur out whatever else Ash says as a young man comes and takes Belle from my brother's arms. Ash follows behind them and before she can go through the door, her voice is an echo as she tells me, "Call Hannah!"

My brother gets to that because I am left frozen at the image of my lifeless best friend. This is uglier than the attack she had in August. Her face is just so gentle. So soft. How can someone so kind and wonderful just stop breathing out of nowhere? Is this the God she follows? How can she lean on someone that leaves her all the time?

The last thing I see is her arm hanging over the strong man's arm and her eyes closed. As if she were peacefully sleeping. I shiver at the thought that today may just be the last day I see those brown eyes. Tears slowly fall down my cheeks and I feel all alone once they close the door behind them.

My feet urge me to run after her. I urge to scream, but I'm interrupted as AJ puts a hand on my shoulder and turns me around. "I called Hannah and our friends."

I'm slapped back to reality and I wipe my tears away. "Okay," I say firmly. "Let's wait for them."

Literally, five minutes later, Hannah barges into the hospital. She looks around frantically and AJ calls for her. She turns around and we run into her warm arms. She, too, trembles as she says, "What happened?! Where is she?"

"They took her in," I say. "Ash went with them. I..." I stop as my eyes start to water again and my lips tremble. Hannah pulls me in and gives me a tight hug. "She looked dead, Hannah. I've never seen her like this before."

A quiet sob comes out of Hannah's mouth as she finds some strength within her. She takes a breath and sighs. "It's going to be okay. We have to have faith, sweetie. Did you call her father?"

"Um." I look over at AJ and his eyes are dark. Filled with regret and sadness. He holds back tears as he shakes his head.

"Okay," Hannah says. "Let me call him." She steps aside as she takes out her phone and starts to speak in Spanish once John answers.

Almost immediately, Nate comes in through the sliding doors of the Emergency Room and I break. He holds my pieces together as I cry on his shoulder. Nate gently runs a hand through my hair as I cry. He doesn't have to say anything. Nothing at all...