Isaac leaned against his car. His arms were crossed on the hood and his chin was resting on them. He yawned as he stared at Erica's house. Okay Tay, where are you? You got my ass out of bed so there better be a damn good explanation for this he thought.
The front door to Erica's house flew open and a hysterical Taylor ran out onto the porch,"Ike! Ike get over here! Hurry!" he pleaded.
"What?" Isaac called from across the street, finally picking his head up off of his arms.
"Ike! Now!" Taylor screamed as he ran back into Erica's house.
Isaac yawned again and pounded his fist on the hood of his car twice before he pushed his body away from it and casually walked around the car. He slightly jogged across the street and into Erica's house. No Taylor anywhere,"Where are you guys?" he called.
Taylor appeared at the top of the stairs,"In Erica's room, Isaac run! It's an emergency!" he yelped before dashing out of sight once again.
"Fuck you, it's too early to run." Isaac called after him as he trudged up the stairs. A thought struck him,"You know Tay, if this is going to turn out to be some sort of practical joke I am definately going to rip your nuts off and make sure that they are never found." he yelled as he reached the top of the stairs. He dawdled down the hall, keeping his eyes peeled for anything suspiscious. He walked into Erica's room,"Okay, so what's going..." he stopped when he saw Taylor bent over Erica's lifeless body and sobbing.
"Ike, she's dying!" he yelled as the tears fell like rain off of his cheeks.
Isaac ran over to Erica and grabbed her wrist to feel for a pulse. He came up with one,"Okay Tay, don't move her. If she hit her head she could have hurt her neck badly. You didn't move her did you?" Isaac asked impatiently.
Taylor's body sunk into itself as he stared fuzzy eyed at Ike,"I just walked in and she was laying there. Just laying there all helpless. I should have gotten here sooner. Yes, sooner. I could have done something, anything." he babbled incoherently.
Isaac grabbed his brother by the shoulders,"She's not dead! I need to know, did you move her at all?" he screamed.
"Yes, but" Taylor sobbed holding up the empty pill bottle,"she didn't hit her head. She's trying to kill herself."
"Oh, fuck!" Isaac exclaimed staring at Erica lying on the floor. What now? What now?! What the fuck do I do now? Hospital, get her to the hospital Ike. How? You drive! Car, to hospital! he yelled at himself. "Get her up! Help me carry her to the car!" he commanded as he grabbed her upper body off of the floor.
Taylor dropped the pill bottle to grab her legs.
"Keep that you fuck!" Isaac screamed at his brother,"They might need to know what medication it was." he explained.
Taylor snathced the pill bottle up clumsily and shoved it in his pocket. Then he grabbed her legs.
The brothers lifted Erica off of the floor and carried her out to the car. Isaac trying to remember the fastest way to the hospital and Taylor crying hysterically the entire way.
They put her body in the backseat and Taylor leapt back there with her. Isaac ran around the car and jumped in. They took off at lightening speed.
As Isaac took off there was only one thought and two reasons for his behavior in there. No matter how fast he drove he just could not escape them.
Taylor tried to revive Erica as they drove. He held onto her seemingly lifeless body and shook her head which was held up by his right arm,"Why did you do this?" he cried at her,"Look what you did to yourself! Get up Erica! Oh please, just open your eyes once!" he begged. In desperation he slapped her face.
Erica's eyes blinked open.
"Oh my God, Ike! Her eyes are open!" Tay screamed.
Isaac glanced back at Erica,"Keep her awake!" he yelled as he swerved through the morning traffic.
Taylor stroked Erica's face,"Erica, can you hear me?" he asked hopeful that her response would be yes.
Erica stared at him blankly. She didn't make any attempt to move any part of her body.
The blank stare that she gave Taylor shot straight down into his heart. It shook him from the inside,"Talk to me Erica, stay awake!" Taylor raised his voice.
She blinked,"Taylor." she said barely above a whisper. Her eyes flooded over with tears at the sound of his name.
"Yeah," he smiled as a fresh set of tears welled into his eyes,"it's me Er. Don't cry. We're almost to the hospital and you're going to be fine." he said. Now that she was conscious and talking he truly believed that she would be.
She shook her head sadly,"I'm gonna go Tay. I have to go. It's too late." she told him.
"It is not too late," his voice wavered in it's defiance,"don't talk like that."
She let out a sob and clutched her hand onto his shirt,"I'm afraid to die." she broke down.
"You are not going to die!" he yelled. "Go faster Ike!" he screamed at Isaac.
"Promise?" she asked looking at him.
He had never felt so impotent in his entire life. His best friend was dying on his lap and he just wanted to say that he could promise that she would be fine. The little girl in pigtails flashed through his mind. He couldn't promise this. Not this. "You are not going to die." he replied wiping the tears off of her cheeks.
Her stomach writhed in pain,"Oh God, it hurts Tay, it hurts." she wailed clutching her stomach as she started coughing. Blood came out of her mouth.
"No, no, no!" Taylor yelled wiping at it with the bottom of his shirt,"NO!" Oh God, why are you doing this to me? Please, not my best friend. Not the girl I love. How can you do this to me? You bless me with music and take away the only other happiness in my life! No! I won't let you have her! You cannot have her God! She's mine!
"Tay, oh God, it hurts." she cried as she coughed up more blood.
Taylor stared into her panic-stricken eyes and let the tears fall down his cheeks again as the helpless feeling overcame him. God take her pain away! Please don't do this to me! Why are you so unfair? he screamed inside his head.
He felt Erica's hand slowly slipping off of his shirt. It snapped him back to reality. He grabbed her face,"No damnit! Stay awake!" he yelled.
"Almost there!" Ike called from the front seat.
Erica searched Taylor's eyes. Looking for any shred of hope in them. There was only fear, his eyes reflecting her fear. "Do you feel it Tay?" she asked.
"Here!" Isaac yelled,"Stay with her while I get someone!" he instructed as he dashed inside.
Taylor stared into Erica's eyes,"Feel what?" he asked her.
She coughed again, spurting more blood out. He watched her wince in pain and she closed her eyes.
"Feel what?" he asked louder.
She didn't move.
The emergency room door opened and a bunch of doctors and nurses grabbed at Erica and yanked her hand off of Taylor's shirt. They pulled her onto a strecther.
Taylor climbed out of the car and ran along side of the stretcher,"Erica! Feel what?" he yelled.
A nurse grabbed onto Taylor and pulled him away from the strecther and towards the waiting room,"Sir, you'll have to wait out here."
He looked past her and at the door that they just wheeled Erica into,"What the fuck am I supposed to feel?" he screamed at the door.
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