Written by Simply Cute Bambi
Based on some situations originated by James Cameron.

I could hear the beeping of something like a heart monitor somewhere close. My mind was a cloudy haze that wouldn’t clear up. I was slowly coming around. Back to earth…back from the black, endless pit I had been thrust into…back to consciousness…

My eyes fluttered open and I squinted against the sudden light. My head felt like it was being lit on fire, trampled by a bull and subjected to hundreds of pairs of hands running their nails down a chalkboard. I noticed tubes crisscrossing all around my torso and arms and felt the burn of the needles in my skin.

I looked at the needles, confused, as I scrunched my eyebrows, trying to remember where I was. The last thing I remembered was a flash of light. I looked around me and noticed that I was in a hospital room.

"What the…?" I muttered as I tried to get out of bed. Just the movement alone caused me to wince, and then, as I tried to swing my legs off the bed, I crumpled to the floor.

I gripped my leg in anticipation as I waited for any kind of pain to come. It never did. It was like I couldn’t feel my legs. I was totally numb. I immediately panicked as I leaned my head against the bed.

I closed my eyes and messaged my temples as I tried to remember what happened. All I could remember was a bright light and then the rest was unknown.

Suddenly, I could hear her voice, almost as if she were right beside me.

Why can’t you be happy for me?

I opened my eyes and I could almost see her tears running slowly down her beautiful face. Her eyes focused on the road and yet filled with all the pain and hurt in the world. I racked my brain, searching for some answer as to why I had made her cry.

My eyes narrowed into slits as I remembered him. Ugh…just the thought of him made me want to puke. I hated the way he looked at her--like she was some possession he owned. Like a piece of meat that had no value…a trophy.

As everything came back slowly, bit by bit, the door slowly opened.

She couldn’t be dead, could she? No, she couldn’t. No. No. No. It’s my entire fault.

No.

I could hear the heart monitor beside me go into a frenzy as my heart raced fast and my pulse quickened. My breathing became shallow as I struggled to regain my breath.

"Easy now," I heard an older, compassionate voice say. I looked up and saw an old man with silver hair holding my arm while injecting something into my tube as I was put back on the bed.

A minute later I was calm enough.

"What happened to Rose?" I asked, gasping as my chest hurt.

"I’m afraid your friend is in critical condition. She suffered a concussion along with several other major injuries and she broke a few bones and fractured others," he said sadly. "You, on other hand, are lucky. However, you will never regain the feeling in your legs."

My face was an emotionless mask. But instead of feeling numb, I felt a swirling vortex of anger, rage, misery, frustration, sadness, and guilt.

My mask cracked slightly as I found my eyes starting to brim with tears as I tried to imagine Rose all bandaged up and suffering. I shook my head, trying to force the tears away as they came back with double the force.

How could I have done that to her?

"Is she going to be okay?" I asked quietly, afraid of the answer.

"Well…to tell the truth, I hoped she would, but considering her other injuries, I’m afraid not," he said sadly as he shook his head.

I allowed the tears to fall freely now. I was going to lose her and there was nothing I could do… nothing at all.

"You can either keep her on life support or let her die in peace," he said as he shook his head sadly. He walked out, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

I couldn’t be responsible for ending her life like that. I had no right to.

If only I had kept my mouth shut. If only. If I could switch places with her, I would in a heartbeat. The remorse was slowly eating me up. I shouldn’t have said anything about him. I shouldn’t have objected. I would give anything to have her in my arms, even if it was just for a moment. One more moment to be with her. I raised my hand up slowly and hit my head over and over, cursing myself for how stupid I was.

That doesn't matter now. It's in the past. My lips twisted bitterly as the unrelated memory flashed through my brain. The sadness overwhelmed me. I knew no matter how much I prayed and prayed, what was done was done.

I closed my eyes again, willing myself not to think of her. Her warm cerulean blue eyes. Her soft but fiery red hair. Suddenly, a thought struck me.

I reached out for my buzzer as I opened my eyes. The doctor I spoke with earlier came shortly after I buzzed him.

"I need to know," I said as I fiddled with my hands, "if there’s any way I can save her."

"I don’t know."

"Please," I begged, the tears starting to come again. "Please."

"Well, normally I wouldn’t consider this," he said, sighing. "But since you want to help so much…it would help her enormously if she had a heart donor," he said as he took off his glasses and looked at me directly.

"I’ll do it," I said quietly.

"Are you sure? I mean, the risk and everything…" He trailed off as he put his glasses back on.

"I’m sure," I said, more strongly this time.

"Very well, then," he said as he turned to leave.

"Wait." He turned to look at me. "Could I see her before I…before…" I said, swallowing again.

He nodded. A moment later, a nurse came and wheeled me to Rose’s room. My heart immediately broke at the sight of her. She was covered in bandages, her chest rising and falling evenly, her heart monitor steady.

The nurse wheeled me close to her and then she left and shut the door behind her.

I gently reached for her hand and stroked it softly.

"I’m sorry," I said, the tears spilling. "...for everything," I said, fighting my emotions.

She hadn’t moved a muscle. I tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. I slowly got up and managed to haul myself onto her bed. I lifted her up gently and held her close for one…last…moment, smelling her strawberry hair…one more time.

"Hold on to me, love," I said as I stroked her hair gently. "You know I can’t stay long," I said as the tears came more freely. "All I wanted to say was…" I said weakly as I took a deep, shaky breath. "I love you and I’m not afraid," I said as I pulled back to look at her, memories engulfing me. I pressed my lips to her forehead slowly, gently, and then pulled away.

The End.

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