I Became an Imaginary Friend

Chapter 13- Goodnight.... and Goodbye

Stella was hooked up to so many machines that she no longer looked human. There was an IV in her arm, sticky pads on her body, an oxygen tube in her nose, and a heart monitor beeping beside her. There were a couple times where she almost flat lined, but the doctors reacted quickly enough to save her. It broke my heart to see her in this state, but I was not giving up hope.

Layla could not step foot into the hospital room- she would burst into tears just standing at the door, and Henry would have to drag her away to calm her down. She would never enter the room to say goodbye.

Seraphina would occasionally enter to hold her baby sister's hand before walking back out to be with her family through this hard time.

Henry would sit for about ten minutes at a time before leaving for an hour, then he would return and repeat.

None of them got to say goodbye.

Throughout the entire process, I stayed in the room so Stella felt safe. She was deathly pale, her red hair had darkened from the sweat that poured down her face, and her eyes were glassy. She had a constant look of fear and pain on her face, even when she tried to smile at me. I wanted her to keep fighting like she was. I wanted her to live longer. No child should die at such a young age. It was unfair.

" Chris," she whispered weakly to me. " I'm tired."

" Then get some sleep, kiddo," I told her. " I'll be here when you wake up."

" Goodnight, Chris."

" Goodnight, Stella."

She would fall asleep, and so would I.

Every time, she would wake back up, which I was thankful for. However, she would always wake up in pain, and a nurse would come in to make her more comfortable. She had woken up a few times crying, the pain becoming unbearable. I hated seeing her like that.

" Chris, I wanna go home!" Stella whined. " I don't like it here!"

" I know, kiddo," I soothed. " I know."

Her cries of, " I wanna go home!" turned quickly into, " I wanna go!" She was giving up.

" Don't give up hope, kiddo!" I encouraged. " You're strong. You're going to make it through this!"

" I'm too tired," she complained. " I wanna go!"

" Don't talk like that, please!" I begged her. " You'll be fine!"

She fell into a restless sleep after that. I followed suit, except I didn't get to see darkness.

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I opened my eyes to find myself back in the Judgement Hall. Terror filled my body instantly. I couldn't understand why I was here.

" Because you're a dumbass," a voice replied to my thoughts.

I knew that voice. I turned and stood face to face with the Grim Reaper. Not the teenage one- the cold, unforgiving one. The one with swirling black ink and golden eyes.

" How do you mean?" I asked.

" ARE YOU THAT STUPID?!" He boomed.

I fell back and landed on my ass. He looked over me, a dark aura enclosing him.

" She's dying, Chris," he stated coldly. " She will not survive. Her time has come."

" NO!" I shouted. " She's a fighter! She'll make it through this!"

" ARE YOU ARGUING WITH THE FUCKING GRIM REAPER?!"

" Maybe," I answered timidly.

The gold in his eyes was completely gone. They were nothing but black orbs now.

" She is going to die, Chris," he stated. " The only thing keeping her in the living realm is YOU!"

" Me?"

" YES! She is seeking your approval to leave. She needs to know that you won't be mad if she leaves. She has slipped to this Hall on more than one occasion, but she refuses to let go because YOU won't let HER go. You keep telling her to fight, but she's in pain. She's done. The only reason she keeps going is because she cares about what you think. You're the largest influence in her life. Make the right decision."

I mulled over his words for a while, and I groaned.

" I'm not ready for her to leave," I told him.

He stepped closer to me, the gold returning to his eyes.

" I know, Chris. It's hard, but it has to be done. Do you want her to suffer any more than she has?"

" No," I answered immediately.

" Then, what are you going to do?"

I sat in silence for a while, knowing the answer, but not wanting to say it out loud.

" Come on, Chris. You know the answer, as awful as it is."

" I-," I started, but choked on the rest of the sentence.

The Grim Reaper gave me a look of sympathy as tears rolled down my face.

I looked up at him, and I saw Stella flash into my line of sight. Two of her actually. One was the little girl I met the first day on the job. The second was the one in the hospital bed. I gazed upon the girl, looking back and forth, and I knew I had to say it.

" I have to let her go."

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" Chris?" I heard a weak voice call.

I opened my eyes with a jolt, forgetting momentarily where I was.  Then, every memory came flashing forward, and I felt the tears forming in the back of my eyes. I looked over at Stella, who was laying back in her bed, her veins protruding prominently all over. I looked over and saw her father sitting in a chair on the other side of the bed, watching his daughter with a weird expression.

" What is it, kiddo?" I asked her.

" I'm tired," she said meekly.

As much as I didn't want to, I knew it was time.

" Stella, if you're ready to go, then I want you to go," I began. " I know you're fighting as hard as you can, but I also know you don't want to anymore. It's okay to give up."

" But," she said with a sniffle, " I don't want to make you sad."

Her father stood up and left the room at this point, and I saw the tears running down his face. A nurse came into the room a moment later.

I turned my attention back to Stella, who had tears in her own eyes as well.

" I know, kiddo," I said. " You're such a sweet girl. But, sometimes it's okay to be selfish. I just want you be feel better. In order to do that, I have to let you go."

" No!" she cried.

The nurse jumped at the sound.

" Stella, whatever happens, just know that I love you, and that will NEVER change. I know that in Heaven, you will make so many people happy, just like you made everyone here on Earth happy. You are an amazing little girl. You're the brightest star in the night, and I'm sure God will show everyone around the world just that. You've fought long enough, sweetie. It's okay to let go now."

The pain that had plagued her face for so long was now gone. She wore the most brilliant smile I had seen since the day I first met her. We were both crying as she held out her arms, and I moved forward and hugged her.

" I love you, Chris," she whispered.

" I love you, too, Stella," I replied.

With that, I pulled back far enough to sit in the chair and hold her hand as she took her few final breaths.

I watched as her eyelids began to close.

" I'm tired," she said.

" Then, goodnight, my shining star," I replied.

With that, she closed her eyes one final time, a smile resting on her gentle face. I leaned in close and whispered one last message.

" Goodnight.... and goodbye."

Word Count: 1296