Smile, Billie [ a billie eilish fanfic | girl x girl ]

16 - unconscious

"So?" I furrow my eyebrows at her. "Point is?"

"Thing is, nicotine is not regulated by the brain," she shrugs, "meaning the amount that you consume is the amount that stimulates the acetylcholine receptors."

"And?" I ask her, confused on what she's trying to say.

"While your nicotine is fooling your brain into thinking it is acetylcholine, it is also doing something else..." she tells us, worriedly.

"And, what is that?" mom asks, afraid.

"Nicotine minimizes the growth of parasites and fungus, but does not prevent them from spreading their infectious offspring all over the body," the nurse explains.

She shakes her head at us, "When a smoker stops consuming the nicotine, suddenly all of these disease-causing elements that have been scattered throughout the body begin to proliferate, creating an infested body in a very short amount of time."

My mom gasps, "Infested body?"

The nurse frowns as she nods at us, "He is prone to sickness."

I bite my lip, "So, what's with him now?"

The nurse looks at me sadly, then looks at my mom.

"Why'd he fall unconscious?" mom asks her.

The nurse looks at my mom with sadness, "Your husband has fallen into a coma."

"Oh my God," my mom covers her mouth in shock.

I freeze as I look at my dad in shock.

"No," I whisper as I hold his hand tighter.

"It can't be!" mom explains to the nurse. "How did this happen?!"

"Nicotine poisoning," the nurse tells her. "And lack of oxygen in the brain."

I shake my head slowly as I look at the nurse, "When will he wake up?"

The nurse looks at me sadly, "We don't know, yet, but hopefully he does."

"What do you mean hopefully he does?!" I ask pointedly.

Mom starts to quietly sob.

"I'm sorry, but there's a chance he won't wake up," the nurse tells me.

My mom sobs more.

I shake my dad with fear in my eyes, "Dad, wake up."

"I'm sorry," the nurse tells us as she goes out of the room.

• • •

Now, we're back in my grandparents' old house, and I'm lying on the bed, covering my face.

I sob as tears fall down my face.

The doorbell suddenly rings.

I ignore it as I continue weeping.