Broken Pieces

54

54

     A slight beeping noise? Someone’s talking, but they sound like they’re under water. Who is it? Where am I?

     “Ahhhh!” I scream out in pain again. 

     Why does it hurt so badly again? I faded away, and it didn’t hurt anymore. Why does it have to hurt again?

     Something is over my mouth. I try to pull at it, but someone effortlessly pulls my arm back down to my side. The hand is warm on my arm. I feel cold.

     My body is shaking. But any movement aside from that seems close to impossible. 

     “Sam! Sam, please! Can you hear me? Sam, darling, please!”

     Elliot. 

     “Elli…” I can’t make out the rest of his name, even though I desperately want to.

     “Sam! Baby!” He kisses my forehead. It hurts, but I don’t care. 

     “I… I…” My throat hurts. I cough, and more blood comes from somewhere down deep inside me. “I… I love…”

     “I know, baby. I know. Shhh. Come back to me. Please?”

     I felt his tears fall on my hand. I struggle to open my eyes. I just want to see his face. Please. 

     “Sam, I don’t know who did this to you, but I’m going to find them. Okay? Just, please… please don’t leave me…” He chokes off again.

     “Elliot, I need you to back up. Please? Let us do our job so that we can save her.”

     “N… no!” I hold desperately to Elliot’s hand. 

     Who is that? That voice is familiar.

     “Ashley, please… please just save her. I…” I hear him crying.

     Ashley… His sister?

     I feel doctors—I don’t know how many, but a lot of them—working in various places of my body. 

     “Elliot.” I manage to choke out.

     “I’m right here, darling. I’m right here.” He’s moved, but he’s still close. 

     “Ahh!” A doctor working at the hole in my right side does something to it, though I can’t tell what, that makes my right leg go completely numb. 

     “Ashley!” Elliot screams, his voice growing more frantic.

     “Elliot, we’re doing everything we can.”

     I cough again. More blood.

     “Oh… oh, shit!” Someone from across the room. A doctor maybe?

     No.

     “Ashley, come look at this…”

     Footsteps. Papers.

     “Dammit, people work!” She screams.

     “What?” I can hear Elliot breathing, now, his breath almost as quick and shallow as my own. 

     “Elliot, come here…”

     I can hear him jump up; he must have been in a chair. 

     I listen carefully, one of the only things I can do, as I hear more papers being flipped around.

     “Elliot… she’s pregnant…” Ashley whispers.

     I get enough adrenaline to open my eyes about halfway. Elliot is on his knees in the floor with his head in his hands. He’s audibly sobbing now.

     “E… Elliot.” He looks up from his hands and leaps to my side.

     “Please hold on, baby. We’re going to be parents. Sam, please, stay with me.”

     I can’t hold my eyes open any longer. “I… I love you…”

     “I love you too, sweetheart. So much. Please, Sam, please…” 

     “Ellio… Ell…” I can’t force my mouth to form words anymore.

     “Shh… baby, save your energy. We’ll have time for talking later. Just stay with me…”

     I cough again. More blood than ever comes up from inside of me.

     I can’t breathe.

     I start to fade away again.

     No!

     My ears are ringing again.

     No, that’s machines. A bunch of them.

     “Sam!” Elliot screams through tears I could hear in his voice, though he sounded to be under water again. 

     “Elliot… She’s pregnant…”

     “You look ravishing, darling.”

     No! No! No!

     Ringing.

     “We’re going to be parents.”

     Elliot… I love you… Elliot…

     “We’re going to be parents.”

     “We’re going to be parents.”

     No! Elliot! The baby! No! No!

     “You know I’d do anything to make you happy.”

     “I’ll never love anyone again! Sam, please!”

     “Someone get him out of here please. Sam, come on stay with me!”

     “Elliot… She’s pregnant…”

     No!

     Nothing.

     I always feared dying this way…

End.