Max, Will, Joyce, Constance, and Robin were sitting in the waiting room of the hospital. All of them were quiet, angry or crying or both. After a few minutes of waiting, a doctor arrived in the waiting room and went to them. They all stood, not knowing if they were ready to hear him or not.
- "She had another heart attack. We managed to make her heart beat again, but we had to intubate her and to put a ventricular assist. Her heart is too weak to feed the other organs, especially her lungs."
- "What does that mean?" Constance asked.
- "She needs a new heart; she won't wake up until she has one."
- "The machines are keeping her alive, right?"
- "Yes. For now."
The five people felt hit by an arrow. "For now", it meant that she could just stop living at any moment. The doctor let them with a nurse who guided them to Jane's room. They had a cold shiver when they saw Jane, laid down on the bed, a massive tube getting out of her mouth connected to a machine. But the worse part was her closed eyes, knowing that the chances to see them opened again were close to zero.
They all entered quietly. Robin stayed behind, to give space to people who were very close to her.
Constance didn't say anything, she barely reacted. She just walked inside and sat on an armchair next to the bed. She was boiling inside, but her eyes were empty of tears.
Max wasn't empty of tears, since she entered this room, her eyes didn't stop crying, same for Will. The boy was so overwhelmed that he preferred leaving the room. Joyce followed him to keep an eye on him. She grabbed his arm to stop him.
- "I can't do it, I'm sorry," he sobbed. "I can't just look at her dying without thinking this is unfair, that it should have never happened!"
Joyce put her hands on his cheeks to make him calm down.
- "I agree with you, all of this is unfair, and you have nothing to apologize for. You have all the right to not be able to look at your friend in a such situation. It's too early, everything happened quickly. It's scary and stressing, I know that. Take your time, okay?"
Will nodded. Joyce opened her arms and hugged him tight while he was crying on her shoulder. Joyce couldn't be more grateful to have the luck to be able to take her son in her arms. She wished she could take Jane too in her arms right now.
In the room, the silence was still reigning. Constance was still sitting on the armchair, unable to think. Max managed to approach the bed and to sit on it. She hated seeing Jane like that, the brunette had no idea that there were people around her, crying for her, and praying that she would survive this. She stopped crying, probably empty now. She wanted to talk to Jane, but she didn't want Robin and Constance to hear it too, it was something she wanted to keep for Jane and only Jane.
A few minutes later, Constance couldn't stand the silent. The blonde teen brutally stood, took her bag, and quickly left the room. Robin, worried, stood too and followed her in the halls.
- "Where are you going!?" Robin asked.
- "Somewhere else!" Constance angrily answered.
- "Wait!"
Robin grabbed her arm to stop her, but Constance brutally freed herself before pushing her away.
- "Don't fucking touch me! I could have saved her, but you told me not to because she wouldn't be okay! This is all your fault! She could have had a chance, but you deprived her of this chance! Now look at her! She is the last family I had!"
- "Const—"
- "NO! I don't wanna hear you!"
Constance angrily looked at her, Robin holding her tears, before leaving the hospital with a quick walk.
Max was now alone in the room with her girlfriend. She had so much things to tell her, but she was feeling a bit ridiculous now, it would be like if she was talking alone. People would think she was crazy. But she didn't care, she preferred thinking that Jane could hear her.
- "Hey, Jane," Max began with a sniff. "I know you must be scared, but don't be, you'll be okay. Your body is fighting to keep living, and we all know that you will, it's just a matter of time. I...I don't really know what to say, I just...I wish I could save you. I wish I was the one in the bed right now...which could sound awful for you because you would be at my place, and I don't want you feel what I'm feeling right now. I'm so empty, and furious at your father for letting you live that alone, and I'm terrified, terrified to be lonely again...I don't know what I'm gonna do without you..."
Max stopped talking, overwhelmed by her own tears now. She took Jane's hand and kissed the back of it before placing it against her cheek. She wanted to stay here for hours, but she knew Jane wouldn't wake up anyway, and seeing like that was hurting her too much. She leaned to kiss Jane's forehead and whispered:
- "I love you."
She stood and got out of the room. She wandered a moment in the halls, a bit lost, until she found Joyce and Will in the entrance hall. She didn't say anything, her red puffy eyes were telling enough. Joyce didn't think twice and took her in her arms. Max completely lost it and began to evacuate her pain on Joyce's shoulder.
Constance didn't take the bus. She was too angry and agitated to stay sitting in a moving vehicle. She arrived at her building and quickly went upstairs. But a tall man with a black and probably expensive tuxedo was standing in front of her door.
- "Get out of here!" she ordered.
- "Not before I get what I come here for," he said with his deep voice.
- "I don't care of what you want!"
The man grabbed the young girl and blocked her against the wall.
- "Axel Brown, you know that name, right!?"
- "He is dead!"
- "I know, this coward killed himself before paying me."
- "It's not my problem!"
- "Yes, it is! I lent him two thousand dollars! I want them back!"
- "Oh yeah!? Maybe you should think twice before lending money to a man who can't pay his rent or his food! It's your own decision, you can blame only yourself! We all have money problems, but I'm pretty sure your sister is not dying right now!"
The yelling caught all her neighbors' attention who all opened their doors to know what was happening and to be ready to intervene if they had to.
- "If you need money, sell your fucking tuxedo!" Constance yelled.
The blonde teen freed herself, grabbed the man, and pushed him back. The man lost his balance and fell in the stairs.
- "Don't ever come back here or I'll call the cops!"
- "You almost killed me! I've witnesses!"
The man pointed at Mary, who was at her door, and Mehdi, Melissa, and Mallory, who were in the stairs.
- "You fell by your own. Now leave," Mehdi said.
- "You're all crazy!" the man angrily stated.
The man stood and quickly left the building. All the neighbors turned to Constance. They all heard what she said, and knew that Jane was in hospital now, but they wanted to know if it was as bad as it seemed. By seeing her face, they understood. Mehdi placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, but the girl brutally freed herself.
- "Don't fucking touch me."
Constance left them, went to her apartment, and slammed the door behind her, letting her neighbors alone. Emily appeared behind her mother with a worried expression.
- "Jane is dead?" she asked.
Mary crouched to her and said:
- "No, but she is very sick. Her heart doesn't work correctly; she needs a new one."
- "She will be okay after?"
- "Yes, but only if she has a new heart."
- "Why wouldn't she?"
- "Because, you can't find hearts like you can find candies. But I'm sure she will come back soon."
Emily nodded. Mary hoped she was right; she wasn't ready to explain Emily that she wouldn't see ever again her neighbor.
Constance began to break everything in her apartment. She was angry and she didn't know how to express it in a less violent way. She went to her room and froze when she entered. Seeing Jane's stuff made her feel guilty. She laid down on her sister's bed, took Mr. Bear and Cat in her arms, and began to cry. She was alone now.