Brick sat, his head in his hands, watching the LCD intently. The ups and downs. The constant rhythm of it hurt his head. It didn't help that he'd been up for days in a row, finding it impossible to sleep. The bags beneath his eyes crept down his face, hanging like a dark sea beneath the bloodshot moon of his eyes. He just wouldn't leave her side.

He was sat in the ICU of Wawanakwa hospital, waiting impatiently. He jerked his leg up and down rapidly, as if he needed to to stay awake. The slow 'beep... Beep' of the monitor wasn't helping, lulling him into a false sense of calm and readiness. He turned back to her. Sammy. She had been diagnosed with cancer a month ago, roughly three months after he had proposed. Neither of them knew that it would ever come to this. The treatment seemed to be working... Until it wasn't. A week ago she was admitted into hospital, after collapsing soon after she woke. He was cooking breakfast downstairs. He should've been there. He knew he should've been. She was his fiancée. He shouldn't have been away from her, not even for a second. The hospital wouldn't let him stay overnight with her though. So he left right at the end of visiting hours, and was back again at the start of the next day. His work had called him multiple times. He'd said that he needed to be with her. It might be his last chance...

He looked back at her, asleep beneath the heavy oxygen mask. Her beautiful blonde hair was all gone, and her face was sunken, her bones sticking out a good centimetre from her skin. But still she looked beautiful to him. She would still smile when she was awake. The last time she was was three days ago. Still he persisted, just to see her face, or in vague hope he could hear her voice one more time. He watched. The clock ticked by. Slowly.

It was about an hour until closing when she finally stirred. He shot up, racing to be by her side, and knelt by her side, his head mere inches from hers. She awoke, blinking in the hot light of the room, she turned to him, and smiled, "Hello, love..." her voice was hoarse and cracked, but it still brought a tear to Brick's eye just to hear her, finally.

"H-Hello darling..."

"Urgh, how long was I out?"

He chuckled lightly at this, "Just a few days."

"Has Amy been?" she seemed hopeful.

He stopped and looked at his feet, "Um... It's only been me..."

"The whole time?" she sounded hurt, and turned towards the ceiling.

"Yeah... I called your parents. They said they'd try to make it..."

"But... Where are they? I'm dying here..." she started crying

"Don't say that!" he said, defensively, "No one said that you'd die. You'll be healthy in no time. They... They sent you flowers." he walked back to his chair and picked up a large bunch of tulips from the table, "See? Tulips... Your favourite..."

"That's so sweet Brick... But my parents didn't know my favourite flower." the thought seemed to lift her spirits, though.

"Well, maybe I told them..."

"The card has your name on it," she said smiling at him, "I know you're trying but please..."

"Well..." he sighed, "I love you, and it's not fair that I'm the only one showing it..."

"If they loved me," she paused to cough a little, "they'd be here. This is what love is, Brick. Being there as they die."

Brick began to cry, "Please don't say that..."

"I love you Brick-"

"And I love you too!"

"But please... I don't think I'm living through this."

Tears were streaming down his face, "Please... I don't want to hear this."

"I know, I know..." she was crying now too, "But I don't want you denying the inevitable..."

"They told me..."

She grasped his hand, "They've been wrong before..."

"You'll live." he gripped tighter, "We'll get married. We'll buy a house. We'll have three kids," she laughed at this, "five kids. A million kids! Anything!"

"Please..."

"I called the wedding planner. The garden is available any time we need it. As soon as we leave, we'll get married..."

"Brick..."

"Yes, my love?"

"You're not listening..."

"I don't want to!" he lowered his head onto her hand.

"You can still live this. Promise me you will."

"We will!"

"No... You will. Love another woman when I'm gone. Life doesn't end with me."

"But you are my life... Everything I do I do for you."

"And you are mine. But we can't deny this, Brick. We both know-"

"Please..."

"Okay..." she stopped, as their tears had soaked her bed sheets, "Come here..." he stood up and leaned over her, "I... Love... You"

He kissed her forehead, "I love you to the moon and back... To Jupiter and back... To forever and back... Don't leave me..." he sank to his knees again, grasping her hand.

"Brick... You're hurting me..." her voice was becoming weaker, barely a whisper.

"Tell me. Tell me you'll be fine."

"You'll be... Fine..."

"Please... Please, please, please..."

"Thank you... For loving me..."

"S-Sammy...?"

She flatlined. Brick was left on his own. Just himself and the noise of the machine. He tuned it out, and just stared at his fiancée's body. Paramedics came in. They zapped her with defibrillators, told Brick to sit. He obliged. He never took his eyes off her face, and his tears flooded the ground beneath him, and drenched his shirt. He bit his lip, snivelling and sobbing. One of the paramedics turned to him. Brick heard nothing, but he understood. He felt numb. Nothing... All was lost... All was gone... His senses left him. He sat in silence, as the paramedics all left one by one, leaving her. And him.

He had been holding her hand as she passed. He took it up again, and knelt by her one last time. He removed her oxygen mask and kissed her lips for the final time ever. He remained until the staff told him to leave. Her life was over. And so was his...