Well here's another chapter for your enjoyment. Most of you have probably already read Annabel Lee and know what is going to happen so I have no worry about spoiling it when I say this… if you don't like sad stuff don't read this chapter.
Overtime it seemed Raven would get better. Her fever went down and she grew stronger. Her mother and the others who came with her from Azerath suggested that Raven stayed in the sterile environment provided for her, but Raven had grown restless and wanted to get outside. Finally, getting the approval from her mother, we allowed Raven to leave the air locked room and come with us on a trip to the park. She was still weak and so I stayed by her side, but I could see it in her eyes, she was happy to be outside again.
Raven could not partake in our usual activities so she sat in her usual place, a patch of grass under the shade of a tree. I would often take breaks from football to talk to her but she would always tell me to go back to playing. She had always enjoyed watching instead of actually playing in any sports.
A week went by of similar activities. We would go see a movie if it rained or perhaps to go the mall, but when the sun was out we went to the park. Raven was not the same though. She often grew very tired by the end of the afternoon and would go to bed early, missing the sun set. She made an effort to watch it with me a few times but ended up falling asleep before the sun began to set. All of the Titans could tell there was still something wrong, even I could tell, but for some reason I didn't admit it. I thought she would get healthy again and we'd be able to watch the sun set like we use to.
But eventually things got bad again. Raven became less and less able to journey with us, and crime fighting was out of the question. She had lost a lot of weight despite her eating habits and grew very weak. One day my worst fears came forward… Raven got sick again.
"The angels, not
half so happy in Heaven,
Went envying her and me:--"
I entered her room one morning, speaking her name. "It's time to wake up!" I said excitedly, sitting on the bed. "Robin says were going to the zoo. StarFire saw and add in the news paper saying some black leopard cubs were born so she wanted to go."
She did not stir. I quirked a brow and chuckled. "C'mon sleepy head, no goofing around." I shook her shoulder lightly but she did not move. "Raven, this isn't funny, wake up!"
My eyes widened as I feared for the worst. I threw the covers off of her and shook her violently. "Raven, wake up!" I yelled with worry. Her skin was cold as ice. I felt for a pulse. Bdm…….bdm…. There, a heart beet. It was slow but it was beating. I could see her side moving up and down as she took in deep shallow breaths. Something wasn't right.
Scooping her up in my arms I rushed to the main room where everyone was waiting for us. I stormed through the doors, the look of panic on m face. "Raven's not waking up!" I yelled. "She's breathing but she's not waking up!"
StarFire and Robin gasped as Cyborg rushed forward. He took Raven away from me and rushed her too the air lock room. I watched as he connected her body to wires and tubes to help her breath and keep her body functioning properly. "Her temperature is extremely low and her heart beet isn't at her normal pace." He said urgently.
"What does this mean?" StarFire asked her eyes wide and worried. "Has Raven become 'the sick' again?"
Cyborg shook his head. "I don't think she's sick, Star…" He said sadly. "I'm no doctor but I've seen this before, her body is breaking down. She's loosing function."
Robin's eyes narrowed and he shared nervous glances with Terra. "What can we do?" Terra asked softly.
"We need to contact her mother." Cyborg said. "She'll be able to help."
"How do we contact her?" Robin asked, stepping forward. "She usually just appears conveniently."
"We'll have to wait for that then." Cyborg says, making sure all the machines were functioning correctly. "Until then all we have to do is keep her system functioning properly."
They all looked to me; I had said nothing the whole time. I was to busy staring at Raven's motionless figure. Pure dread filled my heart. What if we couldn't help her this time? What if the people from Azerath couldn't help? Raven was my life, I lived it for her. If she left how would I go on?
"Yes! That was the
reason (as all men know,
in this kingdom by the
sea)"
Raven's mother came later that night to see her daughter. They requested that they take her again but we refused this time. Any methods of healing they did we wanted to watch. They spent a few ours just examining her, doing usual medical tests. There were some interesting things they did, mystical tests. Raven's mother was human so she did not take part in any of the mystical medical procedures. After a while they were done and came to us with some rather unpleasant news.
"Raven's body is breaking down." They told her. "Her demon spirit has already died which explains her weakness and now all that remains is her human spirit which was never really strong to begin with."
"What does that mean?" I demanded, wanting to know if Raven would live through it. Raven always wanted to be just a human, so I didn't see how loosing her demonic powers were such a bad thing.
"Raven's body is built to hold demonic energy, without it it eventually stops all function." A man in white explained. "Raven is in a coma, this is most likely permanent. She does have some cranial activity going on but it's not too promising. Her human spirit is just not powerful enough."
Robin glared at them. "Give us a strait answer!" he yelled. "Will she live or not!"
Raven's mother sighed. "She doesn't have much time to live." She explained a small hint of depression in her voice. "She's probably in her final hours as we speak."
My heard dived into the pit of my stomach, or so it felt. No, it wasn't possible. Raven was alive and she was going to remain living! But who was I kidding? Raven was dieing, her body was shutting down and I would never get to speak with her again while she was in a coma.
The mood of the other Titan's thickened my depression. They were all just as upset about the news. Robin even went to the point of yelling at the man in white when he requested they take Raven back to Azerath. He told them to get out of Titan's tower and never comeback. Over the hours of the day the Titan's gradually left the room, but I stayed with her.
I stood a chair next to her hospital bed and sat next to her. I would not leave the room until she either woke up or passed on. It was late afternoon and I had fallen asleep with my head resting next to her. "Gar…" A frail voice said to me, disturbing my sleep.
"Raven!" I yelled when my groggy vision recovered and I saw her looking up at me. She pressed a finger to my lips as if telling me to keep it down.
"What time is it?" She asked, to weak to turn her head to look at the clock on the opposing wall.
"Six o-clock…" I said, not understanding the question to much. I assumed she was delusional and did not question her.
"Good….Then there's still time." She said to me, her eyes open and staring into mine. I could tell she was hardly awake.
"Time for what?" I questioned, quirking a brow.
"Unplug me from these machines, Gar." She told me softly. "Unplug me and take me to the roof. I want to see the sunset…"
"If I unplug you you will die…" I said, shocked that she would ask me to do such a thing.
"Just do it, Gar." She told me, her voice firm. "I want to see the sunset…"
And so I listened to her. Slowly I unplugged all of the tubes and cords connecting her to her lifeline. I lifted her up out of the bed gently, supporting her head. She had just as much control over her body as an new born. I walked quickly to the roof so we wouldn't miss it. We made it and sat down by the edge. I laid her down so her head rested on my lap. "We still have a few minuets…" I told her, gently fingering her hair.
"Oh good. I was so worried we'd miss it." She said happily, her eyes closed. "I love you Garfield…." She told me, her lips curling into a smile.
I smiled back and chuckled softly. "I love you too." I murmured, planting a kiss on her chilled lips. I looked up at the horizon. "Its starting… Want to count it down.."
She opened her eyes and nodded, watching the sun set. "Five…" She said softly.
I looked up at the sun. "Four." I whispered, feeling the happiness I did when she was well.
"Three…" she spoke; I could tell her voice was getting quieter as the sky grew redder.
"Two." I said with a smile, tears running down my face.
Silence fallowed. "Raven it's your turn." I said softly, looking down at her. But the sun had set and Raven was gone. I knew it was going to be her last sunset, but I never knew it would be this hard. Raven was my life, my love. Without her my heart shattered. And so as I held her to me in the dark of the night I cried. Cried for the loss of my beloved Raven.
"That the wind
came out of a cloud, chilling
and killing my Annabel
Lee."
This isn't the last chapter so don't worry about that just yet. God I hate writing sad stuff, I feel like crying. But tragedy is just so beautiful.
