*Chapter 9*

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By the time I got off the elevator and arrived at her room, she wasn't there. I thought that they must have moved her, so I checked with the woman at the desk.

"She was moved to the ICU about twenty minutes ago sir."

I gave her a brief thank you as I hurried into the elevator that was straight across from the desk. I hit the button repeatedly, and finally the elevator began moving up.

The doors slid open and I rushed out into the hallway, looking in every window as I passed by. I halted to a stop after giving a quick glance past room 215.

It appeared that the doctor's had just recently stopped working on her. She laid there stiffly, her eyes sealed shut in a calm state. The monitor that she was hooked up to beeped rhythmically. I walked over to her side and placed my hand on hers. I began speaking to her, telling her that she was going to be fine, even though I knew she couldn't hear me.

At that moment, her heart literally seemed to skip a beat, and within a matter of seconds her heart rate was out of control. The doctor's rushed in as a stood by helplessly. I tried everything I could think of, but nothing I did seemed to help. They pumped her chest, trying to stabilize her, but it only seemed to get worse from there.

I clenched her hand nervously, pleading with her to hold on.

But the moment seemed to flash by all too quickly, and before I knew it, I heard a trailing beep of the monitor. The doctor pronounced her dead then shut the monitor off.

I dropped into the wooden chair next to the hospital bed and cried out in frustration. How could this happen? It was up to me, what did I do wrong? She didn't deserve this, I did.

I pulled myself closer to her limp body and with cloudy eyes I pulled the red strands of hair from her cheeks. I began apologizing over and over as I held her lifeless face in my hands. I dropped my head against her chest, tears flooding the blanket that covered her. My head was pounding as I shut my eyes in pain, and I felt as if I had been swallowed up into an everlasting darkness.

I cracked my eyes open and got up slowly, but the darkness remained as heavy as before. I walked blindly as I tried to feel my way out. As I continued to walk, I saw a blurred hint of light which grew wider and brighter as I journeyed closer to it. I eventually reached a door; it appeared to be the only way out.

I turned the knob and pushed the door open hastily.

A blinding light drowned the darkness as I reached a new beginning.

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