There's a twist in here people! Sorry this chappie's kind of short, but work's been keeping me really busy. But I just had to put this in as soon as possible. Uhh... this story is turning out to be longer than I expected, so be prepared for some changes in the future. Not to the story, but as soon as I get more chappies written and submitted, I might be combining some of the previous ones.
Erik: Kaena, you're rambling again. Stop tormenting them and let them read! You're trying my patience. When am 'I' going to make an appearance?
Me: Don't mind him. He's just grumpy. :grins stupidly: Anyway, on with the show!
Chapter Three
Michael raced through the lobby of the hospital, pausing long enough to ask the receptionist which room Kristen was in. The 22 year-old was breathing hard and mentally blaming and berating himself for having caused this.
'This is all my fault! I should've been more understanding.'
The elevator seemed to take forever as it ascended to the fifth floor of the hospital. At each floor there seemed to be hordes of people who wanted to get on and off. Michael had plenty of time to recap what had happened earlier.
After Kristen fainted, the room was silent for a moment. Then, everyone converged on the stage to lend assistance. Michael was a part of that crowd. But having been sitting somewhere near the back, it was difficult to push his way through. When he did make it through, however, he was relieved to see her being tended to by Prof. Debbiene, who shouted for someone to call an ambulance. He carried her off the stage and outside where it was cool. But Kristen did not stir.
When the ambulance arrived, one of the paramedics asked for the school's medical records for Kristen. After briefly reading through the file, the same paramedic asked to see the contents of Kristen's backpack. He rummaged through it a few moments, then pulled out a little brownish-orange bottle with a white lid. It was a bottle of prescription pills. He read the label, wrenched the lid off the bottle, pulled out a pill and forced it into Kristen's mouth. In that instant, the entire medical staff on hand seemed to relax slightly. Without another word, they loaded Kristen into the ambulance and drove off; sirens wailing.
Mhegan had been given the rest of the day off, and she went home to inform her mother about Kristen's accident. But Michael still had one more class to attend before he was finished for the day. The class was a blur, as he performed his studies almost robotically. When the final bell rang, Michael pulled out his cell phone and told his older brother, Phillip, that he would be a little late coming home.
Finally, the elevator made it to the fifth floor. Michael located Kristen's room and quietly walked in. Kristen's mother was there, as was Mhegan. But Michael's eyes were glued to the still form of Kristen.
'She looks so pale,' he thought. And indeed she was pale. Since her fainting spell, the color had not returned to her cheeks. 'But surely she should have awakened by now. Something's not right here.'
"How is she, Mhegan?" he asked. Mhegan's mother coughed lightly.
"It's alright, Mom," Mhegan said, "Michael's a friend of Kristen. Michael, this is my Mom, Suzanne." Her mother gazed suspiciously at him.
"It's true Ma'am. We're in the same Choral Class at college. My name is Michael Cranston," he told her, holding out his hand, which she shook, lightly.
"Very well, Mheg," she sighed, "I might as well tell him." Michael pulled up a chair next to Kristen's bed and focused his attention on Mhegan's mother as she gathered her thoughts and began to speak.
"Ever since she was young, my daughter was never quite... normal. And by that I mean she never participated in anything that required extreme physical exertion. She was always content to sit on the sidelines and read a book or listen to music. I always tried to encourage her to be more active, but Kristen never seemed to have the energy. That problem became real one day twelve years ago when Kristen was playing outside in the yard with some of her neighborhood friends. They ran up to the door shouting that Kristen had fainted. They said they were right in the middle of playing tag, when she just stopped, complained that her chest hurt, and fell down. I rushed her to the hospital. After the doctors examined her, they came to me with some shocking news." Suzanne paused, fighting back the tears that threatened to fall. She continued on, shakily.
"They said that Kristen had a rare heart condition called Coronary Artery Disease; a narrowing of the arteries in the heart, often characterized by heart attacks. The disease should be nonexistent in children, but for some reason, Kristen had it. And the doctors couldn't understand or discover how someone so young could have suffered from a mild heart attack. They believe she might have been born with this problem, except the doctors couldn't detect it."
Michael was stunned. "How serious is it?"
"It can get quite serious the older she gets. She has medication to take for it, but she is now starting to need stronger doses to keep her arteries normal. She can't afford to miss a single dose, which is what the doctors believe happened today." Suzanne leaned over and touched her daughter's cheek. "She was so excited about the try-outs today; she nearly forgot her morning dose."
Suzanne looked pointedly at Michael. "There's no cure for this, Michael. And if the doctors are to be believed, they predict she won't live past 30."
At that moment, a nurse walked in, claiming that visiting hours were over. Michael said goodbye to Mhegan and her mother, and promised to visit tomorrow. As he walked home, he thought about what Suzanne had said.
'She knows that at any moment, she could die; yet she lives her life so normally. That is true strength.' Michael tried to think about what he'd do if he were in Kristen's position. 'Probably curl up in a ball and never want to do anything ever again.' Though he tried to find humor in that thought, the words of Kristen's mother still haunted him even when he reached home. Not even bothering to say goodnight to his brother, Michael lay in bed for a long time; sleep not coming to him. Deftly, he pulled out his copy of Susan Kay's 'Phantom,' switched on his reading light and began to read, until his mind finally cleared, and sleep came.
Authoress' notes: Thank you one and all for the reviews! You all make me sooo happy that people actually read my stuff and take the time to review. Once again, review replies.
erikorlando'sgirl: I LOVE ERIK, TOO!
Nomi-clawskull: Thanks for the info on the Mary-Sue thing. I promise you, although it sounds like it in the beginning, Kristen is not a Mary-Sue character. Please just be patient. There's a major twist at the end of my story that'll prove it. I suppose I should have made this a bit clearer, but Michael and Kristen knew each other long before these accounts, but were never really close. Michael because he was too shy, and Kristen... because of her condition.
jtbwriter: I'm glad you like the whole Roger appearance-Michael's reaction thing. Trust me, there's more coming.
Ballet-rat: Just be patient. That's all I can say.
AuronLives: Glad to hear from another singer. I prefer Classical Conservative pieces, but I also sing a bit of Italian Opera. As for my highest note, well... I can almost hit Christine's top note in the musical. (You all know which note 'that' is.)
Rubymoon2: No, I am not a Raoul-basher, I just happen to like Erik better. Raoul is a good character, and I like him. But like most Phan girls, I'd still turn the scorpion.
and once again, last but not least...
Phantoms-angel1: I updated again! And I DO like your story, and yes you ARE special!
P.S. I fixed the little glitch in the story Ballet-rat. Thanks. I told you Erik was impatient for a debut. It was supposed to be Michael.
