Quote of the day:
Finny: "Well, it doesn't really matter, does it? Nothing matters. As long as we're friends."
--
When five o'clock finally rolled around, we were all four bored and exhausted. Leper was dozing uncomfortably in a hardback chair. Brinker and Ollie were on their twelfth game of tictactoe, and I was writing a sonnet in my head about Finny. Adora still hadn't made it to the hospital. I considered calling her, but didn't want to worry her about the surgery over the phone.
I glanced at the grey-rimmed clock on the wall and stretched. "He's supposed to be waking up about now," I said, turning to the other three. "Do you guys want to go see how he's doing?"
"Ah, you go on first, Gene," Ollie offered. "He probably won't want all of us crowding around him right when he wakes up."
"Are you sure?" I asked. "I mean, you guys haven't gotten to see him at all so far."
"He's not going anywhere," Brinker replied.
"Yeah, I think I'll go grab a bite to eat," Leper added.
I could tell that they were letting me go first because I now had a very different relationship with Finny than they had. And truth be told, I did want to have him all to myself for a little while.
"Okay," I said with a shrug. I stood. "Come on back with me in a few minutes."
I walked back down through the labyrinth arriving at my destination in no time. I hesitated in front of the door, then knocked. Receiving no answer, I wondered if Finny was even in there. But, I pressed onward and peered inside the door.
I ventured further inside when I saw that he was indeed lying in the bed. The room was a lot darker than before, now that the light had been turned off and the blinds closed. I quietly walked toward my friend, noticing that he was no longer hooked up to the IV or the heart monitor.
I stood over him once again, this time to find that his eyes were shut. "Finny," I softly whispered. I touched the shoulder on his well arm and shook him. He felt stiff as a plank of wood, like he was tensing up for a fight. "Finny, can you hear me?" I said a little more loudly.
He looked so peaceful and relaxed that I decided not to disturb him. I sat down in the chair next to his bed and watched him for a moment.
Suddenly, the door opened. I thought that it would be the guys, but instead it was the doctor, whose name was Michaels.
"Oh, I didn't realize anyone would be here," he said upon entering and seeing me.
"Is it okay for me to be here?" I politely asked.
"Um, sure," he replied. "So, you're a friend?"
"Yes, sir," I answered. "We go to school together."
"Oh, I see," he said. He came over and kneeled beside me. "I don't know if you realize it, son, but your friend is….."
--
NoV: BUM BUM BUM!
Now, here's the plan. I couldn't just kill Finny, but I know that it was important to the original plot. So, here's what I've done: I've written two endings. One ends up with Finny making it and staying alive. In the other, he dies. So, I'm going to post each as an individual chapter after this one, and I'm going to let the fans decide which they like best and want to keep as the real ending of my story. All you have to do is read, choose which ending you like best, and vote in a review or e-mail. Whichever ending gets the most votes stays. And which one wins will determine whether I get to do a sequel or not. So, vote and tell me if Finny lives or dies!