Sorry that it's taken so long. I had yet another three day trip to Jackson, this time with TSA. So, anyway, here it is- a new chapter.
Cindy walked briskly from one end of the hall to the other. She paced feverently, knawing on her fingernails. She was beyond anxious to know what type of illness would claim Jimmy's life ina matter of hours.
The ambulance had arrived within minutes of Cindy's phone call. They'd taken Jimmy immediately to the hospital and peformed a number of tests to diagnose him.
His parents were in the room with him at the moment. Cindy desperately wanted to be in the room also, but she knew that his family needed to spend some time with him.
"Cindy!" she heard a familliar voice say. She turned to see Libby getting off the elevator with Sheen and Carl trailing behind her.
"We heard what happened, Cindy, do they know anything yet?" asked LIbby.
"I don't know, Libs, I just wish I knew something."
Libby patted her reassuringly on the shoulder.
A nurse walked out of Jimmy's room and Cindy looked at her, desperate for information.
"He's asking for a Cindy, is that you?" asked the nurse, looking at her.
Cindy nodded and went into the room without another word.
"Hi," she said. She didn't know what else to say. Jimmy's parents were still in the room, so she couldn't very well tell him what she needed to.
Apparantley, Jimmy's mother picked up the vibe because a moment later, she drug her husband out of the room, saying that she needed to get some fresh air.
"Hey, Cindy," said Jimmy, who was sitting up in bed. Cindy could hardly bare to look at him. Despite the fact that he'd only been in the hospital for about an hour, he already had dark circled under his eyes and looked extremely tired.
Cindy smiled warily and sat down in the chair next to Jimmy's bed. This was going to be extremely hard, she knew that. She also knew that it needed to be done.
"So, um, how are you feeling?"asked Cindy. She already found it hard to choke back tears, and she had barely said a word.
"Fine."said Jimmy, "I'm feeling much better."
Cindy knew he was lying. She could see it in his eyes. She could tell that somehow he knew that he wasn't going to make it through the night. His expression resembled that of a soldier going into a battle that he knew he was going to lose, but was going to take as many of the enemy down with him as he could.
Cindy wished she knew just what Jimmy's enemy was. But, she dared not ask, it wasn't a very appropriate question for the moment.
"They don't know what's wrong with me." said Jimmy.
Cindy looked up, shocked that he'd been able to tell what was on her mind.
"They don't? I mean, they have to have some sort of idea. . . "
"The doctors told me that it was something they'd never seen before-and they don't know how bad it is, or even how to cure it." replied Jimmy.
Cindy's throat tightened, and a hard knot formed. She swallowed, but couldn't get rid of it. Cindy could almost see the pain behind Jimmy's eyes. She could also see his resistance to it-his will to live. Knowing that his will to live was not strong enough to fight whatever enemy was taking hold of him, knowing that he would be gone from her in a matter of hours, only made matters worse. If there had been some spark of hope left inside her, Cindy would be able to pull herself together, but she knew what would ultimately happen.
Cindy turned her face away. She couldn't face Jimmy any longer. She knew that if she continued to look at him, she would cry.
"So, Neutron, I bet this isn't how you expected to spend your weekend, huh?" she asked. She had meant for it to sound playful, almost sarcastic, but instead, it had come out in a small choked whisper.
Jimmy didn't speak.
Cindy turned back to face him, partly to see why he wasn't talking, but also to work up enough courage to do what she had to.
"So, have you invented anything new lately?" she asked, knowing that Jimmy would never give up the opportunity to brag about his genius, no matter how dire the circumstances were.
"Well, I am working on a new upgrade for Goddard- it'll make him much more adaptable to his environment. . . " Jimmy continued to ramble on about the exact procedure of installing the new technology.
Cindy was, in part listening. She loved to hear him speak with such enthusiasm about something so. . . well, nerdy. A normal guy would talk about a car or a girl with the same look in his eyes that Jimmy possesed while speaking about science.
Jimmy finished up what he was saying, and waited for Cindy to comment. But, instead of asking a question about what he'd just told her, Cindy told Jimmy that she had to leave for a few minutes, and would be right back.
Cindy made her way to the girls' room. She didn't know exactly why she was going there, or even why she had left the room, but she knew that she couldn't just sit there, by Jimmy's side and pretend that everything was going to be peachy keen.
Cindy found the women's restroom, went in, but didn't enter a stall. Instead, she looked at herself in the mirror for a moment. She didn't know exactly what she would find in her reflection, but she was desperate. There had to be some way or another to save Jimmy.
"Hello Cynthia," she heard a familliar angellic voice say.
"Oh, it's you." she said, turning around.
The angel stood, with his wings spread out.
"Don't sound so glad to see me" said the angel.
"Wow, that was almost funny, I didn't know that angels had a sense of humor."
"You'd be surprized," replied the celestial being.
"So, are you here for any particular reason, or are you just going to add more to my already horrible day?" asked Cindy. She was in a foul mood. After all, angels were supposed to be beings of comfort and hope, not death.
"Cindy, I've just come to warn you that you only have two hours left. I'm sorry that they have to be spent in a hospital, but if Jimmy had been taken from you suddenly, rather than over a period of hours, you would have never gotten around to doing what you need to do before time runs out."
Cindy opened her mouth to protest, but she knew he was right. She didn't even know if she could bring up the courage even now, at the end of Jimmy's short life.
She simply nodded and watched as the angel faded away.
Cindy would have gone directly back to Jimmy's room, but the sound of Mrs. Neutron's crying stopped her in her tracks. She turned and walked towards the waiting area instead.
"Mrs. Neutron, it's okay. Everything's going to be alright." said Cindy, taking a seat next to Judy.
Jimmy's mother stopped crying long enough to glance at her.
Cindy felt terrible for filling Judy with false hope, but if she'd told her otherwise, things would be much worse.
11:53. That's what the digital clock next to Jimmy's bed said. Only seven minutes.
Cindy had spent the last couple of hours sitting next to Jimmy, listening to him talk about more of his inventions.
She could tell that he was getting weaker. He would begin one story, and then trail off for a few minutes. Jimmy would then look at her as if he'd just realised that she was sitting there, and would either begin his story anew or start telling another one.
Cindy listened intently. She laughed at all the right parts of the anicdotes, and gave sympathetic looks at other times. Most of the time, she would have hated Jimmy for bragging so much, but now, she drank in each word he spoke. She realized that he had a right to brag. He had accomplished very much for the small amount of time that he'd been on Earth.
Jimmy was quiet a moment, and then looked Cindy squarely in the eye.
"Cindy, can I ask you a question?" he said.
"Sure," replied Cindy, fully alert and aware that it would be an important question.
"What do you think happens after you die?" he asked.
Cindy stalled for a moment. She didn't know quite how to answer that question. It was one that she'd only been asked before, during one of the few times that she had attended church.
"Jimmy, I don't think that I'm the right person to answer that question. . . " she said.
"It's just that, I've always been a scientist. I've always only believed in things that I can actually see. It just seems small minded to believe in something that can't be proven with facts and figures."
Cindy thought about it a moment. It was true, it was hard to believe in something never viewed before. But, wasn't the wind invisible also? The only reason that humankind aknowledges its existence is from the impact it has on their lives. If the invisible wind exists, then why couldn't God?
But, Cindy had seen proof. She'd come face to face with an angel! How could that possible be proven by scientists?
"Jimmy, it doesn't matter what I believe," she replied, "all that matters is what you think."
Jimmy nodded. A look of confusion spread across his face, but then it was met with a look of satisfaction and relief.
Cindy could tell that something had changed. She didn't know exactly what it was, but it was something great.
11:56. Only four minutes.
"Jimmy, we really need to talk," said Cindy
"Okay," replied Jimmy, both weakly and uncertainly.
"I really don't want to alarm you, but I have something very important to say, something that you need to hear right now." said Cindy.
Jimmy nodded and waited for her to continue.
"You could say that our relationship is a hard one to describe. I mean, we're definitely not friends, but not enemies either. Sure, you get on my nerves a lot with all your bragging and showcasing, I mean, do you really need to tell everyone at least fifty times a day that you're the smartest kid in the world? Anyway, I'm getting a little off subject. . . "
11:57.
"Cindy, does your little speech have any other point other than to make me feel bad?" asked Jimmy.
"Actually, it does, just bare with me." she replied, sounding a little more frustrated than she had meant to.
Cindy sighed and looked at the floor.
"Okay, what I guess what I'm trying to say is that, well, I. . . ". Cindy grimaced as a nurse walked into the room. Fate was a cruel thing to her at the moment. Each time that she tried to do as the angel had told her to do, she was interrupted. It was almost as if part of the forces of the universe were for her, and the other half was against.
"I'm sorry, kids, but I have to get a blood sample," said the nurse.
Cindy tried her hardest to smile as the nurse took her time taking the cap off the needle and making sure that it was positioned just right before actually drawing the blood.
11;59.
The nurse was gone, but Cindy's task still lay ahead. She had to tell Jimmy in the mext minute or she would have to face the rest of her life knowing that Jimmy had died without knowing.
"Okay, I'm just going to come out and say it, " said Cindy, taking a deep breath.
"I. . . well, what I'm trying to say is. . . .IthinkIloveyou." Cindy spat out the last part so fast she wasm't sure if Jimmy had umderstand what she'd said."
Jimmy's face was emotionless for a minute. Cindy didn't know if that was a good thing or not. But then, a look of absolute horror spread across his face, and Cindy was almost positive that it had nothing to do with her confession.
The EKG machine went wild. It beeped faster and faster as a whole team of nurses and doctors raced into the room.
"Get that kid out of here," said a doctor.
Cindy felt that she had experienced this all before.
Just as she was pushed from the room, the monitor gave one last set of erratic beeps and then went flat.
12:00.
I know what you're all thinking- bad ending to a chapter. Just hold on, there's one more chapter left. I'm not guaranteeing anything, but be patient! Oh, and please review.