Everlasting Darkness
Eddi sat nervously on a tattered blue chair next to Luc's hospital bed. Their hands were intertwined and Luc was as pale as a ghost.
"What's wrong with him?" Eddi asked Sacha, her words catching in her throat. A single tear dripped from her eye and landed on their hands which were clasped together.
"He had a seizure…" Sacha said softly, closing his eyes and breathing heavily.
"Will he…" Eddi stopped talking as a lump arose in her throat. "Will he survive?"
"He has a week to live Eddi… I don't know if he'll make it through."
Eddi closed her eyes and began to cry heavily. Luc was going to die… Maybe not today and maybe not tomorrow but he was going to die.
"Do you want some time alone with him?" Sacha asked.
Eddi nodded. "Yes please."
"Ok, I'll just be outside. Talk to him Eddi, he might be able to hear you."
Eddi nodded once more and Sacha exited the room.
She began to cry so hard it felt like an ocean was going to appear in the room. "Luc… Luc please… wake up! Please wake up!" she begged. As if by magic, Luc's eyelids fluttered open.
"Eddi…" he mumbled.
"Don't speak, Luc. Just rest."
Despite her protest, Luc took off his oxygen mask and began speaking.
"Eddi… Eddi, listen to me. If…" he began to choke so Eddi put his mask back on.
He breathed deeply and proceeded talking. "If I don't make it through today… If I have another seizure or something else happens and they ask you if you want the life-support staying on… say no. Let me go. It'll just prolong the pain for both of us otherwise… do you understand?"
"Luc I-"
"Do you understand?"
Eddi nodded in defeat. "Hold on though, I-"
Eddi stopped talking as she noticed Luc get very weak all of a sudden. His hand dropped from hers and he began closing his eyes. The beeps from the monitor told her what was going on.
"SACHA!" she cried as he came running in followed by Michael, Jac and a few nurses.
"Step outside, Eddi!" Sacha cried at her.
Eddi burst into tears and Michael escorted her outside.
She looked in at Luc being pumped with fluids and every drug on the earth.
After a few moments, Sacha came outside to join her. "Eddi… He's in a coma kind of thing… He won't wake up again before he dies…"
All of a sudden it was too much for Eddi. She felt like the walls were closing in on her quickly and she couldn't get out. She fell to the floor, curled up into a ball and began to cry at the thought of never hearing, holding or even seeing Luc again.
She sat up against the wall and Sacha cradled her in his arms. "Do you want to turn off his life support?" he asked after a while.
Eddi's natural instinct was to say no but remembering Luc's begging, she said yes.
"Go and say goodbye." Sacha smiled.
Jac, Michael and everyone else exited the room leaving Eddi alone with Luc.
"Hi Luc…" she started. "Thank you… Thank you for coming into my life. I know I recently said I hated you but that's not true… I could never hate you. Luc please just open your eyes and tell me this isn't real! Or wake me up and tell me I'm dreaming!"
She began to cry once more but she carried on.
"What am I saying? This is real life. You're dying and there's nothing I can do. Don't worry though. I will stay in your caravan from now on and maybe get a pet… a dog? You reminded me of a puppy sometimes… In a good way obviously… Yeah, just the way you'd smile and laugh. Oh Luc, I want to hear your laugh once more. Please… Please!" she begged and cried harder still.
"I'll get help, get off the comoxadin for your memory… I'll come visit you everyday alright? Don't forget me, Luc. I won't ever forget you."
She stood up and everyone began making their way back into the room.
"I love you." She smiled before nodding at Sacha. Just as he was about to flick the switch, Eddi clasped Luc's hand.
Click.
And then he was gone.
Eddi fell to the floor in a heap and cried.
Luc was never coming back.