The weeks went by, the weather began to sour, and slowly Lena's condition progressed for the worse. As each second ticked by, her body became more and more frail; her pain growing stronger and stronger. Every spare second she could muster, Thirteen spent at Lena's bedside. Conversing about the various ideas on their minds. With each story she told, and each piece of advice she gave, her voice grew weak.
This day was different. Thirteen arrived at work, later than usual, but when she stepped through the doors, a foreboding sensation overtook her. The sky had darkened early that day with fat, opaque black clouds that seemed to warn Thirteen of an oncoming storm. She stepped onto the elevator, rode to the second floor, got off. She went to her locker, put on her jacket, and continued to her rounds. Her first and foremost stop was Lena.
Thirteen entered the room; slightly startled by the presence of House and Foreman looking over her; House hunched on a stool, Foreman checking Lena's vitals. Foreman had a deep rooted sorrow in his eyes when he saw Thirteen. Foreman carefully placed an unconscious Lena's arm to rest across her chest. Foreman than walked over to Thirteen and shook his head,
"She's not gonna last much longer. I think you should say your farewells." Foreman laid a supporting hand on Thirteen's shoulder and then continued with his own rounds. Thirteen took up her vigil post at Lena's bedside, taking her frail, cold hand in her own, warm one.
House took in the sight and shook his head,
"Amazing, isn't it? One minute you are cheating on your significant other and the next moment you get a revelation in the form of a reflection of self lying on a hospital bed. She made a mistake, and is dying alone. Sound like a familiar scenario?"
Thirteen merely kept her gaze fixed on Lena. House rose off the stool and placed a supporting hand upon Thirteen's back. Surprised at the sudden affection, Thirteen merely looked up at him. He drew his hand back and began walking out,
"Take this as a sign. You can change today, so you don't end up with the same tomorrow as she had."
Thirteen stared at the floor a moment; House's words echoing in her mind. She quickly returned her gaze to Lena. Lena was sedated and had an oxygen mask across her mouth. Thirteen began stroking Lena's hand,
"Lena, I know the sedatives Dr. Foreman gave you are strong, but I'm pretty sure you can still hear me. I want to thank you for what you've done. You helped me realize what a juvenile and conceited mistake I had made. The stories you told me spoke volumes. I understand that you saw my pain, and you told me of yours, so I wouldn't end up in the lonely state you're in now."
Thirteen brushed a stray strand of hair from Lena's face,
"…you've done more for me…than you'll ever know. You gave me wisdom. I'll never be able to thank you enough." Tears began streaming down Thirteen's cheeks as she sat in silence, staring at the pale, fragile woman lying on the hospital bed. She looked so much smaller than she had before; she looked, breakable.
Thirteen rose out of her chair and made her way towards the door. She took a final glance back, and walked out into the busy hallway. Thirteen went into the break room and took a small nap on the couch…
The machine's began beeping loudly; various alerts clouded the one silent atmosphere in the room. Nurses and doctors flooded the room,
"She's crashing! We need a crash cart stat!" Foreman ran into the patient's room, trying to aide the dying woman.
Lisa strode into the break room, taking notice of the sleeping Thirteen. She quietly walked over to the couch and stared at the peaceful, sleeping woman. A smile grew across her face when she observed the small twitching of Thirteen's smile as she entered her own small piece of solitude.
"Hang on, girl, hang on." Foreman chanted as the nurse next to him charged the paddles and he defibrillated her, all the while, in the back of his mind, he was fully aware that his attempts were more than likely futile. After various charges to Lena's stopped heart, Foreman and the other members of the medical staff felt the defeat of losing another human life. Foreman turned off the various machines, and took one final look at Lena. He took a second glance, and upon further inspection, he saw a faint smile across her lips. Lena entered her own piece of solitude.
Hours later, Thirteen awoke, unaware of the events that had taken place during her slumber. She slowly rose and made her way towards the room which she had come to spend so much time in before. She caught sight of the room, and froze in her steps.
There will most likely be more chapters before this one. These first posts are rough drafts! Sorry for the hiatus! Reviews are more than welcomed!