Chapter 15

"We have some news on Alex." A nurse quietly spoke, observing the tears on everyone's face. Everyone had finally arrived at the hospital and had been completely filled in on everything they knew.

"Is she okay? Is the baby okay?" Dean asked, feeling his fractured nose throb.

"Well the good news is...she's going to be okay, for now. But...she's...she's had a miscarriage and she won't eat again."

"Can we visit her?"

"Yes you may. She's very weak, though. Even weaker than before. She probably cannot even walk by herself. And if she continues this could lead to paralysis for however long. And she's suffering from malnutrition and on the road to kidney and liver failure and respitory infections. She's also been diagnosed with Refeeding Syndrome, which is fluid and electrolyte shifts, which is life threatening. And even though we're injecting the nutrients, it's not enough and the only way to treat it is for her to eat and give her antibiotics. She's also diagnosed with Muscle Atrophy, which is the decrease in muscle mass, due to the body feeding off of it. She also has low blood pressure and sugar levels, Osteoporosis, and Impaired Neuromuscular Function, which is mineral and vitamin defficiancy."

"How do we treat all of this?" Theresa asked, wiping her eyes with a fresh tissue.

"Well most of it requires medication, but none of it is really going to go away unless she eats again. And even on the antibiotics, it's life threatening. And I've tried to explain it to her, but she doesn't seem to understand. Dr. Stevens and the therapist said they'd be in together to talk to her as soon as they got the chance. She down the hall in room 32."

"Thank you," sniffled Theresa, leading the way down the hall. She quietly slipped into the room, smiling at her daughter. "How are you doing?"

"Horrible."

"I'm so sorry." Theresa apologized due to her miscarriage, feeling sympathy for her daughter.

"It's all my fault. I screamed and I didn't...I didn't let him..." Her voice trailed off, unable to continue.

"This isn't your fault." Dean stood beside her, stroking her soft curly hair. "But, you do need to...eat."

"You don't understand."

"You're right, I don't understand. People are telling you, you're going to die, but you still won't eat." Dean raised his eyebrow, feeling guilty about his harshness, but he had to get his point across or she could die.

"It's not that easy."

"It's not that hard, either."

"Really? You go a month with out eating, lose thirty five pounds, be abused, have a miscarriage, and try to eat again. I've made so much progress and I'm not about to stop now." Alex wiped the one tear that escaped from her eye.

"And all that progress is going to go nowhere, because you're going to die!" Dean tried to convince her into eating, but it didn't seem to be going anywhere.

"I'll be fine, thanks." She rolled her eyes, completely oblivious to dangers or her diet. "I survived plenty of things, I'm sure I can survive this."

"Do you realize that your body is eatng itself because it's starving. And if you continue this you could be paralyzed. Your body is...a disaster."

"Alex, please eat." Max spoke up, his voice so innocent.

"I can't, okay?"

"Why? You can't leave us, please just eat. There are other ways to diet, healthy ways." Harper let a tear slip from her eye, staring at her sick friend.

"I've tried them already."

"Yeah and this isn't working either, because you're slowing you metabolism down."

"Why can't you all just leave me alone?" Alex attempted to scream, but her voice cracked, causing it to become a whisper.

"Because we love you!" Dean snapped, his patience rapidly dissapearing.

"If you loved me, you would stop trying to get me to eat."

"Alex, I do love you. And that's why I need you to eat. If you don't eat, you're going to die. Do you realized, once you die, you don't get a second chance. You'll never see me, or your parents, or your brothers, or Harper again, ever."

"I have to go to the bathroom." Max's voice was hardly audible as he dashed out of the room.

"I got it." Juliet whispered, running after him.

"Is this what you want?" Dean asked, glancing at Justin, who's eyes were beginning to water.

"I'm sorry. Please stop, please." Alex's tears drowned her pale face, before her eyes rolled back. Her body dropped against the back of the bed and her eyes went shut.

"Alex?" Theresa dashed by her daughter, shaking her.

"Alex, wake up!" Dean called, squeezing her hand tightly.

"Somebody help us, please!" Jerry shrieked a nurse ran into the room. She glanced at the beeping machine, beside her. Her heart had stopped...

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