this prolly might be the sort of climax of the story, but i'm not entirely sure how long im gonna be making this story so yeah :)
i do not own any of the POTO refrences here:)
hope you enjoy this one :)
Dr. Andres blew out from his mouth in a defeated tone. Christine knew what was coming and she tried to brace herself by counting down from ten. Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four…nothing happened. She still felt nervous even as she watched Dr. Andres put his stethoscope around his neck and sit down behind his desk. He put his chin on his close hand, seeming to find the right words to start with.
This was it.
"What I am about to explain to you, Christine, is not as easy as you may think so. All the tests point out to this, and I want you to have an open mind for what I am about to tell you." He started with a real groundbreaking introduction; nothing any other doctor has begun with. Perfect.
He leaned back into his chair but kept his eyes on Christine who remained stolid in her own chair. She would've looked like a mannequin if it weren't for her quiet breathing that was evident on her chest. She'd made a vow not to permit any reaction to show on her face during this appointment because she knew that this appointment would be the one to change it all. For better or for worse.
"Christine, you possess a very rare type of beta-endorphin. Two out of three thousand people in the world have this and," pause, "not many get through this alive."
Christine blinked signaling him to spare her the niceties and get on with it because she'd been waiting her whole life to find out what was really wrong with her.
"A beta-endorphin is a peptide hormone that acts as a neurotransmitter, sending the most common sensations of a bodily high, a heightened sense of emotion, and being in love throughout your body,"
A flutter escaped Christine's heart and caused her to clear her throat as it raced down her spine.
A frustrated crease appeared in the brow of Dr. Andres and Christine knew this was the finality of his monologue. "Unfortunately, the molecular structure of the endorphins present in your system is different than the normal. When you feel excited, or in love, your brain releases the endorphins into your blood stream. Instead of diffusing into the plasma, as it is pumped into your heart, it coagulates."
Christine knew enough to know half of what he was talking about. He was trying to make it easier for her to understand but images of Erik kept interrupting her thoughts and her concentration. She had to get over this.
"This is called pneumo-cardioendogenous coagulation. I'm sorry that I wasn't able to pick this up earlier in our testing stage, but it was only recently that I came to realize that I had left out your endocrine system. I had done my research over all your other major systems but I had left it out. I may have run numerous blood tests, but they don't pick up endorphin levels."
The silence in the tiny, white-tiled clinic was deafening as Christine clutched the arm of her chair and tried to process all of the information Daryl had explained to her. She opened her mouth to speak but nothing had come out.
Dr. Andres sighed. "I didn't want to spell everything out to you because I hoped that you would understand what I am trying to t-,"
"So you're saying that I shouldn't…fall in love?" Christine finally spoke and she found her voice to be croaky and barely a whisper. If it was because of its dormancy or if it was because of the large lump in her throat, she wouldn't know.
"To put it point blank, it would reduce the chances of your heart going under cardiac arrest."
Christine started to look around her, the clinic spinning. She was blinking wildly as if she had just woken up from a bad dream. I am in one, right? Her breathing accelerated and her hands and feet started to tingle.
As if suffering from schizophrenia and suddenly changing his persona, Dr. Andres left his chair and went to kneel beside Christine's, holding her hand that was still clutched onto the arm; knuckles pale white.
"Honey, I know that this is hard for you to hear. There's nothing much we can do now, but you know that there isn't anything more I want for you than to correct this situation. I've even considered operating on you, but that would involve a bypass surgery and a very extensive dialysis. It's like cleaning your blood of your hormones, but it's physically impossible and the bypass could very well just kill you. I'll still be prescribing your medication but as far as controlling your emotions, it's up to you now, sweetie."
Christine could barely hear what he was saying because her heart was thumping loudly in her ears, and her mind was whizzing with random thoughts of love, Gameworx, her pills, death, and the most vivid, Erik.
"Daryl, you're the closest I have for a father and you and Meg have been with me since the very beginning. Thanks for telling me everything I need to know. This is the most difficult situation I've ever been in and it couldn't have come at a better time in my life. This will be the most painful thing I'll have to do, but I know that I must not fall in love."
Christine spoke quietly and swallowed all of her feelings, sounding defiantly sure of her words. Whether or not it was going to make her feel better, she didn't know.
Suddenly, Dr. Andres bent his head onto his knee. "I've never wanted to deprive you of having a life, Christine! I am supposed to be your doctor, helping you and curing you of your sicknesses. Instead, what do I do? I practically steal your life!" His head shot up and what Christine saw was utterly heartbreaking. Daryl's gray eyes were flooded with tears though none of them fell down. His brow was creased into the tightest wrinkle of his forehead.
"Look at you! You are barely twenty and already you have the wisdom and maturity of a person who has seen the world at its weakest moment. Christine, I am sorry!"
Christine didn't understand why Dr. Andres was blaming himself for what she had. Nonetheless, she tried to soothe him and tell him that it isn't his fault she has PCEC. It was silent for a long while before Christine decided to leave. She still had training that afternoon and she didn't want to lag behind her lessons even if it meant meeting Erik.
She came to a decision that she would remain as impassive as she was in the clinic just so that she would be able to suppress her feelings and the growing pain in her heart. She quietly walked into the noisy atmosphere of Gameworx and strode over to Erik's pro-shop.
Through the glass window, she saw him with his feet comfortably on top of his desk reading another one of his magazines. His expression was pure concentration as his green eyes ran over the page swiftly. His jaw was taut and his lips pouted.
A familiar chill sped over Christine's body, but she immediately shook it off as she breathed deeply and opened the swing door. "I'm ready for my training today, Erik."
He practically jumped up from his seat with a wide expression on his face that read as completely relieved. He went up to her and Christine could smell the familiar scent of musk and lavender. He would've hugger her if she didn't have such an antagonistic expression in her face. Something was the matter, but Erik decided not to push it.
"Christine! Are you alright? I was starting to get worried when you didn't answer your phone this morning." Erik reached up to touch her face but Christine pulled back.
"We should play some bowling. Without any training, I'm feeling really rusty." Christine gave an unconvincing smile and swiftly walked out of the pro-shop, leaving Erik in a very confused daze.
During training, Erik noticed that Christine was not herself at all. She was unusually agitated when she would not hit the right pins. She wasn't smiling as often as before. Most of all, she would always maneuver her way out of Erik touching her even if it was an accidental graze of skin.
Right before Christine prepared herself on the approach, Erik stood right in front of her and asked question. "What's wrong?"
Blandly, Christine replied. "Nothing. Hey, am I swinging this right?" She demonstrated by swinging her right arm like a pendulum, looking at Erik as if he hadn't asked anything at all.
In a desperate attempt to reach out to her, Erik moved behind her and raised her bowling arm into the proper position. He bent his knees to match Christine's and soon, they were melded together like a fused puzzle piece.
"What are you doing?" Christine's heart rate agonizingly rose higher, resulting in ragged breaths.
Erik breathed into her neck. "Showing you what I've been meaning to show you since you first stepped into my pro-shop. On three. One…two…three…"
They moved in perfect synchronization, each leg gliding over the floor boards, glued to each other. As their left leg was pushing in for the slide, they swung the ball and pushed forward. They released the ball and their fingers intertwined at the end.
Christine breathed heavily and watched as her ball spun in its track, pocketed into pins one and two, and finally, cleaning the alleyway free of any pins with a thunderous explosion. A perfect throw.
As reality started to sink in, Erik whispered quietly in her ear. "You forgot your follow through". He moved her arm with his in the late follow through, rising from their bent position on the foul line as their locked arms sped up above their heads.
Simultaneously, Christine wheeled on her heels in a pivotal movement and twisted her body while still holding onto Erik's hand. He held her at the waist with his free hand, assuming the position of a dancer who had just performed a turn in a waltz dance.
"Christine," Erik sighed into her wavy locks. He breathed in her warm, vanilla aroma.
Christine felt like pudding in his strong arms and she gripped them for support. We can't do this, she thought but her heart beating erratically against it.
"Erik, it hurts." She whimpered helplessly, knowing that she wanted it as much as he did. She winced in pain and groaned through ragged breaths. She laid her head against his chest and closed her eyes, hoping that it would all go away.
Erik slowly worked his right hand down her back until finally resting his palm at the small of it. Christine gasped lightly at his touch, only surging Erik's blood to run into places that throbbed almost painfully.
"Erik," Christine needn't say more.
As Erik held her chin in between his thumb and index finger, Christine looked up into his emerald gemstones, enraptured and blazed with feral need. A furrow on Christine's forehead displayed the pain in her heart, both of love and of coagulation.
With closed eyes, Erik leaned closer to Christine's face, almost closing the moist space in between their lips. Their breath mixed as one, creating more heat and a certain flavor in the valley of their lips. Wanting to taste his sweet breath, Christine closed her eyes and licked her lips, accidentally grazing Erik's bottom lip.
Erik was sent over the edge and kissed her full on the lips. She tastes better than she smells, Erik thought as he began to massage Christine's unmoving lips with his own. Erik started to think that Christine's indifference mirrored her disgust for kissing him, but she finally succumbed to the moment and finally opened her mouth to him. We can't do this…
Electricity surged through heir bodies, further deepening the kiss. Sparks began flying around them and Christine unthinkingly wrapped her arms around Erik's neck, causing him to groan. Erik brought his hand to her soft ivory cheek and stroked downwards, making Christine shiver in response. Just as Christine fully let go of her inhibitions right there on the approach lane, reality struck her chest like a thousand knives.
Erik broke the kiss, sensing her discomfort, but his eyes threw it as understatement. Christine's face was contorted in pain. She doubled over, seizing her chest; knees buckling. She gasped for air but her lungs could not be quenched. It felt like drowning on dry land.
"E-Erik!" Christine cried.
He was in a state of panic and couldn't move from his position. Sweat started to drip from Christine's temples and she grew paler and paler by the second. Her mind started spinning and the bright fluorescent lights overhead scathed her eyes which were slowly disappearing behind weary lids.
The last image that Christine saw was Erik's terrified eyes staring into her own. Her knees finally gave out and she fell limp in Erik's arms.
hooray for me! i updated fast! lol ^_^