Chapter 18

You cut me open and I...

Bet you loved that cliff hanger :)

Eli paced back and fourth in the waiting room, until Clare's parents finally showed up with someone who looked like an older Clare. Ally trailed behind. "What happened?" Her dad asked. "Where is she?" Her mom asked. Eli shut his eyes.

It was a lot to take in. "We were making out and she collapsed,okay?" Her dad shook his head at him,as he rushed into the ICU. "Eli!" Ally yelled,as she hugged him. "It's okay,this isn't your fault,okay?" He rolled his eyes. "keep telling yourself that." Adam interrupted them with an angry voice.

Eli watched the doctor rush after her dad. "Mr Edwards,please sit down a second. We have some decisions to make and very little time to make them." The doctor sat down next to a frantic Mr Edwards.

"There's a chance if this transplant is successful,that we could lose one or both the girls. Either way,we are running out of time. Clare suffered a mild heart attack. It appears the condition is getting worse. I need you to sign this consent form. We need to operate and we need to do it quickly." Mr Edwards shook his head. "no,I won't lose them!" He yelled,drawing a lot of attention.

"please calm down..." The doctor said in an authoritative voice. He handed him a clipboard. "Both you and your wife have to sign,before I can even attempt to save your daughter's life. I need to remind you of the risks,but we have no other options here."

Those words made Eli freak out. "I need air" He got up from the waiting room chair and went out the automatic doors. "This might be the only chance we have." Her dad took the papers in his hand,passing them to his distraught, crying wife. Mrs. Edwards hands shook,as she signed her name.

The doctor walked away,as he pulled Clare's sister into another room,getting ready to prep the 2 girls for surgery.

"Darce" Clare was awake laying in a bed. She reached out for her sister's hand. "I love you,and don't you forget that. If I leave you,mom and dad just tell them I love them,and we'll all be together one day. And please tell Eli,that I loved him very much." Darcy nodded at Clare,as two doctors walked in to administer anesthesia's.

Adam rushed out to the parking lot,watching Eli speed off. He climbed in his station wagon and followed him. Eli stopped in front of a warehouse. Adam slowed down so Eli wouldn't see he was following him. Eli rolled his eyes,throwing his hands up,when he saw Adam's station wagon.

"So you're following me now!" He yelled wrathful,walking over to the car,that had just turned into the empty parking lot. "You told Clare,that I killed my ex,who lies like that to someone?" Eli yelled,furious as Adam stepped out of the car. "It's true though." Eli gave him a cold stare,as another car pulled up. "So much for the medical marijuana theory." Adam commented, Eli laughed. "You hit her with your car,isn't that true?" Adam yelled.

Eli shook his head,as a tall thin blonde lady stepped out of the other car. "No,that was me." She said. Adam's expression dropped. "Can you please just leave us alone a second?" The woman asked angrily,as she ran with her car keys to hug her son. "I couldn't do it!" Eli exclaimed,as he held onto his mother. "I know,I know. It's okay,it's okay."

"I love her! This sucks to care about someone this much!" Eli cried out,as his mother held him in the parking lot. "Come on let's go get you those strawberry waffles you love so much." Eli shook his head,wiping a tear. "I'm not hungry." He said. "Are you alright?" Eli shook his head again. "I think my heart is breaking." He wasn't ashamed to say that. "The minute I get off the high. Clare could be gone. I can't do this,I'm scared. I'm genuinely scared." He said worried.

A group of surgeons gathered around a large medal table. "Suction!" one called. "Okay,first heart is clear." "We have a problem!" The doctor held down one of the girls. "She's going into full cardiac arrest!" The monitors beeped out of control. "We're loosing her!" "Doctor we can only save one of them!" The doctor knew he was right. "Okay," He said,as he closed the chest cavity,and bolted the ribcage. The other girl laid lifeless. They watched as her visible beating heart stopped pumping,and the life of the girl slipped from their hands. "I really hope,I did the right thing here." The doctor said,as he walked out of the OR to clean up.

*A few hours later*

The doctor rushed out of the OR. "Mr&Mrs Edwards,I'm sorry,there were complications. We lost one of them." Mr Edwards held onto the chair,as Mrs Edwards cried hysterically. Ally hugged her,trying to calm her down.

"I need your signature..." Mr Edwards signed the papers trying to keep his cool. Eli walked in at that very moment. "Oh God" He said under his breath. Ally cried as she gripped onto his leather jacket.
Eli broke away from her,thinking at that very moment, Clare was gone. He ran out of the automatic doors,letting out a scream,as he fell to his knees in a very dramatic way.

"That's one way to make an exit." Adam said. "I don't have time for you right now,get in the fricken hearse!" He ordered. Adam put his hands up. "I'm not going anywhere with you,man!" Eli rolled his eyes and drove off,as he headed to that old dirt road. He stopped the car abruptly,getting out and walking towards the harbor. "Is this punishment for not saving my dad,who wasn't really my dad?" Eli screamed,throwing sand and rocks into the harbor.

"I'm sick of losing what I love,and what I care about!" He cursed,watching the water ripple as the night sky rolled in with a crescent moon. He brushed a tear away with his thumb. "I'm done,okay. I don't know if there's life after this! I don't know anything anymore!" He yelled,as he smashed a glass bottle on a large rock. He jumped into the water,just as the tide had come up. His cell phone sat in the sand,ringing.

Adam had followed Eli,against his better judgement. Something about him seemed off. He asked Ally to go with him. "I can't get through." Adam clutched his phone in his hand. The two walked around the puddles. "Do you see him?" Ally yelled,as Adam ran over to the beach,where he heard the faintest ringing of a cellular phone. "Over here!" Adam yelled out,as the tide washed up an unconscious Eli.

"He's not breathing!" Adam freaked out,as did Ally. "911 yes,my friend isn't breathing." Adam picked up his head,finding blood left on his finger. "We have to do something!" Ally yelled,knowing that,they didn't have much time. Adam took Eli's leather jacket off. "Apply pressure to his head!" He ordered. Ally did as he asked. "Do you know CPR?" Ally asked,a tear now visible. "um a little." Adam lied,trying to remember what he had seen on TV.

"Okay, uh tilt his head back,uh pinch the nose." He stopped. "Wait,chest compressions!" Someone ran out of the house behind him. "What happened?" The gentlemen asked. "Help!" Adam interrupted him,as the man kneeled into the sand,beginning chest compressions. "One, one thousand,two one thousand,breathe!"

The man tilted Eli's head back and pinched his nose as he blew two small breaths into his mouth. Eli was still unresponsive. The paramedics arrived on the scene,as they resumed the CPR,holding the defibrillator,motioning for Ally and Adam to clear the way,as they helplessly watched them try to revive him.

They cut through his clothes. Using shockers,they jumped his chest,and finally got a pulse. Eli then choked up a lot of water. "Okay,okay." They lifted him onto a stretcher with an oxygen mask. Ally and Adam watched the red and blue lights of the ambulance go onto the dark road.

"How hard is it to keep them alive?" Ally yelled frustratingly. "C'mon!" Adam pulled her to his station wagon,as they followed after the ambulance.

Eli slowly woke up in a hospital bed. His head bandaged,an iv in his arm. "What happened?" He looked at Adam sitting across the room,reading a comic. "You either tried to kill yourself,or you're a terrible swimmer." Eli squinted. "I apparently wasn't successful." Adam rolled his eyes. "You didn't even wait for the doctor to finish..." Adam put his hands up. "You read goon comics?" Adam nodded. "yeah,you should read them,this Eliot character reminds me of you. His name was Eli and he was an idiot!" Eli rolled his eyes. "I do read them." Adam raised his brows. "yeah,but you're still an idiot!" he scoffed.

"Clare's alive,and she's fine." Eli's eyes blinked open. "No,that's not possible..." Adam rolled his eyes again. "Seriously Eli you can't kill yourself,you're defeating this whole romance novel, you and Clare have going on here!" Ally interrupted screaming at Eli,telling him off. "All this trouble and you drown yourself in a harbor! Clare already lost her sister today,she doesn't need to lose her..." Ally stopped mid sentence.

The curtain next to them moved,as a hand with a promise ring on it pulled it open. "hopefully boyfriend." Clare said,softly,and groggy. "I forgot to tell you guys,don't tell him someone died. His first response is to kill himself." Eli sat up. "Clare!" "Everyone just stay where you are." She said,and fell asleep.

"hey can you hand me my phone?" Eli asked. Adam laughed. "You should say thank you I-phone for saving my life." He handed him the phone. Eli went through it,finding some old time music." "I should say thank you Adam for following me." He put his hand out. "So we're cool?" Adam asked.

"as ice" Eli said,returning the fist pound.

"blue eyes,baby's got blue eyes..." He fell asleep shortly after.

"Clare,now you're going to be sore for a few weeks,months even. Still keep light on your activities,and try not to exhaust yourself too much. You may lose your appetite,you may feel groggy. I'm just so glad that you're alive,and that this is finally behind you."

Clare smiled at the doctor. "me too" She looked at Eli sleeping next to her. "Alright,so you'll be ready to leave in a few days." Clare smiled again. "Hey idiot! Smirk face" Clare shook the bed trying to wake Eli up. She stood in a hospital gown with an an iv attached to a rolling metal pole.

"Baby blue?" Eli opened his eyes. "I love you so don't try to kill yourself again,okay?" Eli sat up from his bed. "I love you too." Eli said. Adam walked in. "Well the two love birds are up,and alive,how touching." He teased. "Princess Edwards,your crown." Clare took the plastic tiara from Adam. "I'd curtsy,but I'm still a little unsteady."

"So,I'll see for comic book shack Saturday,Eli?" Clare looked confused. "Since when are you two friends?" Eli smirked. "since he saved my life,I kind of owe me. He's like in my debt forever." Adam laughed. "and don't you forget it."

Clare motioned for Adam to leave. "Now I still can't exhaust myself,and certaintly don't want you on top of me right now,but..." She smiled,as she sat down on his hospital bed. She grabbed his face and kissed him,passionately.

"hmm hum" They broke apart at the sound of a cleared throat. "Can I have a minute with Eli?" Clare nodded,as her dad walked in. A nurse took her down the hall to find her mother.

"a life for a life." Mr. Edwards said,sitting on the hospital bed. "I'm so sorry,I made you keep something like that from Clare." Eli nodded. "yeah,well I didn't have the heart to tell her that. I'm sorry you lost your daughter." Eli said. "yeah,well it was a risk,and I knew that." Mr Edwards answered, honestly.

"Mr Edwards,I love your daughter. I can't go on pretending I don't know what caused it. I don't know what she will say or how she'll react. I don't want it to come up years from now if it during dinner,or the night of our honey moon.. You're going to have to be the one to tell her,not me." Clare walked back into the room. "Mom went down to the cafeteria." She stopped in the doorway.

"Tell me what?" Eli fell back onto his pillow. "owgh" he mumbled. "Clare,honey..." Clare looked at the distressed look on her dad's face. "Is it bad?" Eli nodded.

"Well somebody better start talking!" "beep beep beep"

to be continued... whoo can't believe it's almost over... anything else Eli,Adam anyone should confess to? hmm can't think of anything. Can you?