Chapter Five

By the time my fifteenth birthday came around, I had been forced to calm down. My heart was getting weaker by the day. I spent all my time with Cassie, Dad, Jeff, Paul, Randy, Matt, Amy, and Trish. The party was nice, again, Dad spared no expense, but no matter how much everyone tried to pretend this wasn't going to be the last birthday bash, we all had our feelings it would be.

Cassie came and hung out with me in the corner I was staying in during the party. I wasn't really up to being the life of the party like I usually was at my parties, acting like nothing was wrong with me that day. Even though I wasn't moping or anything, I just wasn't off the walls like normal, so the Superstars and Divas came to hang out with me randomly through the night.

"How are you feeling, Denise?" Cassie asked me.

"Honestly? I'm starting to get tired a lot of the time. Things that were nothing to me a few months ago take a lot of effort now," I told her.

She took my hand in her hand, stroking it.

"I'm sorry you're not doing good now," she said to me.

"Eh, we all knew it would happen eventually, Cassie."

"You're my best friend, Denise," she said with tears in her eyes.

"Hey, don't cry, Cassie," I said, pulling her closer to me. "You're my best friend, too. Don't worry, I'm not just giving up."

"But you're getting so sick," she said, getting upset.

"I know. And I have been for a long time. It doesn't mean that I'm gonna die tomorrow, Cassie. They told my dad that my heart was screwed up when I was eight. That's seven years ago. You were only like four when that happened. Now, here I am, fifteen, you'll be twelve soon, and I'm still here. What does that tell you?"

"That you're stubborn?" she said trying to laugh.

"Damn straight! I'm not giving up without a fight. I've lived my life, Cassie. I've done almost everything a person can do in one lifetime and I'm only fifteen. I've seen the world, I've done different things. I've made friends all over. And I'm still here. Don't worry about me, I'm gonna stick around as long as I can."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

I was feeling a little better suddenly.

"You know what, let's dance. I think I'm up to it."

"Why don't you dance with one of the guys? I'm not good at dancing," Cassie said to me.

"Are you sure?"

"Go. Have fun."

Cassie stayed at my table. I went and had fun with some of the guys. I felt okay for a few days. I wanted to hang out with Cassie, but wound up hanging out with Jeff and some of the other wrestlers because Cassie wasn't up to hanging out.

A few months later, Cassie turned twelve and I was at her party, which was on the road with the WWE. As usual, Cassie didn't look like she was having that much fun, but Jeff helped me make her a sculpture for her birthday. It was small so she could keep it with her while she traveled. I gave it to her before Dad told me I had to go back to the hotel to rest.

Over the four months following Cassie's twelfth birthday, I started noticing a pattern. When I started feeling my worst, it was followed by me cycling on really good days. However, during those days where I felt really good, like my heart was almost normal, Cassie was usually really sick. Finally, I sat down with her.

"Cassie," I started one day where I was feeling semi-normal and she wasn't sick, "why is it that you keep getting sick when my heart is getting better? What are you doing?"

"Why do you think it's me?" Cassie asked, trying to dodge the question.

"Cassie, we've been best friends for years. I know what you can do, what your powers are. Are you doing something to help me?"

She looked down at her hands, which she was wringing.

"Cassie! You have to stop! You're getting sick and there's no point!"

"I can help you, Denise. Maybe I can help you long enough for them to find you a new heart," she said looking at me, begging to let her help.

"Cassie, you're getting sick. You can't cure my heart."

"I'm just trying to help."

"I don't want you to get hurt to help me, Cassie."

"You're my best friend. I love you. I don't want to lose you."

"I'm sure the doctors will find a way to help me," I said more optimistic than I felt.

Cassie hugged me and I was really worried. How far would she go to keep me alive? Was there any way to stop her?

I kept trying to convince Cassie not to try to help me. But I was growing weaker every day. I had already proven the odds wrong, because I had lived more than the year that Doctor Tristan had told me and Dad I would live after the trial. Still, it didn't look like a new heart was anywhere in my near future. No matter how much I tried to hide the lack of hope the doctors left me and dad with from Cassie, she picked up on it.

Cassie was visiting me at home. Dad had taken a leave of absence from work to take me home to Texas. It was too hard for me to travel anymore. We were watching a movie in my room, talking about the crazy things we'd done on the road together when I fell asleep. When I woke up, the movie was over, I felt stronger than I had in weeks, and Cassie was white as a ghost next to me on my bed.

"Dad!" I yelled.

Dad came running up the stairs to my room.

"What's wrong?"

"Dad, Cassie's barely breathing! I don't know what happened! We were watching a movie, and talking, I fell asleep and I just woke up to find her like this!"

I got up to turn her over and then realized I could get up on my own. I hadn't been able to do that in a while. Dad, who was about to call 911 froze.

"Call Mark and get him over here now, Dad!"

"Cassie, she needs a doctor!"

"No, she needs her father, trust me," I said to him, knowing he didn't know about Cassie's abilities.