oxford comma [l.h.]

december-windpipe incident

luke had woken up earlier than heidi to start the coffee maker. snow was falling outside, blanketing the frozen grass as the clouds covered the sun's powerful rays. it was such a peaceful day for the worst to unfold.

"luke?" heidi called from the bed.

luke was only half awake so he didn't answer, assuming it was something stupid like 'bring me a bagel' which he didn't want to do.

"luke?" she called again. luke pressed a few more buttons until he finally got the coffee brewing on their ancient coffee maker.

"heidi, if you want something can you please just get up and get it?" luke asked returning to the bedroom now.

"something's wrong," she concluded as luke entered the room. heidi was propping herself up with her elbow in the bed, and her face told luke that indeed something was terribly wrong. she was clutching her stomach now, and her face got paler.

"i feel like i'm going to pass out luke, help me," she mumbled, blinking very frequently and trying to stand. as she got to her feet however she almost fell over. luke ran to her side and locked his arm around her waist as she seemed to almost faint again.

"heidi, i think i should take you to the hospital," luke suggested with alarm in his voice.

"i'm fine, i think it's just period cramps," she quickly defended. "just help me to the kitchen."

luke wanted to object, but a small part of him hoped heidi was right and held off.

as they tried to move, heidi took a sharp breath in and clutched her stomach. luke knew she was in too much pain for this to just be period cramps.

just then, she tried to run to the toilet but ended up falling to her knees and throwing up perfuse amounts of blood onto the floor.

"heidi, i'm taking you to the hospital right now," luke told her as he kneeled down beside her and wiped the blood off of her lips.

"okay," she finally agreed, tears running down her cheeks as luke gently picked her up bridal style.

luke placed her in the passengers seat of the car as gently as he could and then quickly got to the driver's side. "heidi, if you have to throw up again just do it. it doesn't matter anymore you're more important than this shitty car anyway, okay?" luke almost yelled to her as she was now curled up in the upright fetal position with her head against the window. she nodded, and luke took her hand as he raced down the road.

that's when he remembered the closest hospital was not close at all.

-;-

luke had never been more worried about anything before. he had never seen someone throw up blood, he had never seen heidi so pale, he had never felt so hopeless.

"excuse me, are you the one who came in with the girl coughing up blood?" a nurse poked her head out from around the corner.

"yes," luke replied, his voice unsteady.

"the doctor wants to go over some xrays with you, catch you up on what all's going on," the nurse happily replied with a smile.

she was too happy to be working in a hospital luke thought.

he was escorted to a small room by the peppy nurse. it smelled like clorox and carpet cleaner.

"i understand you're heidi's boyfriend?" the doctor asked without turning around as he put a thin piece of paper on a board.

"yeah," luke answered, tapping his fingers absentmindedly on the examination bed he was now sitting on.

"well, you'll be very happy to know that this is an easily fixed problem. her organs are all in tact, there are no tumors, no ulcers, and there's no blood clotting. however, there is a bit of seriousness we're suspecting," he explained with boredom in his voice. it infuriated luke how bored he sounded considering there was a puddle of blood staining the hall carpet in his apartment.