Take My Breath | Catnipz

thirty two

"THAT'S BULLSHIT!" Mara hadn't felt so breathless as she did in that very moment. Both dread and fear filled her body unrelentingly, and with such speed. "This has to be a lie," she spoke, noticeably choking on her words. Her chest bore a crushing pain that made it almost impossible to speak. "The tests. Run them again," she pressed. "Run them all again."

The doctor swallowed long and hard. "I'm afraid that running those tests again will present the same results," he answered, looking rather condoling as he leered over Mason's medical chart once before continuing. "We can run them all again if by any case, that's still something you want, but I wouldn't want you to have any hopes that it'll show anything different."

Mara held a palm to her forehead. "Are you sure that it's what you say it is..." she couldn't dare to possibly say it—that word—it made everything feel real, even though it was. This was reality, undoubtedly, and frustratingly so.

The doctor nodded rather dejectedly. "We found high levels of cortisol in her system," he began. "And for all of you who aren't particularly aware, cortisol is a primary stress hormone which in any case increases blood pressure."

"And those high cortisol levels you spoke about," Mara breathed, "if they increase blood pressure, then would that be part of the cause?

"That's correct. By running these tests and examining Mason's results, we've deduced that the primary reason for her heart attack is because of these high levels of cortisol."

Mason's mother fell back in her chair. "But why? Aside from her current condition, her leprosy that is, she's perfectly healthy is she not? I'm not sure how we've managed to get to this stage. There must be a bigger problem."

"She's never missed an appointment either." Mason's father added. "So, that leads me to the exact question of what and where this happened? Will my daughter be ok, doctor?"

The doctor set his clipboard down. "We believe that Mason has been under some form of stress. It's hard to deduce whether this stress has been related to physical or psychological issues but I believe that this 'stress' nonetheless has been causing such prolonged elevations," he explained. "I spoke with her regular in patient doctor before I made my way over to you, and he had seen great progress with Mason's leprosy. Though her condition as such has no solid connection to her state at this current moment. Which leads me to ask this; has there been any reason, or perhaps someone or something that's made her feel stressed? Has she mentioned much at all about her feelings?"

Mara stood over her girlfriend's bed. "She hasn't mentioned anything. We don't have any secrets and we always talk about how we feel."

"She hasn't said anything at all?" Mason's mother pressed. "Even the smallest thing will help us. You must tell us everything."

Mara swallowed the dryness in her throat. "I don't know. We talk about everything," she answered, eyes welling with tears. "Mason hasn't mentioned anything about stress."

"Even if it's not directly related to stress, there could be something she's said to you," the doctor wondered, "would you think that her leprosy has made her feel insecure or worried?"

"She accepted her condition a long time ago. It does feel bothersome for her at times but not nearly enough for her to feel stressed about it."

"There must be something, Mara."

Mason's father pinched the centre of his forehead. "Hon, if she can't think of anything, you mustn't pressure the kid. She clearly knows Mason more than we do. If you keep pressuring her to give you an answer that's hardly even there, you'll stress her out too." he pressed. "I know it's difficult to swallow this information, but believe it or not but we can't afford to pressure each other when Mason's like this."

Mason's mother sobbed into the fabric of her blouse. "My poor daughter."

"We'll know for sure when Mason wakes up," her father added. "The three of us can sit and have this conversation again when she's in the condition to do so. Besides, she's always been the kid that hides her emotions. She hides from us in order to feel less like a burden. I'm sure that even though the two of you swore to never keep secrets, I'm sure there's something that she hasn't brought to light, which in our case, has brought us to this." He points to his unconscious daughter. "She's always been so fragile."

The doctor cleared his throat and wore a small smile on his lips as he adjusted his scrubs. "I ought to give you some privacy," he said. "I'll be making rounds later tonight to double check on Mason unless she wakes anytime soon. And if I can, I'll bring those new results in as well."

Mara pressed a soft kiss on her girlfriend's forehead. "No, that won't be necessary," she replied. "I overreacted earlier. You're the doctor," she chuckled. "I should trust your judgment, and I do. You don't have to run the tests again. I'll just wait for her to wake up."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," Mara smiled. "Thank you for all the help. We all appreciate it. More than you know."

"It's what I do," the doctor smiled. "I'll be around so I won't be too far if anything happens. Nurse station is right outside if you need anything else or have any questions."

The three wore grateful smiles on their faces as they bid the doctor goodbye. No one could have possibly predicted the night that had fallen and quickly turned into the first shed of light.

"You should head home, Mara." Mason's father spoke. "You need to get some rest. It's the break of dawn. I can take you home if you'd like."

Mara observed her girlfriend's unconscious state. "I don't feel like going home," she answered. "I shouldn't have left her alone."

"It's not your fault," he added, hoping to reassure the young girl. "It's out of our hands."

"But I could have done something..."

"Even if you could it never would've been enough," he answered. "It's inevitable."