What's Beauty Without Her Beast?

Part 29- Lifelines and Flat Lines

"Some people, when they die, leave so much life behind you wonder how they did it." -Patti Davis

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We arrived at the hospital at 4:36, being ushered into Annie's room by her mom who was just leaving to get coffee. "I'll leave you guys alone for now. I'll be back in about 30 minutes. Call me if anything happens."

"Yes ma'am," Creed and I nodded, before she opened the door enough for us to go in.

Annie laid there, a tube of oxygen flowing through her nose. I looked around the room to find a boy laying beside her in bed. I didn't know Annie had a boyfriend.

She looked over at us with a smile on her face. "Happy birthday!" I said, throwing my arms around her. We had made up within the past two months, and I was happy to have Annie around again.

"Thank you," she said as I pulled away from our hug. "There's someone I want you to meet." She gestured to the boy laying beside her.

"This is my boyfriend, Aaron. We met a month ago after my chemo treatment."

"And I'm just now finding out about it?" I smirked at her, joking and hitting her arm lightly. She laughed.

"Yeah, we've been keeping it on the D.L."

"Oh," I said, nodding. "So how'd you two meet?"

"Well, you know since I've been really weak and this chemo is kicking my ass, I was coming back to my room after the treatment and there was a random boy standing in here. And I couldn't help but stare at him, he's gorgeous. He looked around really lost and when I was wheeled to my bed, I looked at him and asked 'may I help you?'" Annie coughed and wheezed, and Aaron woke up and looked at her with panic in his eyes.

"I'm fine, babe," she reassured, so he snuggled back down into her neck. "Anyway, he turned and looked at me and said 'I thought this was my sister's room. I'm sorry.' I just shook it off and told him there was no harm done, that he must've been headed for room 223, not room 224. I knew there was a 9 year old girl next to me, fighting leukemia, so maybe that's who he was referring to. Anyway, he asked for my name, and told me he'd see me again tomorrow. He came back the next day and got to know each other, and a week later we went on our first date. It was the balcony garden on the 6th floor. It's breathtaking; you should go see it some time."

"That's sweet," I said, beaming at her. I was happy Anne had found someone she really had the potential to love. After searching for so long, maybe she finally found Prince Charming.

I just pray he doesn't break her heart, like mine did.

Just then Anne started coughing again, gasping as if the air had been knocked from her lungs. Aaron woke up again, the same fearful look on his face. She waved him off again.

"I'm okay, go back to sleep, Aaron."

But he didn't. He sat up beside her and pulled her closer to him. This time she was nuzzled into his neck and she closed her eyes. She looked happy, peaceful.

"Annie, are you sure you're okay?" Creed finally spoke up, because I think he was just letting us have our girl talk.

"Yeah, it's just that the lymph nodes are on my lungs, making it hard to breathe sometimes. I should..." she paused to cough, and it started to sound deadly. "I should be okay."

She struggled for air, and we all knew it. Annie started gasping, begging for the oxygen to fill her lungs. Her heart monitor started to become faint as her pulse read low. The machine started beeping immediately.

"Need...." cough, wheeze, "Doctor..." She barely got the words out before she clutched her chest around her heart area.

Aaron shuffled around the bed for the nurses button, while Creed took it upon himself to run to the nurses station and tell the nurse our friend has lymphoma and was barely breathing. He soon came back with 3 nurses and a doctor in tow, carrying one of those resuscitating machines. They pushed us out of the way so they could get to her, just in time for Annie to stop breathing. The nurses took off her blankets and nightgown, revealing her chest area and her sports bra. One nurse said "clear," and they shocked Annie's chest with the panels used. Her chest rose and fell, as her heartbeat flatlined.

Flat line.

Annabelle is as good as dead.

I covered my face with my hands and turned to Creed, who already had his arms open to hold me. I pressed my face into his button up shirt as I heard the nurse call clear again, as they tried to revive Annabelle. They tried one more time before her heartbeat started to come back, but it was barely beating.

"One more good round and she should be breathing. Ready? Clear." The nurse called, and they pumped her heart once again. Annie sprung up, gasping again for air.

She was alive.

Annabelle just died.

And then came back to life.

She clutched her chest again, looking around for an answer to what had happened. Aaron rushed to her side, grabbing her hand as if his life depended on it. I didn't blame him. It took all I had not to crush her in a hug. However, I knew it wasn't good for her lungs.

The doctor spoke up. "I see it is evident the chemo is making you very weak. We may have to take you off and hope the rest dies off itsel-"

"No, Dr. Brookes. You can't take the treatment away from me! I need it to live."

"Annabelle, I understand this. However, you just stopped breathing. Your heart stopped. We may have to keep you under 24 hour care and watch. You're in critical condition."

She sighed, looking down at her and Aaron's intertwined hands.

"I understand, Dr. Brookes. Do what you have to." She sounded defeated. I knew she didn't want to stop fighting. Especially now that she had Darren by her side.

Dr. Brookes smiled at his patient and nodded. "We'll be moving you into a new room down the hall tonight." He then nodded to us and left the room, his nurses following behind him.

"Not so great to die on your 18th birthday, huh?" She laughed. I smiled sadly at her, because I didn't know exactly what she was going through, but I knew it was taking a toll on her. I saw it was destroy her, but I knew it would absolutely kill her if she had to stop chemotherapy.

"It's all going to be okay, Annabelle. We're going to make it." Aaron squeezed her hand and sat down beside her, stroking her hair. Even though she was dying, I could see she was happy. That's all I hoped she was... happy.