Every thing and Nothing

14: Read

A ping acknowledges that the text was sent

I see that you have read my message.
I see the tick.
I feel the pain.
I feel the hurt.
I hear people asking me if I'm okay.
I hear waves crashing in my ears, drowning my ears.
I touch the side of my bed grabbing it for support.
I touch the phone, tracing it over the message I sent.
I taste the bitterness in my mouth.
I taste the salty tears.

What have I done? My lungs are pounding, and then I'm coughing again. There is an incessant beeping. People screaming. A light is being shine in my eyes. Voices blur. Red staining my hands. More people screaming. I hear people being ushered out the door and there is a slam. I see people slid down walls and pace. Hands running through their hair. I'm lying somewhere uncomfortable. Something is pulling on my arms. My head is getting heavy and my eyes are becoming harder to keep open. I feel someone shake me. The beeping is getting increasingly louder as if its mimicking my heart. I'm hyperventilating and then something is shoved over my head and around my mouth. I'm shaking. The text still has been sent. It's been read. No reply. The beeping is slowly down. The voices are disorientated. I shove the mask off my mouth and in between lung shattering coughs. I say "tell him I love him" and I think they understood because the response is heart shattering sobs.

Then the light fused out. I closed my eyes. The last thing I heard was a screeching "NO" and then machine that was beeping flat line and the hand which was gripping the phone so tight clattered to the floor. The message, sent, read but no reply.

-Esha Dev