The Death of Me (COMPLETED)

Chapter Sixteen

Tessa

I got out of the hospital the next day. Since I broke both my tibia and fibula, I had to get around on crutches. The bulky cast was not fun either.
Will came to pick me up that morning around 6:15. I was already awake, haunted by nightmares of the night before. He explained to me about what happened with his mother.
"Charlotte said I don't have to go to school today," Will said. "But I don't want to miss too much and have homework, plus Cecily's going because Gabriel needs to talk to her about something and Jem is going, too." "I'll go," I said.
He smiled at me, leaning down to kiss me quickly with his soft lips. I grabbed my crutches and stood up. Will checked me out of the hospital and we were on our way back to his house. Right when I came through the door, Cecily threw her arms around me. "You're alive!" She screamed. She pulled back. She was wearing jeans and a black sweatshirt, and her hair was already coming out of it's ponytail. Jessamine came downstairs next in a pink sweater and black leggings. Her hair was pulled back into a Dutch braid. The difference between Cecily and Jessamine was that Jessamine was all pastel pink and late night parties with boys while Cecily was a metallic blue and horror movies until midnight. If Will was a color, he'd be dark blue. Jem would be a shiny silver.
"I'm going to get dressed," I announced. "Cecily, could I borrow some of your clothes?"
"Sure," She said. Her phone rang. She turned and walked away, but I could here the smile in her voice as she said, "Hey, Gabriel."
"I'll be down here," Will said. "Waiting on you." He smiled, and I returned the grin.
I headed up to Cecily's room. She hadn't bothered to turn off the television. On screen, a story I recognized as Catching Fire was unfolding. I went through Cecily's closet. I eventually decided on black and white leggings with a black shirt. I went to the bathroom and changed, and when I came out, I heard a crash come from Will and Jem's room. I headed over as fast as I could. The lamp was laying on the floor, broken, but that's not what frightened me the most.
Jem was laying on the floor in a pool of blood, unconscious. There was blood on his shirt and on his face, but no visible wounds.
"WILL!" I screamed. "WILL, HURRY AND GET UP HERE!"
Will, Cecily, Jessamine, and Charlotte all clambered up the stairs and joined me in Will's room. Will knelt next to his brother. "Call 911," He said. Cecily, the only one who had her phone in hand, was on the phone in seconds.
Jem was unconscious. "He's still breathing," Charlotte said. "But its shallow. The ambulance needs to get here ASAP." As if the world could read her mind, we heard the sirens outside the house. A moment later, two medics entered the room with a stretcher. They lifted Jem up and set him on it. "Careful," Will said. "He has a medical condition-"
"Shush, kid," one of them snapped. Will glared at him. I put my hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, love. They know what they're doing," I told him. "They'll take good care of him."
He relaxed.
We followed the medics downstairs and outside. An ambulance and a police car were parked there. They loaded Jem into the ambulance. Will tried to climb in after them, but they blocked him. "Only parents are allowed," The first medic said. Charlotte stepped forward. "I'm his mother. Let me in." The doctors moved aside and she climbed into the van. "I texted Henry!" She called. "He's coming home right now!" Then, the doors shut and the two cars drive off.
Will sunk to the ground, his hands in his hair. "I don't know what happened," He said. "I didn't know his condition was getting worse, he only throws up blood when it's getting bad, I didn't know, God, I could've done something, he couldn't have coughed up that much blood, God, this is my fault." He said it all in one breath. I sat down next to him and grabbed his hand. I rubbed my thumb back and forth across the soft skin on his hand. "It's not your fault, Will," I murmured to him "You couldn't have known what was going to happen." "I should've known he was getting bad again," He said softly.
A car pulled up in the driveway. Two men were in it. I had seen one of them before in a picture in the dining room; it was Will's foster dad, Henry. I didn't recognize the other man.
The one I didn't know leaned out the window.
"Luke," Cecily said. "Take us to the hospital, please." She was pale. "Luke's a friend of Henry's," Will told me. "Henry is paralyzed from the waist down, so he needs someone to give him a lift." I squeezed his hand. "I'm sorry."
The four of us crammed into the backseat of the car. My crutches ended up in the truck. I was sandwiched in between Will and Cecily. Jessamine was on Cecily's other side and was whining about being shoved against the door.
"That hurts, Cecily!"
"I bet Jem is in more pain than you right now."
"This isn't about Jem!"
"Actually, it kind of is."
"Quiet, both of you," A man who I guessed to be Henry said. "Are you Tessa? Will's told me about you over the phone." "Yes," I replied.
Luke began to drive to the hospital. It was silent.
When we pulled up to the clinic, everyone piled out of the car in a rush. Will handed me my crutches and Luke retrieved Henry's wheelchair.
We rushed inside. Will practically ran to the counter. "We're here to see James Carstairs," He said. The nurse, a young woman with brown hair, sighed. "I'm sorry, dear," she replied. "He's not taking visitors now."
Will flashed an angelic smile. "We're his family," He said in a quiet, sweet tone. "Also, you have beautiful eyes. What's your name?"
He was flirting with her! I felt jealousy bubble up inside me. Her eyes weren't even that pretty.
"Annie," She replied. "I suppose I can let you back there." We followed Annie through the halls and into a hospital room. "Sorry," Will whispered. "We had to get back here somehow." Luke stayed in the waiting room. He said he wanted to give us our privacy. There were no doctors in the hospital room. Jem was laying in the bed, hooked up to all sorts of tubes and machines. He looked sallow and sad. His eyes were open and full of tears. Charlotte sat in a chair next to him, her body shaking with sobs. She speaking softly to him and didn't turn when the door opened. Annie left us inside. We approached him slowly. "Hello," He said. "The doctor said I have ten minutes to live."
Ten minutes to live.
Will broke down in a mess of tears. Jessamine started crying, too. Cecily stared at the wall, unable to process the fact that her brother would be gone so soon. I saw a tear roll down Henry's cheek. I felt my eyes getting wetter and soon I was crying along with everyone. "No," Cecily said. "No, Jem. You're going to make it, you are not going to die."
"Cecily, the doctors said I wasn't going to make it. My body has finally given up. The yin fin has taken me. The disorder has won."
Cecily sank to the floor and start hyperventilating.
"You can't leave, Jem, you can't!" Will weeped. "Don't leave me here alone, please, Jem, don't leave. I need you. You're my best friend. Please."
Tears slid down Jem's face. "I don't have a choice, Will. You won't be alone. You have our family and Tessa. If I could keep fighting, I would, but my body is done. I have lost all my strength. I do have some final words, though," He whispered.
I cried harder.
"Charlotte, thank you for taking me in. I don't know where I'd be without your kindness. Probably in the grave, actually. You've kept me in this world much longer than I should've been able to stay. You've been the best mother I ever could've dreamed of having. I love you, Mom. Thank you for everything."
Charlotte's body began to shake even harder. "I love you, too, James. More than you know," She gasped between sobs.
Jem moved on to the next person.
"Henry. Thank you for being the father I had always dreamed of having. Although you were off on business trips often, the times when you were home were always the best. My father was horrible to me, but you've made up for that. Thank you. I love you, Dad."
Henry was weeping. "I love you, too, Jem. Thanks for being a fantastic son."
Jem began speaking again.
"Jessamine. You've been a wonderful sister, whether you believe it or not. Living with you has been like having a front row seat to a reality TV show. Sometimes I even got to star in that show, although that wasn't always a good thing. Thank you for showing me that life is an adventure and that anybody can be the star of a show, no matter what role they play. I love you, Jessie."
Jessamine's face was in her hands. When she looked up, her makeup was smeared and runny. "I love you, Jem. You will always be in my heart."
Jem started to talk again.
"Cecily. I never would've thought I would have the honor to have a sister as great as you. You've made me laugh even on the worst days. I remember each and every horror movie we've watched, believe it or not. If I could stay longer and watch one more with you, I would. Thank you for showing me how to be who I want to be and not care what other people think. I love you, Cecily."
Cecily was crying so hard that she couldn't even answer him. She held up one hand and used the hand motion that meant I love you in sign language.
"Tessa," Jem began. I was surprised that he had wanted to give some of his last words, some of his last moments, to me. We'd only known each other a couple of days.
"Tessa, thank you for being there for Will. I've only known you for a bit, but you've become such an important part of our lives since you met Will. Thank you for bringing sunshine into his life and I hope you can continue to do that even after I'm gone. Don't let anything happen to him. I love you like one of my own sisters."
I didn't have the breath to answer Jem.
Don't let anything happen to him.
I won't. Not ever.
Will was last.
"William Owen Herondale. You are, and will always be, the best brother I could ever ask for. You've been there for me when I felt like the world was crashing down, and when most people would leave, you stayed. You helped me when I needed it most and cheered me up when I was about to cry. You will always be my best friend and have taught me millions upon millions of valuable lessons. We've shared thousands of inside jokes and hundreds of stories. But, between all the lessons, jokes, and stories, we have experienced one story. It will always be my favorite tale. Thank you, Will. Thank you for everything. I love you, man. Thanks for being my brother."
Before Will could answer through the tears, the beeps on Jem's heart monitor got slower.
"Jem!" Will screamed. "Jem, don't leave me! NO, PLEASE, JAMES!"
Jem smiled at him. "I'll miss you all," He whispered. He shut his eyes.
The heart monitor fell silent.