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drug she has been taking all along, the sheets, the bed, the floor, the
right?" I asked. chairs. It was haunting. And that
smell. I don't know how to describe
"We don't think so. Either the it, but we all know what it is. It's the
IV that she used was contaminated, sterilization; it makes it smell like a
or one or two of the chemo bags morgue.
was impure. Whatever caused this
attack tore into her internal systems A few hours later, you woke
very quickly, Our tests show signifi- up. You looked over at me, and I
cant liver and kidney damage. Sir, thought, you have never looked so
there's no easy way to say this. She beautiful. Your eyes were a pas-
doesn't have much time left. We've sageway to our past, to our history
done all we can. She's resting now, together. Looking in them, I got
you can be with her." lost, remembering meeting you in
Driver's Ed, our wedding, and the
Had I been in a more conscious births of our children. We have been
state of mind, I would have thanked through so much together, and yet,
him. Instead, I blindly stumbled to- I have never loved you more than at
wards your room. that moment.
I didn't recognize you, laying "Brian, what happened?"
there. The drug had completely rav- You're dying.
aged your body, tearing out your
beautiful hair, and left you com- "You had an allergic reaction to
pletely defenseless. Your skin had what they thought was your chemo.
a yellowish tint, and only a skel- but it was something else."
eton of your former self remained.
I hadn't realized how much weight "Am I ok?"
you had lost, but you couldn't have
weighed more than 90 pounds dur- It took all my strength to stam-
ing those last days. mer out, "No ..."
I sat down in a chair next to you, Don't leave me. Don't give up,
you can do it.
looking around the room. There October 14, 2061: It was ten
were wires and tubes everywhere, 0'clock in the morning. Your condi-
monitors beeping and IVs dripping. tion had drastically declined during
But what I remember most, and the night. Your liver had stopped
what still haunts me to this very functioning. It was now a matter of
day is the atmosphere of your room. minutes, not hours.
All of the blinding white: the room,
You laid there serene and calm,
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