Page 47 of Letters From a Broken Heart
I stand on shaky legs and take his hand. He interlaces our fingers and squeezes as he stares down at me with so much sadness in his blue and green eyes. They’re almost solidly blue today.
“Your brother would hate you for this! I hate you!” Mrs. Maxwell stumbles down the hallway after us.
Her eyes are wild with anger and sorrow. She doesn’t realize how much those words are going to destroy her son… The only one she has left.
“I wish you had died in his place!” She shakes her head at Easton before turning her evil glare on me one last time. “I wish I had said no to donating his heart. I shouldn’t have let them put it in you. You deserve a grave more than my son ever did!”
I'm still staring at her as Easton tugs me onto the front porch and shuts the door behind us. I don’t know how he’s so calm and collected right now. I can't breathe. I feel like there’s a massive weight on my chest and the world is closing in around me.
My head spins as everything starts to get fuzzy. My heart is beating so hard and I can't seem to get it to stop. Something is wrong. I don’t know why I feel so funny.
“Easton,” I whisper before everything goes black.
Chapter 19
Easton
I turn around at her whispered words and watch her sway on her feet. I sweep her into my arms and cradle her against my chest as her body goes weak.
No! This can't be happening. I can't lose her!
“Dad!” I scream as loudly as I can. I don’t take my eyes off of her, trying everything to get her to wake up. “Dad!”
She’s so pale. Her body is so lifeless. I can't do this. I can't lose her.
“What happened?” Dad rushes down the steps with his keys in hand. He doesn’t bother asking anything else as he opens the back door to his SUV and helps me get inside with her in my arms.
He’s backing out of the driveway and speeding down the road before I can even process his question. I’ve never been so happy they moved. They’re only a few blocks away from the hospital. We’ll be able to get there before an ambulance could get to us.
“I don’t know what happened. She was fine, then she whispered my name and passed out.” I brush her hair out of her face and stare down at the woman I love. “C’mon, Taylor, I need you to wake up.”
Her eyes flutter and she slowly blinks her eyes open. Her brows furrow as she tries to figure out what’s going on. When she tries to sit up, I stop her.
“Don’t move, baby. We’re almost to the hospital.”
“What happened?”
“I think you passed out. We’re going to the hospital.”
“No, I'm fine. Can we just go home?”
“No, you need to get checked out. This could be a sign of your body rejecting your heart,” Dad speaks up. His voice is firm and steady as he clenches the wheel tightly.
“Mr. Maxwell? You’re driving me to the hospital?” She squeezes her eyes shut like nothing makes sense and honestly, it doesn’t. How does Dad know about what happens when your body rejects a donor heart?
“I am, sweetheart. I’ll do whatever I need to, to keep you safe.”
Before I can question him, we’re pulling up in front of the emergency room and Dad’s running inside. He returns with a few staff members and a wheelchair.
I slowly get out of the car with Taylor still in my arms. Placing her in the wheelchair, we follow her inside. Dad gives his keys to the valet, not caring about his car at all.
As soon as we get into a room, Taylor is asked to get on the bed. She’s too weak and doesn’t seem like she can do it, so I lift her into my arms and get her situated. They waste no time getting her hooked up to machines and running an EKG to check her heart.
“Taylor, we’re going to take you to perform some tests. We’ll probably do a biopsy too. I know your last one showed no signs of rejection, but I want to make sure.” Taylor’s doctor stands at the foot of the bed with a chart in his hands. I remember him from the appointment I went with her to. She’s lucky he was already at the hospital tonight.
“Ok,” she says softly.
I lean forward in my chair and rest my elbows on my knees, dropping my head into my hands. She needs to be ok. I can't live without her.
