Keep the Window Open for Me Read Online Free Page B

his hands he held my chart. Drumming his fingers on the clipboard, he hadn’t said anything for a minute and wouldn’t meet my eyes. I had known then that it was something far more serious than I ever imagined. Taking his seat across from me, his eyes spoke volumes. Something was terribly wrong. He told me then the line that made me realize how serious it was.
    “I think you should start making preparations.” Those were the words that meant a person was going to die. My hands gripped the vinyl tightly as the news washed over me, crashing like a tidal wave. My face scrunched up as I tried to mull over the words in my head but suddenly I couldn’t understand them as if they were in another language entirely.
    “What,” I asked, while confusion and fear swirled inside of me like a carnival ride going faster and faster until they both blended together.
    “I’m sorry, Erin, but it’s your heart. You had a heart attack but there’s no blockage. We can’t find the cause but,” he paused his jaw clenching.
    “But?” I asked wishing he would elaborate.
    “The attack left your heart very weak and it will inevitably fail you. Erin, it’ll only last you a few more months…” His words sounded like rushing water to me. Without a transplant I’d die. My heart would fail and that would be the end of it all, the end of me. I had been placed on the transplant list, but I knew how rare it was to receive a new heart especially with such a small window of time. After that visit I sought out every doctor I could hoping beyond hope that his prognosis was wrong. They all shackled me with the same fate. No one knew the cause of my sudden heart attack, but the result was undeniable. My heart was too weak now.
    I didn’t want to believe it at first. I didn’t want to recognize that I wasn’t going to get better. So I lived normally as though I had never gotten the news. But I couldn’t deny it any longer, everything was building up beneath the surface and suddenly it all tore open.
    I broke down one night and raced to the one place I felt safe and secure whenever my life was crashing down around me. I ran in my pajamas, barefoot, to Danny’s house, and climbed in his window like I had done all those years ago for so long. He still after all of this time left the window open for me.
    As soon as I entered, he woke and sat up in his bed. He stared at me for the longest time with that sad expression. I didn’t know what he was thinking when he looked at me like that. I don’t think I’ll ever know.
    I was crying that night and panting while my body was frozen from the cold air outside. I hadn’t even noticed how badly my body was shaking then. Danny didn’t say a word to my sudden appearance in his house or my tears. He just pulled down the covers and patted the spot next to him like he had done all those years ago. That brought on a whole new set of tears that I couldn’t stop from falling. I ran to him and flung myself in his arms. He held me close that night like he had done in the past while I sobbed uncontrollably.
    I never told him about what was going to happen to me. He didn’t need to know I was a ticking time bomb. It would be better that way if he never knew because that meant that one day I would just drop off the world and disappear forever. He would be sad for my passing, but it wouldn’t last.
    After a few months he would slowly stop missing me. And when that would happen, he’d fall in love with a girl and be happy. The best part would be I wouldn’t feel sad because I would already be gone. I liked looking on the brighter side of things. Rose taught me that. It was a good lesson to learn for moments like these. I would have to thank her when I saw her. It would be nice to be able to see her again.

Chapter Three
    The warm sun’s rays gently glided into my window to signal the new day had begun and as per routine, it ruined the little sleep I managed to get. After that fateful day, mornings never looked