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Description
"Make way; transplant coming through!" called a man a carrying small cooler. He nearly ran through the hospital, shouting at anyone who looked like they even thought about crossing his path. He had only a few more minutes to reach the operation room where the doctors worked to keep the girl alive while he transported her new heart. The organ itself only had slightly longer than the girl did. Still without running, the man sped up.

When he entered the room the doctor didn't skip a beat before asking for the heart. After only a brief preparation, the organ found itself in his hands and then in her chest. Sutures, cauterization, and stabilization later, they wheeled her into the recovering area under close watch. Several hours later her eyes fluttered open. She barely registered her location before nurses and doctors accosted her, reading her signs and checking, "How do you feel?" Eventually she started fighting them off.

"I don't know how I feel! You people won't give me time to figure it out. Go away. You'll know as soon as something goes wrong with all the damn beeping machines I'm hooked up to," she complained. Reluctantly, they left her alone. Breathing a sigh of relief she laid back and closed her eyes. She heard her door slide open and closed. "Can't you people leave me alone for five minutes?" she asked, turning to the stranger. She recoiled when she saw a stunned boy about her age staring at her, shocked. "Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you were a doctor or nurse or someone," she said.

"No, I'm sorry. I didn't check to see who was in the room. Am I disturbing you? I was hiding from my own doctors," he said and she smiled. He returned it.

"You can do that?" she asked wistfully.

"Yeah, they're always checking in on me, as I think you might be having a problem with," he answered.

"Yeah, but I just woke up so I can understand. However, there are limits. Anyway, how do you get away with disappearing?" she asked.

"I'm always disappearing. They know that if there's a problem I'll find someone who can help, and they've learned to trust that I'll come back within reasonable time."

"If you don't mind my asking, you make it sound like you're here a lot?"

At that moment a nurse came in. "Hey, what are you doing here?" she asked the boy. He turned back to the girl, smirked and then left her room, hurrying away from the nurse. The girl giggled and the nurse shot her a disapproving look.

The boy came back the next day. "My name's Jenna," she said immediately when he arrived.

"James," he reciprocated. "So, what are you in for? I've been watching, and you get a lot of attention," he said, lounging in the chair by her bed.

"I just got a heart transplant," she said simply. He looked shocked again. "What?" she asked.

"Sh-should I not… be here right now? Am I going to… Does my presence…" James stuttered.

"Are you worried that your presence is going to cause complications with my new heart?" she stated. James looked away. Jenna smiled. "Well, I'm not worried. I think it will be good to start strengthening it early so that it's more mine." James looked at her.

"If you're not worried, I won't be," he said. They talked until a nurse came in for a routine checkup, and after she left, James snuck in again. The next day brought more of the same. A week passed thus. One day, Jenna started coughing.

"I thought you said you wouldn't be worried because I wasn't," Jenna smirked when James immediately offered to call a nurse.

"Yeah, well, I just can't help caring, okay?" he said, smiling and looking away.

"Okay," she whispered before coughing again. James couldn't help but watch with worry on his face. She placed a hand on her chest. "Gosh, I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry," he said, settling down again.

"James, I just had the weirdest feeling. I thought you should know that I really like when you visit because I—" she started but cringed in pain. She coughed a few times but cried out in pain. James, without waiting for her consent, called for the nurses already on their way.

"She started coughing and then laid a hand on her chest like it hurt. Then actually started acting like it hurt," he explained when they asked what happened as they hurried her out of the room. They made him stay back though he wanted to follow.

He waited in his room before a nurse came in telling him Jenna requested to see him. "Is she okay?" he asked as they walked. The woman didn't answer him. In Jenna's room his face fell. They hooked her up to a special machine that kept her blood circulating. He knew she had a fist sized empty hole in her chest. "Jenna!" he said, going to her side.

"James, how nice to see you," she said with a smile. She looked drugged.

"They told me you wanted to see me?" he said.

"Yeah. I only have an hour at the most left, and after they switch off the machine, a few minutes. My family can't make it here in that time; I don't want to be alone," Jenna explained.

"Of course not, Jenna. Why are you handling this so calmly?" he asked, distraught.

"What can I do? I may as well accept it. I'm not afraid of death. We're good friends, I like to think?" she said with a smirk.

"Friends?" he asked.

"Horror is fun."

"Jenna…"

"Thank you, James."

"For what?"

"Making these last few days wonderful."

"Of course, Jenna."

"I'm so tired, James."

"Jenna, you're a wonderful girl. Why is this happening?"

"I rejected the heart."

"Do the doctors know why?"
"No, but I think it's because it wasn't used to feeling anymore. Mine were strong. There's no need to worry anymore. My future is set."

The doctor came in at that point. "It's time," he said.

"Can James stay?" Jenna asked.

"Yes, he can stay," the doctor answered and Jenna smiled at her friend. The doctor flipped a switch and the machine's whirring stopped. "Five minutes at the most," the man said and left.

"What feelings, Jenna?" he asked once alone.

"Love," she said sleepily with a smile. James smiled also, tears in his eyes. "Don't cry," she requested.

"Of course I'm going to cry. I love you, too."

"Then I can die truly happy. Thank you."

"Stop thanking me. I'm sitting here doing nothing."

"But you're here, and you love me. I'm so tired."

"I have a terminal lung disease. I'm never going to leave this hospital. I only have a few months left."

"Don't be sad, James. It's only a few months." Both of them smiled and her eyes slipped shut. They didn't open again and after a few more breaths, those stopped also. James stopped fighting. The tears fell, he allowed himself to be led to his room, and that night his lungs stopped working. The nurses and doctors on hand all swore that in his last delirious moments, he managed to say one last sentence.

"Screw a few months."

Description
"Make way; transplant coming through!" called a man a carrying small cooler. He nearly ran through the hospital, shouting at anyone who looked like they even thought about crossing his path. He had only a few more minutes to reach the operation room where the doctors worked to keep the girl alive while he transported her new heart. The organ itself only had slightly longer than the girl did. Still without running, the man sped up.

When he entered the room the doctor didn't skip a beat before asking for the heart. After only a brief preparation, the organ found itself in his hands and then in her chest. Sutures, cauterization, and stabilization later, they wheeled her into the recovering area under close watch. Several hours later her eyes fluttered open. She barely registered her location before nurses and doctors accosted her, reading her signs and checking, "How do you feel?" Eventually she started fighting them off.

"I don't know how I feel! You people won't give me time to figure it out. Go away. You'll know as soon as something goes wrong with all the damn beeping machines I'm hooked up to," she complained. Reluctantly, they left her alone. Breathing a sigh of relief she laid back and closed her eyes. She heard her door slide open and closed. "Can't you people leave me alone for five minutes?" she asked, turning to the stranger. She recoiled when she saw a stunned boy about her age staring at her, shocked. "Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you were a doctor or nurse or someone," she said.

"No, I'm sorry. I didn't check to see who was in the room. Am I disturbing you? I was hiding from my own doctors," he said and she smiled. He returned it.

"You can do that?" she asked wistfully.

"Yeah, they're always checking in on me, as I think you might be having a problem with," he answered.

"Yeah, but I just woke up so I can understand. However, there are limits. Anyway, how do you get away with disappearing?" she asked.

"I'm always disappearing. They know that if there's a problem I'll find someone who can help, and they've learned to trust that I'll come back within reasonable time."

"If you don't mind my asking, you make it sound like you're here a lot?"

At that moment a nurse came in. "Hey, what are you doing here?" she asked the boy. He turned back to the girl, smirked and then left her room, hurrying away from the nurse. The girl giggled and the nurse shot her a disapproving look.

The boy came back the next day. "My name's Jenna," she said immediately when he arrived.

"James," he reciprocated. "So, what are you in for? I've been watching, and you get a lot of attention," he said, lounging in the chair by her bed.

"I just got a heart transplant," she said simply. He looked shocked again. "What?" she asked.

"Sh-should I not… be here right now? Am I going to… Does my presence…" James stuttered.

"Are you worried that your presence is going to cause complications with my new heart?" she stated. James looked away. Jenna smiled. "Well, I'm not worried. I think it will be good to start strengthening it early so that it's more mine." James looked at her.

"If you're not worried, I won't be," he said. They talked until a nurse came in for a routine checkup, and after she left, James snuck in again. The next day brought more of the same. A week passed thus. One day, Jenna started coughing.

"I thought you said you wouldn't be worried because I wasn't," Jenna smirked when James immediately offered to call a nurse.

"Yeah, well, I just can't help caring, okay?" he said, smiling and looking away.

"Okay," she whispered before coughing again. James couldn't help but watch with worry on his face. She placed a hand on her chest. "Gosh, I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry," he said, settling down again.

"James, I just had the weirdest feeling. I thought you should know that I really like when you visit because I—" she started but cringed in pain. She coughed a few times but cried out in pain. James, without waiting for her consent, called for the nurses already on their way.

"She started coughing and then laid a hand on her chest like it hurt. Then actually started acting like it hurt," he explained when they asked what happened as they hurried her out of the room. They made him stay back though he wanted to follow.

He waited in his room before a nurse came in telling him Jenna requested to see him. "Is she okay?" he asked as they walked. The woman didn't answer him. In Jenna's room his face fell. They hooked her up to a special machine that kept her blood circulating. He knew she had a fist sized empty hole in her chest. "Jenna!" he said, going to her side.

"James, how nice to see you," she said with a smile. She looked drugged.

"They told me you wanted to see me?" he said.

"Yeah. I only have an hour at the most left, and after they switch off the machine, a few minutes. My family can't make it here in that time; I don't want to be alone," Jenna explained.

"Of course not, Jenna. Why are you handling this so calmly?" he asked, distraught.

"What can I do? I may as well accept it. I'm not afraid of death. We're good friends, I like to think?" she said with a smirk.

"Friends?" he asked.

"Horror is fun."

"Jenna…"

"Thank you, James."

"For what?"

"Making these last few days wonderful."

"Of course, Jenna."

"I'm so tired, James."

"Jenna, you're a wonderful girl. Why is this happening?"

"I rejected the heart."

"Do the doctors know why?"
"No, but I think it's because it wasn't used to feeling anymore. Mine were strong. There's no need to worry anymore. My future is set."

The doctor came in at that point. "It's time," he said.

"Can James stay?" Jenna asked.

"Yes, he can stay," the doctor answered and Jenna smiled at her friend. The doctor flipped a switch and the machine's whirring stopped. "Five minutes at the most," the man said and left.

"What feelings, Jenna?" he asked once alone.

"Love," she said sleepily with a smile. James smiled also, tears in his eyes. "Don't cry," she requested.

"Of course I'm going to cry. I love you, too."

"Then I can die truly happy. Thank you."

"Stop thanking me. I'm sitting here doing nothing."

"But you're here, and you love me. I'm so tired."

"I have a terminal lung disease. I'm never going to leave this hospital. I only have a few months left."

"Don't be sad, James. It's only a few months." Both of them smiled and her eyes slipped shut. They didn't open again and after a few more breaths, those stopped also. James stopped fighting. The tears fell, he allowed himself to be led to his room, and that night his lungs stopped working. The nurses and doctors on hand all swore that in his last delirious moments, he managed to say one last sentence.

"Screw a few months."