GIRL IN RED

As I opened my eyes, the shining light in the room hurt my eyes. I could barely hold my eyes open, after a few seconds my pupils adjusted to the light. I attempted to move my hand, but I couldn’t. They were strapped to the bed and so was my legs and neck. I tried to rotate my head to left, I could see a screen there, but was unable to understand what it was. After a few minutes of calm, I started panicking. I don’t recall anything. I tried hard, all I could see were flashes of a room with white drapes, and a young woman in red dress, I can’t picture her face only her clothes and her black hair. I tried calling for help, “HELP ME! ANYONE. HELP ME!”

soon I heard a click on the door, someone entered and again rushed back. I couldn’t look at her. I guessed she was a nurse because I could hear distant shouts of, “ DOCTOR! DOCTOR!”. So, I’m at a hospital, but why? It was then I realize the heaviness in my head and just then I could feel the pounding in my brain. Someone entered the room again, maybe more than one, but I couldn’t see anyone. A bald man with large glasses and snow-white beard and padded eyes looked over me and sent a beam of light directly into my eyes. He moved it away after few glances.“ Can you see me?”, he said. I answered, “Yes”. He repeated the question, “Can you see me?”. And I replied, “YES” this time louder. He looked towards my torso and rubbed something cold and hard, maybe a metal rod in my right hand and again said, “Can you feel this?”. I said, “Yes” this time bit agitated. He repeated the question, “Can you feel this?”. This I shouted out, “Ye..”, just then I realized my lips are not moving, I can’t hear myself and I’m just shouting in my mind. The doctor rubbed the metal rod on every part of my body one by one. And I kept responding, “Yes” but my voice can’t reach his ears. Finally, I heard footsteps moving away.

“Will he be okay?” I heard a gentle voice. And just then the room with the white curtains become clearer. And this time I could see the girl in the red, she was beautiful, the big and beautiful brown eyes, long black hair. The smile was even more soothing to the eyes. I could feel the joy in her eyes. I tried to remember her name but I couldn’t but I couldn’t forget her beauty. I saw my hands reaching towards her, but as I came closer to her the emotionless voice of the doctor brought me back. “I am sorry, during a complexion during the operation, the brain swelled we tried to reduce the pressure on the brain but it was too late. The parts of the brain responsible for the function of the voluntary were affected. He is brain dead and life support is the only thing keeping him alive.” I could hear the gentle voice, she was a girl, but I can’t recognize her voice, I could hear her gasping for air and her sobs. The doctor continued,”Ma’am, your husband is an organ donor. And soon his different organs will stop functioning, he could help many who needs help.” “What do you mean?”, this time the voice was no more gentle, it was harsh and anger filled. “He is my husband you are talking about. He is not dead yet. And you want his organs. You want to kill him.”, she said, pausing with every sentence to gasp for air. “Ma’am, I know, but your husband signs the donor form before the operation. It was his wish, he wanted to help others.” The girl started crying, and after a few minutes, she said in a soft voice. “Can I be alone with him?” and soon I heard few steps moving away from me and out of the room and finally closing the door.

The girl touched my hands and clutched it to hers. He looked came over my eyes. I realized this is the same girl from the girl in red from the room with the white curtains. Only her eyes were red like she hadn’t slept for days. Her hair was not nicely combed, maybe not combed for a long time. Yet she was looking beautiful. She said, “This is not fair. You have no right to leave me alone. I don’t know what to do without you?”, tears rolled down her cheek and fell on mine. She was quick to rub it off. “I know you always wanted to donate your organs after death. But, I never imagined I had to take the decision to kill you. This is not at all fair. You are the worst person in this entire world”, she continued. She placed her face on my chest and kept there for a few minutes. Finally, rising and rubbing her eyes off, she said, “Okay, if this is what you wanted, I’m with you”. She moved closer to my head and placed a kiss on my lips and said, “I Love You” I tried to say, “I Love You, too” but I couldn’t.

She hurried out of the room and I could listen to her cries as she left. I heard footsteps coming in. And soon, starting from my legs slowly I lost sense. And in the end, I couldn’t see anymore.