by Silas Vale
"I love you too." She whispered, lightly curling her fingers into his skin.
She had only known him for a couple days, but why did it hurt so much?
He smiled, relief flooding his face. All he wanted in the world was for her to be his, and only his. But now that he was dying... He would understand, if he was never coming back, if she decided to move on.
He didn’t deserve her, but he couldn’t bear the thought of her being with someone else.
"We're coming in." The medic said into his walkie, evidently talking to the people in the hospital. In a few seconds, the doors opened, revealing several people holding a stretcher between them.
They transferred Nych and began taking him inside.
Willow stood up, chasing after them and squeezing in to take Nych's hand amidst the chaos. He was not going through this alone, and nobody was going to stop her from making sure of that. He needed to know that she was there for him, no matter what. Even if these were his final hours, she wanted to make the most of them.
She kept a good grasp on their surroundings, however.
If this was the end...
She'd have to call Blake and get her to help retrieve the part of him she needed to bring him back from the dead.
The men and women in white coats that carried him along eventually brought him to a room that was adorned with nothing but white wallpaper, a table with flowers in a vase, and a television.
Apparently, they'd deemed that the case wasn't worthy of the ER.
… Why?
Eventually, a doctor came in, and looked to Willow sadly. He didn't tell her to leave, or to move, and he hardly even checked Nych at all.
What was going on?
Willow looked around the room, and she knew in a heartbeat what it was. Her heart sank, and she sat down beside the man she had come to care so deeply for, clutching his hand in both of her own. They had brought him here to die, and though it angered her that they didn't even try to help him, she knew that there was no help to be given. This was terminal. And he was bound to pass on at some point soon.
But that still didn't stop her from breaking down, dipping her head and sobbing quietly as she squeezed his hand tightly.
She wished this was all some nightmare. She didn't want this to be their reality.
"I'm... So sorry." The doctor said, looking at the two of them with a genuine apology in his eyes. "The chances of a man with Rhnull blood getting this particular form of blood cancer are very slim, and... There isn't anything we can do."
"It's alright, doc." Nych said, his voice a whisper from the bed. He held onto Willow, his hand tight on her arm, and he said, "Could you... Leave, doc?"
The doctor nodded his head in understanding.
Nych wanted his last moments to be with Willow.
"You need to call Blake, if you're actually going to go through with this." He said, his voice cracking. "My keys are still on your nightstand, and the box is on the second table on the left in my lab. I... I'd ask you to get it, but..."
But he wanted her to stay.
"I'm staying." Willow said, voice weak as she tried to keep herself from sobbing out loud. After a second or two, she pulled herself up onto the bed, and laid down beside him in the sterile hospital room. "I- I'll get her to grab it. It'll be faster for her anyways." She settled in beside him, and after a moment wrapped her arms around him and pulled him taught against her body, burying her face in his dark locks.
It was quiet for a couple seconds, and Willow clung to him tightly. This was all the time they had left.
"... I'm sorry." She whispered. "I love you."
Nych wrapped his feeble arms around her, the slightest of smiles gracing his pain-stricken face.
This was all too sudden, but then again. It had been coming for a long, long time.
"Please don't leave, okay?" He asked, his voice pleading and his eyes full of tears. "You're the first person in my life to make me feel like I'm not actually alone. I... I don't want to die alone, not when I finally have you."
With that, he stopped talking.
His eyes stayed open, and he stayed with her for a good few hours afterwards.
But those were the last words uttered by Nych Haywiyth.
A Hopeful end
He was gone.
Willow sat alone in a quiet office, tears still streaming down her face. She had requested to talk with the people who would be helping her deal with the funeral arrangements, and those who would be dealing with his body. She wanted to make sure they treated him right, and she needed to know what kind of options she had. She could pay for everything, thanks to Nych and his alchemy, but she just felt... Numb.
There was an ulterior motive behind this meeting as well.
Because Blake had the box. And she was going to get his brain.
She had explained everything to her on the phone, and she loved Blake for the fact that she would get it done without a hitch. Not only that, but she would be there for her afterwards. She'd have to explain the entire situation to her parents, though, and she really didn't want to do that. She didn't want anyone to see her like this.
She was a wreck.
Eventually, a doctor, a coroner, and a funeral director walked into the room.
Hmm. Familiar sounding. Almost like the start to a bad joke.
"Hello, Ms. Grace. We've been filled in on everything." The coroner said as he sat down, taking the front while the other two men sat behind him. He was obviously the frontrunner, due to the fact that Nych's body was currently six feet under.
In a refrigerator, meant to keep the bodies preserved until it was decided what would be done with them.
A perfect opportunity for Blake to get the brain. How she would do it... That was a different story.
But Blake always came through.
Willow sniffled, reaching up and wiping tears away from her face as she looked at the men around them. "Right." She sighed heavily, trying to push down the empty feeling in her heart. She needed to be strong for this. She had to make this meeting take as long as possible, so Blake could get to the body uninterrupted. She would pull through, she knew she would. And she knew that she would know exactly what to do to get the brain. She was in almost all the same medical courses as Willow was, after all.
So she took a deep breath, and puffed up her chest to try and make herself feel more confident.
"... What are the options?"
The coroner's eyes were sad; it was as if this was actually a man, instead of a beast simply trying to make money.
"Well, for my part, there isn't much we'll be able to do regarding organ donation." The doctor said, looking over the coroner's shoulder. "His blood was extremely cancerous, and we don't want to take any risks of passing that on to another patient."
It made sense.
"As for the body... You could have him donated to science, or we could pass you on to the funeral director." The coroner said, looking at her kindly.
Willow nodded slowly, mulling over her options. She took this quite seriously. She wanted to do something that she thought Nych would've wanted. "... Science." She said after a moment. "We... We are- were, both scientists. We were working to try and cure cancer- I-" She shook her head, and wiped away the tears that filled her eyes. "I think he probably would've wanted his body to go to something useful instead of rotting away in a cemetery."
Yes. He would've liked that.
"... Could you explain that process to me?" She asked softly, looking up at them. Stall. Buy her more time.
"Of course." The coroner said, pulling out a small notepad and a pen. "First, you can either specify an organization you want his body to go to, or he will be put in a repository, so that once his body is needed somewhere, it will be sent to that place."
The second option sounded better. That way, they would make sure his body was actually needed.
"And you can still have a funeral service for him if you'd like." The director said, a sad smile on his face. "If you want something along the
lines of a funeral without the body, we could make that happen."
But who would go?
Willow pursed her lips, taking another deep breath to steady herself. She didn't think all this decision making would come so soon. They were supposed to have more time together. They were supposed to be able to-
She pushed her thoughts down. She could grieve later. Now, she had a mission.
"The second option. He should go where he's needed the most, especially considering his blood type and condition." Her voice wavered. "... He's estranged from his parents." She murmured. "And... He didn't really have many friends. I don't think a funeral would be the way to go. I could invite my own friends and family but... What's the point, really?" She let out a shaky sigh. "No funeral. But I'd like to at least have a headstone. Someplace I can go on my own time." She looked up at the coroner, and sniffled. "Do you know any of the logistics surrounding that...?"
The coroner shook his head, but the funeral director piped up. "If you're donating his body to science, you'd have to purchase a plot in a private cemetery. I can tell you that around here, those go for one or two thousand dollars. Then, a personalized headstone can cost you anywhere from a hundred dollars for a cheap one to thousands of dollars for an expensive one."
That wasn't exactly a problem, considering her newfound wealth.
"I think we should see the body before we discuss further plans." The coroner said, standing. The other two did as well. "There may be special conditions surrounding his case."
With that, he opened the door, allowing the other two to walk through before holding it for Willow.
Uh oh.
Willow tensed, but she supposed there was no avoiding it. She had already pulled them away from their jobs, and stalled them for at least an hour and a half after Blake had arrived at the hospital, considering they’d had to check all the paperwork before meeting her. She just hoped that was enough time for her to get out of the hospital with Nych’s brain so she could hide it away at her parents’ house, while the hospital undoubtedly flipped their lid about this happening.
Little did they know, she was in on the whole thing.
She slowly stood up, taking a moment to steady herself as she wiped her eyes again, before she slowly walked after the men. They wouldn't rush her. Who the hell would try and rush a woman who had just lost the man she loved?
The men did, indeed, walk slowly, glancing at Willow every so often to make sure that she was following. They wanted to get back to their jobs, but this was an especially sad case. They had learned all the details about how the young couple had just gotten together.
Ah well. That was just how the world turned.
Eventually, they reached the vault that held Nych's body. All that was left to do was open the door, slide the tray out, and it would reveal the man she once loved.
And so the coroner opened the lid.
And nearly screamed.
The other two men recoiled, horrified at the sight they were presented with.
And Nych, well... He laid there, without a brain, the top of his skull cut off.
What an exit.
The image would haunt Willow's nightmares for several years to come, but as she stared at the dead body of the man she loved... She couldn't help but feel relief.
Blake had done it.
She turned away from his body, and fell to the floor as she broke down into tears. Part of it was real, genuine despair from seeing the man she loved dead on a table with his head sawed open, but she exaggerated it as well. To play it off like she had nothing to do with the entire scheme. And she had an alibi now, too.
The choked wail that broke forth from her throat would certainly leave her hoarse in the days to come.
She couldn't help but feel truly alone.