In his final year of university, Zack is weighed down by constant stress from his family, who pressure him for reasons he can't control. One night, in a moment of desperation, Zack stumbles upon a mysterious website that promises a way out.Trying it...
When I reached room 314, I hesitated. My hand hovered over the handle for a split second before I forced myself to push it open.
There she was.
Mom lay in bed, her skin pale under the dim hospital lights. Wires and tubes ran across her arms and chest, connecting her to machines that beeped in steady intervals. She looked... small. Smaller than I remembered but at the same time older... But when her eyes fluttered open and landed on me, she smiled—weak, tired, but still her.
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“Zackie,” she whispered. "You look even more beautiful in person.."
I swallowed the lump in my throat and stepped forward, my hands shaking as I gently took hers. “Hey, Mom…” My voice came out softer than I expected. “You scared me.”
She chuckled, barely a breath of sound. “I’m sorry… But I told you I’d be fine, didn’t I?”
I nodded, but the pressure in my chest didn’t ease. I wanted to believe her. I needed to.
Martin, Mackie, and Rama stood back, giving us space, but I could feel their eyes watching. They knew how much this moment meant.
For a few minutes, we just talked—about nothing, about everything. About how she felt, about how I was holding up, about how Martin nearly crashed his favourite car today. It was normal. Too normal.
And then everything changed.
The beeping of the monitors suddenly spiked. Sharp, erratic. A nurse passing by glanced inside and froze for half a second before rushing in.
“Miss Nathalie? Can you hear me?”
Mom’s breath hitched. Her fingers twitched in mine. The next second, her entire body jerked, her back arching slightly before slamming back onto the bed. The machines screamed, alarms blaring, numbers flashing red.
“Mom?” My voice cracked. “Mom, what’s happening?!”
More nurses flooded the room, one of them immediately pressing the emergency button. I was shoved back, Martin catching me before I could fall.
“She’s coding!” someone shouted.
The words didn’t make sense at first. Coding? No. No, she was just talking to me. She was fine.
A doctor rushed in, his hands already moving with practiced efficiency. “We need a crash cart! Now!”
A nurse wheeled in a cart, and before I could even process what was happening, they had the defibrillator paddles in hand.
“All clear!”
A loud thud echoed as they pressed the paddles against her chest. Her body convulsed. The machine still screamed.
“No response. Charging again.”
I felt my knees buckle. Mackie grabbed my arm, steadying me, but my entire world was blurring at the edges. 'Am I losing her?...'
“All clear!”
Another jolt. Another second of silence. Then—
Beep. Beep. Beep.
The rhythm was slow, weak, but steady.
“She’s back,” the doctor said, exhaling. “She’s back.”
The room shifted from chaos to relief, but I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe.
She almost died.
I almost lost her.
Something inside me cracked. My breath came in short, sharp gasps, my hands trembling violently.
“She almost—” My voice barely made it past my lips.
“Zackie, hey, hey—” Mackie’s arms wrapped around me, but it wasn’t enough. I couldn’t stop shaking. My chest ached like it was caving in on itself. My legs barely holding me.
“Breathe,” Rama murmured, kneeling in front of me. Her hands were warm on mine, but I couldn’t focus.
Martin cursed under his breath. “Someone get her a chair.”
A nurse pulled one up, and I barely registered myself being guided into it. My head spun. My ears rang. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to push the world away, but it was still there.
Still too much.
“She’s okay,” Mackie whispered. “She made it.”
I nodded weakly, but the terror didn’t fade. It sat deep in my chest, heavy and unmoving. Because for a moment... for a terrible, endless moment... I thought I’d lost her.
And I didn’t know if I could survive that. Steady streams of tears fell down my eyes as I felt the world wrap around me. Mackie's hug and Rama's hands were not enough to calm me down. I saw mom lay motionless, only the slow beeps acting as proof that she was still with us. I could hear distorted voices, but I couldn't make out anything that was being said.
When I regained my composure, I found myself in the car with Martin and the girls, apparently going back to the apartment.
"No wait! Where are we going?! What about mom?!" I shouted, I felt my stomach turning.
"Zackie... Relax, she's stable now.. the doctors are with her." Mackie held my hands and looked me in the eyes.
"But... But she..." What happened started flashing in front of me again and I felt my hands shaking. Mackie tightened her grip on my hands.
"Everything's gonna be fine Zackie.. you don't have to worry. The doctors said that she should make a good recovery." She said reassuringly. I felt the sincerity in her voice and decided to trust her. So I relaxed a bit.
We arrived back home quietly. Martin excused himself while we entered the apartment. I threw my jacket away, dropped down on the sofa and immediately fell asleep.
..
Mackie's pov:
As soon as Zoe fell asleep, I felt the stress get to me. I barely held myself before throwing myself to the sofa as well. My hands shaking.
"I can't believe that happened... My whole body is shivering.." I whispered to Rama who came to sit by my side.
"I don't know how I held myself. I was on the verge of crying myself! Somehow seeing how broken Zoe was gave me the power to stay strong for her..." Rama explained.
"Exactly... If this was any other time I am sure I'd have needed hospital care myself for how frightening that was." I looked at my hands that were still shaking, then at Zoe who lied motionless on the sofa. Rama put her hands over mine, she was also shaking, but somehow we calmed each other down.
"That was quite the trauma... Hopefully she can recover from it... Heck I don't know if I will recover and I've never seen her mom before today.." Rama pushed her head back and just rested for a couple of moment and I did the same.
Zoe was sound asleep by now.. so we decided to put a blanket over her before we returned to our rooms for our sleep...
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