Me, together with Ruth and Albert, step into the sterile, hushed atmosphere of the ICU, my heart doesn’t stop clenching with fear and desperation. The sight of Elijah lying motionless on the hospital bed, surrounded by an array of machines and monitors, sends a sharp pang of anguish through my battered soul.
His once vibrant face is now marred by bruises, swellness and cuts, his body a pitiable shadow of the man I know and love. Tears well in my eyes again as I approach his bedside, my hand reaching out to grasp his limp fingers in a desperate embrace.
"Please, Elijah, you have to fight. You can't leave me like this, not now, not ever. We've faced so much together, don't let this be how it ends. It's not fair, it's not fair to me, to us. You can't leave me alone in this world. I need you
