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The heavy hospital door opened slowly with a small creak. Gabi took a long, deep breath and stepped inside Antonio’s room.
The only illumination shone from a florescent light hanging directly over the bed. The air in the room was chilly and it gave Gabi a shiver as soon as it hit her. Machines from every direction beeped quietly against each other. She carefully closed the door behind her and hesitated for a brief moment before turning around. Her eyes found their way to Antonio’s face and she felt as if someone had punched her in the stomach and taken her breath when she saw him. Antonio was lying completely still in the darkened hospital room. Gabi could see that his arms were pierced with needles that connected to several IV bags hanging on stands on either side of the bed. Sweat glistened on Antonio’s forehead and his hospital gown was slightly dampened against his chest. An oxygen tube rested under his nose. Gabi felt as if her feet were locked to the floor where she stood. The tears began to fill her eyes instantly. She fought to control herself. "Be strong…be strong" she repeated over and over in her mind. Gabi slowly walked over to Antonio’s bedside. Her eyes darted amongst all the machines attached to him with various wires. She looked at his heartbeat pulsing on the monitor – it was slow and the rate was rising and falling. Gabi felt her heart grab in her chest. It was impossible to believe this was her strong and capable Antonio lying here with all these machines monitoring him. She wanted to run, run from the room and scream as loud as she could to wake herself from this terrible nightmare. She closed her eyes for moment and lowered herself into the chair. Gabi put her small hand over Antonio’s as it lie at his side. She wrapped her fingers over into his palm and caressed the top of his hand with her thumb. Gabi raised her eyes to look at his face, hoping he would open those gorgeous brown eyes and give her that smile that made her knees weak. He didn’t respond to her touch. She sat silently, the tears sliding down her cheeks. Gabi reached up to Antonio’s forehead with her free hand and pushed his hair gently off his face. She was taken aback at how hot his skin was to the touch. "Antonio..." Gabi began quietly, her voice cracking. "Oh, Antonio, I’m here." Again she searched his face for some recognition, some change in his blank expression. She laid her head down onto his arm and the sobs escaped her without her control. She cried for a few minutes when she heard the door open behind her. The hand on her shoulder was strong and comforting. She turned quietly and looked up to see Ricardo standing over her. "I know, Gabi. I know," he said somberly. He squeezed her shoulder making the tears fall again from her eyes. Ricardo knelt down beside the chair. He put his hand on her knee and looked into her eyes. "I’m so glad you’re here, Gab. I needed you…T needed you to come." Gabi looked to Antonio and back to Ricardo. Ricardo could see how seeing Antonio like this was tearing her apart. He had had time to get used to the tubes and machines over the last two weeks. It was still hard to see, but he had adjusted to a point. "Oh, Ricardo. Why can’t they help him? Why can’t they do anything?" her voice pleaded with him. "I don’t know Gab...they’ve done everything they could. They brought in specialists from LA, they’ve run every damn test in the book," Ricardo hesitated. "It’s almost as if…" he wasn’t sure he could make himself say the words. "As if what, Ricardo?" "As if he was...as if he didn’t want to come back." Gabi looked at Ricardo with a horrified expression. "How could you say that, Ricardo? Why would you say that!" her voice growing angry with him. "I’m sorry, Gab. I just can’t explain it any other way. You know, T. He is the strongest person I know. He’s always been such a fighter. There has to be something calling him away from us. I don’t know," Ricardo scratched his head in frustration. "I just don’t know, Gab." They sat quietly for a moment, then Ricardo stood up. "I have to go call Maria and mama. Will you be okay?" "Yes." Ricardo squeezed her hand and left the room. Gabi stood up and sat on the side of Antonio’s bed. "I know he’s wrong, Antonio. You don’t want to leave us," the determination grew in her voice. "I want you here, Antonio, I need you here. I know you can hear me, Antonio." Her hand squeezed his gently. "I know you can feel me here with you. I know you can feel how much I love you." She picked up the washcloth in the water next to his bed and wiped it carefully across his forehead. "I won’t let you leave me, Antonio. I won’t," she said forcefully. She watched the heart monitor beep slowly, looking for some sign that he was hearing her words. She placed her hand over her stomach and the tears swelled in her eyes. "I won’t let you leave us, Antonio. We need you so much." Gabi leaned over and touched her cheek to Antonio’s. She shut her eyes tightly and began to pray. "God, please hear me. We need Antonio so much. Please don’t take him from us now. He’s so important to all of us. Please God, please." She kissed Antonio lightly on the cheek and then on the lips. She sat with her face close to his and listened to him breath. His chest barely moved as he breathed slowly and quietly. Gabi’s hand caressed his cheek as she willed him to open his eyes…open his eyes. Antonio could see Gabi sitting on the side of the bed. "Gabi! You’re here," he called out to her. She didn’t turn to look at him. "Gabi, I’m here. Right here..." he reached out his hand, but couldn’t quite touch her shoulder. He could hear her talking quietly to him lying in the bed and her shoulders shook softly as she sobbed. "Gabi, it’s okay. Can’t you see me?" his voice trembled as he tried to get her to turn around. Antonio could see the soft white light shining behind him. He turned slowly away from the bed and looked up into the beam. He was immediately washed in a warm, comforting feeling of peace. Antonio stood perfectly still and closed his eyes. The warm light was calling him towards it. He wanted to take a step, but he felt like his feet were weighted in place. He turned back to the bed seeing Gabi caressing his cheek with her tiny hand. He tried to close his eyes and feel her touch, but it wasn’t there. He looked back to the light and heard a soothing voice call out to him. "Antonio, my son, it’s time to come home." The voice didn’t frighten him, it wrapped itself around his soul with a comforting feeling. "But I..." Antonio turned to look back to Gabi. "I can’t leave her." "Gabi is strong, my son. She’s a very strong woman. She will be alright, Antonio. They both will. Please, my son. It’s time," the voice wasn’t pleading, just trying to convince. Antonio felt himself drawn into the light. He reached out his arm to Gabi, he could feel his heart pounding in his chest. "I don’t want to leave her. Please! Please!!!" He was moving slowly away from her without effort. "Gabi, I love you. I love you!" Antonio yelled with all that he had, but Gabi still didn’t turn to him. Antonio was moving further and further away from her now. He could still see her, but the light was overpowering his own sight. "Gabi, I will always love you. Always" Gabi was sitting on the bed when a loud and steady siren began to pierce her ears. She sat back with a start and looked quickly around the room. The heart monitor was screaming at her and her eyes jumped to the line that had shown Antonio’s heartbeat. It was completely flat. She felt the panic rise as she turned back to Antonio. "No! No!" she screamed as loud as she could. "No!" She threw herself onto him, sobbing out of control. Doctors and nurses rushed into Antonio’s room. "I’m sorry, ma’am. You’re going to have to leave now." One of the nurses pulled Gabi off Antonio and directed her into the hall. Gabi watched as the hospital staff began moving quickly around Antonio’s bed. Gabi never took her eyes off his face as she stood in the hall, tears streaming down her face until the nurse closed the door.
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