Promise Me by Heather Parsons (win 10 ebook reader .txt) 📕

exactly like this one and she was silently laying on her back, staring up at the ceiling. Although he believed it wasn't the ceiling she was seeing at all but beyond it, towards Heaven.
Her blond hair hung in ringlets, highlighting the blueness in her eyes, her lips were slightly parted but in his eyes she was beautiful. Whenever he'd think of her, see her, his heart would beat faster breaking into a sprint whenever she was near. And all he could do was smile because she made everything look easy, made his world perfect.
He walked to the chart and noted the nurse had just been in and all her vitals were normal. Coming up to the side of the bed he reached out, placing his hand on her back and whispered, “we'll get through this together. I won't leave your side until your better.” It was a promise he'd made to himself all those years ago.
“Thomas, please. If something happens promise me you'll be happy.” She turned over to look at the man she fell in love with at first sight.
“Sweetheart, I'm happy now.” He whispered afraid of his own voice to say this louder. This was one thing he loved and hated about her, her calmness about death. He didn't want to think about it, let alone live it, ever.
He wanted to see her scream, yell, fight for her life. Wanted her to know he loved her and wasn't ready to let her go.
She covered her mouth when she yawned not wanting him to see that she was tried. Already she'd slept for what...hours? Days? What was the day? How long had she been here?
“I saw that. Close your eyes and I'll see you when you wake, I promise.” He bent over and kissed her lightly on the lips.
“Stay, please. Until I fall asleep.”
“Wouldn't dream of leaving.” He hummed and pulled up a chair so he could hold her hand while she closed her eyes. After her grip on his hand loosened he whispered faintly, “I love you”. Brushing another kiss on her forehead before sitting back down.
The peace that surrounded her while she sleep concerned him. Her mouth parted slightly and within minutes alarms were going off. Jumping to his feet, he checked her monitors and saw that it wasn't her's that were sounding.
Down the hallway the call came, “Code Blue, Code Blue!”
A tall brunette ran into the room and stopped short when she saw him. Then whispered in a rushed tone, “Dr. Ellicott your needed in Room 620.”
The whole floor consisted of patients with heart conditions and most of them were his patients. Quickly he jumped into step and ran down the hallway. Right behind a half a dozen others and entered the room. The nurses on call were already starting CPR and as if a switch had been turned inside him, his emotions buried deep and the doctor mode was forth right.

♥`♥`♥

That night they lost two patients and even though Amy knew she was meant to be sleeping, she couldn't. She cried for their loss, for the patients that were no longer here, for the families who'd lost them and for the staff. But most of all she could feel his pain as if it were her own and cried harder because of it.
Rolling over to face the wall, she pulled herself in, clasping her hands together and silently prayed. “Our Father, who art in Heaven. I ask of you this, please take care of those who have joined you and their families that have been left behind. The staff who've tried their hardest to keep the promises they've made, please ease their suffering. For the doctors who believe they've failed, please reassure them that they are not at fault. And I promise you, when my time in near I will follow you into the light and welcome your arms around me. Thank you for your gift of a great man who believes in me, who I love with all my heart, please take care of him when I no longer can.”
She was crying more now, saying these words out loud. The words she longed to say to the man himself. Thomas, she thought and her heart constricted. Squeezing pain throughout her chest.
Calm down.

She told herself or the next room he'd be in tonight would be yours. Trying to save your life again.
Closing her eyes and taking deep relaxing breaths didn't help. Her emotional state was too high and soon her own alarms were sounding.
Thomas was sitting in the lounge room trying to cover up his grief. It had been a long night of doing everything possible to save lives. There'd been alarms going off all night, some he was able to save and some he lost. Losing those few broke him. Tears slid down his cheeks and his heart tightened. His shift was over, he knew that but he couldn't leave.
The two nurses that entered the lounge shortly after he did, were shaking badly. “I can't take this,” one stated as she cried.
“We need a crash cart, we're losing her. Start the compressions, nurse, the oxygen.”
“I'm so sorry, Dr. Ellicott,” the tall brunette said softly as she sat down beside him. She knew just by looking at him how he felt about Amy. And to know that she now was losing the fight, broke down her own shields.
“Thank you,” he whispered. “I'm going to go check on one other patient then I'm headed home.” He stood and was about to drag himself away when her words stopped him.
“If we loss her too, I don't know how much longer I can do this job.”
“What-” Before the question come out of his mouth he took off running. Reaching for her door and pushing it opened, he saw the crew that had just come on working on her. Alarms were sounding from all the machines in the room and all he could do was stand there and watch.
She was dieing from the first moment he met her. Most patients that saw him were, he was their last hope in surviving. And that's one reason why he wanted to end his practice. He couldn't keep his work at the office, he had to become emotionally involved and this time was worse than any other time before.
Standing there watching others put their hands on her, trying to save her life when it was his responsibility was killing him. But he couldn't make his legs move, frozen in place waiting to see her blue eyes, the smile on her face and his name on her lips.


Chapter 2

Standing in the doorway, watching the woman he loved fighting for her life caused the vise that gripped his heart to tighten. Hearing the heart monitor beeping in continuation, the green glow of the flat-line streaming across the monitor, there was nothing suggesting that Amy was breathing on her own and the staff that was in the room with her had been there ten minutes and counting. They should have called it by now but Dr. Ellicott knew they'd keep going until there were signs of a heartbeat. No one wanted to give up, no one wanted to lose another patient tonight.
Feeling his knees weaken, Dr. Ellicott took one step back and collapsed against the wall. As his heart hammered in his chest and his breath caught in his throat, the images he saw in his mind were starting to fade. He'd had it all planned out and now she was fading away, leaving him alone and in pain.
His emotional state was too damaging to Amy's health but the way he felt about her couldn't be helped. He loved her from the moment he laid eyes on her and knew that someday it would come back to bite him. Knowing how he felt towards her didn't change anything but he'd never be able to tell her, couldn't risk it and so the decision was made. He'd eliminate the threat from her forever.
Pushing up off the wall, Dr. Ellicott walked towards his office to retrieve his transfer papers and other documents to sign over his patients to Dr. Cutler. Everything was approved of as of this morning and he hoped beyond all that he'd be able to slip out without a commotion.
As he left his office one last time he looked around and nearly broke down in tears. Not only was he leaving the hospital but he was leaving behind the one thing he knew he'd never need again. His heart. It would never beat for someone else the way it beats for her but that was the problem wasn't it? The way he felt for her would be the death of her and he wouldn't be able to live with himself because of it. Solving this was surely going to kill one of them but he'd make sure with his dieing breath it wouldn't be her.
“I was hoping you'd still be here, it saves me a phone call. Anyway, we managed to bring her back but her conditions worsened. I've put her in a medically drug induced coma until she receives the heart transplant. That's the only way she'll survive. We also managed to tube her and hook up the ventilator so the machine will help her breathe normally.” Dr. Cutler explained everything because he knew this patient meant more to Thomas than most of the others. He'd seen his eyes light up whenever she'd walk into the room, he'd seen it all ever though it was never meant to be seen.
“There's no need to tell me this. As of now she's your patient, my transfer papers went through this morning.” Thomas had managed to get control of himself before returning to the hallway he knew he'd find his friend.
“Wait, hold on a minute. You're telling me after five years you're giving up. That's not at all like you. Ah...wait, it's something else isn't it? What are you not telling me?” Dr. Cutler saw the glint in his eye and thought he knew his friend better than this.
“She's better off in your care than she ever was in mine.” Dr. Ellicott turned and looked his friend and co-worker in the eye. Holding his hand up to stop the protest he added, “And Caleb, before you go off and say I'm making a huge mistake, I'll tell you right now, I'm not.”
“We're not having this conversation out here in the hallway, come back to my office.” Caleb walked away leaving Thomas to stand and make the choice. Decide whether he'd talk about this or just walk away.
Following his lead, Thomas was more than determined to