- Chapter Nine –
Two Halves Of A Heart

Julia’s Point of View:

The next morning I woke up to see my parents gaping at me.  Why were they looking at me like that?  Then I realized there was something next to me.  I turned my head and gasped in shock.  Yi Xing’s arm was draped across my stomach and his head was nestled into the crook of my neck.  I was mortified that my parents had caught us together like that.  I didn’t even remember him going to sleep with me.  That little sneak!

Just then, Yi Xing opened his eyes and gazed at me softly, a small smile playing at his lips.  When I didn’t respond with the same reaction, he furrowed his brow and sat up.  It was then that he saw my parents and practically launched himself out of my bed like he had been electrocuted.  I expected an onslaught of disapproving words from my parents.  Instead, my mom smirked and my dad crossed his arms, flashing us a mocking glare.

“We leave you alone for a couple of days and look what happens,” he said.

“You two sure are slow to act,” said mom.

“Y-You’re not mad at us?” I asked, flabbergasted.

“Why would we be mad?  We only want you to be happy Julia,” replied mom.

“R-Really?”

My parents smiled.

“So… does this mean you approve?” I asked cautiously.

They nodded enthusiastically.  Yi Xing flashed me possibly the biggest, most beautiful smile I had ever seen radiating from him.  He flung himself at my mom and yanked her into a tight hug.  Then he turned towards my dad, about to do the same thing, but collected himself and settled for a manly handshake instead.

----

After that day, life couldn’t have been more perfect.  Because of Yi Xing, I was not only the happiest I had ever been, but also felt the healthiest.  Every day was a new adventure with him and before I knew it, several months had gone by and Christmas was approaching swiftly.

However, despite my elation, I was worried about Yi Xing.  Even though he did his best to hide things from other people, none of it got past me.  Gradually, his condition was worsening.  He got tired a lot easier and it took him longer to recover from sickness.  It scared me.  I was terrified that one day I would wake up and he would no longer be there.  He was my other half.  Without him my life was a boring glob of goo.

Another matter was stressing me out as well.  What was I going to get him for Christmas?  For an entire month I had been contemplating on what to get him, but nothing I thought of seemed good enough.  I was just about to give up and purchase something random, until one starry night caused a light bulb to go off in my head.  I remembered the time we first snuck out to his secret spot in the forest.  It had been quite a while since we had ventured to that place.  The last time we tried, he ran out of breath halfway there and despite his protests, I yanked him back to the hospital.  In the midst of all that, I remembered that I had promised to show him some of my drawings… something I still had yet to do.  I decided to do something a bit more special than that, but it had to be absolutely perfect, and I would have to find a time to sketch it while he wasn’t looking.

Two weeks before Christmas, Yi Xing caught pneumonia and became very ill.  I stayed by his side the entire time and did my best to remain indifferent to the situation.  I stayed light-hearted and positive.  Laughter is sometimes the best medicine so I made sure to make him laugh every day.  Even though he must have felt horrible, his dimpled smile never faltered once.

Finally, the day before Christmas Eve, Yi Xing was well enough to be given the doctor’s approval to leave the hospital.  His brother, Kris (aka my steely-gazed doctor) was invited by my parents to come to our house for Christmas, but he declined politely stating that his other patients still needed him… even on the holidays.  His dedication was definitely admirable.  My mom, dad, Yi Xing and I had a simple Christmas Eve celebration with just the four of us at my home:

“Uhhhhh… I think I ate enough food to fuel an elephant,” I grumbled while clutching my poochy tummy.

Yi Xing smacked it playfully as we stretched out on the sofa in front of the fireplace.

“I never have been able to figure out how you fit so much food in there,” he teased.

I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Are you calling me fat?” I threatened.

His face fell into a mask of fake mortification.

“When did I ever say that?  If anything’s fat around here it’s my expanding ego.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” I bit back playfully.

Yi Xing looked at me incredulously before launching an all-out tickle attack on me.  I flailed in his arms as I gasped for air in between fits of uncontrollable laughter.  Suddenly, Yi Xing leaned over me and slapped a hand over my mouth.

“Be… quiet,” he said between struggled breaths, “Y-Your parents… are trying… to sleep… d-dummy.”

My face contorted into one of worry.  That was the first time he had tired himself so quickly before.

“Hey… don’t look at me… like that.  I’m fine,” he stated with determination.

We stayed like that for several minutes, just enjoying each other’s company as he leaned his head against my chest.  I listened to the cracking of the fire and smiled to myself contently.  I wished that I could be with Yi Xing like that every day.

“Hey Jewels?” he asked lazily.

“Hmm?”

“I—don’t think I’ve ever told you…”

“Told me what?”

“That I… I—love you.”

My heart fluttered at his words.  It was the first time he had ever said that to me.

“I love you too, Yi Xing.”

He leaned up and gave me a lingering peck on the lips before speaking again.

“I was going to wait until it was officially Christmas, but I don’t think it can wait any longer,” he said while pulling out a small box.

It was wrapped in a tiny silver bow.  My eyes widened at the prospect of what it could be.

“Merry Christmas, Jewels.”

I nervously pulled at the bow and opened the box slowly.  What I saw perplexed me.  It was a simple necklace with half a silver heart dangling from the tiny chain.  It was beautiful but why just the half of a heart?  Yi Xing reached under the neck of his shirt and pulled out a matching necklace.

“You and I are special.  Our physical hearts have never worked properly… like we each have half a working heart a piece.  But then I thought, ‘No… that’s not entirely true’.  Between the two of us, we make a complete heart.  You complete me and I complete you.  That’s what I thought when I saw these necklaces.  This way… no matter where we are… we’ll always be together.”

If I would have known that Yi Xing was capable of such romantic words, I would have smacked him before he started so I wouldn’t have to cry in front of him.  He smiled gently at the tears that trailed down my face.

“Does this mean I did a good job of picking out your present?” he asked jokingly.

“You idiot,” I grumbled while wiping my eyes and sniffling back a sob.

He chuckled softly and ruffled my hair.

“Here… let me put it on for you,” he stated.

I pulled back my hair so that he could drape the necklace around my neck and fasten it securely.  I smiled at our matching necklaces.  To any normal person, these would look like a pair of simple friendship necklaces, but they held so much more meaning that just that.

“Since you gave me my present, it’s only fair that I give you yours,” I said while grabbing his gift.

The large fat square was wrapped neatly in silver wrapping with a large sparkly blue bow taped to the front.  Yi Xing raised his brows as I presented it to him.

“Wow… I’m really curious!” he spoke like a child on Christmas day.

“Well open it!”

He shredded the paper in an instant, revealing the portrait I had been working on for weeks.  His eyes widened before he flashed a huge smile.

“You did this while I was sleeping didn’t you!” he exclaimed.

I nodded, feeling quite proud of myself.  Actually, I had attempted several portraits of him but ended up throwing them away.  None of them captured him the way I wanted them to.  Just when I was about to give up, the perfect picture was made.

“Remember that time you took me to your secret spot?  Well… I remembered that I promised to show you my work.  What better way than to sketch a picture of you?”

“It’s wonderful, Jewels.  Really… I don’t even have words for how… perfect it is.”

His voice wavered a bit.  Was he that happy?

“Oh!  I almost forgot,” said Yi Xing.

He turned to pull out the familiar framed picture… the one Samantha drew just before she died.

“I brought this with us so we could be with her on Christmas,” he stated while setting it on the coffee table in front of us.

We stared at the familiar colors and outlines of the three of us standing in a field of beautiful flowers.  Yi Xing leaned back to stretch across the sofa and pulled me down with him, holding me against his chest.  A long time went with us there like that and my eyes started to feel heavy.  I shifted to get more comfortable and my ear suddenly met the light thumping of Yi Xing’s heart.

Thump.

Thump… thump…….

Thump, thump thump.

Something must be wrong with my hearing because it’s not supposed to sound like that.  I readjusted my position and listened intently once again.  The same uneven beats met my ear and I realized that Yi Xing’s breathing was uneven as well.  I pulled back to look at him.

“Jewels…”

The tone of his voice worried me.  It was slightly weak, yet desperate.

“What’s wrong?” I croaked a bit uneasily.

Yi Xing’s Point of View:

Throughout the day, my body had gradually been becoming heavier.  It got more and more difficult for me to function, but I was determined to use every ounce of willpower to push until I couldn’t push any further.  I owed at least that much to Jewels.

God I loved her… so much.

It was a shame that I wouldn’t be able to stay with her as long as I had planned.  My pulse was uneasy.  It had been that way all day.  Now that I was here in such a warm place, with Jewels wrapped in my arms, I felt at peace with what I had accomplished in my life.  I turned to look at Samantha’s drawing before making my request. 

“Do you—think you can… make me a promise?”

I struggled with my words.  They just didn’t want to come unless I used great effort to force them out.

“Anything,” replied Jewels.

“P-Promise….. to meet me… in Samantha’s… f-field of flow—ers.”

“What?”

Her voice was already shaking.  I felt bad that I had to do this to her at such an unexpected time, but it was important that she hear it.

“Meet me t-there.”

I nodded my head in the direction of the childish portrait.  Jewels grasped my hand and held it tightly, almost desperately.

“Yi Xing, you’re scaring me.  Why are you saying this now?”

Her voice broke and I winced inwardly at the pain I knew I would cause her.

“It’s time.  I… won’t b-be with… you for much… longer.”

“Stop saying that!  You’re going to be fine!  You just need to rest!”

My head felt like it weighed a ton and I was barely able to shake it again in response.

“I’m sorry—I can’t… s-stay.”

It was painful to breathe now but I did my best not to let it show.  Tears fell from Jewel’s eyes and dampened my arm.  At least she understood what I was telling her now.  I felt a pain squeeze inside of my chest and I inhaled sharply.  My vision was becoming blurry with each passing minute.  I swallowed hard and summoned every single bit of strength I had left.  These would be my last words to her.

“J-Jewels.  I love you… and I’m glad I got to… meet you.  D-Don’t worry about… me.  I’ll be… waiting…”

The air left my lungs and I was far too tired.  I was so weak, that I knew my body wouldn’t take another breath.

“I love you too Yi Xing.  It’s okay.  You don’t have to suffer anymore for my sake.  I’ll be seeing you around…… you idiot.”

The last thing I remember is seeing Jewels beautiful smile.  At the sight, I smiled in response as my heart made one final beat.

My life had been absolutely perfect…

And I had no regrets.

It had all been worth it…

For her.

Jewel’s Point of View:

One Month.

Six Months.

A year.

Two years.

At first, time went by slowly without Yi Xing and I contemplated whether life was worth living without him, but I remembered his tenacity.  He lived life to its fullest down to the very last second.  I would feel ashamed if I didn’t do the same.

So I ended up taking Yi Xing’s place at the hospital.  I morphed into the always perky, mischievous cardiac patient.  Every day I got scolded for something.  Whether if it was for bribing the cafeteria lady, sneaking out at night, or blatantly ignoring my doctor’s orders… I was always in trouble.  I followed Yi Xing’s example and made it my goal to make three people laugh each day… sometimes more.  On the outside it appeared as if I didn’t have a single trouble in the world, but on the inside I thought about Yi Xing constantly.  I missed him so much and I always wore our necklaces together as silent proof of that.

Everything reminded me of him.  When I ate blue berry pancakes, I remembered his failed attempt at proving that pancakes were a healthy meal.  When I walked through the courtyard and saw the daisies, I remembered the one he left for me at the fountain that day.  Every time I saw a butterfly, it would remind me of the fun times we spent with Samantha.  All of those were happy memories but I still felt as if a piece of my soul was missing.

I spent as much time with my parents as possible and made sure to give them lots of fond memories.  I didn’t want to leave one day feeling as if I hadn’t done my job as a daughter should.  However, deep down, I was secretly waiting for the day I would see Yi Xing again… and that day happened two Christmases later.

Ironically, I had fallen ill with pneumonia a couple of weeks before the holidays, just as Yi Xing had.  My parents stayed by my side the entire time and when Christmas Eve came, we decided to forego presents.  We were perfectly happy being able to spend time together and watch old Christmas movies on television.  I fell asleep with my parents sitting next to my bed.  At 1am, I suddenly woke up to someone shaking me.  It was my mom and she had tears in her eyes.  She was speaking frantically but I couldn’t hear the words she was saying.  I smiled at her faintly as my vision slowly turned to white.

“Wow… they’re so… pretty,” I whispered.

For a fleeting moment, I was able to make out my mother’s voice.

“What is?” she asked.

“The flowers… t-they’re beautiful mom.”

The entire world become silent and I wondered if perhaps I had fallen into a dream of some sort.  Then the white cleared to reveal a large field full of thousands of colorful flowers.  It stretched on with the crystal blue sky for as far as the eye could see.  A warm sweet breeze rippled across the field, and I followed its path to the right—and smiled.

“What took you so long?” he asked.

Yi Xing was standing right next to me, gazing at the crystalline horizon.  I shrugged my shoulders indifferently.

“I had some things I needed to take care of first,” I replied simply.

He turned to face me, flashing his dimpled smile.

“I missed you, Jewels.”

“I missed you too.”

Yi Xing grabbed my hand before tugging me along mercilessly like he always did.

“Where are you taking me?”

“There’s someone I’d like you to meet.”

We reached the edge of the hill and I looked down.  There was Samantha, a dainty net in her hands catching butterflies like a pro.

“MISS JULIA!!!” she exclaimed.

The tiny little ball of energy collided with me and I laughed at her antics.

“Wow!  Your hair is so long and pretty!” I commented as I ran my fingers through her flowing locks of brown.

“We waited for forever!” she commented with a slight pout.

“Well I’m here so now what?”

“Let’s go to the pretty place!”

“The pretty place?”

“Yep!  It’s even prettier than here!”

Samantha grabbed my hand and started pulling us along.  I didn’t know exactly where we were going, and it didn’t matter.  As long as the three of us had each other, there was nothing else we needed.  As we walked towards the horizon the world around us began to fade into something much lighter.  I turned to Yi Xing to see him smiling lovingly.

“I’m glad you didn’t get lost,” he said.

“Tch!  Lost?!  Where did you think I was going to go… towards the eternal fire?!” I asked incredulously.

“With the way you’d been getting into trouble around the hospital… it wouldn’t have surprised me,” he retorted playfully.

“You really are an idiot.”

“Says the idiot who fell in love with the idiot.”

Yi Xing brought his lips to mine right as we melded with the light.

I’m sure some people may say I died of a broken heart (in more ways than one)...

but I’d like to think the exact opposite,

because two halves of a heart equal a whole one.

In the end…

I think that’s all I ever needed.

~The end~

A/N:  THANKS SO MUCH FOR EVERYONE WHO COMMENTED AND READ MY STORY!  I cried while typing this!  Gah!  I think this is the first time I've ever written a story where I kill off my characters... but at least this one had a sad, yet happy ending.  I'm not even sure where the idea for this story came from.  One day, it suddenly popped up in my head and before I knew it I was typing.  It's strange how that happens sometimes.

When Lay smiles... I feel like I can smile too.

<3