Lay and Mina sit on edge of the rivers water as they soak their feet in the cool refreshing water. Both sit in complete silence as they listen to the sounds of the water hit the rocks above.

 

Mina turns her gaze toward Lay and stares a him happily, "Thank you so much for the ice cream, it was a gift that I needed," she said quietly.

Lay slowly turned his head toward Mina and smiled, "You deserve it."

 

Lay and Mina have been friends since they could talk. Both their parents are neighbors and also best friends. Since Lay and Mina are only children, naturally they would grow close together, but something more flourished inside their hearts.

Lay felt numb as he continued to look at Mina, so he quickly turned his gaze back to the rivers. 

"Lay...." Mina said hesitantly, "Do you not want to look at me because... of what I told you..."

Lay felt tears begin to build in his eyes as he kept his gaze at a rock in the water.

"Please don't ignore me. I want you to be close to me as the moment gets closer," said Mina as she begins to cry, "I just want to breath on my own and be with you a little longer."

Lay began to sob and pulled over Mina in a hug, but being careful of the oxygen that is connected to her nose. Mina quickly dropped her ice cream on the concrete ground and embraced Lay.

"Lay I don't know when this is going to happen but please just continue to stay with me until it does," Mina said as she squeezed Lay tighter.

"I promise I will never leave you," Lay said as tears continued to fall from his cheeks.

 

When Lay was 13 years old, he had a dream about becoming an Expo that he will be the most important member for the team. Lay knew of his mission and what will happen when he turned 18 years old, but Lay prayed every night that time would just stop so that he could have a couple more hours with Mina without time being a problem. Mina was diagnosed with a failing heart when she was 14 and as each day progressed, Mina didn't. Her condition became worse and her heart continued to fail. The doctor told Mina's family that she would be lucky to even make it to 18 years.

Now....

Lay is turning 18 years old today, but it doesn't feel like a birthday celebration but just another day closer to possibly losing Mina. Mina now cannot breath on her own without oxygen with her and a wheelchair. But today Mina wanted to sit by the river with Lay without her wheelchair.

 

Mina held Lay and whispered, "Please listen to me Lay. I can feel my heart slowing down but whenever I am with you... that doesn't seem to matter anymore. I always dreamt of eating ice cream by the river with the person that I love the most. And you Lay, made that come true for me today. Everything you did for me my entire 18 years of living has been a blessing in my life. You have been my rock and support when I didn't have confidence in myself. So please... Don't feel bad, I want these days to be happy and I want you to be happy."

Lay completely wrapped his arms around Mina and held her close. In the complete silence, he could feel Mina's heart against his as her heart struggled to keep up.

Lay gently let go of Mina and looked down in to her big brown eyes, "I will always be here for you and even after you are not standing here with me anymore, you will still be my closest friend. I promise to always keep your heart close to mine and to keep it beating."

Mina lay her head against Lay's chest as the sound of his beating heart became a sweet melody. "Maybe your heart can teach mine how to beat properly," she said as she begins to smile.

Mina quickly broke the silence, "I want to go for a walk through the park," she said as she began to laugh.

"But I'm tired Mina, can't we just continue to stand here," Lay said as he held back his tears.

"No!" she said sternly, "come with me."

Mina slowly picked up her oxygen and grabbed Lay's wrist. She unfolded her wheelchair and gently led Lay to sit in it. She attached the oxygen to the  back of the wheelchair then gently sat on Lay's lap.

"There... Now we both don't need to walk..." Mina said as she giggled.

Lay wrapped one arm around Mina's stomach to support her while the other arm was used to moved the wheelchair. Mina gently lay her head back as she rested against Lay and said, "Happy Birthday my Lay!"

 

What was normally a 5 minute walk from the park to back home became an hour ride as Lay gently took one step at a time with the wheelchair.

Lately, Mina has been trying to stay awake longer but...

In that ride, Mina fell asleep in Lay's arms and as they arrived at Mina's home, Lay picked up Mina in his arms and led her to her room.

Her room, filled with humidifiers in an almost lock down mode mimicked that of a hospital room but this was a perfect atmosphere for Mina to breath comfortably.

As night fell outside, Lay still stay beside Mina's bedside.

Right beside her bed was a simple tulip that Lay gave her about a month ago. The sad tulip begins to droop as it was also on its last day.

Lay put his face at the level of the tulip and whispers, "Please stay alive longer so you may comfort me and Mina," as his warm hands touch the petals of the tulip.

He turns his head away from the tulip and places his head near Mina's as he begins to drift off to sleep.

 

But what awoke him was the sound of a beeping sound that radiated throughout Mina's room. Lay quickly sits up and looks at the monitor noticing that Mina's heartbeat has slowed down to a dangerous level.

At that moment, Mina's parents came bursting through the door as Mina's mother began to dial for emergency. "No no no honey, stay strong," Mina's father yells.

In a matter of minutes, three emergency nurses came bursting through the door, "We don't have time to take her back to the hospital, I will have to work here," one of the doctors said, "please leave everyone, leave." 

The other two doctors lead Mina's parents out of the room. Another nurse grabs Lay's wrist to drag him out, but Lay putting all his force in this body refuses to be moved, "No you can't make me leave," Lay screams, "I promised I would stay with her."

The doctor simply looks at Lay and smiles, "Let him stay," he said with a grin.

With some procedures and changing of oxygen, the doctor was able to get her heart back to a somewhat steady rate.

The doctor asks for the parents and Lay to stay. "She only has a couple hours left..." the doctor informs them.

Mina's parents embrace each other and begin to cry. Lay tries so hard to hold in his tears as he stares at Mina.

"Sadly at this stage, she won't wake up anymore, she will go quietly in her sleep when it happens," the doctors studder with sadness as he looks at Lay.

The night fell toward midnight as Mina's parents fell asleep on the chairs that lay next to her bed, but Lay continues to gaze at Mina.

 

Lay could not control his sadness as he begins to sob uncontrollably. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry," he whispers as he lay his hand on her head, "I'm sorry my heart can't help yours."

He stands up and bends down and puts his face against her cold face.

Lay gently brings his warm lips to her forehead as a lasting hope that something will happen.

At that moment, the heart monitor begins to "beep" faster. Confusion floods Lay's mind as he miraculously witnesses Mina begin to open her eyes. With a simple gaze, tears fall down his cheeks as he notices the tulip next to her bed, has blossomed to full life.

****