I carry your heart..

love, transplant, heart, dreams, memories

The writing prompt for today was:   Take the last line of your favorite poem, use it as the first like to your poem or story.

I chose: i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart) ..(ee cummings)

Her hand over her chest, fleshy palm feeling the steady beat beneath her ribs. She sat on the edge of the bed, feet hanging listlessly. Her eyes closed, mind and body focusing completely on her heart and the soothing, uncomplicated, beats it put out. Steady and rhythmic like ancient tribal drums beating the breath of life back into her body. She opened her eyes and looked out the 4^th story window, she caught the sun just as it lifted the horizon over the Puget Sound.

She was thankful for another day, another moment captured to memory. Her hand on her chest still, slowly fingers the stitched seam running vertical down the center of her rib cage. She continued watching the sun rise, rays reflecting off the water in a perfect marriage of warmth and new beginnings. She is alive, carrying the heart of another in her heart. She could not wait to get out and start her life, despite the fact that she is in her late twenties and all her friends have been vested into their lives and loves. Having a heart that was in its last stages of failure, she was reluctant to dream, love, and live. Instead of counting down days to her birthday, she counted down minutes, she counted down heartbeats, she counted down life. Satisfied with the sunrise, content with her now steadily beating heart, she rolled back onto her hospital bed. Her nurse came in to check on her.

“You have exhausted yourself young lady.” She said sternly through grinning lips.
“Oh, but it is a new day, a new sunrise, and I have a new heart.” she weakly replied.
“I will let this slide, just this time. We need you to focus on recovery now.. so you can enjoy many more sunrises.” Giddy for the young girl in front of her, the nurse teasingly responded. “Your donor heart is a strong ticker, it will take you miles young miss.”

Enjoying the words forming around her, and feeling the compassion from the nurse, she gently fell asleep from exerting herself too much. Her dream brought her to a memory, but not of hers She was sitting on a bench overlooking Puget Sound. The sun was high, warming her skin while it played tag with the lapping water’s edge. Mesmerized by the beauty around her, when she startled from a soft hand closing over hers. Looking to her right, seeing who was holding her hand, she was shocked it was a man she didn’t know.

“Marry me, Rebekah. Marry me and complete who I am.” he whispered leaning into her ear and placing a hand on the back of her neck. He pulled her in for a kiss causing her heart to stutter.

Her real body panicked from the shock to her heart, causing her to sit up straight. Waking up fully to voices in her room, she opened her eyes. The doctor, his cronies and the nurse were back in her room; all focusing on the heart monitor at her bedside.

“That must have been some dream, Olivia.” the doctor saying while assessing the skipped beat on the EKG print out.

“He called me Rebekah,” was all she could mutter in return.