*Jaime’s POV*

It was Friday, the week of my surgery, and I was nervous. Of course, Vic was by my side the whole way through. I think he was more nervous than I was, and he wasn’t even the one getting the surgery done.

As I wait patiently with Vic in the waiting room, I ponder about how my life would be if I didn’t have this heart condition. I wouldn’t have random heart failures on stage, I wouldn’t have Vic worried sick about me day and night, and I wouldn’t have to have this stupid surgery. It’s the only thing that will prolong my life.

“Jaime Preciado-Fuentes? We’re ready for you.” Dr. Stuart was a very nice lady. She always had a pleasant smile on her face.

“You don’t have to say all that. Jaime is okay,” I said to her, standing up and stretching. I looked to Vic who stood up with me as well. “Um, can I have a minute before I go in?”

She put on a quick smile and replied, “I’ll wait by the door over there.”

I took a breath and stared at Vic. I held onto his hand and looped my fingers with his. “Looks like this is goodbye for about ten hours, huh?” A tear leaked from his eye and fell to his shirt. “Don’t cry, babe. I’ll be alright. They're gonna fix me so I can live on and on and see Copeland grow up to be a beautiful teenage girl, if I make it that long,” I chuckled slightly, trying to lighten the mood.

“But ten hours without you is like me having no air for the same amount of time. I can’t live without air and…I can’t live without you.”

I cupped his cheek with my hand and placed my nose against his. “You’re not gonna live without me because I’m gonna be right there in that room. They’re gonna put me to sleep so they can perform surgery on my heart. I’m not going anywhere.” I kissed his soft lips.

“I love you, Jaime,” Vic cried.

“I love you too. No tears, babe. No tears.” I booped his nose, before I followed Dr. Stuart into the OR.

~~~

*Vic’s POV*

One more hour and then I could finally see the love of my life. I was honestly so bored in the bus with nothing to do. Mike was out with Frenchi, like he always was, and Tony was with Caesar. They’re boyfriend and girlfriend, but I can see that they spend so much time together and that they might even make it official very soon. But who knows? And Kellin? Him and Kate are practically sewed to the hip, since she’s now on their bus. That just leaves me by myself, except Copeland. Quite frankly, she wasn’t even giving me a hassle as much. She would cry for about a minute and then just stop. I kind of knew what she wanted now, depending on the way she cried. But at some points, I couldn't figure it out.

I need to kill time for another hour. What should I do? Ooh, I could call up Austin and have him chill with me! He knows lots about Marfan syndrome because his mom had it. So Austin came over for a little while and we talked about his mom’s condition.

“So what happened?”

“Well, her heart failed many times in the past and the doctors couldn’t figure out what was wrong with her. But that was back in the day when doctors had no clue about Marfan syndrome. Now everybody knows about it. It’s very difficult to treat. I myself have it.”

“You have Marfan syndrome?”

“Yeah, I guess it’s a genetic thing,” Austin admitted, placing his hands together. “But you know, her heart was in very bad condition and they found out what Marfan syndrome was a little too late. She could’ve lived longer.”

“She would be so proud of you, Austin. You have no idea.”

“Actually,” he smiled, blushing a little, “I do.”

“How did you cope with it? You know, after she passed on.”

“The fans really helped me stay on target and not go crazy. It was the fans who gave me strength and to keep going no matter what.”

“The fans are the greatest,” I cheered. “Thanks for the talk, but I should really go see Jaime now.”

“Can I come with you?”

“Sure, but I have to call Kellin so he can watch over Copeland.”

Yes, Kellin was my go-to guy now when it came to Cope. He's the only one that doesn't mind watching her when I'm busy.

~~~

I walked up to the service desk with Austin and asked for Jaime.

“He’s in room 321, which would be in that hallway. Take precaution, he just came out of surgery and might be sleeping.”

I fast-walked to room 321 and saw Jaime hooked up to an oxygen machine with his eyes closed. There was a lady in there and I think it was Dr. Stuart. I slowly opened the door.

“Ah, Mr. Preciado-Fuentes, good to see you back here,” Dr. Stuart said, holding her clipboard a little tighter. “And your friend who I’ve never seen," she added.

“Vic is fine,” I told her. “And this is Austin,” I said pointing to him. “How is he?”

“Well we encountered some technical difficulties when we were doing the surgery. We didn’t even think his heart would last. The fluid we let run through him was very potent and now his heart is not strong enough without an oxygen machine.”

“You mean he can’t breathe on his own?” Austin hissed. “He has to have oxygen with him if he leaves the hospital?”

“Yes, and it’s the only way his heart will continue to function. It would be best if he stays in the hospital for a little longer, maybe about another week or so,” she recommended.

“What’s your name?” Austin asked her.

“Andi Stuart,” the doctor anxiously uttered.

“So the surgery is done and his heart is weak now? That doesn’t make any sense. Shouldn’t he be stronger?”

“The surgery helped him lengthen his years, Vic, not make his heart fully better. He still has the syndrome, which only causes his heart to weaken. Instead of him taking medicine every day, we fixed the broken arteries in his heart so he would stop having random heart failures.”

“How is he gonna get around with an oxygen tank hooked to him every second?” I questioned harshly, folding my arms.

“We’ll provide you with the tank that he can carry around, but for now, he needs to stay in bed and breathe from the machine. It was all that we could do for him.”

“You could’ve done better,” I mumbled under my breath, making sure she didn’t hear me.

“If you like, I could wake him up for you?”

“I can do it. Thanks though. Could I have some privacy with him?” I asked Andi and Austin. They both left the room while I quickly sat on Jaime’s bed. I caressed his face with my thumb. He stirred a little and opened one eye.

“Hi, my love,” I whispered, smiling like a child. I almost leaked a tear from my eye.

He was having trouble opening up his eyes, but he still managed to get himself fully awakened for me.

“Hey, babe,” he yawned.

“How do you feel?” I slipped my fingers through his hair, wanting to kiss him so badly.

“Perfect, now that you're here with me.”

I bent down and kissed his lips. “You always know what to say.” I grabbed his hand and linked fingers with him. “Dr. Stuart says your heart is weak at the moment, but in a week or two you should be alright. They have you attached to a ventilator because apparently you can’t breathe on your own now. The surgery they did on your heart was extremely strong. The only way you can live is if you have this breathing machine hooked to you at all times.”

“That’s a bitch,” Jaime admitted. “It doesn’t even matter. As long as you’re here with me, I’m happy.”

~~~

Copeland and Kellin, along with myself, decided to visit Jaime in the hospital today (the next day), since he requested we come and see him. He wasn’t feeling too well after his surgery yesterday, and that worried me big time.

Kellin stood outside of the room so I could speak with Jaime alone. I sat on Jaime’s bed with Copeland in my lap.

“There’s something I have to tell you, Vic,” Jaime began. “If anything ever happens to me-”

“Nothing is gonna happen to you, Jaime.” I grabbed onto his hand. “Okay? You're gonna be alright.”

“No, Vic, I’m being serious here. If anything ever happens to me, I want you to make me a promise, okay?”

I sighed heavily. “Okay, I promise.”

He held my hand tighter. “I’m very sick and I’m dying. I know I am. If something happens to me, and I can’t be there for you, I want you to find love again.”

Tears already began to stream down my face. “No, I won’t do that.”

“Yes you will. Don’t settle for me; you’re gonna get your ass out there and find love. I’m not gonna repeat myself. I want you to be happy, even it if means me not being around anymore.”

“No, Jaime,” I cried even more, letting the tears leak to my shirt. “I don’t want anyone else. I only want you. I won’t be happy if you’re not here with me.”

He cupped his hand over my cheek. “Look at me, babe. No tears. I’m dying, Vic, and I can’t possibly be there for you and Cope. She needs you more than ever.”

I stared at Copeland playing with the bows on her dress in my lap. Jaime extended his arms out to hold her.

“My beautiful girl.” He kissed her cheek.

“Daaaaaada!” she clapped her hands and touched his bottom lip.

He wrapped his arms around her little body and hugged her tightly, causing tears to stream away from his eyes. My heart broke at the sight of it. He loves her so much, and it kills me thinking he won’t be there for her.

“Promise me you’ll find someone else to love and be happy with?” Jaime asked.

“I can’t. I can’t do it.”

“Promise me, Vic! Do it for me, please?”

The doctors said he would live longer, not live less. They said his years would be longer and that he would get better! Whatever they gave him made him weak.

My heart was aching in misery, but it was the only thing I could do. “I promise, my love.”

*Kellin’s POV*

Vic was crying. Jaime was crying. I know what that means; Jaime’s gonna die, and Vic can’t do anything about it besides hope for the best.

As I waited outside the room, I saw Copeland getting suffocated from them hugging her. I walked in the room, trying not to disturb them.

“Guys, I’m sorry to interrupt, but do you want me to take Copeland away from you so you can…or…I’ll just leave.”

“No, Kellin. Wait, I have to tell you something too,” Jaime beamed. “Vic, give us a minute. Take Cope with you.”

He left the room, leaving me and Jaime alone.

“Sit, please.”

I walked over to the bed and sat on it, fidgeting my fingers. “Yes?”

“What I’m about to tell you is a huge favor for me. It’s obvious that I’m not gonna last much longer with this fucked up heart I have. Vic is gonna be very hurt when I pass away. I need you to keep him stable, let him know that I’ll always be in his heart. I don’t want him to cry over me when I’m gone. I want him to be happy no matter what. Hell, if he has to fuck somebody just to take his mind off of me, then so be it. I don’t want him to get hurt, Kellin. Comfort him, let him lean on you for strength, anything. You guys are best friends. Will you do that for me?”

“Yes, Jaime. Anything. I don’t want to see him get hurt either.”

~~~
*Vic's POV*

Jaime has been in the hospital for a week and I finally get to bring him home today. I was very overjoyed that he didn’t have to spend his time in a hospital eating disgusting hospital food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Although I had to pick him up when the hospital allowed me to (which was in the evening), I was still happy the whole day. Copeland even smiled and cheered when I said dada was coming home. I think the most delighted person was probably Tony. He couldn’t control the biggest beam of light and joy on his face.

Every hour, every minute, every second ticked by so slowly, and I was inching to pick him up and take him away. It was getting ready to be about that time, but there was one phone call I received before I left the bus, and it’s a phone call that I will never ever forget. As the phone continued to vibrate on the table, I gawked at it like it was my enemy. Something was telling me I shouldn’t answer it…but I did.

“Hello?”

“Vic, it’s Andi, from the hospital!” She sounded upset and almost heart broken. There was intense screaming and shouting in the background. “It’s Jaime!”

Jaime. What happened to my Jaime?! “What’s wrong with him?! What happened?!”

“We don’t know what’s going on! Please come down here and help us. We can’t figure it out!”

“I’m coming!”

Even though I stubbed my toe and ran into the wall a billion times, I still managed to get to the hospital. I sprinted to Jaime’s room and saw him desperately trying to take in oxygen, but was failing horribly.

“Vic! Thank God! The ventilator stopped giving him air and we don’t know what else to give him to calm him down. He needs air!”

Jaime’s eyes were spread apart as wide as they could get. His mouth was open in an ‘o’ shape to the fullest, begging to have someone pump air into his lungs. I jolted up and sprang myself to his bed, clutching his face between my hands.

“Breathe, damn you, breathe!” I shook his face gently, motioning him to take in fresh air. I stiffened my hand and braided our fingers through one another. “I said breathe, Jaime! Look at me and fucking breathe!”

His body had begun to halt its shaking and his eyes were normal size, just as they should be. His chest slowly started to rise at a steady speed. His hand grew weak, as he goggled his eyes at me.

“Speak to me, my love. Say something,” I whispered.

He booped my nose with the lightest touch of a finger. He brought his hand up towards the back of my head and steadily pulled my ear near his mouth.

“I…l-love…….youuuuhhhhh,” was all he could say before the word ‘you’ finished with the slightest breath. His hand was no longer strongly attached to mine, but loose at the palm. His chest stopped rising, but his eyes were open. His dark eyes gleamed back at me, without a single blink.

“Jaime?” I said softly, but no response was given. My eyes started to fill with water. “Jaime…please…please say something to me, please.”

There was no answer. I placed my hand over his eyes and shut them with my fingers. The love of my life was gone. A waterfall of warm pouring tears drenched my shirt. I can’t believe he’s just gone, and there’s nothing I can do about it.

The two doctors, excluding Andi, that were in the room stared blankly at me. Andi placed her hand on my shoulder.

“I’m so sorry, Vic.” She looked at the doctors with tears in her eyes. She was gonna cry as well. “Somebody call it, I can’t do it.” She left the room and slammed the door. She threw herself against the door and cried her eyes out. I think she was trying to take care of him to the best of her ability and he lost it.

“Time of death: 6:45 pm,” one of the doctor’s said.

“I need a minute with him, please,” I said, holding back the tears.

The doctors promptly left the room.

This wasn’t even about Jaime anymore; this was about me and our friends and family. How am I gonna go on living like this without him? I need him, and that’s all that matters. Our family is broken, our chain of friends is unlinked, and mostly importantly, my heart is shattered to pieces. I won’t go on in life if he’s not with me. How the hell am I going to tell the others about his passing? But worst of all, how the fuck am I going to break the bad news to Tony, his best friend, basically his father figure, the person that practically raised him on his own? He will be devastated.

And there goes my happiness for life down the drain. Never again will I smile. I won't eat, I won't sleep, I won't LIVE. If he's gone, then I'm gone. I'm done.

Notes

are you guys mad at me? i just killed jaime off. i think there's two more chapters left! I really want to get done with this...because I have something in store for you all;) Vote for this chapter if you like it:) leave me a comment!