?


    "I just can''t stand the idea of her not being here," she said with a sniff. "I don''t know what I would do without her."


    "Me neither," I said with a sigh. I sank down onto the couch beside her, and we were silent for a moment, each lost in our own thoughts. I kept thinking back to when we first met, back when it was still our freshman year, and I couldn''t help but chuckle ever so slightly.


    "What?" Lori asked, shooting me a sideways nce.This text is property of N?/velD/rama.Org.


    I shook my head. "Nothing. I was just thinking about that time in freshman year; when Jessica had that awful boyfriend, Steven."


    "Oh, the one who told her to stop wearing pink because he said it was embarrassing?"


    I nodded as I recalled the memory, and I couldn''t deny the smile that was spreading across his face. "Remember how she responded?" I asked.


    Lori was silent for a few moments before her own smile began to twitch at the corners of her lips. "Yeah... Yeah, I remember. She told him that the scraggly stuff on his face that he called a ''beard'' was even more embarrassing." "And then she dumped him on the spot and dyed the hoodie that he had loaned her bright pink before she gave it back."


    Without even meaning to, both Lori and I burst out intoughter. It lifted the heaviness in my chest, a reprieve from the choking feeling that hadn''t gone away all day. Even though we fell back into silence after that, I felt just the tiniest bit better that we had managed tough; and I knew that Jessica would be happy, too.


    But as we sat there, the worry about our dear friend returned, pressing down on us like a lead weight. The fact of the matter was, our best friend was on the verge of death in the hospital, and no amount ofughter could change that.


    "Nina?" Lori''s voice broke me out of my reverie.


    "Hm?"


    "Do you... Do you think you could use your healing abilities on Jessica?"


    I hesitated, turning slowly to look Lori in the eyes. There was a desperation in her gaze that made me soften. Truthfully, I had considered it earlier, but with the pregnancy being on the rocks, I wasn''t so sure if it was a good idea.


    "I don''t know, Lori," I said quietly. "I... I''m not sure if it''s safe for the baby."


    Lori''s eyes flickered down to my stomach. She looked distraught, but nodded understandingly. "Alright," she said, sinking down further on the couch andying on her side, a dejected look in her eyes. "I get it."


    I sat there in silence for a little while longer, watching her. She began to sniffle again and reached for the bundle of tissues in her pocket to dab at the tears that had begun to return. Seeing her like this, seeing my usually strong friend looking so deted, made my resolve waver.


    I ced my hand over my belly, considering for a moment. What was the worst that could happen, right? Maybe I could give it a shot, and if I started to notice anything was off, I could stop.


    "Okay," I said before I could have the chance to change my mind again. "I''ll try. We''ll go. Tonight."


    A flicker of relief crossed Lori''s face, and she sat up abruptly, reaching out to grab my hand. "Nina, are you sure?"


    I squeezed her hand, silently vowing to do whatever it took to help Jessica recover. It wouldn''t be easy, and there were risks involved, but I couldn''t just stand by and watch my best friends suffer like this.


    "Yes," I said, nodding despite the lump that was forming in my throat. "We''ll go at midnight, when the hospital is quiet."