"What's the matter?" she asked.

"Phoebe! Is there any way to make this easier? I mean I know I have to die in fifteen months or so with this condition, but do you realise how painful it would be?" I dropped a hint.

"I know," she averted her eyes, squeezing my hands. "I know exactly and don't think I haven't read all those articles, but there is no easy way out."

"I think there is, and there are people who have been saved from a life of suffering by wielding that way, though I need to go to Oregon and carry out a list of formalities but it would be for the best..."

"No! No no!" she shook her head fiercely and dropped her hand.

"Phoebe, I..."

"No Daniel, you aren't going in that way. The doctors say there is still hope. You need to hold on to life. Suicide is the worst sin!"

"And who are you to think of such things? Last I knew you didn't believe in such stuff," I bit back.

A ghost of a smile appeared on her face.
"You're smiling?"

"Daniel! You've changed me. I am not the same girl I was. You know what I've been doing for the past few days? I have been sitting for hours together at the church, praying for you. I am not an atheist anymore. I'm becoming more liberal."

"You didn't try to talk to me when I ignored you," I fiercely blinked back tears.

"It was because I respected your wishes and your decisions. I'm not the one to infringe on your personal space. I knew you'd let me in when you were ready. As a friend, nothing more matters to me than your happiness. If you're happy without me, then I'd go away from your life. The threads I tie with this world are all loose because I knew that one of these days, I had to leave everyone and go away leaving everything behind," she stopped to catch her breath and began coughing from the impact.

I wanted to reach out and comfort her, but connected to all those tubings, I was trapped.

She held her throat, wincing from the pain. My hands itched to do something, but as I tried to get up, she glared and grabbed a bottle of water. She took two sips, closing her eyes as tears rolled down from her eyes. Finally, she looked at me and gave a sheepish smile, "Sorry."

"I'm sorry and you know, you're too self-sacrificing for your own good. If you've made a friend, you need to assert your claim on them. Though there is a thin line between asserting your friendship and showing excessive possession or control, but you need to demand sometimes," I sighed, taking her hand. "You know that I'm a rash, impulsive fool. You should have been the one to coerce me to speak to you."

She gave a quick kiss on my forehead and stood up, "Guess we both have our flaws."

"You distracted me," I caught her hand, blocking her route of escape, "We were discussing something else."

"There is nothing to discuss about that. It's a strict no. You aren't a coward Daniel. I've never seen you choose the easy way out and you won't do it for this also. Go against me and well I won't forgive you for the rest of the life I have. Science is advancing faster than you think. One of these days we would hear of a breakthrough in medical research and then imagine the pain your family has to endure knowing that they could have saved you had you held on for a little longer."

"Phoebe, it's my life. Don't I have an independent decision?" I demanded.

"Sometimes you need to make the decision for your family and people whose lives revolve around you. In some matters, you need to be selfless. You can't always think of what's best for you. You know, my father's aunt was a survivor of throat cancer and when I was young, she used to tell to my father that every day above ground is a blessing and she doesn't let anyone tell her otherwise. Every individual's struggle is different though," she spoke in a tone which reminded me of the philosophical Phoebe, one that always used to lecture me on small things.

"Okay, Mummy!" I tried our usual joke.
She gave a weak smile and I realized how much all these was wearing her out.

A/N And before you end reading this, please click on the video to get a glimpse of a real teenager fighting with EB!