Rotten Core awoke, moving the oxygen mask from over his snout. He could hardly breathe, but he still managed to do so independently. He looked up to see Nurse Redheart standing over him.
She smiled, "Back from the dead, I see."
Braeburn's voice echoed in his head, he said the same thing before he found out he was terminal, "I reckon that's debatable, I'll be back there in a week."
"There's still a chance for you to make it, but it's very slim. It's like getting struck by lightning or winning the lottery slim though," Nurse Redheart offered.
"Very encouraging, Nurse Redheart," Rotten Core shook his head.
"Your cousins are still here, if you wish to see them," she changed the subject.
"Alright," Rotten Core nodded.
Nurse Redheart returned, followed by Big Mac and Applejack.
"Hey, RC, you really scared us back there," Applejack said when she entered.
"I honestly didn't think I would wake up from that. I thought that was it and I could finally be free of this agonizing pain. Everything I do is painful, it hurts just to breathe now," Rotten Core lamented.
"You'll cross that bridge when you get to it," Nurse Redheart replied.
"Do you think you could make it happen?" Rotten Core asked.
"We've already had this conversation, I'm not pulling that plug unless your family asks me to," she shook her head.
Rotten Core turned to his cousins, "Y'all know I'm dead either way, you might as well. We can't delay the inevitable."
"I don't want you to suffer anymore than you have to, RC, but we were hoping we could have time to say our goodbyes," Applejack replied.
Big Mac nodded in agreement, "Eeyup."
"Well, I wouldn't wanna take that away from y'all. How long will I be alive without it?" he asked Nurse Redheart.
She pondered for a moment, "About 3 days, probably. Cuts your remaining time in half."
"Do it then. That'll be plenty of time," Rotten Core requested.
"Are you absolutely sure this is what you want?" Applejack asked.
"Yes, I'm tired of this pain. I want it to go away," Rotten Core pleaded.
Applejack took a deep breath, then turned to Nurse Redheart, "Pull it. This is what he truly wants, we can't take that away from him."
Nurse Redheart trotted over to the monitor. She turned to Rotten Core, "Without the oxygen, your lungs will continue to deteriorate to the point of complete shutdown. You will die, are you absolutely sure you want me to unplug this machine?"
Rotten Core nodded, "I don't want to suffer anymore, please don't force me to. I no longer fear the Reaper, I embrace him."
Nurse Redheart reluctantly reached for the plug. She hesitated for a moment, then unplugged it. She turned to her patient, "The countdown begins."
Applejack turned to Big Mac, "We need to let the rest of the family know that his time is almost up. His friends too, I'm sure we can get them all to come back here. Hopefully they haven't left already and that they're still in town. It'd be faster if they were still here."
Big Mac shrugged, "Eeyup."
The two of them exited, leaving Nurse Redheart and Rotten Core to awkwardly stare at each other.
"I appreciate you setting me free, I don't think I could suffer for twice as much time. I've already had my will set up early in the month and I've pretty much achieved my bucket list. I can leave this world knowing I've left at least some positive impressions on it," Rotten Core said.
"I hate losing patients. It rarely happens here, it's mainly elderly mares and stallions passing from natural causes. I'm just sorry I can't do more to help you," Nurse Redheart sighed.
"It's not your fault. Don't blame yourself, my days were numbered long before I woke up in this room," Rotten Core smiled reassuringly.
"Doesn't make me feel any better, there's always this guilt I feel when somepony passes away. I always feel like I didn't do enough, like I could have done more to help them and that they should still be alive. I blame myself for that," Nurse Redheart's professional demeanor sank to a depressed and lamenting one.
Rotten Core locked eyes with his caretaker, "I know exactly how you feel. I used to worry the wits out of everypony, wreaking all sorts of havoc on the community. Some have forgiven me, but a lot haven't. I couldn't bring myself to come back home. I was too embarrassed and ashamed to show my face. It wasn't until I was near death that I finally grew a pair and made my way back. Now look at me, 3 days to live and I'm still hating myself for things that I've done years ago."
Nurse Redheart smiled sympathetically, "You were never bad, Rotten Core. Your sense of humor was just different from everypony else's. They didn't understand that you were just playing. I did. I thought your jokes were funny, until the Sweet Apple Acres incident. That's when we knew you had gone mad and needed help. I'm sorry it didn't come sooner."
"It is what it is. Thank you for making me comfortable, at least. Maybe hanging out with you these last few days won't be so bad after all," Rotten Core cracked a smile.
"I hope not. I try to be hospitable for my patients," Nurse Redheart retorted.
Rotten Core let out a soft laugh that deteriorated into a cough, "Hospitable and we're in a hospital. You're funny."
Nurse Redheart shrugged, "I didn't think about that until after I said it."
"It was a good one," Rotten Core cleared his throat.
"Well, thank you," Nurse Redheart said.
"Ain't no problem," Rotten Core replied.
"I'll be back in a bit, I'm going to check on some other patients. Stay out of trouble," Nurse Redheart chuckled.
"No promises," Rotten Core shrugged.
She exited his room. Rotten Core laid back and closed his eyes. Part of him hoped it would be the last time and that they wouldn't open again.
End of Chapter 13!