[ WP ] A man has a special ability : when he makes certain choices , he has a sudden vision of what would have happened if he 'd chosen differently .

Clutching her hand, Isaac could feel the whirling and vibrating of the machines attached to the body of his wife. Constant and rhythmic tones from the monitor gave him the assurance that everything was as it should be. Deep within his own mind his guilty conscience was undermining the last remaining modicum of composure that he so desperately tried to retain. 
 
 Joe moved slowly to the opposite side of the room, never moving his eyes off of the pale, beautiful face of his Karen. She looked so peaceful, lying there, reminding him of the mornings not four months past where he would wake her up with breakfast during their honeymoon. Reaching out he grasped the side of the armchair and lowered himself down, sighing as his cramped muscles were allowed to stretch and recover from his nightly vigil. Eyelids became heavier as the minutes ticked by and slowly Isaac was pulled into exhausted sleep. 
 
 *Isaac could feel a drink being pressed into his hand; Joe, the host of the nights debauchery, was leaning in, one arm slung loosely around Isaac's shoulder. `` Have I mentioned yet that married life has tamed you?'' he said with a light slur in his words. `` You used to be the life of the party! Wedding band goes on and it's like the tap has been disconnected. You do realize that it's my birthday, do n't you? `` * 
 
 *Isaac could feel his resolve weakening, being chipped away at by his friend like a prisoner filing away at his cell. He could almost taste the alcohol in the air and his body cried out for it, but with nearly nine months down he knew that a single stumble could cost him more than his sobriety chip. Realizing all of this, a wave of relief washed over him as Karen walked up from behind, slid her arm threw his, and leaned in towards his ear. * 
 
 *'' I think we should leave,'' she whispered to him. `` I know how important tonight is to you but I'm not sure how many more karaoke rounds I can take with Sylvia behind the mic.'' Isaac looked as it he were about to respond, but stared blindly at the spot that was so recently occupied by his best friend. `` What's wrong?'' she asked. * 
 
 *Blinking a few times, he broke the trance and brought his eyes up to meet his wife's gaze. `` I'm sorry, it was just… I had the strangest feeling. As if I've been here and done all of this before.'' The feeling was fleeting and now he felt foolish standing there with his wife's eyes piercing into him. `` You're right. We've stayed long enough, and I ca n't wait to get you back home…'' * 
 
 Isaac awoke with a jump as the hospital room door was opened by the incoming doctor. `` Mr. O'Brian?'' he asked as he seated himself in behind the small coffee table, arranging various documents across the considerable surface. `` I know the nurse has spoken with you already, and I'm afraid that it's time that a decision is made. We can keep your wife here, comfortable for the foreseeable future, but there is very little hope of further treatment for the injuries that she sustained during the crash. What would you have us do?'' 
 
 Trembling, Isaac signed the documents on the table and explained his wife's wishes to the doctor. He inquired as to where her organs would go to and what would be taken, but quickly broke down into tears as he though about he implications of his decision. The doctor slowly gathered his papers and between his words of condolence informed him that he will be back within the hour. 
 
 … 
 
 … 
 
 Slowly settling into his bed back at their small but well loved home, Isaac let all of his sadness, his guilt, his anger flow out through the tears are he grasped her pillow, pulling it close in order to smell the scent of her hair one last time. After long hours the exhaustion of his body began to overcome the torment of his mind and he slowly drifted to sleep. 
 
 *Mr. O'Brian?'' a voice asked as the door silently latched. He knew the man in the clean, sterile white lab coat. Dr. Avers. The doctor seated himself behind the small coffee table, arranging his handful of paperwork across the surface. `` What would you have us do?'' he asked. * 
 
 *Isaac looked across the table through weary eyes as a slow, creeping chill climbed its way up the back of his spine. The strangest feeling, as if he had witnessed this scene before. Pushing it to the back of his mind, he glanced over at his Karen, remembering the instructions that she had given him years before. Betrayal crept into his mind adding to the overwhelming emotions already threatening to drown him as he realized that he could never let her go. `` No,'' he said, lurching to his sore feet. Once again he felt the hot tears streaming down his cheeks. `` She deserves life. She needs to be alive. I need her to still be with me. `` * 
 
 *The doctor gathered his paperwork and silently left the room, leaving only Isaac and Karen, one standing beside the other. He stood his vigil, determined to get the miracle he needed through sheer willpower and determination. * 
 
 *The days bled into one another, and soon an entire week had passed with hardly any notice. Reaching over from his chair as he did every morning, Isaac took the pale, beautiful hand in his and brought it slowly to his lips. As he held her frail fingers against his own a slight but noticeable shift in the perpetual tones emanating from the ever present machines occurred, pulling his gaze from her face to the monitor beside her bed. He watched in awe as her heartbeat strengthened, her blood pressure rising. * 
 
 *Tears welled in his eyes as he grasped her hand tighter, afraid to believe what was happening. The small fingers in his own shifted slightly, pulling his gaze back to his wife's face where she lay, piercing eyes open and bright. `` My love,'' she said softly, a smile upon her lips. * 
 
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 Not exactly what you asked for with THE DEAD ZONE style, but I did n't read that part until I was more than halfway done.
