Memories of Rain ❀ Calum Hood

sixth; bath

She didn't get any visitors for a few days, so she spent them trying to teach herself how to tie her shoes. She couldn't do it, no matter how hard she tried. Lily showed her the hospital gardens. They had these beautiful orange flowers, that Lily told her were 'orange daylilies' which was her favorite flowers.

Bailey liked the idea of Lily's favorite flower being a lily. It made her smile. Maybe Lily had liked the idea too, and that's why she had named it her favorite.

She had spent quite some time in the hospital, and even though she was wearing new clothes everyday, she couldn't get rid of the smell of hospital. Her sister, Cara, pointed this out when she visited.

"You smell horrible. You really need a shower," she told her. Bailey nodded. She had known that for a while, but she couldn't remember how to wash her hair. It seemed like such a tiny thing, but she really couldn't remember.

"That's fine," Cara said. She grabbed Bailey's hand and dragged her towards her private bathroom. She had really been lucky with her room, she thought. 

There was both bathtub and a shower. Bailey wanted to try the bathtub, and Cara agreed. "Of course."

She smiled at her, and turned on the water, letting it run. "If there's a bathtub, use it," she grinned. Cara brought a bag with more new clothes, shampoo and a razor. Bailey didn't understand the need to shave her legs, but she didn't want to do it herself.

What if she cut herself? It probably hurt a lot, but she wouldn't know. Of course not.

The water filled up the bath, and Cara told her to get undressed. She wanted to say somehting witty, but the thought slipped away before she could make up something.

So this was the kind of person she used to be? So many pieces of the puzzle were falling into place, but even more were missing.

She took of her clothes, and let her body sink into the water. Cara frowned. "You've gotten pretty pale, havent' ya? Thin too," she said as she poked Bailey in the side with her finger. 

Bailey laughed as her sister poked her, and she jumped away from the other girl. "That tickles!" she said, looking at Cara with a displeased look.

Cara laughed then too. "I'm very well aware of that, turn your back towards me," she said gesturing for her to turn. She turned, and let her sister wash her hair. 

How embarassing. She couldn't even wash her own hair. She couldn't shave her own legs, or take a bath herself. She let out a frustrated sigh, gaining a curious look from Cara.

She shook her head, telling her sister that it was nothing. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror then. She did look awfully pale and thin. Her shoulders were bony, her ribs were sticking out, and so was her collarbones.

She stared at her left collarbone for quite some time, trying to see what the object underneath it was. It took her a minute too long for her to figure out that it was a tattoo.

It was a feather, located right underneath her left collarbone. It really drew your attention because her collarbones were stcking out so much. She wondered why she had gotten it, she didn't seem like the kind of person who just got a tattoo because it would look pretty.

Cara caught onto her stair, and her gaze fell upon the tattoo. She smiled at her, and poked it. 
"I've always loved the meaning of that tattoo."

Bailey furrowed her brows. "Tell me about it."

Her sister shook her head, and smirked at her. She pushed Bailey down a bit. "Wash your hair sweetie."

After the bath, Cara shaved her legs, and she slipped into a comfortable white dress. She looked blindlingly white now; white hair; white skin; white dress. She should've been shining brighter than the North Star.

She found her white poetry book, and wrote down a poem about feathers. She didn't recognize it, but it had suddenly popped into her head when her sister told her that the tattoo actually had a meaning. She scribbled down the words quickly.

i am a feather,
weathering a windstorm.
fragility is my definition.
please
remember that.

There was a knock on the door, and Lily wandered in through the door. She smiled at Cara, and Cara sent her a suspicious stare. Bailey introduced the two of them, but Cara still seemed a bit suspicious.

Lily sat down on the end of Bailey's bed, smiling that tiny, childish smile of hers. "I'm going to stop chemotherapy for a while, they think it might be good," she said. Bailey didn't know if it was good or bad, but Lily didn't seem upset

Cara seemed curious. "Is that good or bad?" she asked, but Lily just shrugged. "It depends." Bailey hugged the girl, held her close. It felt weird, but good at the same time. She hadn't given anyone a hug like that before.

She felt like a big sister. It made her understand a tiny bit of how Cara must've been feeling. Lily pulled away from her, and handed her a note. It had instructions on how to tie your shoes. Completed with drawings and all.

Bailey laughed, and thanken her. The note was signed Lily Eyre. She smiled at that. "I like your last name; Calum told me that Jane Eyre is one of my favorite books."

Lily smiled, and rubbed her neck. "I've never read Jane Eyre," she told her. "Even though we share the same last name." Lily laughed, and so did Bailey. She reached over to grab her copy, and hands it to Lily.

"You can borrow my copy," she told her. Lily looked surpirsed. "Really," she asked, a big smile on her face. Bailey nodded. "Just take it. It's fine, really."

Lily grabbed the book, and immediately opened it on the first page. Bailey watched her as she kept reading, even when Cara left, and the room fell silent.

After some time, Lily fell asleep. She was half sitting, half lying on Bailey's bed. She smiled. She felt like a mother watching her child sleep.