Don't Forget Me

Chapter 8

Maggie held onto her mother’s sleeve as she sat in the doctor’s waiting room. I hate this. She thought to herself.

“Maggie… have you talked to Bruno?” her mother asked.

“Yeah. I talked to him earlier this morning.” She answered.

“About this?” her mother responded.

“Yeah. He’s freaking out.” She said to her mother handing her the phone reading over the text messages.

“Well, you better call him when you’re done.” Her mother answered seeing the nurse in bright purple scrubs come out of the back.

“Margaret? Are you ready?” the nurse asked seeing the two of them stand up.

“Yeah.” She said letting go of her mother.

They sat down closing the door quickly welcomed by the doctor who was holding an ipad with all her medical history.

“Maggie….” He paused waiting for her mother to stop crying. “I’m sorry…” he said showing her the tablet with all the blood tests indicating the cancer was back in her system.

“Oh my god.” She gasped. “It wasn’t just a cold…”

“No.” he said. “We need you to get to the hospital now to start the treatments. We know we only have so long until we can.”

She nodded her head holding onto her mother tightly trying to hold her up. “It will work, mama. It will be fine.” She reassured her mother. She felt her phone vibrate against her side. She picked it up seeing Bruno’s silly face light up the screen. “I’ll be back…” she held up her hand to the receptionist walking her mother quickly out of the office holding onto the phone shaking so much that she bent down against the wall.

“Baby….what did the tests say?” Bruno got out as he heard her pick up the phone.

She had been so strong throughout their relationship. He continued to tell her how amazing she was and how she inspired him. He said she was his rock, even though they had only known each other for a few months. She was flattered because his mother told her that she was his rock until she came into his life. “I have to go to the hospital, Peter.” She said bursting into tears. “And they stop making the medicine on the 22nd. It’s all gone after that.”

He sat down on the ground of the hotel lobby that they were leaving to fly back to the US covering his face his with his hand trying to hold it together. “No!” he answered. “You can’t!” he shouted seeing everyone look his way. He shrugged his shoulders acknowledging the response.

“I have to.” She told him. “It could fix it so fast…”

“How fast is fast?” he asked her.

“By the time you go to Brazil.” She answered.

“January?” he inquired.

“That’s what they say…if I get enough…” she told him.

“If…” he said in a sad tone.

“I know…we don’t know. No one knows.” She said looking at her mother who had gotten herself together enough to go and tell the doctor that they would be at the hospital by seven that evening.

“Maggie…if anyone can do it, you can.” He told her trying not to cry.

“I know..” she tried to laugh.

“I’ll be there in three days, Maggie. I’ll hold your hand in three days, baby girl.” He said to her sweetly. “I promise.”

“Okay.” She answered.

“Wait…” he said to her before she could hang up.

“I love you Bruno. I’ll stay here for you.” She responded.

“I love you, so much, Maggie.” He said ending the call. “I’ll stay here for you….” He said to Ryan.

“What?” Ryan asked.

“She’s sick again. I have to go to her.” He said jumping up. “We have to leave now. Call Creed. I’m not going to San Francisco. I can’t. I have to be with her.” He told his best friend seeing his brother come up behind him.

“She’ll be okay for an extra day, Bro. It’s not that fast.” Eric reassured him.

“You don’t know that!” Bruno shouted as they neared the van that would take them to the airport. “You don’t know that….she could be dead now…”

“Bruno…shut up. She’ll be fine. You said so yourself… she’ll be fine. She’s strong.”

“No…” he grabbed his phone calling the person from the fundraiser he was supposed to attend the next day.

“Bruno…let Creed do it…” Eric said taking the phone away from him.

“I need to be there!” he exclaimed starting to cry. “She said she’d stay there for me….”