Ruby

Chapter Twelve

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. The machines said to me as they drummed slowly to the ryhtm to which they were set. Like an orchastra of heart beats. One would have to stop eventually.

"I think she's fine, but we will keep her here overnight, okay?" the nurse said to my mother and father, who were holding hands in their fear, uniting after the long fight that I, most probably, had caused.

After the nurse had left, my mum and dad shrunk into the bedside chairs.

"Can I get you anything, sweetie? mum asked kindly. Too kindly. Like the vomit-worthy kind.

"Um, yeah. Could you get me a drink from the cafe? Like some cordial or something please?" I asked.

"Sure thing, honey, I'll be back in a minute," mum said, leaving the room to just dad and me.

"How are you feeling, baby?" dad asked. He put his hand on mine. I pretended it was itchy so he'd let go. I hated all the lovey dovey stuff this night had brought.

"I'm fine, honestly, it was just a bit of a mishap," I said strongly. The faster I was out of this place, the better. I wasn't about to tell him that my head was pounding from hitting the tiles and that I could probably vomit at any second. Besides, he had enough on his mind.

"I hope you didn't think the fight was your fault?" dad asked, after a long silence.

I sighed heavily, he didn't understand, this was my fault.

"Dad, just promise me you'll never leave mum...you know...when I'm gone? Liam needs a dad - and nobody else fits the job description but you. You have to promise me that the family is going to be strong and that you'll do everything in your power to stop it from crumbling apart?" I was dead serious, but like all adults do, they try and steer their kids away from bad emotion.

"Baby, ssshhhh, you've had a rough night," but i persisted.

"No dad, you have to promise. You have to promise me all those things. Because Liam doesn't need a walker after the tough childhood he's already having. And dad, mum needs you. She's not as strong as you think. You need to be the rock dad. And you need to promise me that your gonna be it."

I stared at him strongly, and he knew I meant every word of what I had said.

"I promise," he whispered.

Suddenly our special moment was interupted. A nurse popped her head in the door.

"Um, Miss Field, you have a visitor?" she asked me.

I nodded, and in the door came Jeremy.

"Jeremy...?" I asked, stunned.

Dad got up. Obviously uncomfortable with the situation. "I'm gonna go check on Liam's babysitter," he said, announcing his evacuation.

Jeremy came and sat down on the bed. He'd brought flowers. Twenty roses.

"Jeremy, I...?"

"They're ruby red," he interupted, "ruby red for Ruby,"

"You didn't have to..." but he refused to let me speak.

"And I brought you this too," he said, handing me a small blue jewelry box.

"Look Rue, I know what you are going to say, but I don't want to hear it. After this whole cancer thing has come into play, your just not yourself. Your so unhappy. And Ruby, all your doing is killing me too. I like the old Ruby better. The one that was a crazy daredevil. The one that didn't care what people thought about her. The one that wasn't constantly thinking about death. The one that knew how to laugh." and he smiled.

"And Ruby, I couldn't care less if your dying or not. It makes no difference to me.

And then, to my horror, he got down on one knee.

"Oh my God, Jeremy NO!" I shouted, but he wouldn't let me protest.

"Ruby I love you. I've loved for as long as I can remember. And just because you've got Cancer hasn't changed a thing. And when I got the phone call, and for a moment - just a moment - I thought you were dead...I just knew I couldn't live without doing this.

"JEREMY...."

"So Ruby Lee Field, I promise to love you forever and ever, as long as stars shine, as long as rivers aren't dry, as long as hippies are high..."

I laughed a little. Tears were coming down my cheeks.

"Will you marry me?"

And when I opened the little box, there really was a ring.