Jiley Oneshots

Matching Scars [a]

This is very different to what I usually write

Riley buried her head in the pillow behind her, turning to stare out of the same, rectangular window that she had done for the last few years. She watched the traffic on the busy street outside and the world felt deathly quiet. But it wasn't quiet. In fact it was rather loud with car horns, voices and... machines.

She cast her eyes to the machines that stood beside her hospital bed. The tiny screens flashed digits and diagrams that told her nothing except for the fact that she was alive. They made sense to the doctors and nurses who frequently visited her, but they had never attempted to explain the meaning behind it all.

"Don't worry about that stuff" a voice spoke from the doorway.

Riley couldn't help but smile when she saw James entering her room. His hands held a coat and a bouquet of flowers, tulips, her favourite. He carried the bouquet over to a vase and removed the wilted roses that drooped inside it, replacing them with the vibrant tulips and discarding his coat on the back of a wooden chair. When he was done, he perched on the side of her hospital bed.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, his caring voice laced with concern.

Noticing his anxiety, Riley took his hands and squeezed them. This provided comfort in two ways: her physical touch reminding him that she was very much alive, that her heart was beating warm blood around her body and also a demonstration of her growing strength, something which had dropped considerably since she became ill.

"Good" she shrugged, "a bit bored of staring at these four walls"
James nodded sadly, "have the doctors told you any updates regarding the transplant list?"
Riley shook her head, "nothing new. The list is longer than you could imagine and I'd also need someone who's a specific match to me, else my body could reject it"

They were referring to Riley's need for a kidney transplant in order to survive.

"It will happen one day" James reassured her, "someone will donate and be a perfect match. Then you'll be able to go home and go on dates and maybe even dance again"

His face contorted into a frown as his girlfriend laughed as if he'd told a joke.

"I'll be here until I die James" she sighed hopelessly, "and who knows how long that is. I heard- never mind"
"What? You heard what?" James probed anxiously. He watched fearfully as she turned to look away from him and bit her lip, holding back tears. "Ri?"

"The dialysis machine is the only thing keeping me alive right now" she whispered, finally bringing her gaze back to meet his. "Jay, I think I may have heard something I shouldn't have between my doctors and- they don't know how long I've got left"

James felt his entire world shatter around him as he processed the words that escaped her mouth.

"No, they must have been talking about someone else" he reasoned in denial. "You'll fight this, you're strong. You'll get a transplant and leave this place to live a happy, healthy life"
"James" Riley whispered with tears glistening in her eyes, "I think, I think you're going to have to start accepting that I might not come home"

"Don't start talking like this Ri" James shook his head, "you're not gone yet, I'm not going to mourn you before you are. I'm not saying goodbye, I can't say goodbye"
He choked on his words, not caring that he now had tears running down his cheeks.

Just then a doctor entered the small room carrying a clipboard. Recognising James as a frequent visitor, he gave him a friendly smile before manoeuvring his way over to Riley's machines to take notes.

Suddenly James stood up, wiping the tears from his cheeks before saying, "can I talk to you outside doctor?"

~