Letters To Cassidy

Chapter 4

I’d always hated hospitals. I didn’t like the way life and death depended upon them. In this is situation however, I was sat, with my mother worrying for my sister’s life.

“Please be okay, please be okay” this was what my mother continually muttered, while I hung my head, thinking about what I had discovered in the paper bag. Maybe she was buying it for someone else? Then why would she be running? I got up, needing a break.

“Mum, I’m going to get a drink” she didn’t appear to hear me, but I went anyway. There was a café in the hospital, and I sat down at one of the tables with a cappuccino. Feeling the urge to move, I grabbed my drink, and wandered the halls of the hospital. On one of the corridors was a youth room and I peered inside. There sat a familiar figure, head down, staring at nothing in particular.

“Jamie?” he looked up, his face deathly pale.

He looked up surprised “Oh..hey…”

“Cass” I finished for him as he nodded.

“Cass” he said the name as though he was experimenting.

“What are you doing here?” he didn’t answer, but he turned his face to the side, puking into a bowl at his feet. I cringed, and slowly made my way towards him, patting his back awkwardly.

“Are you…are you okay?”

He nodded “Fine” we both knew he was lying.

“Are you visiting?” I asked

“You could say that” he turned to me “What about you?”

“My sister got into in an accident”

“I’m sorry”

I shrugged “It’s fine, she’ll get better” I had a feeling I was convincing both of us.

Jamie looked pained, and I studied him carefully. He wore the same woolly hat he did when we first met. He had dark circles under his eyes, and his eyes held sadness.  He was far from the boy I used to know.

“You should get back to  your sister” he said finally

It felt wrong, leaving him in such a state. But I nodded anyway, hesitantly inching towards the door.

He sighed, and used his free hand to remove the hat. I gasped, and saw that he was completely bald. I knew what this meant.

“I’m so sorry” I whispered, my eyes filling with tears.

He gave me a smile, that didn’t quite reach his eyes “I’ve got cancer, you might have guessed”

I moved towards him, not quite knowing what to do.

“Please don’t” his voice rang out “Don’t come closer”

My throat had clammed up and I could only manage a small resigned nod, before rushing out of the door.

I left with a feeling of emptiness. I wasn’t the only one in this world with a problem. So who on earth would I turn to?