When Winter Arrives

Chapter 7

They arrived at the hospital. Himari grabs the socks and shoes and tosses them to the driver seat. She wraps Bridget in the purple blanket and picks her up. She slams the car door in panic. She runs inside and calls for help. "Help! We need help!" Hudson runs out of the breakroom. He leads Himari to room 110. Himari runs into the room and quickly places Bridget down on the hospital bed. Hudson calls for some nurses.

An Hour Later

Himari waits outside the room. She pastes back and forth. Hudson opens the door. "She is awake now, she wants you." Hudson said to Himari. Himari pushed Hudson out of the way and ran into the room. She grabbed Bridget's hand. "What's going on with you?" Bridget's face was emotionless. She shook her head. "Don't worry, I'm okay." She said with a hoarse voice. "No! You are not okay!" Himari said as she rested her head on Bridget's shoulder. Himari began to cry. "What is wrong, you need to tell me." Himari whimpered. Hudson opened his mouth to speak, Bridget looked at him and shook her head. Hudson closed his mouth and walked out of the room. "It's okay, it's just a harmless problem." Bridget replied. "Harmless? You cough out blood and your breathing gets unsteady. That is not harmless." Himari was frustrated and worried at the same time. She was confused. Himari lifted her head. "Why aren't you telling me? Do you not trust me?" Himari asked while holding Bridget's hand. "Bridget, do you trust me?" Himari asked again. Bridget stared at her. "I don't want you to worry about me." Bridget replied. Himari shook her head slightly. "Not to worry? No, no I just worry if you do not tell me what is going on." Bridget looked at the ceiling. "I am sorry... I was diagnosed with lung cancer." Himari's eyes widened. "Oh." Himari looked down at the floor. She tried to choke back the tears. She could not believe it. "I have stage 3 lung cancer." Himari looked back up at Bridget. Her tears started to fall from her eyes. "Do you think that it's too late to be lovers?" Himari asked while stroking her thumb on Bridget's hand. "I do not think it is too late. You must move on if I die though." "I'm sorry I didn't tell you I liked you earlier." Himari replied. She stared Bridget in the eye. "It is not your fault. You did not know this was going to happen." Bridget replied. Hudson opened the door, "Himari, your mom is looking for you." Himari looked back at Bridget. "I have to go." Himari stood up and kissed Bridget's head. She gently grabbed Bridget's chin. Himari turned to leave. "Himari." Bridget said. Himari turned. "I love you." Himari smiled and her voice was trembling, "I love you, too." A tear fell from Himari's eye. Himari left the room and Hudson walked into the room. "You and Himari started dating, huh?" "Yeah. We were at the beach today, but I passed out." Bridget replied. "Well, I hope you had fun before you passed out." Bridget chuckled and nodded. She began to cough as she chuckled. "You should rest. I will be back in a few hours." Bridget nodded and she waved. Hudson waved back and closed the door.

Himari went to her mom. Her mom was sitting in the waiting room; she got dropped off by a taxi. Himari grabbed her mom and pulled her into a hug. Himari fell to her knees; she dragged her mom, Yua, along with her. "What's wrong, hon?" She asked. "My friend, she has lung cancer." Himari put her head on Yua's shoulder. She started crying. "Let's get you home." Yua kissed her on the head and stood up. Himari held Yua's hand as they walked to the car. They take the socks and shoes to the back seats. On the drive home, Yua was driving. Himari stared out the window. "It's going to be okay, hon." Yua put her hand on Himari's shoulder as she paid attention to the road. "Not everyone dies from cancer you know. She could be one of the lucky ones." Himari glanced at Yua. She looked back to the window. "What do you know, you never had a friend who caught cancer." Himari scoffed. Yua sighed. "Yes, I have, hon." Himari did not have an expression on her face. The car ride was silent for the rest of the ride.

At home, Himari ran up the stairs and slammed the door. She flopped down on her bed. She grabbed her phone and started texting her online therapist. "I found out my best friend has cancer. I am not doing too well." She messaged. She turned off her phone and placed it on her bedside table. She sat up, and grabbed her green, camouflaged pillow and she hugged it tightly against her chest. She stared around the room. She saw all the drawings that Bridget and her shared. Himari decided to sleep it off. Himari heard her phone go off. She grabbed her phone. "Would you like to talk about it?" The therapist replied. Himari vented to her therapist until she had to go to bed.