Arlo sat silently in the car. His head was pressed against the window, blue eyes slitted as he watched the other vehicles going by. It was silent in the vehicle, save for his sister's quiet humming. She was the only one of them he could stand. She didn't want him to go, she just wanted him to stay at home.
"We're almost there, Arlo." His father said, glancing in the rear view mirror at him. He didn't respond, his eyes only briefly flickering to the middle aged man. It was cold and dreary outside, water droplets running down the window.
Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if they lived near enough to the hospital that he would be able to come home after whatever they decided to do to him. But that wasn't the case. They lived around five hundred miles away from the cancer hospital, and as a result, he had to go there to stay. Besides, they said, his situation was too unstable and he had to be monitored closely due to his history.
They had been driving for hours, and only just got into the city. Greenery and trees turned into cement and shiny windows. It was bleak. He loved their house in the country, far from everything else. Yet another reason why he didn't want this.
It was maybe ten minutes before they got to the hospital. They pulled into the parking lot, and he unbuckled himself and jumped out, almost before the car stopped. He held the door open for his sister, as she had been strapped in the middle seat and quickly squirmed out of her car seat.
"Arlo, do you have to go?" She asked, staring up at him with wide blue eyes. In response, he shrugged glumly, lifting her up and holding her on his hip. He hadn't been speaking much lately, much to their aggravation. They asked if he was punishing them. It was almost funny.
His parents gave him a nasty look as he grabbed his backpack, slinging it over one shoulder, then grabbed his suitcase and computer bag. It was a heavy load, but he didn't care. It was all he had, and he didn't want to have them touching his things. "You aren't even supposed to be walking on your leg, Charles." His mother said sternly. She only used his full name when she was angry. She quickly pulled his sister away from him, setting her down. She started crying.
Arlo didn't meet their eyes, instead staring blankly at the scenery around him. It wasn't pretty. Depressing, really. Industrial, all sharp corners and harsh angles. He didn't like it.
Silently, Arlo took his sister's hand, her crying quieting until tears just ran down her cheeks. He began walking inside, walking slowly so that she didn't need to hurry to keep up with his long strides. He felt a bit bad for her, but at the moment, all he really felt was a great apathy. He had no choices in his life. It was all being taken away because of what they wanted. Though his sister was probably too young to care whether or not he happy, she at least shared a desire with him. It was better than them.
Once inside, he stood back, still holding the young girl's hand. His parents gave their information and a nurse instantly arrived to show him to his room. As they approached to take her away, she clung to his leg, screaming that he couldn't leave.
"No! Arlo, you can't go! Come back! No!" He gave them an icy look as he crouched down with a bit of difficulty, due to what he was carrying. Gently taking her shoulders, he pulled her in for a hug, whispering in her ear, "I'm sorry." She looked at him, tears streaming down her face. Then, she leaned in kissing him on the cheek before running out the door. They followed her almost instantly, probably not wanting to be around him any more. Arlo understood. That was another reason he was being sent here; no one wanted to be near someone who might be dying. Even if that someone was their child.
The nurse, who insisted on taking two of his bags, was irritatingly bright and chipper. How could anyone in a hospital act that way? How could anyone in this city act that way? He just stayed silent, staring at his feet as they walked.
The cancer ward was on the second floor of the massive hospital. His room was to be shared with someone else, though he was, at the moment, the only one there. The nurse left him alone, finally.
Arlo kicked his suitcase under his bed, drawing his curtain around his part of the room, hiding himself from view. The only other thing he did was plug in his computer, since it had the battery life of a dead fish. He needed something to do in this hellhole, besides just sitting and wallowing in his own misery.
He sat on the bed but didn't lay down, debating if it was worth it. It probably was, since he knew he was expected to attempt to sleep. Or at least to pretend to. Once he was on chemo or radiation, he would be able to ask for some sleep meds. But before that... he didn't have much of a chance.
Arlo always hated removing it.
