Stay A Little Longer: A Short Story

•Four•

My mom ran down the stairs, a panicked look on her face. JoJo sped down behind her, clearly confused about what was going on.

"My baby!" Mom cried when she saw me on the couch.

"What? What's going on?" I asked, totally in the dark about what everyone was so concerned about.

"Oh my... your neck!" JoJo said, staring at me with a horrified expression. I hop up and run to the bathroom by the kitchen. When I look in the mirror, i see that my whole neck has turned a deep shade of purple, spots are swollen making the shape of a hand.

"Wh-what the FUCK is wrong with my neck?!" I scream.

"Andy! Watch that mouth!" Mom yells from the living room.

"S-sorry, Mom!"  I can hear Mom muttering something and I come back into the living room as soon as Greyson turns to leave. 

"Greyson," I say, my throat tight. 

"Your mom said it would be best if I went home. See you at school, Andy," Greyson says, his eyes glistening with tears. I turn to Mom and JoJo. 

"Are we going to the ER?" I ask. Mom nods and we all run to the car. 

"What about Dad?" JoJo asks. 

"Call him and tell him to meet us at the CM Hospital right away," Mom answers. JoJo nods and dials Dad's number. My throat starts to burn and I fall asleep so I don't feel the pain. In no time, I feel someone shaking me awake. I hop out of the car, Mom on my right side and JoJo on my left, holding me upright, and we rush into the ER. Everything is a blur as Mom hurries and signs me in. They set me on a gurney and I am wheeled into a bright hallway, the ceiling blending into the lights until all around me is just white. The voices fade and I am just swallowed by light.

The light I saw when the doctors first said I wasn't worthy of Life Support. 

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I was 12 years old, and I was drifting in and out of consciousness. I heard the doctor say that I had a mild case of leukemia and it was going to eventually pass if I got the right treatment. 

I was 13 years old, and my mom still hadn't gotten me into Chemo. The doctor was telling her that I couldn't be healed as easily, now, as I may have been a year ago. 

When I was 14, my doctors were talking with my mom in the hall, though I could still hear. They told her that there was no way of saving me, I would have to let nature take me. I was in no shape to go on, and therefore, didn't deserve Life Support. I apparently had 5 years, max, and I should live life as so. That was when the Light had started to swallow me.

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"Andrew," a male's voice said. My eyes slowly flutter open. Dad stands over me, his eyes red and puffy. Obviously from crying. 

"Hey, Dad-e-o," I say, my voice raspy. A tear rolls down his cheek. 

"Thank God," the nurse says from behind him. My face shows a bit of confusion. 

"The doctor said you might not remember us. You had some surgery," Dad explains. 

"Surgery? Why would I need surgery?" I ask in disbelief and total shock. My hand goes to my throat. A bandage stays there, wet in some spots with what I conclude as blood. But then again, it's cold. It might be pain medicine. 

"When that boy choked you, it suffocated a tumor- we had to remove it before you...," Dad lets off. Mom walks in before I can say anything else. I turn to her. 

"Greyson?" I ask. 

"He's alright," she starts. "You've been here for a few days, and-" 

"Days? Oh my goodness, I need to get out of here, now," I interrupt and start to get up.  No one  stops me, so I start to look for my clothes. 

"Andy, even if we leave, you'll be at home in bed for quite some time," Dad says. I shrug and grab a plastic bag that has my clothes in it and go to the bathroom to change. When I come out, everyone is sitting there with grim faces and the brightly lit room seems to dim a little. I shuffle past them and to the elevator, down to the car. It's raining outside, but I just lower my head and wait for my Mom to unlock the car doors. I climb into the backseat and we sit in a grim silence, riding to what I keep thinking as a funeral. 

"Does someone want to tell me what's going on?" I say, halfway through the drive. "Why are we so sad?" JoJo starts to sob and Dad reaches back to pat her leg. 

"Are you sure you want to know?" Mom says. 

"Yes," I say. 

"Are you really sure?"

"Really, really sure."

"Are you-"

"So positive I may be pregnant," I huff. "Will you just tell me now?"

But as soon as Mom tells me what's up, I wished she hadn't. 

"You only have a month to live."