forever star

chapter 9

John Matthew

I couldn't help but admire her as she gazed up at the stars. My heart races uncontrollably whenever I see her. When I found out she would be my patient, I didn't care, but now I just want to be by her side. I hope she makes it through so I can tell her how much I love her... Wait, that's crazy. I need to get her to bed before it gets too dark.

"What are you doing here at midnight? You need rest. Tomorrow, we need to treat you to see how you're doing," I said. She was still gazing at the sky and replied, "One day, I'll be like them. I'll be a star shining bright. Don't you think?" Her words scared me, but what if they came true? What if I lose her? "Get up, 19. You won't become a star. Just be human and let's go," I said, taking her hand and leading her to her room. Suddenly, she gripped my hand tightly and looked at me, maybe wanting to say something. "What's wrong?" I asked. "We're in the wrong room, doctor," she said. I felt embarrassed and quickly took her to her room. "I can hear you giggling, 19," she teased. "You look so cute when you're embarrassed," she added, making my heart race again. After tucking her into bed and checking the heart monitor, everything seemed fine, so I left.

Next morning

I returned to work to check on other patients, and everything seemed fine until David showed up. "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear John, happy birthday to you," he sang. "Could you please stop? It's annoying, seriously," I said, taking a seat. "Oh, come on, dude, it's your birthday. Take the day off, and we, along with Sophia, will celebrate," he suggested. "No, thank you. I'd rather spend it here with my patients," I replied, sorting through some documents. "Patients or Emma?" he probed. "Do you want to die young? And tell me, as a doctor, you should stay here. But no, you want Sophia with you all the time," I retorted. "Hey, that's different, okay? I love her, and if I let this chance go, she'll marry someone else," he explained. I didn't respond, just kept my gaze on the papers. "I'm going to see Emma. Do you mind if I can see her?" he asked, igniting my anger. "Get lost," I snapped, and he left immediately.

"Hey, Emma, can I come in?" David asked. Emma nodded, and he gestured for me to join them. "You know what today is?" he asked me. "Well, let me guess, it's Tuesday," I replied. "No, silly, it's John's birthday today," he revealed, surprising me. How did I not know? But then again, we weren't old friends, just former enemies. "No, I didn't know that," I admitted, feeling embarrassed. "Don't worry about it. Just wish him and give him a gift; he won't mind," David reassured me. "But I don't have money, and I don't know his likes and dislikes. Oh, but I can make something for him," I suggested. "And what is it?" David asked, confused. I explained my idea, and though he thought it was a good one, it would take some time to put together.

After David left to check on another patient, he bumped into Sophia. "Hey, Sophia, what are you doing here?" he asked. "Well, I just came to see Emma and wish John a happy birthday," she replied, holding a box of cupcakes. "Well, I'm disappointed you didn't come to see me," David teased. "I always see you, David," Sophia countered. "Well, it's still not enough for me, Sophia. Can you feed me a cupcake?" David asked, moving closer to her. "You have hands, David, eat it yourself," she replied. "Well, apparently my hands aren't working. Please, just once," he pleaded with puppy dog eyes. She blushed and started feeding him a cupcake before heading to Emma's room.