Until The Last Breath

chapter four

help how did this chapter get so long? anyway hope y'all are enjoying the book it's been so fun to write.

Taylor's POV

Sunlight filtered through the narrow hospital window, spilling across my bed and casting a faint warmth over the sheets. I stretched, careful not to pull at the IV in my arm or the bruises dotting my skin. For a second, I could almost pretend I was anywhere else, that my aching joints were from something other than another round of chemo, that my dizziness was just sleepiness.

But reality settled in fast, as it always did. I was still here. The ever-present drip of medication was still trailing through my veins, and the hollow feeling in my stomach reminded me just how fragile my body had become.

Across the room, Travis was propped up in bed, flipping through a worn-out magazine, the smile he usually wore replaced with a tired look that I knew all too well. I caught his eye, and he offered a small grin, forcing some of his usual playfulness into it.

"Morning, Sleeping Beauty," he said, his voice raspy. He tried to sound casual, but I could see the effort it took. Every word he spoke seemed to pull a little energy from him.

I rolled my eyes, laughing softly. "If I'm a beauty, you must be the prince," I teased back, feeling the tightness in my chest loosen just a little. Even sick, he managed to make things seem... lighter.

Then, there was a knock on the door. It wasn't one of our regular nurses. A tall man with gentle eyes and a warm smile stepped in, looking like he held the best news in the world.

"Good morning, you two," he greeted, the warmth in his voice filling the room. "You're my special patients today."

Travis and I exchanged glances, eyebrows raised in identical confusion. "Special?" I echoed, half-expecting this to be some sort of cruel joke.

The man nodded, and I saw the hint of excitement in his eyes. "Yep. I'm Sam, from the Children's Cancer Foundation. We've arranged a little... outing for you two. Thought maybe you could use a change of scenery."

My heart skipped. A change of scenery? The mere thought of going outside, of breathing air that wasn't heavy with disinfectant and sterilized plastic, was almost too good to be true. I'd gotten so used to the four walls of this room that I'd almost forgotten there was a world beyond it.

"You mean... outside?" I managed, my voice barely a whisper. The very idea felt like magic, like something that wasn't real. Sam grinned. "Yep. Limo and all. Nothing too intense, just a little outing to remind you there's more out there than these walls."

I looked over at Travis, who was staring at Sam like he'd just promised us an escape from prison. "Outside," he said, like he couldn't believe it either. His face lit up, an energy I hadn't seen in a while flickering in his green eyes.

The nurses bustled around us, helping us into actual clothes. I hadn't worn anything but hospital gowns and soft socks in so long that pulling on jeans felt like slipping into an old memory. The clothes were a little loose, months of treatment had stolen any hint of the healthy weight I used to carry, but I didn't care.

I looked at myself in the mirror, the girl staring back at me pale, with dark circles under her blue eyes and thin limbs. She looked like a stranger, someone who'd been through hell. But right now, she also looked... alive. For the first time in a long time, I felt like myself again.

Once we were both ready, they wheeled us downstairs, IV poles trailing behind us. Outside, a sleek black limo was waiting at the curb. The brightness of the morning made me squint, my eyes watering as they adjusted. I hadn't felt sunlight on my skin in so long that it almost hurt, but in the best way. I let my face soak it in, closing my eyes to the gentle warmth that felt almost foreign.