Quiet Like a Ghost

Chapter Fifteen: Dahlia

While I slept, Opal and Ryan decided that they'd clean out the room that I use for storage, so Ryan and Allie could move in. I think that's a little more Opal's idea, seeing she's constantly worrying about me, but it's a good idea; between my cancer and the baby coming, we need some help.

"Devin, you awake?" Opal asks, petting my hair. "No..." I smile, shaking my head. "Ryan and I are going to clean out that back room you just throw random stuff in so him and Allie can live here so if I'm not here for some reason and something happens they can help you." She summarizes. "I know, I overheard." I nod. "You cool with that?"

"If it makes you happy."

"It will, I love you." She smiles, kissing my forehead. "I love you too." I whisper, pulling myself up, kissing her. "I'm going to start on the room." Ryan leaves letting us have some privacy. We make out for a good ten minutes before I start to feel lightheaded and she decides to go help Ryan. "Babe, I'm fine, stay." I whisper, pulling her to straddle my waist. Her baby bump is more noticeable in this position, it just barely making it hard for her to lean to kiss me. I sit up, wrapping her legs around me and kissing her hard.

I rub her back, knowing it was probably hurting as it has been lately. I must've done something right because she moaned into our kiss, leaning against me more. I continue to rub that spot, she eventually breaking away from our kiss, laying her head on my shoulder, obviously feeling better. "Thank you..." She whispers, her eyes closing. "No problem, how about you sit and relax and I help Ryan." I suggest. "Devi, your head--"

"Shh, I'm fine. Really, relax." I tell her, getting up and setting her on the couch. "Fine." She smiles weakly, letting me. "Thank you." I kiss her head.

"Enlist a woman get her man huh?" Ryan chuckles, "Anyway, I went through some of it, that pile are things I thought you'd really like to keep, that one is for things I wasn't sure about." He tells me. "Looks about right..." I nod. Honestly I don't care about anything I own at the moment, less the better. That way when I die, there won't be too much for Opal to deal with.

We work through it, putting a lot of it in the 'get rid of' pile. If I don't need it or its not any family memorabilia then it's gone. "Awe is that baby Dahl?" Ryan asks, holding a picture of Dahlia and I. "Yeah." I nod. "She always had those stunning blue eyes huh?" He asks, staring at the picture. "Yeah, dude, you ok?" I ask. "Yeah, yeah. It's just... she refuses to speak to me. I do care a lot about her still, even though she broke up with me and went to my best friend." He says, a bit of anger at the 'best friend' part.

"Dude, you have Allie now. Let Dahl go." I tell him, taking the picture from him. "I know, I thought I did." He runs his hands through his hair. "I worry about her though. Do you know if those freak out moments are still happening?" He asks. "No, I don't. I haven't talked to her. I've been trying to figure out how to tell her that her older brother's dying." I mutter.

"Hey, stop with the dying shit. You aren't going to die. We are going to get you what ever treatment that helps you." He tells me. "It's brain cancer, the chances it won't kill me before my kid's graduation is pretty slim." I sigh, I wish I didn't get Opal pregnant. It's stressing me out even with the knowledge that Ricky promised to take care of them. "Come here." He pulls me towards him, hugging me. "I know it's hard to believe that you'll be ok so just believe in us. Me, Ricky, Chris, Vinny, all of us are going to be there for your baby. No matter what, your kid is going to be okay."

I couldn't help it, I start crying like a baby. "I don't want to die." I sob, Ryan holding me. "I want to be there when my kid gets married." I rattle off different situations I'm worried I'll miss, soaking his shirt with my tears.

"Babe, everything will be alright." Opal says behind me, pulling me to her, freeing Ryan. I don't respond, I'm in a very pessimistic mood and I don't want to scare her. She pulls me to the bedroom, making me lay down. "Devin, I know your scared but everything's going to be okay." She tells me, kissing my forehead. I still don't respond, I want to scream that everything won't be ok and I'm fucking dying but it won't do anything but upset her.

I fall asleep again, Opal making me. It was probably for the best, I was in a horrible mood, in between putting a bullet through my head and being worried about my unborn child. When I wake up again I don't even get up, I just want to sleep more, ignore my problems.

"WHY THE FUCK DIDN'T YOU TELL ME!" I hear Dahlia scream at me. "Ow, fuck." I cover my ears. She keeps talking to me until Josh comes in, telling her to be quiet. She walks over to me, taking my hands off my ears. "Why didn't you tell me you have cancer?" Her voice cracks, about to cry. "Dahl, I didn't want you to worry." I whisper, not able to find my voice to be louder.

She ends up crying, making me hold her. "Are you in pain?" She asks. "Only when I forget to take my meds, or there's a loud noise, or when I get mad." I tell her quietly. "Oh, sorry." She apologizes for earlier. "It's ok. Anyway did Josh tell you?" I ask. "He didn't mean to. I asked how you were and he forgot I didn't know and said you freaked out on Chris and Ricky which led to you having a horrible headache. After I heard that I asked what was wrong and he wouldn't respond until I told him I'd cut his dick off if he didn't tell me." That makes me chuckle, "Ok, I forgive him." I nod.