Long checkered shirts

Daisy.

"Alright girls! That's enough now, you have to calm down." Daisy's mum said as she tried to seat us in the living room, which had to be hard with two hyper six year olds.

We giggled and sat down together on the brown carpet in front of the television.

"Oh, they're only like this because Alex won't be able to see Daisy for a couple of weeks" My mum said, smiling at the two little girls giggling at there favourite television program.

"She's only going to Bosnia, it's not a big deal!" Masie says.

"Well it is to her!" Janice argues.

"Well maybe if she had more friends she would be more normal." My stroppy teenage sister says.

"Masie! Don't be so rude! Alex isn't as social as you, and if it wasn't for Daisy being so kind hearted she wouldn't have any friends. Daisy really is a blessing, isn't she?" My mum says, now focusing on Daisy's mum.
"Yeah, she is..." Daisy's mum answers, trailing off.
"Mary, are you okay?" Janice asks, and Mary gets up, "of course!" She shouts and laughing it off, "who wants some more tea?" Then she leave the room.
I watch her leave and she must have thought that no one saw her because as soon as she thought she was out of sight, I saw her brake down into tears, as she carried on walking towards the kitchen, but I turn my attention back to the T.V.

I was six... What could I have done?
What could I have done..?
What could I have done...?

Tell Janice maybe...

I couldn't.

How about Masie. I thought you were smarter than her.

I-I..

Pathetic, you couldn't even tell when your friend was ill.

It wasn't my fault.
It wasn't my fault.
It wasn't my fault!
"IT WASN'T MY FAULT!"

"Hey, hey... Calm down.." My nurse is by my side, why can I not remember her name? Why doesn't she have a badge?

"Slow breaths... What's going on?"

I look at myself in the mirror by my bedside, my hair is a mess, I have bags under my eyes and I'm sweaty and red. Attractive.

But I don't have spots or blackheads... I've always been lucky like that.

"What?" I ask, my head hurts and I feel light headed.

"Why were you screaming and shaking your head?"

"What?"

"You sat up and starting having a sort of tantrum..."

"What?" Why is that the only thing I can say, I understand what's she saying but nothing is making sense... My mind is everywhere... What was I thinking about... Why was I screaming? When did I fall asleep? What day is it? Why was I thinking of what I was thinking? Where's Paul, and Masie?.. Danielle..? Why am I thinking of Danielle? So many questions but for some reason I manage,

"Can I have some tea?"
"Tea?" She says with confusion.
I nod... Why do I want tea?
Why am I thinking about tea? Was that what the dream was about?
"I'll get you that tea..." My nurse leaves and I lay down.

I look at the ceiling, there are finding nemo drawings that have been badly coloured in by a five year old hanging from it, dangling, turning... It makes me laugh, Paul colours like that. I wonder why that's up there...

I then turn on my right, and I see a necklace... Who's is it? I pick it up. And lay on my back to look at it more carefully. It's beautiful, so precious, it must be important to whoever it belongs to... It looks so significant, I cock my head and handle it carefully, like it was made of glass, but it's not, it's made out of some wood, it's beautiful wood, it's... It's...

"It's from a Bosnian tree, isn't it beautiful!"

I jolt up, the necklace still in my hands.

Who's voice was that?

"It's so beautiful! I will treasure it forever!"

Who's voice is that?

"Forever?"
"Forever!"
"Will we be friends forever?"
"For-ev-R!"
I can see something, two girls, like I'm having a flash back...

The two girls laugh, as they pinky promise their forever lasting friendship, in front of a house, on a small bricked wall.

"Come on Daisy... We have to go.." Mary shouts out, softly.
"What?! But you just got back!" I say, sulky because I'm not getting what I want. I've missed her so badly and we have only seen each other for what feels like a couple of seconds.
"Alex, don't worry! Hopefully, after I'm gone this once more, I'll never be gone again!" Daisy says, with a light of hope in her eye, I trusted that light, it was always right.
"Okay..." I nod slowly, "but can you at least tell me where you are going?"
"My mum hasn't really told me yet, all I know is that when I go I'm going to be able to run around with you again and we won't have to always call my mum when I am out of breath-"
"But I don't mind! We can crawl everywhere if we have too! Please don't go!"
"Daisy! Come on let's... Let's go... NOW!"
"Goodbye, Alex, I love you best friend for ever lasting life!"
"I love you too, BFFELL!"

She jumps off the wall and walks down to her mum.

She gets in the car and waves to me, blowing a kiss as her mum drives the car away, I catch it, and blow one back and she catches it.

When the car is facing the other way, she turns to look out of the back window, waving and smiling her brightest smile.

I wave the biggest wave I can and shout: "SEE YOU SOON!"

"Okay, honey," my mum says as she puts her hand on my shoulder and bends down a bit to look at my face, it's red, but I guessed that it was because of the chilly weather, "let's get some ice cream, huh?"

"Yeah!" I shout jumping in the air and running ahead, then faintly I hear my sister, "what are you going to tell her?"
"Nothing, and neither are you!"
"But she-"
"Enough! Masie... Please I can't deal with this... Not today..."

"Come on guys!" I shout.

Stop. I think.
I think: stop running!
I think: go and ask where she's gone!
I think: go and ask if you can see her!
I think: please!
Please!

"PLEASE!"
"Alex, you're doing it again! Breath!"
I open my eyes to find my nurse again, I breath heavily.

"Where's Daisy?"
"What?"
"My friend, she left, then I went to get ice cream, and then.. And then..."

I look down, there's a necklace, I look up, there's children's drawings, I look around, there are beds. I'm in a children's ward? Why? I look across, an empty bed. I get up, going towards the bed.

"Alex, please go and lay down."
I keep walking.
"Alex..."
There's faded words on the white board by the bed.
"Alex, come on... Alex?"
a sy s he e

"Asy?" I whisper out loud.
"Daisy?" My friend? My childhood friend? She wasn't here...
Was here.. Daisy...

"DAISY!" I scream.
"DAISY!" My scream is sharp and short.
"DAAISYY!!" My vicious scream so long I bend over, and fall to the ground.

Nurses rush over but I ignore them, grabbing at me, taking me back to my bed. But I don't retaliate. I just stare blankly at the wall. Daisy was here. Tears sting my face. Daisy, the little girl, I made friends with in here. Daisy. The one who thought Danielle was my girlfriend. Daisy, the one with the cute giggle. The one who coughed when she laughed to much. The one who had to be taken out so many times because on her illness. The one that told me she had a week.

A week.

What day is it?
What day is it?
What day is it?
What day is it?

As the doctors lay me back down on the bed, I turn my head, look straight at my nurse and ask "when did she leave?"
"Saturday, 16th of September."
"What day is it?"
"Sunday..."
"The what?..." I ask, I don't know what to expect, I start to cry and panic.
"24th..."
"OF?!"
"November.."
"NOOOO!" I scream, as the doctors put something over my mouth, and again.

I'm out.