Just One More Night

Chapter 16

I put my face in my hands and rant fingers in my hair trying to calm myself down. I felt a light hand on my shoulder and I looked up towards Bethany.

"Are you alright?" She asked sincerely.

I shook my head no and held back tears that hurt my throat.

"What type does she have?" I asked and she turned her face away from mine. Obviously very saddened by the subject.

"Lung cancer," she said and hid her face underneath her dark hair.

"How?" I asked her.

"Our mother smoked very much around her, even when she was pregnant," she says softly as if she doesn't want to repeat the past all over again.

"Why do you not have it too?" I asked too harshly and felt horrible. Her face sank and tucked a hair behind her ear.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to say it that way," I apologized. She shook her head and sniffled.

"No it's true, I don't have cancer. When I was born my mother was I guess a normal well brought mother until my father died in a car accident when I was ten. She then hid all of her emotions in alcohol, and I was scared of her," she said and took a deep breath but continued. "Then she met another man who got her pregnant with Eliza. He then left for another woman shortly after and my mother had switched to cigarettes which is this cause for this," she said and gestured towards Eliza in the small hospital bed.

I knew her mum was bad but I never knew this bad. Why wouldn't she tell me anything? Probably because of thinking I would leave. But I would never leave her, I feel as if I should protect her and spend as much time as I can with her.

"When I was old enough I raised her for as long as I could until she would go to college," she said to me.

"How long has she known?" I asked and she looked down at her hands.

"More than a year now, I have always wanted her to get tested but she never would. Finally she did.." She says and trails off in thought.

I wonder if she has blamed herself for her sister being this way. It was not at all her fault but it may have been better if she really pressured Eliza to go to the doctor.

"Does she take medication and therapy?" I asked.

She shook her head no with her glossy eyes. "She doesn't want to be in this hospital daily, she wants to live out her life."

Why would she not want to live as long as she could? I mean I know she had a tough childhood but she needs to live.

"Oh." I said and retuned my head into my hands.

"She could also decided against that since you are here," she said making my head jerk up slowly.

"What?"

"I can tell the way you care about her, you wouldn't be here if you didn't. And I know she cares about you, she has to," she said to me.

I smile a small smile, "She may mean more to me than she thinks."

"Since you are here, she has another reason to live," she said making my heart warm. Even how much I want that to be true, I'm not sure.