PART ONE
“I’m sick,” Kimberley whispered through the darkness, her voice cutting through the silence like a knife.
Cheryl rolled onto her side and blindly reached out to touch her best friend. It took a few frustrating attempts but she eventually managed to interlock their fingers.
“What do you mean?” she asked cautiously, “like the flu or something, babe?”
Through the darkness, she watched as Kimberley shook her head.
Her brow furrowed and she immediately scooted closer, releasing her hold on Kimberley’s hand so she could embrace her instead.
“Cheryl,” Kimberley started, her voice wavering, “I have… erm…” she sobbed loudly.
Cheryl leant forward and pressed her lips against Kimberley’s cheek. Her heart tightened painfully when she tasted the salty tears. She lifted a hand and carefully cupped her friend’s face. It seemed to give the older woman the stability to continue.
“I have breast-cancer.”
For Cheryl, it felt like all the oxygen had been sucked out of the room. For Kimberley, it felt like a weight off her shoulders.
The older woman chewed anxiously on her lower lip, waiting for Cheryl to respond.
“How…? How long have you known? Are you sure?” Cheryl gasped desperately.
She pushed her fingers through Kimberley’s hair and pulled her closer to kiss her forehead. The questions she’d just asked were pointless. Kimberley wouldn’t tell her something like this if she wasn’t positive.
“I’m sorry,” Kimberley sobbed, burying her face underneath Cheryl’s chin, “I’m sorry.”
Cheryl shook her head and laughed, although the sound held no humour, “Why the hell are you apologising to us, babe?”
She felt the older woman shrug feebly, “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Shut up,” Cheryl threw back.
She squeezed her eyes shut and released a shuddering breath. There were so many things she wanted to ask but now wasn’t the time. She could sense that Kimberley was seconds away from either having a complete break down or passing out. Cheryl stroked her knuckles across her friend’s cheek and sighed sadly. She felt Kimberley melt comfortably into her arms and less than five minutes later, the sound of her breathing alerted Cheryl that she’d fallen asleep after all.
That’s when Cheryl started to cry silent tears.
***
When Cheryl woke up the next day, Kimberley was nowhere in sight. She hurriedly made the bed before walking over to the open window. The streets were buzzing with people already, letting Cheryl know that she’d slept for longer than she was supposed to. She toyed with the curtains for a second before dropping her hands exasperatedly.
Just as she was about to disappear into the bathroom to get showered, the hotel room door clicked and opened. Cheryl turned around and watched as Kimberley walked inside with a tray of Starbuck’s goodies in one hand and her handbag in the other.
Cheryl refused to say anything until Kimberley walked over and held out a polystyrene cup.
“Babe,” she started slowly, however Kimberley cut her off.
“The girls want to go shopping today,” she announced enthusiastically—maybe a bit too enthusiastically. Kimberley spun back around in her heels and shot a nervous glance in Cheryl’s direction. “I think Nicola said she would swing by and meet us in half an hour?”
