Don't Let Go || Liam Payne

1: One Wish

“Hey kid,” I said, smiling as I sat down next to my sister’s hospital bed. “I brought dessert.”

She grinned as I handed her the small personal-sized container of cookie dough flavored ice cream.

“Thanks,” she said, removing the lid.

“How ya feeling?” I took out my own ice cream and dug in. She shrugged and didn’t say anything as she ate.

Having a sister with cancer was sort of a daily struggle. It definitely took a toll on the entire family. Since Aria became sick, I’d been forced to grow up in a sense. I was the responsible one. Ella was only six years old. She needed me. I had to be there for her. But I also had to be there for my parents. Of course they couldn’t cope with this whole ‘Our Daughter Is Dying’ concept. They needed me to help around the house and take care of my little sister. It’s a lot bigger job than it sounds.

Most of all, Aria needed me. She needed me more than anyone else. Of course I had no other choice than to be there for her every single second of every single day because God only knew how many she had left. She was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia when she was ten years old. For the following four years, my family had been trying to stay strong, but I have to admit it was difficult.

 She looked deep in thought as she shoveled the frozen goodness into her mouth.

“I know what I want for my wish,” she suddenly declared. I smiled.

“That’s great. But why so suddenly?”

In case you aren’t familiar with this, the Make-A-Wish foundation is an organization that grants one wish for children with life-threatening medical conditions. Aria had always said that she wanted to save her wish until the last minute.  After all, she only got one, and she was always one to make smart decisions.

She shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“Come on, don’t give me that. Of course you know. Spit it out.”

“Well, let’s be honest here Jess…I’ve been in the hospital for a few weeks now. Do you honestly think I’ll make it another year? Another few months even?”

“Hey, don’t talk like that,” I said, getting up and making her scooch over on the hospital bed so I could lie next to her.

“It’s the truth. You know it is. Even Mom and Dad think it.”

“They do not. Would you cut it out? I’m totally for you spending your wish, but be smart about it. Don’t waste it on something stupid,” I advised. She rolled her eyes.

“You know I wouldn’t.”

“What is it anyways? Wait….let me guess….Disneyland. Am I right? Oh, I so called it! You’ve always been a sucker for those movies!”

She laughed. “It’s not Disneyland! But who doesn’t love Disney movies? I mean, come on….”

“Alright, alright,” I said, holding my hands up in surrender. “Understandable. But really, what’s your wish?”

She took a deep breath. “I want to meet One Direction.” She waited for my reaction, searching my face expectantly.

“Oh,” I blurted out. It didn’t sound as excited as I had intended.

“You think it’s stupid! I knew it,” she muttered.

“What? No, no, no! I don’t! I just think…I don’t know. Are you sure that’s the one thing you want the most?”

“Yes! I’ve thought a lot about it. I’m sure this is what I want.” She looked so serious. Maybe these boys meant more to her than I thought they did.

The thought finally hit me that she was picking her wish because she thought she was going to die soon. Aria didn’t believe she had much longer, and when Aria gives up so do the rest of us. She’d always been a fighter. I admired her for that, but then it seemed like she was surrendering the battle.

“Are you crying?” she asked, cocking her head to the side. I hadn’t even noticed until she pointed it out. I quickly wiped my eyes and tried to recompose myself.

“No, no. I’m fine. Um, if that’s really what you want then you should let Mom and Dad know so they can get in touch with the Make-A-Wish people.”

She smiled. “I’m glad you’re on board with it.”

Did I really have a choice?

AUTHORS NOTE

HI (: posting this story just to see what people think! let me know your opinion and tell me if I should continue it or not. Let me know what I can improve on. Thanks so much for checking it out so far!