Fake Smiles

#21: Just A Dream

Ethan, Grayson and Lily walked into the hospital. She was going to attempt the treatment to cure her cancer. She was so nervous, yet excited. She hugged Grayson's arm as they entered. They were greeted by a middle aged woman at the desk.

"Hello" the middle aged woman greeted. "Do you have an appointment?" She asked.

"Yeah, we're here to start my treatment" Lily said. She gave her the papers containing information on her treatment. The woman scanned the papers, then directed them to the waiting room.

They were waiting for what felt like forever. There were a few children in the waiting room. They were giggling and running around. Lily smiled as she watched them play. She's always wanted to have children. But then she was diagnosed with cancer. Her dreams came crashing down. No one would want to love a dying girl. And she might put the baby at risk, or herself.

But now there's a treatment!

"Hey" Grayson whispered. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah" she smiled. "Watching those kids reminded me how much I want kids of my own. I've always wanted kids, but then I was diagnosed with cancer and then... but now I've got the treatment!"

"Maybe, one day, we could have a family of our own" he said. "We'll have plenty of kids; four, maybe five. We'll live in a big house in a warm place. We'll constantly be visiting family. And we'll have Ethan and his family over. We'll have family days out. We'll have holidays around the world. We would be sitting on the beach while the kids run around and swim in the ocean".

"I'd like that" she smiled while bringing him in for a kiss. He kissed back the second their lips were connected.

They were finally called in. She was told to change into a hospital robe. She did as she was told. She sat in bed as the doctors started checking everything. Grayson was standing next to her, holding her hand.

"Gray?" He looked down. "I'm scared".

"Don't be! You're in perfect hands! I will wait for you. I won't leave. You will wake up and the cancer will be gone. We'll be able to go home and do absolutely anything we want. You'll be fine! I'll be here with you! I will never leave you!"

She smiled at him as she was taken to a room full off bright lights. She blinked away the tears and watched the doctors place the oxygen mask on her. Slowly, she faded into a deep sleep.

Lily woke up wrapped in Grayson's arms. She smiled as she cuddled up to him. She looked around to see she was in a hospital bed. She was confused. But then realised what happened. Memories of yesterday flooded her mind. She couldn't help but smile at the thought.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Grayson waking up. He smiled at her and in his morning voice, said "Morning Beautiful!" She got butterflies in her stomach and her heart fluttered.

"Morning Handsome!" She replied. He sat up and climbed out of bed. She sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes. She crossed her legs and watched him sit down in the chair next to her.

They began to talk until the doctor walked in. "Good morning" the doctor said. "How are you today?"

"Better!"

"We have attempted the treatment... and we are glad to say that it has worked! We were able to safely remove the tumor! You'll have to stay over night so we can assess you. But after that, you're free to go home! We'll bring you both breakfast in a minute. I'll give you some time to process everything". The doctor left the room.

Grayson tackled Lily into a hug. She cried on his shoulder. They sat cuddling for a few minutes until their breakfast was brought to them. They ate their breakfast and spent the day watching movies on Grayson's laptop.

At 11am, Ethan had arrived at the hospital. He hugged Lily and then gave her flowers. She thanked him as she placed them on the table next to her bed. "How'd it go?" He asked.

"I'm cancer free!" She exclaimed with joy. He pulled her into a hug and congratulated her. They all spent the day in the hospital watching movies and eating food.

They fell asleep at early hours in the morning. They woke up to a bright light. Their eyes adjusted to the light and saw Ethan laughing at them. They smiled as he walked towards them.

The doctor entered the room. "You are free to leave whenever you want. Have plenty of rest and drink plenty of water. You need to boost your energy. You may feel a bit drowsy" the doctor said before leaving the room.

Lily kicked the twins out her room while she changed. After getting ready, she was discharged from the hospital. Ethan drove them home and the twins helped her to the apartment. Ethan left them in the apartment for about an hour.

He returned to see them cuddling on the couch. He sat next to Lily and opened the shopping bags he had carried in. He pulled out the food he brought, and presented them on the floor. A smile crept on Grayson's and Lily's face.

They spent the rest of the day watching movies and eating the food that Ethan brought. They watched so many movies until it was dark outside; so dark, they couldn't see where they were going. They walked to bed. Ethan said "Goodnight" as he entered his room.

Grayson and Lily walked into Grayson's room. They crawled into his bed and watched movies on his laptop. Lily cuddled up to his chest and they cuddled each other. Eventually, she fell asleep in his arms.

She woke up to the voice of someone familiar. "Lily! Wake up, birthday girl! Happy Birthday!" She opened her eyes and saw her parents. They were smiling down at her. She looked around and saw she was in her room. She had dreamt about meeting this Grayson and falling in love with him. He's probably not even real, only part of her imagination.

It was only just a dream.