Hold On, I'll See You Again

I'm Not Alone

I awoke at 8:00am, slightly in pain and very hungry. My IV was gone, and the wheelchair stood beside the bed. I flexed my toes, swung my legs to the edge of the bed, and stood up. I gingerly walked towards a mirror hanging on the wall, and pulled up my shirt. A huge scar ran across the left side of my chest. I sighed. I can beat this. I opened the door, and made my way down the hall. There was a main room with computers, books, and bean bags where the adults could gather. It seemed empty, except for a man. I could only see the back of his head, but his broad sholders. Damn. I opened the door and walked into the room. He quickly looked up, and saw me. I waved a bit, but thankfully, he smiled and waved back. I walked over to him. "Hey. It seems you've found my hideout." "Heh. Yea. First day here. What's your name?" "Dan. Yours?" "Phil. Nice to meet you." "Yea." He smiled a bit. Man, he was cute from the font and the back? Was he single? "Please, sit down." I sat opposite of him, and for several minutes, we talked about our interests. It would've gone on longer had my stomach not made a noise like a dying whale. "Oh. Whoops. Forgot to eat." "We need to fix that. Follow me." He got up and extended a hand for me to grab. I stood up, but he still held onto my hand. I blushed a bit. Hopefully he didn't notice. He smiled at me, and led me out of the hall, out of the sleeping wing, and to the cafeteria. A few workers in the hall said hi to him as he walked with me. "Hey, Dan! Got yourself a boyfriend?" I blushed, and so did he. "Um... No." Oh. Well, yea. Duh. We only met each other a few minutes ago. We're just...holding hands. He still held my hand as we walked into the cafeteria. "Ok. Breakfast. Good thing I didn't eat as well." "Aw. I get to have breakfast with you!" We smiled at each other. Releasing my hand, he handed me a tray and led me over to the long row of trays. After selecting a croissant, eggs, and some strawberries, I waited for Dan to get his food, and we sat down at a freshly sterilized table for two. We continued talking about our interests even after we finished our food. I must say, this boy has charm and looks. Except he doesn't know it. He's shy, but it seems like he's sort of comfortable talking to me. "So Phil. Why are you here?" My smile vanished. "Sorry. You don't have to tell me." "No. It's ok. Basically, I've been avoiding the doctors for the past few years." He gave me a harsh stare. "I know. So anyway, I came in because I've had breathing problems for the past two months, and I thought it was my childhood asthma coming back to haunt me. Anyway, the doctor listened to my lungs, took and X-ray, and basically, there was a tumor in my bronchial tubes. I got it surgically removed last night." He slowly exhaled. "What did the doctor say about it?" "Most likely... Terminal." My eyes teared up a bit at the word. Dan got up and hugged me. I squeezed him tightly back despite some pain from the surgery. "What about you?" "Well, I've had pains in my head the past year, and five months ago, I was admitted into the hospital because the doctors found I had brain cancer. Terminal." I hugged him again, only tighter. I might still have a fighting chance, but Dan here doesn't. We stayed like that for several minutes until a janitor kindly told us they had to close down the cafeteria for a bit. We held hands once again as we walked back to our rooms. Before I could go to my room, Dan stopped in front of another one, opened it, and pulled me inside. It was a bit bigger than mine, but not by much. He led me over to a couch, sat down, and pulled me down with him. We continued hugging each other while sitting in his room. It seemed necessary at the time to do so. We both needed it. A knock on the door startled us. Dan got up and opened it, and a doctor I didn't recognize was standing on the other side. "Hey, Dan. We need to do your fifth round of chemo in five minutes. Just to inform you." "Oh. Ok. Could I bring someone along for moral support?" "I suppose so. Who?" Dan motioned towards me. "Oh Phil! Of course. I helped a bit with your operation last night. How's it going?" "Fine. When can I go home?" "Um... Best to keep you here for a while to see if the surgery cleared you up." I nodded as Dan closed the door, promising he'll be on time to his round of chemo. "Did you mean it? I can come with you?" "Only if you want to." I engulfed him in yet another hug. I didn't want to be alone just yet. I looked up at him, seeing a giant smile on his face. He then let go and went to the bathroom, and in less than three minutes later, we were off to his appointment.