Carry On

Chapter four: Of

"I hope I'm not intruding on anything." A young nurse quietly slid back the curtain from around the bed and smiled gently at them.

"No," Josh coughed and sat up a little, grunting at the effort and not noticing that there were a few clumps of ash brown hair left on the part of the mattress that his head had been resting on. He nudged Lilly, who sat up with him, and rearranged the pillows behind them. Josh sank down into them thankfully.

"What can we do for you?" Lilly tilted her head as she asked the question, and her boyfriend nodded.

"Well... This subject might be a little sensitive, but I thought it might be best to give you the option." The young lady pulled a plastic tray off the trolley behind her, and held it out to Lilly in silence, gesturing to the hair that had fallen from Josh's head earlier. On the tray, lay an electric razor.
The young man stared at it with wide eyes, obviously conflicted, and lifted shaking hands to his scalp, running his fingertips lightly through what remained of his hair.
He held his hand out, palm up, when he reached the end. A large clump of sat on it, staring at him with beady black eyes that didn't exist, but still felt just as real. Josh glared at it angrily, and blew it onto the tray.

"Okay." Lilly looked at him in surprise as he spoke, expecting him to immediately refuse. His hair had been one of the things Josh had taken great pride in once upon a time. "Okay," he repeated, as if trying to convince himself more than anyone else, "I'll do it."
The nurse smiled, and set the tray on the bedside table, having to push a box of chocolate and a few condolence cards to the side first.

"It takes a lot of strength to make that decision. Good luck." She left shortly after that, promising to come back for the razor when they were done.
Lilly turned to Josh, and looked at him seriously. "You don't have to do this, you know."

"I know. But I'm doing it anyway. I want to do this- I have to do this."

"Okay, well you know I'm with you. Every step of the way."

"Yeah I know. Forever and always, and all that cheesy shit." Josh grinned at her, and picked up the razor with shaking hands. Lilly switched it on, a gentle buzzing filling the room. "Do you want me to help?" She whispered

"I-I think I should be the one to start this," Josh replied, his voice cracking.
"
Okay."
Josh lifted the electric razor to his head, and shaved off a chunk of hair, then another, and another. Soon, half of it was gone, and the tears that had pricked the corners of his eyes finally fell down his cheeks.

"H-How much m-more?"

"Oh Josh, I promise we're almost done." Lilly paused, "Do you want me to do the rest?"

"Yeah..." Josh passed it to his girlfriend, and wiped his eyes angrily.
Under her steady hand, it didn't take long until Josh's hair was well and truly on the floor. Lilly swept it up and put it on the tray, then placed it back on the table.

"I love you, so much. Thank you Lilly."

"I love you too," Lilly let Josh burry his face in the crook of her neck as he cried, drawing gentle circles on his back until his breathing gradually slowed and it was clear that he had fallen asleep.