I rushed out of the school building, still burning in anger. I needed to keep calm and clear my head before driving. The long day was starting to show its effects as I started yawning. Quickly hopping into the blue truck Dad left behind, I started the engine and drove off.
This car was once his, I thought to myself. I could still see the stain of yellow paint on the inside of the car door where Finn and I decided Dad needed a picture of the sun in his car. We were so young. I remember his face when he realised what we were doing, how he masked his anger with a smile and told us it was beautiful through clenched teeth. He was able to wash most of it off, but some of the acrylic got into the fibres and were impossible to remove. I didn't want to have it washed away either.
I drove past the busyness of the town and continued on my way to the private care hospital in the suburbs. It was getting late and I needed to make it in time before the little bakery across from the hospital closed. Finn loved their red velvet cupcakes and I wanted to surprise him.
***
Luckily, I made it just in time and managed to get their last box and leftover donuts. Finn's room was on the second floor in the intensive care unit. He was only 11, yet still the strongest boy I knew. I hated to see him suffer, I hated feeling helpless. I skipped school often to go see him, but today I had a class test that I needed to pass, otherwise I would have failed the year.
"Ria!" He smiled widely, his skin pale, his voice weak.
"Finn, what did I tell you about exclaiming / wasting your breath on me?" I scolded.
"It's not wasting my breath if it's you!" He giggled.
Having to care for Finn on my own was never easy. Cystic Fibrosis affects about 70,000 children and adults worldwide. Lifespans vary, the median is the mid-thirties, but it is also common for younger children to pass away in their teens. The doctors and nurses have all been more helpful than our foster parents, and I was really grateful for that.
He's been in here for over a month now, following a really bad lung infection. He couldn't be at home or in public because of all the pollutants in the air which would only worsen his condition. When he was diagnosed he was 6, and we had both of our parents. We were really strong together as we learned how to deal with all his health requirements. It didn't take long for me to learn all the medical terms and treatments involving caring for him, which really helped when Mum and Dad left us.
The rest of the day went by smoothly. I sat next to Finn, holding his hand and reading to him from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban for the 1234567890987654321th time.
YOU ARE READING
Sweetened Facade
Teen Fiction"You can't put plasters on broken glass or a bullet wound." I argued. "If someone is that shattered, what is the point?" "The point is that once you fall you get up and move on. Like skydiving. You have two options; either you fall and let yourself...
