FOUND

Junior Year

I heard

you were rushed to the hospital.

I also heard

that you only have 4 months to live.

I decided I'd visit you.

I doubt that you would remember me,

though.

One Thursday afternoon,

I stopped by.

I stood in front of your bed,

and you barely, just barely

made your frown into a smile.

Your golden smile.

"Caroline," you whispered.

So you did remember me.

"How have you been?" I asked,

which was a stupid question, in fact.

it was obvious that things were bad.

You lost weight,

you lost all your hair,

you were hooked up to so many things,

like you were prisoned by all the wires

that connect to you one way or another.

"I haven't seen you in a while." you said but paused,

and started coughing and spitting with no control.

You looked horrible, Theodore.

And I had no idea how to help you.

"Sit." You managed to say after your

coughing incident, and pointed to

a spot on your hospital bed.

I sat.

You just looked at me.

Straight in the eyes.

And that's when I saw it-

the pain

the worry

the hurt

the look of surrender

and hopelessness

you even know you can't last any longer.

After that,

I visited you every day.

Until the day you died.