Blake and Aimee

Chapter 46: Blake

I sit in the bed. Doing nothing just staring at the small tv in the corner of the room, the volume is on mute though. I don't like hospitals, the make me so depressed. It almost feels like a cemetery, where people come to die instead of already being dead. Ever since Aimee mentioned the music gig I have really had my heart set on it. And thanks to my father it will never happen. Because its "too risky". For God's sake me taking a piss in the morning is risky I could literally cark it at any moment. And it's not like there is any hope for me. Two months. That's it. And I overheard some doctors talking to Ma when they thought was I asleep, and they don't even think I'll make it that long. And they want to keep me here in this prison for the dying, for what? I going to die, I have come to terms with that for some time now. It was never a surprise for me to find out I only had six months left. I tried to be optimistic, but as soon as I was diagnosed with cancer I knew I was just a dead man walking. A bomb ready to blow at any moment without any warning whatsoever. Ma walks in, she looks frazzled.

"Ma what is it?" She looks up.

"Quick get up get dressed." What the hell?

"Why, what's wrong?" Ma stops for a second, I can see she's packing a bunch of stuff into her bag.

"I had a talk with the doctors and they said they can let you go for a few hours but your father won't like it. So, we need to go right now before he notices, otherwise there will be no way you will be able to make it to your gig tonight." My head starts spinning as I try to comprehend what she is saying.

"Wait, I can go to the gig tonight, I get to perform still?" Ma looks up and shrugs.

"Yeah isn't that what I said?" She goes back to packing and smiles at me, "You deserve this Blake, before you go, you need to do this for yourself." We get ready, Ma helps he into my wheelchair and wheels me down to the car. We had a little trouble fitting the thing into the boot but in the end, we were off.

"I love you Ma." I realise too late to cover it up that I'm crying, and she is too.

"I love you too my beautiful boy."

...

I am in the back room at the pub, the same one Juan booked for the karaoke night. There aren't many people here tonight but that's okay, just the guys from the book club who have been amazing to me I couldn't ask for better friends. And Ma, of course I couldn't do it without her. Aimee bought her dad and sister to watch. We were talking a bit when I first got there, Aimee is lucky to have such amazing people to support her. I fear she'll need it soon. Aimee walks in and the dark thoughts melt away.

"Hello my beautiful." She walks over and smiles as I pull her in for a kiss.

"Hey Blake, how is my super-famous popstar of a boyfriend?" I look down at my wheelchair.

"Pretty crippled actually." We both laugh.

"So, I have a surprise for you..."

"Is it puppy, you know I love puppies." She laughs.

"Smart arse. No, I thought it would be nice if I could bring something to remind you of home for your performance, so I did some research and made a couple of calls and... Come on in boys." I turn to the door. And the last people I ever expected to see here tonight walked through. My friends; Ian, Sam, Mark. My best friends from my home in Ireland.

"Hey Blake, long time no see buddy." Sam smiles. I try to respond but I am too choked up, tears run down my face instead. At once they all run over, nearly winding me with man-hugs. They all start tearing up.

"Goddamit Blake, we are men we don't cry." Mark attempts to sober up. Ian laughs.

"Well you might be a man but I'm not, as soon as one starts I'm gone. You'll be cleaning up my tears for weeks." We all laugh. "It's good to see you man, school isn't the same without you." Sam pipes up.

"Yeah but one thing hasn't changed, we still don't have girlfriends." Mark whistles.

"But you my dear Blakey bald boy have picked yourself quite a nice little senorita aye?" Aimee shoots them a playful glare. Mark winks at her, he has always been the flirt of the group. "Maybe I should move to London aye?" Sam and I hit him on the shoulder. "Ouch okay fine, Irish girls it is then geez."

"What are you guys even doing here?"

"Come on man," Ian puts his arm around my shoulder, "we said we were going to start a band, didn't we? Then we lost our lead singer to London and the dream crashed." Sam smiles.

"We are bringing the band back together." I laugh.

"Wait you guys are going to perform with me?" Mark rolls his eyes.

"Has love made you blind and deaf? Yes, we are going to perform with you. "Mutual Confusion" is hitting the high road." Aimee frowns from the back wall.

"Mutual Confusion? Explanation anyone?" Sam sticks his head out.

"Yeah it's the band name we came up with in ninth grade. Because we were all mutually confused pubescent teenage boys trying to figure out how to get laid." Aimee nods in approval. Mark sniggers.

"Aimee quick question for you?" Sam and Ian groan. Aimee raises her eyebrows.

"Don't even think about it Mark." I slap him on the shoulder, but he ignores me. Good to see nothing has changed.

"So... did you pop his cherry?" Aimee smiles.

"Something like that." Oh, that sent them into an uproar, off they go whooping and cheering like I'd just won some bloody football tournament. Aimee laughs.