All it takes - Short story

Chapter two

I walked down corridor after corridor, signs were everywhere telling to 'Stop. Go back if you are not a member of staff' but I carried on walking. Hospitals were weird, like, morbid in a way. I lent myself against a white wall, I turned my phone on despite what mum said. Silence fell in the corridor, I suddenly felt something come over me. 

I began walking, when I looked up there was a sign that said, 'Cancer ward'. I tried to pull the door open but it was locked firmly. I can understand why. I peered through the little glass windows when suddenly a pale white girl walked out with a tall rack that rolled across the floor as if it was tied to her. She looked so thin and unhealthy. It felt like a scene out of a horror movie where the cancer patient kid comes rolling onto the scene and chases after the poor boy. 

I froze on the spot  and backed away from the door feeling extremely embarrassed, I still held eye contact with her. She was really pretty, she walked up to the door and put her hand on the glass. Her face was thin, her hands were skinny. She looked down and pressed something, the door unlocked and she came struggling out. I felt so sorry for her. She didn't look sad, she looked happy. 

The girl looked about my age, but she looked so diffrerent to what the hospital pro adverts show of cancer patients. "Are you okay?" I asked, wondering why she had stopped. "Yeah" She replied, she had a husky voice. "Do you need anything?" I asked, I tried not to sound rude. "Yeah" She replied once again. My eyes moved to every object and sign in the room. God what do I say now? "Um, what do you need?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows. "Someone to talk to" She replied. 

I inhaled deeply, "Er, okay" I replied. I went and sat down on one of the cushion chairs that were across the corridor. The girl came and sat down next to me. "So whats your name? I hope its not 'Yeah'" I joked. The girl laughed which made me smile. "My name's Jasmine, whats yours?" She asked. "My name is Reece, how old are you?" "I'm seventeen, it's my birthday tomorrow" Jasmine replied. "I'm eighteen nearly nineteen, but hows about that? Happy birthday for tomorrow" I replied. 

We sat there in silence for a few minutes, "Having, cancer... Its so hard to live with. My mum and dad talk to me like nothing is wrong. But there is something wrong, with me. Its killing me, Reece. When I saw you, I-I knew you were a new face. I don't want to trouble you I just want someone new to talk to about it" Jasmine said. I didn't really know what to say. I just looked up and stared into her eyes, "I don't know how to talk to you Jasmine, I'm so sorry but I have to go I don't want to upset you" I said as I got up to walk away. 

She grabbed my hand, "Please Reece let me talk to you. Nobody knows i'm here."She pleaded. I wasn't going to leave her like this. I sat back down. "Okay, tell me all about yourself. I'll listen, my aunt is in labour and I'm bored out of my mind so just go for it" I said. Jasmine burst out laughing. She squeezed my hand, I forgot that she hadn't let go.

"Okay, so I am really excited for my birthday tomorrow..." She started, I smiled at how happy she seemed even though she was living her life with the Devils disease. 

We sat there for hours talking about how her life was before, apparently she knew her whole way around the hospital. She told me she hadn't eaten chocolate for over five years since she was diagnosed so we both went to get her a chocolate bar from the vending machine. "So which one do you want?" I asked happily looking at the wide range of chocolate. Jasmine bit her lip, I'll have the aero please that used to be my favourite one when I was a kid!" She exclaimed happily, I punched in the co-ordinate things as we watched the green aero bar fall into the pocket. I grabbed the chocolate bar and opened it for her, "Here you go its all yours" I said kindly. She snapped off the first piece and handed it over to me. "Here you have some" Jasmine said. "No you have it I bought it for you" I replied. "Exactly, have some" She said. 

I rolled my eyes playfully making her smile and took the piece of chocolate from her hand and put it in my mouth, "I can feel the bubbles" I said. "So can I" Jasmine said. "How does it taste?" I asked, wondering if aero had gotten better or worse. "The same, it tastes a bit like memories" She replied. I stopped smiling but drew a fake one on my face as Jasmine was still smiling. 

"So what are you planning on doing for your birthday then?" I asked wanting to break the silence as we walked back to the ward. "Um, Well I just want my family around me I suppose"  Jasmine replied "You don't seem to want much do you" I said jokingly, Jasmine smiled. We slowly walked back to the seats when my phone suddenly started to ring in my pocket. "Hold on, sorry" I said as I walked down the hallway a bit to answer the call. 

"Hello?" I asked. 

"Reece where are you?" It was mum.

"I'm just chillin' in a corridor"

"Well get back here I think that Debbie is ready to have the baby, you got five minutes." She hung up.

I slowly walked back to Jasmine who was smiling sweetly at me, "Hey, um, I gotta go... my aunt might be having the baby soon" I said awkwardly, I kind of felt bad leaving Jasmine. 

Her face fell as she stood up, "Okay. Wish your aunt good luck from me please. Goodbye, Reece" Jasmine said as she kissed me lightly on my cheek to say goodbye. "Goodbye, happy birthday day for tomorrow, have a good day wont you" I said. "Yeah, Ill try" She said glumly. She knocked on the door as a nurse was mopping the floor. The nurse opened the door by the button and let Jasmine in. 

I smiled at jasmine as she wheeled her metal poles across the floor back to her room, I speed walked back to the waiting room/corridor to find my mum crying tears of joy. "She had the baby" She exclaimed clearly elated. I smiled happily as I had another new baby cousin.

The hours flew by and we were finally back home, all I could think about was Jasmine. I don't know why I was being so sensitive all of a sudden. I suppose I feel sorry for her. I slowly drifted off to sleep. I wasn't going to let Jasmine go now.

We were friends and I wanted to visit her on her birthday.