But counting down the days to go
It just ain't living.
•••
The days had passed quickly.
Finn signed his name in absentmindedly as Cara gave her usual treat to Scout. He only nodded in response as she wished him a good day before he walked to Mark's room quickly. He opened the door a little too rough, making everyone jump as it hit the wall with a slam.
"Sorry," he mumbled out before closing the door and setting Scout down. Finn looked up as he was about to speak but he stopped shortly when he saw two faces he hadn't seen in a while.
"How are you Finn?" The woman spoke.
"I'm great," Finn muttered out as he hugged Mark's mother. He did the same to Mark's father, a feeling of worry immediately growing over him.
Mark's parents always visited when his friends weren't here. They wanted more private time with him, which was understandable, but now that they were here at the same time, Finn began to worry.
"Is everything okay?" He voiced his worry out loud.
Mark nodded, "Of course. Everyone's here, what's the problem?"
Finn shrugged, feeling weird about the whole situation. He tried brushing it off though, not wanting to take any attention from Mark. Finn sighed as the man talked to his parents, his breathing heavy when he spoke too long and the beeping of the machines he was hooked up to droning on in the background. He felt something different this time, something that was scratching at the back of his head, making his thoughts feel just a little uncomfortable and his chest feel just a little heavy. Of all the months that Mark had been sick, Finn hadn't seen him this bad. He was tired and weak, but not just physically like usual. He could tell in Mark's face that it was past just a bodily experience, his mental state was just as low, barely hanging on as each minute passed.
"Earth to Finn," Grace's voice rang out.
Finn was brought out of his thoughts and he looked to where Grace, Gaten, and Sadie were looking at him expectantly.
"What?" He asked dumbly.
"We wanted to know if you wanted to go to the cafeteria with us," Sadie asked.
Finn looked back to where Mark was, seeing that he was already staring back at him. He wanted to talk, an unspoken request that they both understood somehow. Finn turned back to the other three and shook his head.
"I'll stay here, I ate before I came," he said quickly.
"Suit yourself," Grace said before they all turned to leave.
As soon as they were gone Mark spoke up, "Why don't you go show my parents the garden love?"
Pia looked at him worriedly, "You don't want us here with you?"
"I do, but you guys should get outside for a bit, some fresh air will do you good," Mark gave her a reassuring look.
Pia sighed but nodded. She stood up and the two linked hands softly. Mark turned his head to the side a bit and tapped his cheek with his index finger. Pia gave a small smile and leaned down, kissing his cheek quickly before squeezing his hand one last time and leading his parents out of the room. It was silent for a few seconds after they left, the only noise being Scout's soft snoring at the end of Mark's bed.
"She isn't doing well," Finn said quietly.
Mark nodded slightly, "She's strong. She just has a hard time accepting it."
