Till Death Do Us Part

Chapter 4

Beep. Beep. Beep. I peel open my eyes. Jason sits in a chair next to my hospital bed with his head low. "Jason?" I croak. His head shoots up and his eyes land on me.

"Quinn!" He grabs my hand and holds it. First time he has ever done that.

"Wha-what happened?" my coughs fill the room.

"Well, you met me at the park and you started coughing a lot. You said you couldn't breath and I called an ambulance." my face feels stiff. I bring my hand to my face and under my nose.

"What's this Jason?" I ask, running my finger along a tube that goes into both nostrils.

"It's just a tube and it helps you breath because your having trouble breathing." He smacks my hand because I'm messing with the tube. My eyes land on Mom who is walking into the room with a cup of coffee. She looks tired. I stroke the soft hospital blank in between my fingers.

"Quinn! Your awake!" Mom smiles.

I smile and nod.

"Can I take this off now?" I ask, poking at the small tube that goes over my ears and around my face, putting two small tubes in my nostrils to help me breath. Her smile fades.

"About that, Quinn. The doctor is seeing if you can go without it. Since your lungs are getting worse, you might have to wear that all the time."

"I just want to go home!" I cry. I start to cough from my cries.

"Calm down. I have to go make a call." Mom leaves the room.

"I hope you feel better, Quinn." Jason says softly while stroking my cheek.

"Will you stay?" I croak. He hesitates.

"Of course." He strokes my hand. I just wanted to go home, now.

"You're out of school for, a week. If this week your lungs get worse I'm afraid you can't go back to school but have to do online school. Yes, you will be wearing the tube all the time." The doctor speaks as I rub the soft blanket in between my fingers. I shudder. I want to go back to school. I want to see my friends! At least I get to go home now.

I slowly walk with mom down the hospital hallway, rolling my air tank behind me. "I can't believe I have to haul this stupid thing everywhere I go." I mutter. "And I can't believe I can't go back to school."

"Look, its probably for the best Quinn. Text me when you can." Jason kisses my forehead and heads the opposite direction. Oh how I just want him to stay with me. I watch him as he leaves.

The car ride was silent. An awkward silence floated in the air. I lie my head against the cold window. It sends shivers down my spine, having my bare scalp on the cold window.

"How about we go to Cvs and get a soft blanket and some chocolate for you. You can have whatever you want, sweetie." Mom speaks, breaking the awkward tension.

"That sounds perfect!" and it did, having all this thrown on me all of a sudden.

I observe the blankets that sit on the plastic shelf. I run my finger on each one. "Get the most softest blanket you can find." Mom encourages. That's what I was looking for. Something like the blanket I had draped over me back at the hospital but a little bit more colorful. I walk down the aisle, rolling the stupid tank behind me.

"Perfect." I grab a blanket that feels the softest and it's pretty.

"Now to the chocolate aisle!" mom announces with a funny voice.

I was pretty fond of chocolate. Especially the ones with gooey caramel in the chocolate that just melts in your mouth. Of course, i get the most expensive chocolates and the blanket. I added some fuzzy socks in too. I needed anything that would make me warmer. Mom slams down our stuff at the register. The tall boy that stands behind the counter stares at me. His eyes travel from my head to my oxygen tank behind me then back to my bald head. "Excuse me! Can you just get our stuff!?" Mom snaps noticing the boy staring at me. She taps her credit card on the counter.

"So sorry." He grabs the blanket and stuffs it into a grocery bag. He takes another look at me and at my oxygen tank before handing us our two bags. I hate when they stare.

The car ride home was filled with thoughts of staying home. I hate staying home. I want to go to school... Homecoming! What about homecoming!?

"Mom, what about homecoming? It's next week."

"Do you have a date?" She asks.

"No, but that could change. What if I get a date? Could i still go?!"

"Depends how your lungs are doing."

If I was homeschooled by then I could still go if a guy that goes to the school asks me to go. "You better shape up lungs!" I say and point to my chest.