An Act Of Kindness

I

27.10.2014

The pain of bed sores was all I could feel as I lay on my bed.

My hospital bed.

Being diagnosed with a terminal illness was not the way I saw my life going.

Spending endless days going out with my friends,

Enjoying my life,

Was how I wanted it to be.

Not knowing the existence of this disease in my body

Until the fateful day that it decided to finally attack.

".... I hope you're feeling better."

Those were the words which saved me from my depressing thoughts.

I slowly turned my head to face her.

The new volunteer who would be helping me.

The others had decided to give up on me.

They didn't say it;

But I knew.

I saw it on their faces.

Why bother helping someone you know is going to die?, is the way I imagined their thoughts going.

I sighed as her face came into view, nodding my head slowly.

She smiled brightly in return, something I had not seen since the first few weeks I was here.

But why would she be smiling so?

I was just a guy on his death bed.

Only a miracle would change my outcome.

"Why the long face Leo?" she asked, her face contorting in concern.

Leo.

I hadn't heard that name ever since I was admitted.

The last person to call me that was my girlfriend.

But where was she now?

As soon as she had heard of my illness, she had ran away.

I could never describe the pain I had felt that day.

It felt much worse than what my illness was causing me to feel now.

And I never thought that would be possible.

She continued to look at me, almost as if she was expecting me to answer.

But everyone knew that I didn't speak.

So no one ever tried to talk to me.

No one but her.

But I had no reason to speak.

Sooner or later I'd be gone so what was the point?

Her face returned to the smile she had before when she realised that I had no intention to speak.

"I'll see you tomorrow Leo," she said, before turning around to leave.

No one had been so genuinely kind to me.

And guilt began to cloud my heart for not responding.

Before I could think twice, I opened my mouth and spoke for the first time in six months.

"Alice."