The End of Our Stars

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

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“Hazel,”

“Augustus?”

“Hazel,”

“Gus, where are you?”

“Wake up, Hazel.”

“Wait—” I couldn’t see anything and yet I could feel my body searching, wandering off; turning here and there. “—Gus, don’t leave! Wait up!” I break into a run but I was breathless in seconds that I had to stop.

It wasn’t his voice. I was just hallucinating, I guess.

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“So we meet again, Hazel Grace.” He sits on one of the bones, looking me over with a smile too big on his face. “I thought you’d never show up.”

“I had a longer trip than I imagined.” I said and reached up to him so I could sit beside him. Philip was not by my side. “How are you?”

“You know,” he shrugs. “The usual routine for dead people,”

“God, you are so morbid today.”

That was when Gus laughed. “Oh I’m sorry, Hazel Grace. I think it’s a literal disease to be like this…”

“Do you mean depression?” He was pulling me up when I asked this and he held me right where I was. His eyes were sad and questioning and I immediately wanted to take it back. “Literally, though,”

“Literally depressed, you mean?” He pulls at me now and I sit quickly by his side.

“Literally—” and it was like the first time we met; only I was playing his part while he did mine. Unfortunately our time is up and I woke up with frantic searching eyes and a mouth that had been closed too long a time that it felt painful to open it.

“She’s awake, honey, call the nurse!” Dad says urgently to Mom but I couldn’t see her. Dad comes towards me and sits by the bed to hold my hand. “We were so scared, kiddo. We thought we’d never—” before he could finish, he was sobbing and he was sobbing hard.

I felt bad for not waking up (how long had I been out exactly?) sooner. “Don’t worry, Dad.” I said. “It’ll take a lot more to bring me six feet deep.”

“Not a funny joke, Hazel Grace.”

I snapped my attention to a boy standing by the window only to realize it was Isaac. Weird how he called me my full name, “Nice to see you too, Isaac,” I smiled instead to hide my anxiety.

“Yeah, I could see that,” Mom was coming, apparently, with the nurse. Her voice is so clear despite the buzz down the hall. She finally appears and looks at me with glassy eyes. “Oh honey,” she coos. “We were so worried.”

It went on like that for a while. Isaac stood awkwardly to the side and would give me smiles whenever my eyes landed on him. But he looked troubled.

I fainted because of the fatigue, they said. I don’t know where fatigue comes into this when I barely moved a muscle. Also, I lacked oxygen—which is impossible with Philip around.

Something was up when my parents explained to me all these details that couldn’t make the tiniest sense. Then it got worse because Doctor Maria supposedly cut back my meds. I didn’t feel sad because I knew what was happening to me, now more than ever. Didn’t they (in general) would like a dying patient to be comfortable when the time has come to die? I think that’s what they’re doing with me.