As I sat by Anna's hospital bed as she slept, I began to remembrance on our lives and why the very reason we were in the hospital at all. I remember getting the call. Anna had said her doctor told her the cancer was back and she wanted me to be there with her in case something happen. I never would of guess in a million years that it would happen moments after my flight landed, but I had arrived to find she was pale. Her hair was short and her body was ghostly. I barely recognized the person in the hospital bed as a woman I come to be close as sisters with. Her face was hollow and her bones could be seen far away. I knew it was too late for the doctors to be able to do anything about her cancer and it wouldn't be for too long before she was gone. It made me feel lonely, but I didn't want her to see me like this, I had to be the brave one and stay positive that by some impossible miracle the doctors mistakes how bad it was or she could be cured. I knew Anna and she was a fighter. She had won three other times I kept thinking this would be the same and she would get better.
On that one particular night though something was off. "Maria, tell me a story." Anna's voice was fainted but I still heard the request. "What story would you want me to tell?" "I don't know, I figured you would make up one for the heck of it." But each time I began a story she would interrupt and pleaded to tell her some other story. "You know for all the years I've known you to be a pain in the ass, do you have to be one on your death bed?" I could hear her laughing "you bet your bottom dollar! Besides if I don't do it now then I wouldn't have a chance to hear you talk crap about me later." At that moment I wanted to hug her and never let her go.
Of all our years of knowing each other she was my closest friend and longest one with that. We were two peas in a pod and I knew my life after she passed would never be the same. It grew silent in the depressed room. Anna drew a deep breathe a than asked a serious question that still to this day it would be hard to forget. "Do me two favors." She paused to see if I would argue or inject her, but when I didn't she went on. The first was to hand out letters she wrote to each individual person. The second one was more complicated then it sounded. We stayed up talking about everything under the sun and the next morning I told the doctor she wanted to go home and enjoy the rest of her life she had left at home.
The moment we drove off hospital grounds, her smile brought back her long forgotten dimples. She laughed the way she used to and in the car ride home I saw more of her old self before the trip to the hospital took from her. I had hope and I knew her fighting side was coming out.
When Audrey, Anna's oldest and first girl along with Anna's sons, Jonathan, James, Rachelle, and Mickey saw their mother, their happiness grew and soon the positive vibes were around the house. They took after their mother on that, I swear Anna could find positivity finding a needle in a haystack while laughing and cracking jokes along the way. Sometimes I would pretend to barf on those occasions she was extreme and I remember personally telling her as teenagers that I wanted to punch her in the face, but she would only laugh at me and roll her eyes knowing I would never.
Audrey, being eleven was little like her mother. She was always smiling and even the grumpiest of old men couldn't refuse to be charmed by Audrey, but she took after her mother's sister, Audrey, the one Anna's daughter was named after. Audrey was head strong, very missive, biggest heart and loved music. But like the rest of Anna's kids, her short temper came out when she saw someone was being mistreated and when it came fighting with her brothers. She loved art and was creative. She was sassy.
Jonathan was second oldest,and Anna's first son. Even at ten, was calm compared to his siblings which made him the peacemaker of them given the talent by his mother, he was realist and level headed, he had got good grades and was pretty much a nerd, but he still was positive and was funny, but took after his mothers relaxed and laid back style. He loved writing.
James on the other hand was besides Audrey was a loud child, he being Jonathan's crazy and totally opposite twin, was always cracking a joke and trying to make people smile, he would pull pranks on his siblings and was hard to get mad at for long periods of time. He never got easily angered and good natured, really liked sports and every bit like the person Anna named him after.
Second to last, Mickey, only five he was pretty rounded and very lovable, he loved food though along with all his siblings and loves his drums and music. But took after his older brother Jonathan with laid back. lastly four year old Rachelle, was the newest adopted, and was getting hold of having a big family, she was awkward and shy at first, but once she had come out of her shell she was crazy like her two older siblings Audrey and James. She was random and really like me, being she was named after me.
Anna adopted them each after realizing she didn't want her biological children to have the genetic cancer she had and getting put up with all she had.
After having a week of her home, I could see her slowly turning thinner. We tried everything to get the weight back and still the weight seemed to come off. She began to fight us and she wasn't the Anna I had known. She was bitter and would want to stay in her room all day. She forbidden any of her children to see her on those days.
It was late at night and it was after Anna went to bed when the children seem not wanting to go to bed so we hung around the fire and made small talk. I wasn't planning on ever being a mother that was more Anna and so I wasn't the person to tell them to go to bed. "Rachelle?" Yeah Mickey?" "Was mommy always sick?" "No, not always." "Really?" Audrey chimed in. "Yes, as a matter of fact she was right around your age when she was diagnosed with the cancer." "Was she scared?" James asked. "Maybe, but you know your mother she didn't let it get to her." "Were you there with her." "Nah it would of been years since we talked and we ended up talking after 8th grade," "wait how old were you when you met our mom?" That moment I stopped and thought about it. "I was nine and she was ten." "Really? What was she like?" Johnathon asked. "Yeah! Was she funny?" Mickey asked "Did she like to read?" James asked. I could feel this be a long night "Okay how about I tell y'all a story..."
