Through The Lens

Prologue

     So there we sat all in a row on that tiny grey couch in the family waiting room. Me and Kendra's parents, Cindy and Rick. You're probably wondering how I got into a situation like this. I'll explain, but just this once.

     For 10 long years, me and Kendra have been very close friends. The only reason we ever met was because of our parents. Cindy and Rick have been close friends of my parent's since high school and never seemed to forget each other. When my parents found out Cindy and Rick were moving, they advised them to come move to Star Valley since our neighbors had just moved out of a cute little house. And so they did, and that's when me and Kendra first met. 

     Now, Kendra had never been the healthiest person ever, she often got really sick and had to stay in her room, so she was homeschooled, and I was homeschooled right alongside her. We spent most our days together, and even when she was sick, I often found ways to sneak over to her house to visit. I always got in so much trouble, but my parents knew it was always there fault for making us become friends. 

     I never doubted for a moment that her sickness wasn't an actual problem, just some people get sick more often. I knew that, I'd read it in books and I'd seen it in shows. Getting sick was just something that happened. I mean, just a couple weeks before coming into the hospital I'd gotten a cold, not horrible and it was over in a couple days. 

     But just a couple hours before coming, Kendra had fallen on her knees and wasn't able to get back up. We tried helping her but she couldn't even keep herself standing. Her knees were swollen and she'd been limping for days non stop. We all just thought it wasn't serious until she couldn't stand by herself.

     Sitting in that family waiting room in the hospital, I was doubting everything I'd ever thought. What if her getting sick was something more? What if this was serious? What if I were to lose my best friend? I closed my eyes to think about what the entire universe was trying to tell me.

     Was it trying to say that this friendship never should have happened?

     No way,  I opened my eyes, the world swirling all around me, my head aching with anxiety and intense fear. I watched as the blob of a doctor entered the room, I hadn't been able to tell the look on his face because I was in so much pain. My thoughts were raging war against my head. I rarely had panic attacks, but when I did they were always serious.

     "I'm sorry" I heard him say, just barely able to make out his words because everything was muffled, "Kendra has been diagnosed with osteosarcoma, it's been caught early so it won't be horrible, but she'll have to be flown over to Salt Lake City for treatment."

     "What kind of treatment?" Rick asked, his eyes full of fear, I knew exactly how he felt right there, it's how I'd been feeling the entire time.

     Anxious.

     "Chemotherapy and therapy afterwards. If we had caught it later we may have had to amputate both her legs off." the doctor said.

    I wanted to laugh but I knew this was no joke. We'd been lucky to catch it early. My best friend had almost lost both her legs. "Can we see her?" I asked, anxiety peircing my words. By now, the swirling of the world had mostly worn off, but I still had a raging headache.

     "Of course you can. Just down the hall and when you reach the nurses station take a left. After that take a right and her room will be on the right side." The doctor smiled, "She'll be here for the next two days before she's flown to Salt Lake."

    I nodded, unhappy that my friend had to leave, but happy becuase we'd caught everything early. I stood up, thanking the doctor and walking out of the family room to go find my friend. On the way there, I'd spotted my mother, Ruth, a Ward Clerk who went in between the ER and the Floor for her work. I'd forgotten that she had work today, and that she had work on the floor since she usually worked in the ER.

     "I guess you heard then." my mom asked, "I'm sorry to hear about Kendra. But just think, she'll only be gone a couple months, then she'll be home free and you guys'll get to hang out again! besides, we'll go visit her down in Salt Lake." 

     I smiled for the first time that day, "thanks mom, and don't forget that dad's gonna drop by in a couple hours to take you to lunch."

    She gave me her whole-hearted laugh, but quietly so that she didn't bother the nurses who were working and the patients who were sleeping, "You should be reminding you dad!" she laughed, "he's the one who always forgets!"

    "Except the last two orchestra concerts you were supposed to take me to you forgot about until the last moment. I didn't have any black clothes to wear on stage remember?" I told her, giving her a slight snap I usually didn't have in me to do.

    She rolled her eyes playfully and smiled, "I didn't forget, I just didn't have it in the front of my mind. Now you should go see Kendra, " she explained, "she's been waiting for you for a little while now."

    I nodded slightly, "alright mom, I'll see you tonight." I told her, and walked down the hall, took the right, and entered the room on the right, just like the doctor had instucted me.