Waiting for the Sun

6. His Ending

A/N All credit to the one and only William Shakespeare for the passage below and a big shout out to ThemeMy for the inspiration to publish a new chapter!

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His cough sounded worse today. I was in the beige discoloured armchair, now serving as my bed, with a copy of Hamlet in my left hand. In one swift move I used my right hand to press the button on his bed, putting him upright, and gave him the water from the nightstand. After he managed to drain the entire glass with the help of the rainbow coloured straw he finally opened his eyes.

     “That was fun.”

     His voice was barely audible but at least he could talk today.

     “Hilarious we should do it more often.”

     I reached out to touch his hand but somehow it ended up on the sheet. I had never seen Adam like this before. His greyish skin now worked as a crippled organism that could break down from the smallest impact. Gently I put my hand on his and kept it there when I sat back down. His eyes started to wander around the deserted dark room.

     “They went home to make sure the house is still standing so you’re stuck with me.”

     I didn’t know when it became so easy to lie to him. I guess a white lie was better than the truth. The truth was our parents had only been at the hospital for ten minutes since Adam crashed three days ago. They said they needed to go to work, take proper showers and that Adam was going to sleep most of the days away. I didn’t say anything to their faces but I knew they were lying, maybe not only to me but to themselves. If they wanted to, they could get the time off work, but they were tired. Tired in the same way as me. They were tired of feeling lost, tired of seeing their only son waste away. But most of all, we were tired of feeling helpless. But there were no excuses left. I was neck deep in despair and school work but I managed to spend almost every hour by his side. I went to school for all my exams but besides that I spent all my time in this arm chair. Joe brought me everything I asked for: books, cloths, food, you name it he would bring it within the hour. We usually didn’t talk much but after charming one of the night nurses, he’d slept on the floor nearly every other day. Even Kit stopped by for a quick visit with him one day after school. She hugged me tight but there was nothing to say.

     “Don’t you have something better to do on a Saturday night?” Adam asked smiling.

     “It’s Wednesday and no I have nothing better to do than watch you sleep. Shit I sound like that stalker vampire guy. Anyway I’m reading Shakespeare ‘cause I have my last exam tomorrow.”

     He pointed to the button beside the bed with three fingers. So tonight was definitely not a good night. I pressed it three times and quickly saw how his face relaxed a bit.

     “Would you…read some?”

     He already sounded out of it but what could I do but obey.

     This goodly frame, the earth, seems to me a sterile promontory, this most excellent canopy, the air, look you, this brave o’erhanging firmament, this majestical roof fretted with golden fire, why, it appears no other thing to me than a foul and pestilent congregation of vapours. What a piece of work is a man! how noble in reason! how infinite in faculty! in form and moving how express and admirable! in action how like an angel! in apprehension how like a god! the beauty of the world! the paragon of animals! And yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust?

     I closed the book and studied Adam’s face. He was smiling and when he opened his eyes I could see that they were wet.

     “That’s literature.”