Butterswap

24

Kite flying was next on the agenda for the day. We bought three new kites from the sportswear shop in the mall and drove toward the open field in the nearest park near our home. It wasn't the best idea because the snow was a little too much for our kites to handle, but we managed it. One out of three of our kites flew so we had to take turns flying it. It was fun, really. And we had a snowball fight. Who knew my dad could let loose and have fun? He did.

He won in all the snowball fights we had, even expertly making tiny snow barriers to shield himself from our snowballs.

"Watch out!" Mum yelled as I saw dad's hand rearing back, his face a mixture of pure joy and excitement. And then my smile dropped.

"Wait, dad! That's a rock!" I shouted as I spotted the exposed grey parts of the rock. His face twisted in realization and he dropped the rock. 

"Oh my, are you trying to murder our daughter?" Mum asked dad in fake annoyance and I played along.

"Yeah dad, are you?" I echoed.

"No, no, no. It was an accident. You see, look at my-"

"Okay, we got it." I said quickly, before he launched into his lawyer persona with the evidence of an accident and all. 

I waved my hand at them. "I'm a little tired."

"Are you okay, honey?"

I nodded. 

"I'm just tired." I said again but this time, I fell onto the snow, my head hurting badly.

We got into the car with me struggling, and dad drove while mum held my head in the backseat.

"Please, could you play some music? My head is pounding. I'm so worried." My mum said breathlessly and dad turned the radio on.

We reached home and dad helped me into my bedroom, tucking me into bed like I was five.

"We'll get the best doctors flown in, I promise you'll be fine." He whispered.

"You really shouldn't make these kinds of promises. And no, the doctor I saw? He confirmed it through email while I was out of state. He sent my diagnosis and scan results to a few of the best cardiothoracic surgeons he knew. Everything came up negative. All of them agreed that nothing could save me."

My mum was crying by the door frame and it pained me to watch it. I closed my eyes. 

"Oh, Holland." His voice cracked and of course I knew why. When someone you love is dying and all you can do is watch on helplessly, everything in you really just breaks.

"I love you." I said to both my dad and mum as I drifted off to sleep. 

The last thing on my mind is Keenan and I made up my mind. I would tell him tomorrow, because Keenan deserved to know the truth, that I loved him. A lot.