Problems of adults

Chapter 46 : Anecdote

A few days passed, and all the teens were still struggling to accept Jane's condition. They visited her at hospital sometimes after school, but they didn't know what to tell her, so they decided to read her the lessons she missed, like that, she wouldn't be lost when she woke up. 

It was Will's turn. The young boy wasn't very comfortable in a hospital, but he was doing it for his friend, it gave him strength. And Jane had spent almost all her life in an environment like that, so he could spend a few minutes in a room for his friend. He sat on an armchair next to her and began to read the history lesson he had today. But after a few pages, he didn't have the heart to read that anymore. He was sure Jane didn't care, she wasn't a big fan of history, so why annoying her with it right now? She had other things in her mind.

- "You know," Will began, "every year, at Halloween, I remember when we did it all together when were like...6 or 7 years old, with our brothers and sisters. It wasn't a good period for you, but you were allowed to do the trick-or-treat with us. Every time a door was opening, we were screaming "trick or treat!" except you! You kept saying "treat or treat!" all night! My mom was dying laughing, even before you said it, because she knew you were going to say it wrong again. And after every door, Constance was correcting you, trying to explain you why you said it wrong, but you kept going, and Constance turned to you and said with the calmest annoyed tone I've heard "you really make any effort, Jane", and you just showed her your bag full of candies which made her laugh. It was a great night."

But Will remembered that Jane wasn't a big fan of that period, and she had all the reasons to hate it. He lost his smile and felt a pinch in his heart.

- "But then, as you were beginning your treatment for your Leukemia. You got rapidly tired, but you didn't want to stop doing the trick-or-treat, so my mom carried you in her arms while you were sleeping on her shoulder. I remember Max taking candies of her bag and putting some in yours every time we were doing a house. She wanted you to have as much candies as us. I liked that night, even if I wished you were not sick. You need to fight, Jane. I want and I need more memories like that with you, but this time, with no sickness, okay? You think you can do this for me?"

The boy looked at the unconscious girl on the bed like if she could answer him. He had a sad sigh before grabbing again his history lesson, but he noticed a shape at the door that he recognized.

- "Did you hear what I said?" he asked.

- "Yep, I did," Max answered.

- "You were already in love with her at 6, weren't you?"

- "Will, at 6 I was in love with Gordon Ramsay and Tony Hawk."

- "Oh yeah, I remember," he chuckled. "You had huge posters of them in your room!"

- "I still have them!"

- "Why don't you put them on your wall, then?"

- "I don't know..."

- "You know this is your bedroom, now, right?"

- "Yeah, I know...but—"

- "It's still too early. It's fine. I just hope you'll feel good enough to call it your home now."

- "I'm sure I will," Max smiled.

Will warmly smiled to her. She entered the room and sat at the other side of the bed on the other armchair. The boy opened his history lessons and continued reading it. Max grabbed Jane's left hand and began to squeeze it before saying:

- "If you want her to give up, you're doing the right thing!"

- "I know," Will chuckled. "But I don't want her to have too much work to catch up when she wakes up."

- "Because you think she is listening to this? She is probably grumbling in her head, praying for you to stop!"

- "Are you sure you're not the one praying for me to stop?"

- "...Maybe."

The two friends chuckled. The teens were quickly joined by Joyce who was wearing a warm smile on her face when she appeared in the room.

- "I'm happy to see you're having fun."

- "Yeah, maybe Jane can hear us, and she is laughing with us, no?" Will said.

- "I'm sure she does."

- "You don't have an anecdote with her?"

- "Me? I don't think I have!"

- "What about the porn magazine?" Max smirked.

- "What porn magazine!?" Will frowned.

- "Oh, well, next time I'll check the deliveries before asking Jane to take care of them!" Joyce chuckled.

- "Wait, wait, wait. You let her buy a porn magazine? Why?"

- "She turned it down. She tried to hide it by throwing it behind her, but it didn't land well, so she told me she would buy it. She was so embarrassed, I think she was scared I would fire her or tell everyone, but it's her age, and she was searching herself, so I preferred letting her take care of it."

- "Why didn't I know about that?"

- "Why would you?" Max frowned.

- "Good point. Do you have one too?"

- "No," she chuckled. "But I read Jane's!"

- "Oh, she let you do it?"

- "She...doesn't know I did."

Will and Max chuckled while the mother playfully rolled her eyes. Joyce sat a bit farther to let the two teens a bit together with Jane. The mother was happy to see that they were feeling a little bit better. She hadn't heard them laughing or seen them smiling the entire week, but she was glad they managed to still have hope inside them, able to talk about Jane, to share their memories with each other. She was sure it was giving strength and hope to Jane too.