Chapter Thirty Seven:
Last Times Ever:
~Ryan~
Christmas came quickly. It seemed like we were just getting home from the TV show, and the next morning we were waking up on Christmas morning.
The donation thing the Morning Show had set up for Danielle was constantly growing even a month after her appearance. I had checked it a couple of days ago, and it was up to $11 000. It was amazing. Danielle had gotten a couple of magazine and other talk show offers, but she didn’t accept any of them. She said she didn’t want to dress up the fact that she had cancer. She said the donations in her name was enough.
The last month had been hard. Danielle still refused to up her chemo dosage, so every day she was getting worse and worse. Not by much, but still enough that I noticed. I just hoped that the cancer can leave her alone long enough to allow her to enjoy Christmas.
My parents were allowing me to spend Christmas with Danielle. They also agreed to get up early so that I could get to Danielle’s pretty early.
I got a new iPod from my dad, and $200 hundred from my mom as a sort of sorry-I’ve-pretty-much-ignored-you gift.
Dad drove me to Danielle’s house and I was there by nine. Danielle was just waking up when I walked in. She stretched her arms over her head and turned to face me. She placed an empty glass on the bedside table and I knew she had just taken her pain pills.
“Merry Christmas,” Danielle said, her voice thick with sleep.
“Merry Christmas,” I said sitting next to her and kissing her. Abu jumped up on to me and licked my cheek in greeting.
“And Merry Christmas to you too Abu,” I said speaking directly into his face. He just cocked his head and gave me his happy little puppy dog look.
“Now get out so I can get changed,” Danielle said poking me in the side.
“I’ve seen you naked before,” I said with a shrug. “Many times.”
Danielle frowned. “I don’t want you to see me now. I’m so… sickly.” We hadn’t done anything for a while now, the cancer had been too relentless to allow Danielle that.
“It’s okay, I don’t mind,” I said.
“But I do. So leave so I can change.”
“Why? You can at least open your presents in your pyjamas, and then get changed when the rest of our family shows up,” I said.
“Bubu, this mean man won’t leave, can you make him leave for me?” Danielle asked.
Abu barked quietly and then licked my nose. “Even Abu agrees with me that I’m not a mean man,” I said triumphantly.
“Wait, I said no presents,” Danielle said angrily.
“Well with the peek I took under the tree, I can see that is one wish that is not about to come true.”
Danielle groaned and flopped onto her back.
“I’m waiting for my parents,” she said. But I knew she was just trying to stall.
“Actually they’re waiting in the kitchen drinking coffee. I already said hi to them,” I admitted.
“Fine let’s get this over with,” she said sitting up.
“Hey now that’s not a very good Christmas spirit,” I said.
“It’s the best you’re going to get.”
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