The Ones We Leave Behind

Chapter 11

          The next several days mush together. They were all about the same - same room, same coughing fits, same doctor visits, and of course Wes stopped by every single day. He is here again right now. It's now the 17th—Friday and the day before his birthday. In those thirteen days, we scratched tons of movies off my list. Some with my dad, but most with just Wes and me. We also talked, played games, and teased each other relentlessly. It feels just like it used to when we were best friends.

Right now it is about 11:00 in the afternoon, and Wes just arrived in my doorway. Dad is at work, so it's just me in my room.

Wes asks, "Do you want to have a change in scenery?"

"I always want a change. What do you have in mind?"

He shrugs his shoulders. "I was just thinking that maybe we could go out to the patio or something. It looks like a beautiful day outside."

I smile. "Sounds amazing. Let me tell the nurses on the way out so they don't freak out or something when I'm not in here."

The nurses, doctor, and my dad have all been more strict so they can monitor me more.

          We both head out the door, and I walk up to the nurses desk, and tell the receptionist where I'm going. She smiles and thanks me for telling her.

          I join Wes again, and we start to head for the elevator He starts for the stairs next to the elevator, but then looks back in confusion when I stop. I sadly smile and look at him. Understanding floods his eyes when he looks at the IV rack, and he walks back towards me and pushes the up button. We're on the fifth floor, and when the elevator doors open we step in, and I press the seven.

"So when did you discover the patio?" I ask.

Wes smiles. "I was trying to find somewhere that I could escape, and I asked Doctor P. if there was any place like that. He told me about it, and when I went there later, I found it was perfect. How did you find it?"

The elevator doors have opened again, and we step out.

I smile and continue while we walk. "It was just by chance really. I was exploring the different floors a few weeks ago, and I was on the seventh floor when I had to use that bathroom. There was a bathroom sign above that door, but I didn't realize it was just pointing forward to the bathroom down the hall. I opened it up and was pleasantly surprised at my find. It's been my go to place ever since. I'm surprised we haven't run into each other before!"

He smiles. "I was just thinking that."

          We make it to the door, and being the gentleman he is, he opens the door for me, and gestures for me to walk through. I step out and breathe in the fresh air. It's been a while since I've been out here, and it feels nothing short of amazing. Especially with such a sweet and caring person joining my side. I smile and inhale again.

"Enjoying yourself, Baldwin?" Wes asks.

          A rush of displeasure hits me, and I stare at him. He hasn't called me that since high school. After he called me that, it kind of stuck, and everyone started teasing me about it. Especially after that pool party when they actually saw me bald. Bald, Baldwin. What a terrible coincidence.

          That was the day that I first became friends with Gabrielle. She helped me get my wig, and took me home with her to get away from that humiliating event. We became close friends for a few years until she moved away to New York two years ago. We used to talk at least once a week by phone/texting, Skype, or email, but in the past few months though, I pushed her away because I was afraid of hurting her. With what everyone has been telling me lately, I'm starting to think about getting in touch with her again. She was basically my only friend for two years of my life, which doesn't sound like much, but those two years were some of the hardest ones for me. I should never have blocked her off from my life.