Little One ✹ Zalfie

10

Alfie's surgery had ended shortly after I talked to everyone. Poppy hung her head to hide her tears.

"The good news is.." I said, and she looked up.

"What could be good?" She snapped.

"The tumour wasn't there all of his life.." I said, and she looked confused. "Alfie's doctor found medical records from 1994, when a little girl came in after her grandpa called 9-9-9..... She was wheezing..."

"They.... They told me it was Alfie..." Poppy said. "What the hell..."

"Maybe you misinterpreted the story as you grew older..... because you were scared..." Sean said. "It's not cancerous, right?" He asked me, and I shook my head.

"But Doctor Leese does want to discuss some treatment ideas for you.." I said, and a nurse came to get me and Poppy.

"He's out of surgery... and it went perfectly. Once he's awake, Doctor Leese wants to run a few scans to make sure the cancer did not spread for sure, and as soon as Alfie is feeling up for it.... He can go home..." She said.

"Can we see him?" Poppy asked, and she nodded. We went to his hospital room, and sat on either side of him.

~

He woke up a half hour later, and Doctor Leese walked in.

"Hey Alfie.." He said. "Everything went perfect... The tumour is completely gone, and we are going to run a few more tests to make sure you are cancer free before we get you out of here, okay?"

"Okay.." Alfie mumbled.

"And... Miss Deyes... I would like to speak with you.." He said. "I'm assuming you know we found your records." Poppy nodded. "Alfie, I'll call a nurse in to take you to radiology for some scans, and I'll be back later to make sure your incisions are healing." They started walking out.

"Hey.." Alfie looked at me. "How'd everyone take it?"

"They were worried... but when I told them that it wasn't there all of your life, they became a little less uneasy.." I said. "I talked to Poppy about her tumour..."

"I bet she was confused.." He said, and I nodded. The same nurse that had previously came in walked in to get Alfie. I gave him a kiss, and he smiled. "I love you, Zoë.."

"I love you, Alfie.." I smiled back. Everyone was allowed back into the room once Alfie returned with the nurse and Doctor Leese. I sat down next to his bed, and he was smiling. "So what's the verdict?"

"You are in the clear, Mister Deyes.." Doctor Leese smiled. "Congratulations... You're cancer free..." Alfie smiled at me, and Poppy started tearing up as she leaned in to hug her brother.

"What did the tests say for me?" She asked.

"We didn't see anything desperately needing to be fixed, but you do have a tumour in your lung. We can discuss treatment once you are to the point where it is necessary.." He said. "For now, you'll be fine.."

"It's not cancerous, is it?" Poppy asked.

"No, but we will need to continue testing and check ups to make sure it stays cancer free.." Doctor Leese smiled. "Alfie, you can go home Monday morning, but we would like to keep you all day tomorrow to make sure you are healing right. Who will be taking care of him at home? He won't be allowed to do much until his stitches come out and his wounds close up." I raised my hand.

"I'm his girlfriend... I've been staying with him.." I said, then Alfie took my hand.

"Then I will get a list of activities he can start doing in moderation to increase his mobility to its full capacity. It will include many physical therapy exercises that will be separated by difficulty..."

~

Only about two weeks after the surgery, Alfie was able to walk normally. It was Valentine's Day, and I hadn't planned anything special, but I figured he wouldn't be able to do much as he wasn't back to his usual self yet.

I woke up that morning, but something was different. It wasn't that I had officially moved in with Alfie, or anything relating to it. Alfie wasn't laying next to me in bed. I rolled over to find a note:

Little One.... I love you so much, so I planned something special for today. Until then, I will leave you with this.

Xoxo, Alfie

I smiled at the note, and the rose that laid with it. I checked my phone, and I had two texts from Joe.

Broseph: Hey Zo
Broseph: Caspar and I are going out for date night.. If you aren't doing anything, could you come dog sit?

You got another dog, didn't you?

Broseph: yeah. Lark is a husky-corgi mix. Caspar brought her home last week, and Nala gets along with her pretty well.

Well, Alfie has something planned for us tonight.. What time are you wanting me to dog sit?

Broseph: idk. Casp made the reservations a long ways in advance. If you can't, it's okay. We can make sure the girls are in their pen..

You may have to do that.

Broseph: alright :) so has he given you any hints on what he has planned?

No.. He wasn't here when I woke up, but he left a note and a rose... Just like hold times.

Broseph: Aww that's cute. I hope you have a wonderful time with whatever he has planned. I bet there are more notes to be found.

I bet so.

Broseph: well I should go now. The girls want to go outside. See ya

Bye :)

~

After rolling out of bed, I went to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee. There was a small piece of paper stuck to the coffeemaker with blue tack.

Little One... The night of your life awaits... the rest of the world will follow.

Xoxo, Alfie

I smiled and grabbed a mug from the cupboard, made my coffee, and sat in the lounge to watch the news. The television remote didn't work, so I opened the back to replace the batteries, then found another note.

Little One.... if I had all of the power in the world, I'd use it to show you how much you mean to me.

Xoxo, yours