Our Own World

Chapter One - My Story

When my mum and I entered the hospital, we got me checked in and I saw Ace running towards me.

"Cam!" He smiled, hugging me tight.

"Ace! Thank you for coming!"

The doctors did the regular check up and told me I was doing well. Usually my mum and the doctor have a conversation about my development which is a topic I don't like talking about. So Ace and I are sitting outside the room drinking peach juice and listening to Ed Sheeran together. We sat there in silence for quite a while, during which time we quietly hummed to his music.

"I want to be able to write music." Ace sighed.

"Me too," I smiled. "I want to make music one day. I just love singing."

Our conversations really consisted of everything to nothing. We talk about music, love, Jesus, bands, church. Anything really. Occasionally we had some pretty deep conversations about our futures and how we wanted them to turn out.

"I just really want to marry a girl who puts God first." Ace said. "I want her to love God even more than me. And I really want to have kids with her."

"Yeah," I sighed thinking about the future. "I want someone who is musically talented and who has a passion for God and for serving God only. And he has to love God more than me and I want my relationship to be based on God."

"Camilla!" My mum shouted from downstairs. "We need to go to the hospital now."

I thought this would be the year I didn't have to go back to the hospital.

I grabbed my jacket with thoughts rushing through my mind so fast I thought I was going to pass out cold. I had no clue to what this meant. My mum didn't tell me why we were going to the hospital. For all I knew it could be my dad. Or my one of my siblings.

We drove over to the hospital. On the way there, many thoughts ran through my mind. What is going to happen? I had no idea; I was scared.

"Hey mum, why are we going to the hospital?" I asked shakily. "Is this about me?"

"No, Camilla. It's not about you this time. I'm so sorry, this is so hard." She commented as we stopped at a red light. "Here, just read these texts."

I read multiple texts from Riley, and his mum, saying that Ace was in the hospital.

I knew he was sick but I didn't think for this long. He's been to different hospitals all month.

Ace is my best friend. We do absolutely everything together.

The texts never said anything about why he was there.

Flashback

"So then, Phoebe came up to me and said she really wanted to sleep with you. Isn't that disgusting? I told her that she couldn't do that, and then she accused me of liking you! That's crazy. I could never like you. You're my best friend."

"Oh. She wants to sleep with me? I've told that girl at least ten times I'm not going on a date with her."

"Ace, are you okay?" I asked quietly. He seemed to look really pale and shaking a lot.

"I-I just need to go to the bathroom."

He ran down the hall and started throwing up in our toilet.

"Oh my gosh Ace, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine I-" he started puking again.

I ran downstairs to get my parents. They called Ace's mum to come get him.

By the time Ace's mum was here, Ace was finished and looked like a wreck.

His mum brought him home and I called him a couple hours later to see how he was doing.

Riley answered and said he was sleeping.

My phone rang, snapping me out of the memory. I quickly answered it.

"Hello?"

"Camilla, are you coming?" Riley's frantic voice spoke through the phone.

"Yes, and Luke is here as well."

"Oh, good." She sighed happily. "Come as quick as you can, please."

"Of course. What's wrong with Ace?" I just wanted to know so badly.

"I think he should be the one to tell you." Riley whispered.

"Okay, I understand. Meet us the the foyer in a couple minutes."

"Sure thing." Riley said over the phone. This time, she sounded a bit more at ease.

We arrived at the hospital and the panic began to set in. I constantly get wound up in the moment and I start to hyperventilate. I cannot pass out right before I find out what is wrong. I tell myself.

The hospital was what I expected. It's sad and lonely, quiet and small. The walls are beige and green. It's too quiet and the look of the hospital is horrifying. Although the sun was shining through the windows, it seemed as if there was a dark cloud hanging over my head. I haven't been in this hospital visiting someone since my grandfather died.

I knew that Ace has had to take a couple tests because he's been acting strange lately. He's been super tired for no reason, losing weight really fast, and he's been having fevers quite often.

We all thought it was just a fever but it's clearly not. He's been taken to different hospitals around B.C to do tests but he never told me what for. They haven't been finding out anything either. Ace called me after every appointment and they got nothing from the results and he was still in pain. I've been praying that they get answers and they would find some relief.

Riley lead us upstairs taking the elevator. We were going up to the sixth floor.

As we are riding up, I see the numbers on the screen counting up, and then nothing at all.