The Strong

Clover

I begin to open my eyes. The brightness of the room causes me to quickly close them again. I hear the beeping of my heart monitor start to pick up. A click sounds across the room and my bed starts to lift. I retry to open up my eyes. This time I succeed. A nurse quickly walks up to me. She turned off half the lights. I give her a weak smile as thanks. She returns it. "How are you doing, hun?" I lean over my bed quickly and empty my stomach for the 100th time this week. She rubs my back and hands me a napkin. I quickly wipe my mouth and throw it in the waste bin. Being in this hospital is my living hell. I lie back down in my bed. She hands me a cup of water and I take a sip. She looks at me somberly.  I give her a smile to try to cheer her up. "I'll be fine," "don't worry," I speak weakly. She nods accepting the words.

 She pulls up a chair and sits next to me. "I got you a make a wish " My eyes widen. "I know you didn't want to do it, but I really think it could be good for you."  I sigh and nod. She smiles happily. I've been diagnosed with stage 1 pancreatic cancer. It has a 3% survival rate. The doctors say I have a month left. I have long ago accepted that I am going to die. "Where did you choose for me to go?" "I choose a one-week serenity camp!" She says excitedly. "You'll be pampered, massaged, and fed well." "It'll be great." Her excitement makes me laugh.  "Did they approve?" I ask. She nods very fast. "When do I leave?" "Tomorrow?" Surprise crosses my face. The nurse smirks. She must have been planning this for a while and If I refused it wasn't going to be enough time to cancel. Clever. "Will my mom be coming to see me off?" "I don't know sweety? She replies. I nod. I start to feel nauseated. She quickly hands me the trash can and I puke my guts out. 

*** 

The next day I'm woken up to do my daily routine. The nurse helps me get out of bed and into the bathroom. She tries to follow me into the bathroom but I stop her. "I can do this alone," I say. She gives me a questioning look. I sigh and close the door. "If you need anything let me know immediately!" She shouts. I hobble over to the shower and turn it on. The water sprits out. Sticking my hand under to feel if its warm, I shoot my hand back quickly. It's ice cold. I hobble over to the sink and begin to brush my teeth. Looking at myself in the mirror makes me sick. I look terrible. My hair is all over the place, I have bags under my eyes, my face is sunken, and my eyes look so tired. I sigh and continue my routine. Once I'm done with my routine I pack a bag. The nurse comes in with some food. It surprises me when it's not hospital food. it's Wendy's. I smile and get up to hug her. She stops me and comes to me instead. 

Her hug is warm and inviting. "Thank you for the food." I beam. "No problem, sugar," she replies. I take the food and begin eating. I take one bite of their jr. bacon cheeseburger and I moan. I haven't had Wendy's in the longest. I begin to hum as I eat. Patty (the nurse) watches in amusement. Once I am done demolishing the food in 10 minutes, I ask Patty a question. "When will the transportation be here?" "In a couple hours." I nod my head. So I wait for the few hours. In those hours my mom doesn't come. Typical. I shouldn't have expected for her to come. Why would she? She dumped me here the first chance she could.  Patty comes in with a wheelchair. I slowly walk over to the wheelchair and get in. I sit my bag in my lap as she begins to roll me off.  "Thank you, Patty, for everything," "You've have made this experience a little less painful." She grins from ear to ear. When we get outside the hospital I am shocked to find a bus full of teenagers. I get up and walk. My walk is stronger than it was yesterday.

 I turn and wave goodbye to Patty before getting on to the bus. All attention is averted to me. I swallow and walk to the first open spot I see. I sit down and they're eyes avert off of me. The bus picks up a few more kids before finally hitting the road. The last kid sits down next to me. He doesn't say a word to me. He has a hat on and his eyes are dark. He is wearing a black shirt with a black jacket and black Jeans. The only thing colorful about him is his eyes. His eyes are green.  He's very well built and looks around 6, 2. He catches me looking at him. I cough and look out the window. I could've sworn I heard a chuckle. But it was as quiet as a mouses footsteps. The guy and I do not make eye contact or talk. The bus starts to have quiet conversations as we hit the freeway. I take notice of my surroundings. There are about 12 kids, the bus driver, and one person I can't Identify wearing a black jacket. The dude has a black ski mask on.  I hear the guy next to me clear his throat.