February
"I don't want to be bald." Daniel said, his tone filled with complete seriousness as he stared at the pamphlet his mother had given him.
Keri gave him a sympathetic smile and patted his back softly, "I know sweetheart. I'm sorry."
"I'll buy you a wig for your birthday." Tyler said from where he sat in the tiny hospital room, "I don't want to look at a bald head every time I look at you."
Daniel cracked a smile and folded the pamphlet back up, tossing it on the table in front of him, "Thanks man." He murmured, leaning back in his chair.
"Tyler. That's not appropriate. You have to be supportive." Keri scolded, pointing a finger at her eldest son.
"He is being supportive. He's making sure my head doesn't get cold." Daniel said, closing his eyes when he rested his head against the wall.
Keri only shook her head at the two of them, not able to understand how her children could have such a sense of humor at a time like this.
• • •
"How was it?" Zach asked Daniel while he skimmed through the textbook he had been given for English.
Daniel shrugged, peeling his phone case off of his phone, "I don't know..felt like I should just start planning my funeral. Ya know?" He answered quietly and bit his bottom lip.
"Shut up. Your not going to need a funeral anytime soon. Your going to kick this things ass." Jack said, lightly throwing a pillow at Daniel.
"You didn't see the way the doctor looked at me. Like 'yep he'll be six feet under by the end of the year'." Daniel spoke, tossing the pillow right back at Jack.
Neither Jack or Zach said anything to that, unsure of what they could say to him.
Daniel sat up in his bed and looked at the two of them, "Can you make sure no one cries at the funeral?" He asked, "I'm serious..Make it a funny kind of thing. Especially for my mom and Anna, think they'll want to cry the most. I don't want that."
Zach slowly nodded, "Yeah..Maybe we can talk about that time you and Jonah jumped into the snow pile completely naked. That was a good night."
Daniel grinned at that and nodded, "Yeah. Like that. It will make my mom remember how stupid I was."
Was.
As if he was already dead.
"And that time you backed into Tyler's car and blamed it on that old lady that lives down the street." Jack said, trying to lighten the mood up.
Daniel nodded eagerly, "He can't be mad at a dead person, that would be the perfect time to break the news!" He said with a laugh.
And for a few moments it was all okay.
They were all happy.
Just like it was before he got sick.
• • •
It happened out of nowhere.
He was sitting in history.
A video about World War Two was playing on the board.
And then he started to cough.
And then he couldn't breathe.
And then he fell over after struggling to stand up from his desk.
And then Jonah was trying to lift him up as he coughed up endless amounts of blood.
And then it went dark.
That was when it got real for everyone.
Daniel Seavey was dying.
And they all had no choice but to sit around and watch.
