Just Like Her

Chapter 86

Emma

I swiped away the tears cascading down my cheek with the edge of my palm as my other gripped my cramping side. Both of my hands flew immediately to Alice's, however, has her own laughing spasms escalated into racking coughs.

"Shhhh you'll have that mean nurse in here in two seconds if you keep that up," I whispered as my thumbs rubbed the back of her hand.

"I-I can't—help—it," she managed to gasp out.

When I was sure her breathing had returned to normal—and the machines surrounding us monitoring her vitals had returned to their usual tempo—I released one of my hands to finish the job of mopping up my face.

"Thank you," I sniffed.

"For what?" Alice wheezed.

"For making me laugh." I shrugged before adding more quietly: "And for never asking me about those pictures."

She smiled softly as her head fell back against her pillow. "That's what friends are for. To help you feel normal."

I grinned. "You should rest."

"You should be less bossy," she retorted.

I couldn't help but smirk. "Tell you what: I'll write while you sleep, that way you'll have the latest chapter when you wake."

Alice grinned at that and, eventually, her eyes drifted closed to the prattle of my typing.

* * *

She was restless in her sleep, waking frequently though never fully lucid. The last time she stirred, she turned her head toward me and I recognized the familiar spark to her eyes.

"Hello," I whispered.

Her eyes roamed about the room. "What day is it?"

"Tuesday. It's nearly a quarter to four. You slept—"

"Like the dead?" She rasped.

I frowned. "You know how I feel about those jokes."

Alice ignored me and nodded toward my computer. "You have a new chapter for me?"

I nodded as I handed her a glass of water. She steered the straw toward her mouth and took several long draws before her head lulled back into her pillow expectantly. I replaced her glass on a nearby table and straightened my posture before starting:

"It was a dire situation,  Alice knew. She was utterly, hopelessly alone with her friends trapped in the dungeons, buried kilometers bellow the mountain's base..."

I was surprised when I looked up after finishing the chapter to see Alice's eyes blinking back at me.

"You're still awake," I noted somewhat lamely.

"That was good," she murmured.

I made a face at my computer. "The combat scene—"

"Was good," she said more forcefully this time. With a slight hiss, she moved to sit up against her pillows. I closed the lid of my laptop in case she needed help, but she immediately waved me off.

"Emma, after I'm gone—"

"Alice, don't be ridiculous. You're not going anywhere," I assured her rather dismissively.

I reopened my laptop again and began scrolling through the new chapter, hoping to find an issue to distract her with.

"Emma—"

"I don't want to talk about this."

It came out harsher than it should have. It had been weeks of this back and forth. At first Alice had broached the subject of her death as she did any other subject with life—humor.

At the time, I thought it was simply a way for her to process the toll of a tough round of chemo. But as the weeks went on, the jokes evolved and forced their way into nearly every conversation.

I tried to artfully dance around them, but Alice was insistent. And I was out of moves.

"We have to," she sighed much heavier than a young girl her age should be able to.

I shook my head sharply. "No we don't. You're not going anywhere!"

I tried to force a smile, but Alice's look of pure pity ripped it from my face.

"No," I refused. "Extraordinary people do not give up!"

"But sometimes their bodies do," she whispered.

I swallowed painfully as I could feel my eyes being to fill with tears. Again, I shook my head. "Who has filled your head with this nonsense? Is it the doctors? The other patients or..."

My lips still moved, but my voice turned silent as Alice gingerly took my hand in hers. She squeezed it once before nodding her head in surety.

"After I'm gone," she started again. "Promise me that you'll publish our story."

"And if I don't want it to end?" I croaked.

Alice stroked my hand, just as I had stroked hers hours before. "Our story deserves a happy end, don't you think?"

My lower lip quivered as my voice returned albeit with a painful edge. "You deserve a happy ending."

She smiled at that and nodded. "Then give me one as extraordinary as I am."

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