Marc smiled and greeted him with a handshake that pulled into a hug. "How is she?" John asked, looking straight into Marcs eyes, "I'm not going to lie, she's not doing pretty good. Do you want me to leave you two alone for a second? It would only be fair since I got some time with her." John swallowed and nodded, 'She's that bad huh?' He thought, he didn't notice that his hands were shaking. He saw Sage, bed bound just like his mother. This time, he felt a burning sensation in his throat, he forced a small smile. "Hey, what's up Kelley?" He whispered, taking the seat that Marc had grabbed before him. She looked over at him, "Only dying, birdy." John scoffed, "C'mon don't say that, you just need more time to heal." He tried his best to stay positive, but that was usually Sage's job. "Well I heard that your name was Adaliya? What's up with that?" He tried to make lighthearted conversation. "'T was my first name, Sage is my middle name and I like it a lot better." She muttered. John sighed, "Oh, I just assumed that Sage was your first name, when Marc brought me here-" He stopped, her hand met his. "Your hand is warm." She said lazily, looking up at the sky. "Oh, uh, your hand is pretty cold if I'm being honest. But I'm sure it's the medicine you're on right now." "I don't have time, John." "Sage. Don't say that." John's voice began to crack. "So what? I can't tell the truth?" She asked, attitude hinted in her tone. John ignored the question, "I see you enjoy the Walkman." He pointed out, Sage tried her best to look down, saw it, and nodded. "You have a nice taste in music."
Inside, Sage felt her entire world burning to a crisp. John didn't get it, and that's what frustrated her beyond words. She knew that if she had said that same thing to Marc, he would've began to bawl. She knew he was in denial.
"Thanks. I'm going to be honest with you right now, that concert was boring without-" "I have something to tell you." "-you...what?" Luckily he listened. Sage's heart beat had gotten faster. "This is just for closure purposes but it's only right that you know." She began. John felt this sudden dread coming over him, was this it? Was this the moment? He felt his breath leave his body. 'Please don't say it.' He begged her internally, as she tried to readjust herself towards a better position.
The room was quiet from outside, Marc could feel the tension but decided to let it be. He went down the hall and noticed a vending machine, his mouth salivated at the thought of a good drink. But he had no cash or change on him. Desperately wanting that drink, he left to the ATM to withdraw some cash to carry with him.
And although my
dream was overdue