Chapter Three

The nurse left a cup of soup on my tray and left like it was the most average thing in the world. I hadn’t eaten or drank in days because my liver couldn’t take it, choking on anything I tried to feed it and causing me intense pain. Now, a simple soup. I reached out to it and tried to lift it to my mouth but it was barely an inch above the tray before it clattered back out of my hands. Peter got out of bed and shuffled over to me.
“Here” He held my hands against the mug firmly and guided it to my dry sore lips. I watched his mouth tense with concentration, trying not to spill it anywhere. He parted his lips, mimicking drinking like you would with a child. I drank deeply, finishing the whole cup. He helped me lower it and then wiped my mouth on a napkin.
“There, is that better?” I nodded.
“I’m sorry.” I said.
“For what? The way you are recovering, it’s nothing short of a miracle. Is this common with your Sojo-mojo syndrome?” I smiled at his pet name for my murderous disease.
“Not really.” He went quiet and thoughtful, peeking at me through his fringe.
“Does it hurt?” I paused and then nodded. There was something strange about this man, he filled me with hope and healing even though I knew nothing about him.
“Who are you?” I asked, trying not to sound rude or intruding, just curious. It didn’t quite work with the deep gasp of my voice but he smiled, which was a good sign.
“What a thing to ask.” He leant back on his bed and pinched his lips in thought. “I’m a man who enjoys taking photos of trees and their shadows. I love the way they can sometimes look like clouds, like lollipops or sometimes like animals. Then you get trees in winter when they look naked and mean. Winter trees seem to sprawl out even more when you want them to curl into themselves and shiver. I love how their shadows can look completely different to the tree itself, almost an opposite.” He smiled to himself and closed his eyes. “My favourite tree is one that stands alone in a golden field of corn. Because of all the crop around it, its shadow quivers constantly... like it’s afraid of being so alone.” He hadn’t spoke so much since I’d come into the room and he captivated me with his passion.
“Photographer?” I asked, enquiring as to if that was his career. He chuckled to himself.
“I wish. Just a fanatic, really. I work in an office most of the time. High flyer executive man.” He grasped his fake lapels and primped himself
“What about you? Oh let me guess... You’re a model! You are a... masseuse. Am I right?” He winked cheekily and I blushed deeply.
“No job.” I whispered, looking at my folded hands. He tilted his head to the side quizzically.
“Too sick.” His mouth popped open with a gentle ‘aah’ as he understood, I had a life sentence. We sat for a while in a semi-awkward silence.
“Family?” I asked, genuinely curious to see if he was married or not. I hadn’t seen any wife visit but you never know with people nowadays. My parents had visited often, bringing a random aunt or uncle with them ‘just to see’. I really knew that they were giving people a chance to say goodbye without overwhelming me with them all at once, still I appreciated they were trying to be subtle. Peter considered his answer for a moment.
“Well, I was married.”
“Was?”
“Yeah, that didn’t really last too long.” The laughter left his eyes for a moment and I decided not to pry, hospitals were depressing enough without having to delve into your black past.

He sighed loudly and we were once again joined by a nurse. She bustled around the room with her incessant talking. 

“Well, hello my two lovelies. Aren’t you two peas in a pod now? I knew that you would get to know each other quickly! The weather is simply dismal, freezing outside – you won’t believe the amount of injuries coming in because of slipping over on the ice. People need to wear sensible shoes instead of these impractical doo-dads with a heel as high as a hand and no grip whatsoever...” She continued on and Peter rolled his eyes making me laugh. Throughout the whole time she was there he made faces behind her back and imitated her wiggle as she walks and her constant chatter. I tried to contain my giggles but it just came out as snorts and hiccups, making the nurse confused and probably a little disgusted. She tugged at my wires and disabled something which looked pretty vital which stopped my giggles immediately.
“What? No!” I cried pathetically from my bed.
“Oh no don’t worry dear, Doctor’s orders you know. You’ve been showing so much improvement on your own recently we’ve decided to put faith in your body and retract some of the harsher drugs which hinder more than help. You’ll be fine deary, don’t look so frightened; you remind me of a little robin bird. Rest for now, you’ll feel so much better when you wake up.” She left the room with a cautionary warning for Peter to stick to his meal plan or he’ll kill himself. I eyed the unplugged machine warily, a few days I was dead without it and now I was independent of my robotic other half. I almost felt lonely.
“That’s good news, you shouldn’t look so sad Kerry-cake.” He smiled at me and winked as he slipped a smuggled chocolate through his teeth. I tutted at him and he stuck out a tongue that was covered in caramel. He was really beginning to grow on me.

My Day - Episode Thirty Eight

Well today I woke up at my usual time, unusually awake because I had loads of stuff I needed to do in school today. Just errands, nothing mega. Then mum came in like "There's like this much snow outside *insert gesture* and it's forecast more, I don't think you should go today. I'm not having you have to call halfway through the day for permission to come home early. It's silly." So I was like mmrrmmrrmmrrm and emailed my teachers to say I'm not in.
Then I got up because I don't like lie-ins once I'm already awake. Made myself a fry up, cheesy eggy bread with sausages (skinless ;D ) Then I buckled down to the couch and basically stayed there all day.
I watched 2012 (awesome sfx), Stealing Beauty (really good storyline) and a bit of the Proposal (yay happy ending people!). Then I took a trip to the shops for no reason, got some pudding and ate it.

Nothing much really happened today. Apart from me feeling shit. Oh and writing this story. Yeah... I randomly got inspiration but unfortunately I will never do the storyline justice.

Chapter Two

CHAPTER TWO

When I woke up it felt like days had passed. I wasn’t refreshed from sleeping, just felt even more exhausted. I could feel that there was someone beside me, unusually close. I opened my eyes and an angel was inches from my face. I gasped and jolted in my bed slightly.
“Sorry!” He said, backing away slowly, his hand grasping the pole of his drip. I stared at the strangers face until I remembered who he was, Peter Peckering, the man with the unfortunate name and my new roomie. I had been introduced briefly to him right after I had been told that I would die in days. He jolted me out of my reverie about yesterdays occurrences by asking me a question.
“What’s your name?” I scowled with frustration, like I could answer! ‘I’m hooked up to a bunch of wires, idiot, I can barely breathe, never mind speak.’ I thought loudly at him. He waited patiently and then eventually picked up my chart. I felt violated, that was private and he was greedily reading every line. I grunted my disapproval.
“Kerry-ann Wymer. Oh God, this looks terrible. I’m so sorry.”
“Kerry.”
“What?” He looked at me startled and I stared back. I couldn’t help but correct him from using my full name but even I was surprised that I was able to open my mouth at all.
“Kerry then. I’m Peter.” He waited for a moment and then shuffled back to his bed, muttering about crappy slippers under his breath. He sat down with a huff and looked at me with a glint in his eye.
“Hey don’t take this personally but you look awful.” He laughed and I narrowed my eyes, what an ass.
“I’d murder a cake right now. Can’t though.” He poked his stomach which was no doubt firm and toned. I guessed he was referring to his gall bladder.
“A really big one. Chocolate of course, there’s nothing better. With ice cream at the side, and you could warm the cake so it melts a little. Oh, I can taste it!” I imagined the cake he was describing, dripping with rich chocolate that smelled of heaven. To my surprise, my mouth felt wet. I was drooling.
“I’m drooling.” I told him, sitting up in my bed a little more.
“Yeah... me too.” He replied dreamily, his eyes closed as he breathed in his imaginary smell.
“No you don’t understand...” I trailed off, licking my lips. It was a miracle. What was this? I was meant to be drying up until I died, not suddenly leaping back to health. I smashed the button that was at my side for the nurse, pressing it over and over again with two fingers.
“What are you doing?” Peter looked at me like I was mad. The nurse came in, looking annoyed at the constant ringing. She took the button away from me and put it on the side.
“What’s wrong dear? Are you in pain?”
“No.” Startled by my speech, she reached for my chart and then examined it alongside my current readings. Her brow furrowed and she walked over to an intercom on the wall.
“Can Dr Yammy come to room 14 please, Yammy to room 14.” She placed the chart back on the end of the bed and I watched her leave, hips sashaying from side to side. Silence permeated the air of the room, her footsteps echoing down the hallway. Voices were hushed but hurried. The nurse spoke in a rushing and panicked tone. There was quiet and then hurried footsteps which slowed to a gentle pace outside the door. The doctor walked in, a picture of calm.
“Let’s have a look see.” He hummed to himself and clicked his tongue against his teeth as he checked all the machines that bleeped by my sides. I shifted in my bed and he watched me like a hawk, fascinated.
Peter peeked out from the side of the doctor, watching me with him.
“You’re getting better.” He said slowly.  
“Why?” I croaked, my throat cracking with the rare use. Turning to consult the nurse, she just stood in silent with her eyes to the machines. He shook his head.
“We don’t know.”

The end of the world

Why have we built everything so big? When it finally does come to the end of the world, we will be crushed under the weight of our own creations.

Chapter One

CHAPTER ONE

Have you ever felt that without the person you love, you would just die? That if they walked away from you forever, you couldn’t live without them? I did. Only for me life was a little more literal than that. 

“The test confirms it.” My mother broke down sobbing, my father cradled her like a child. His eyes were red and wet but he didn’t cry because he needed to be strong for me. It hadn’t sunk in. I had just been delivered a death sentence. This was it. I was dying.
“How long?” Dad croaked quietly, Mum stilled her sobbing for a moment so she could listen. The doctor flipped a piece of paper on my chart and took a moment to calculate how many weeks, months or years I had left. He fell still and dropped the chart to his side. Sitting down on my bed, he exhaled deeply.
“This disease is very unpredictable. With luck you could have a few weeks, but realistically we are looking at days.”

The silence in the room was tainted with dread. Days. No twenty-third birthday. No wedding. No children. No anniversaries. No grandchildren. Just days. I sunk into my bed, my arms weak. I could feel my lungs heaving for air more than ever before, rattling in my chest. It hurt to stare at my parents who were hushed. Dad was crying now, his bravado dissolved when confronted with the reality of time.

“Whilst you are welcome to stay at the hospital, we are open to the idea of you going home so you can be as comfortable as you like.” The breath seeped out of me in a crackle. I shook my head. I couldn’t speak because it was too much effort so I furrowed my brow and shook my head.
“Darling, come home so you can be somewhere relaxing, somewhere…” Mum faltered at the end of her sentence, her lip wobbling. I shook my head again. Dad tightened his grip on mum.
“If she stays here, can we visit?”
“Of course, Sir. You will have extended visiting hours but of course, for various reasons, you cannot be here all the time.”
“We understand.” The room fell silent again as they looked at me. The dead girl.
“You’ll take good care of her?” Mum was worrying away at a thread with her fingers, her teary eyes staring right at the poor Doctor.
“We will do everything we can. I promise.” They nodded at each other and a nurse entered the room.
“Doctor?”
“Yes.” He turned to my parents. “I’m afraid she has to be moved to the ICU and will be in a shared room with a male patient of ours. Is that okay? We can change the room if you request but there are curtains for privacy.”
“No no, that will be fine.” Dad shakes his head as he guides mum over to my bed. She takes my hand, I can barely feel her shaking touch but it’s there.
“I’ll have to ask you to say goodbye for now, we have to move Kerry-ann” I mentally cringed at my full name. I hated the added –ann, it was totally unnecessary. I privately wished that I could correct him but all I could do was frown slightly.
“She looks in pain.” Mum whispered, stroking my arm.
“She’s well medicated, she isn’t.” The doctor stated, glancing at my chart again to make sure he isn’t mistaken. He subtly waved in the nurse. She was all in blue, a cheery tone like the colour of a clear sky. My parents said farewell and I tried to look strong for them but my life was slipping away from me like sand through a sieve, I could feel it more than ever. 

The nurse introduced herself as Izzy, as in Isabelle. She babbled about her two children, the weather today, my lovely brown hair, her dirty blonde hair and the patient I would be sharing with. That caught my interest. Who would I be spending my final days staring at?
“He’s a twenty-something year old man, I can’t remember his exact age for the life of me, but he’s very dashing – or at least he was. He’s not here for long he’s just waiting for surgery to get his gall bladder removed. We would let him out but he’s so cheeky and never sticks to meal plans so we have to keep him here. We are sorry that we can’t have you with a female patient but I’m afraid with the current state of affairs we’re so short on beds at the minute. Did you know that on average each patient needs two nurses and…” I let her continue to talk, not that I could stop her exactly. A cheeky, dashing man who is around about my age… I wondered whether he’d talk to me or be freaked out by all the wires and machines. I felt like a puppet, strings and tubes all over so I can barely move for fear of dislodging something vital. 

Finally I was wheeled into the room, feet first so I could see where I was going. It was bright and airy with some flowers next to the beds, just some forget-me-nots. The windows as tall as a man and had huge heavy curtains that were patterned with a gentle pastel tone. I risked a look over to my roommate and was not disappointed. He was a little yellow, but other than that he was gorgeous. Sparkling blue eyes that were squinted with laughter and brown hair like mine that was stuck up too much from lying down all the time. He was talking to yet another nurse who was batting her eyelashes and giggling like a school girl, obviously under his spell. He stopped laughing for a second to look at me. Across his eyes I saw fleeting pity which was then buried by a huge welcoming grin. The nurse whispered in my ear, “That’s Peter Peckering, you’re new roomie.”
My eyebrows raised, what an unfortunate name. I wanted to laugh but I was exhausted so I closed my eyes with a smile pricking at the edges of my mouth. The bed rolled into the corner and my machines were lined up beside me, their beeping was insistent at my ear but I was beyond used to it. Comfortable, I drifted off into a painless, dreamless sleep.

Brain Fart

Don't you just hate it when your brain just goes pfft? Gives up and leaves you hanging on your last thought in suspense. Today I was trying to write and essay and the world I wanted was accordance, but I went to write it and and pfft.

Nothing. Could not remember it. I knew the word, I knew the definition, I just didn't...know it... That didn't make much sense.

Dedicated to Hutchybabes who I spent two lovely frees with today. :)

My Day - Episode Thirty Seven

So today I woke up before my alarm and I was like "I could do some situps or I can sleep" so then I snoozed for twenty minutes and had a niiiice lie in, still waking up early. I had loads of time so I chose a thin-making outfit and did my hair pretty in search of compliments. (Mission success, got lots of pick me ups).

Rained. I was suited and booted in my anorak and trampy trainers to avoid soggyness. It worked and I was soggy free... wooo. Got into school and found Joe. Chatted with him and others. Went to English, worked on media which is coming along nicely. Then it was Philosophy which... I don't remember. Then it was a free where I did my Bio issue report, that's going fine again. Ate lunch with Joe and Jed joined us for a while. Then me and other hung out. Then Psych where we did an exam and I felt like I rocked it super cool style. In my last free I sat doing my English and chatting to Hutch.

Got home and parents have gone out to the pub so it's just me. I watch Ace of Cakes, Walking with Dinosaurs and some music channels. Preet asks me to photo-remove Nichols beard for a "Sponser the beard shave" campagin. Got into an argument over a friend who is dislike. Conflict resolved by a comprimise as usual. I was good and didn't get super angry too because I timed myself out. That worked.

Now I'm blogging. Later I'll be getting a takeaway with the rent and that's my life. Talk soon. :)