~ 3 DAYS LATER – 5th JUNE 2001 ~
Serena sat up, bending her knees under the pure white hospital sheets.
“You’ll looking better” Kevin announced walking into the room, a large bouquet of flowers in his hands
“You know this room’s going to look like a florist” she smiled looking up from the magazine she was reading
“Their sun flowers, your favorite” he announced placing them in an unused vase that he retrieved from under the sink.
“Kev, come here” she instructed softly
He obeyed and sat down on the chair beside the bed.
“You should go to Australia” she declared looking strongly into his eyes
“Don’t be silly, I'm not going anywhere I'm staying right here with you” he said laughing off the very idea
“Please, go”
“Why?”
“I don’t want to hold you back Kevin, you have thousands of people longing to see you, if only for one night, to get that chance, I would hate to be the one to take that away from them”
“I'm not leaving you”
“I’ll be here when you get back. You know I used to love the New Kids On The Block, I had thousands of posters, I even had a pillow case with Joey’s face on it, and I remember vividly the concert I went to and how that made my year, and you know down to this day I can still remember how excited I was, and I know I could have killed anyone that was going to stand in my way, I don’t want to be the one standing in the way Kevin, go to the pacific, and put one hell of a great tour on, I'm not going anywhere”
She smiled lovingly up at him, her eyes filled with promise.
“I don’t want to loose you, what if something happens, what if –“
“Don’t be so morbid” she laughed
He looked at her intently, he was unsure how she could be so cheerful when her future was so uncertain.
“Now you know what I want?” she smiled
“What?” he questioned
“A cheeseburger” she announced
“With large fries and a great huge drink of coke” she continued flinging her arms in all directions
Kevin could help but laugh.
“Hospital food suck that much huh?” he inquired smiling
She nodded then looked at him with pleading eyes.
“Please” she begged in a childlike one while frantically battering her eyelashes
“Be back in a minute” he replied darting out the door
She sighed contentedly.
~ 5 DAYS LATER – 10th JUNE 2001 ~
The tour was well on it’s way, the equipment had been shipped, and the boys were waiting patciently to board the private plane.
“Where’s Kevin?” an older man spat out, looking around at the others
“He’ll be here, he had to say good bye” AJ spat out just as forcefully
~ AT THE SAME TIME ~
“I promise I’ll ring you everyday” Kevin whimpered
“I’ll be here when you get back” Serena comforted stretching her legs under the white sheet
“And hopefully I’ll be out of this place when you get back” she smiled looking around at the polished floors and walls of the hospital
“You shouldn’t go home, what if something happens? What if-“
“Have fun” she piped in opening her arms in gesture of a hug
Kevin reached down and hugged her small body, wrapping his arms protectively around her.
“Just say you don’t want me to go, and I’ll stay” he pleaded searching her eyes with his own
“I'm not going to say that. Now you should go. Have fun Kev”
She gestured in the direction of the door.
“30 days” he declared exiting the room.
He stopped at the window and waved, his hand moving slowly back and forth. She reached her hand up to her mouth and kissed her hand gently, then bought it back down and blew the kiss softly to him, and with that he was gone.
~ THAT NIGHT ~
Serena’s eyes were closed, her mouth parted slightly, dreams filling her mind, as she lay motionless across the bed.
“It’s not good is it?” Dr Shaw whispered studding Dr Cutters face
“I hate to say it, but no. We’ve run the test, it’s spreading quicker than we can kill it off” he sighed, his heart welling up with tears
“I cant bear to tell her” he added burring his head in his chest
“There’s got to be something we –“
“There’s nothing” he interrupted before walking out of the room
“John there has to be some treatment” Dr Shaw pleaded running after him
“Don’t you think if there was, I would have tried it?” he shot back defensively
“Sorry, I just don’t know how to deal with this, not when it’s so close to home” he added taking his glasses off to slowly rub his eyes
“We’ll tell her tomorrow”
~ THE NEXT MORNING – 11th JUNE 2001 ~
Serena woke in the early hours of the morning she squinted at her watch trying to decipher what time it was.
“5:38” she concluded to herself
She closed her eyes hoping she could perhaps get some more sleep, but to no avail they flung back open in disobedience. She sighed and thought about him, she wondered for a moment what he was up to.
~ 2 HOURS LATER ~
Serena had dosed off now and again, but by now she was fully alert as the morning sun shone through the windows.
“Hey Serena” John muttered walking into the room
He looked more tired than usual, his eyes were red, his face pale, his smile – nonexistent.
“What’s wrong?” she questioned sensing there was something
“We got the test results back” he said slumping down onto the corner of her hospital bed
“And?”
“Ser you’re my daughter, and I don’t know how to say this to you, so I'm going to have to say it like you’re just a patcient”
She looked at him sincerely.
“Serena, the cancer, it’s spreading rapidly” he paused to sallow the lump in his throat “It’s spreading faster than we can treat it. I'm sorry”
He buried his head deep into his hands, the tears flowing freely form his eyes.
“It’s okay, I always knew this day would come sooner or later. Do you mind? I’d like to be alone for a bit” she replied trying to hold a brave face
He nodded, then slowly slid out the door.
She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes clouding over her vision, one fell, then another, and another, the tears continued to stain her face with their wet trails.
“Why are you crying” she condemned
“You knew this was going to happen, you knew”
She wiped away the tears with force, banning them from her eyes.
“You cant cry, there’s no point, crying does nothing” she muttered under her breath
She hung her head slowly, something in her heart still longed to cry, and the only thoughts in her head were of the one thing she was scared to leave behind - Kevin.
~ LATER THAT AFTERNOON ~
Serena’s cell phone echoed through the room waking her from her slumber.
“Hello?” she answered
“Hey lover” the familiar voice replied
“Hey Kev” she sniffed, the sound of his voice making her want to cry
“You okay?”
“Never been better” she lied
“Did the results come in?”
“Uhuh”
“So?”
“Well it’s pretty much the same as always, no change”
She couldn’t bear to tell him the truth, he’d only get on a plane and fly back and she didn’t want that – or maybe it was just because she was just to scared to tell him.
“How’s Australia?” she questioned trying to change the subject
“Oh you know – Brown, Hot, the usual. Do they think you’re getting better?”
“Maybe” she mumbled
She immediately regretted what she said she knew for sure that wasn’t true.
“I love you Ser”
“I know you do”
“I miss you”
“I miss you more”
“Talk to me” he muttered
“About?”
“Anything, I just need to hear your voice”