Page 18 of Forever, Always
18
MEGAN
“Oh, you asshole! I hate you!” Natalie shouts, making everyone bust out laughing at her anger. She leans in to pick up four more cards. It looks as if she may end up dropping them all soon. Who knew a game of Uno could get so vicious?
“We’re only returning the favor, you know.” Sara winks at me, and a small chuckle falls from my dry lips. The girls are gathered around my hospital bed, each of us holding a handful of cards. This game feels like it will never end as we go around the circle, each of us taking turns laying down cards. I want to play until we finally have a winner. I missed the end of the game yesterday because I fell asleep before it was over.
“It’s your turn, Meg,” Lucy says, prompting me to pick up my cards from my lap and discard one.
“Uno!” I say excitedly.
“No!” Natalie groans. “I’m not even close!”
“Karma’s a bitch, huh?” I tease. Nat sticks her tongue out at me but starts giggling before she can get any oomph behind it. It’s moments like these that help keep me grounded in reality, pulling me back from the pit of despair lurking in the background of my life.
Being in the hospital for over a month has been one of the hardest things I’ve had to endure so far. A week after I fainted at the football game, my energy was reduced to the point where I could hardly walk down the stairs of my house. I had to start homeschooling since I wasn’t able to make it through a full school day, and continuing to cheer was out of the picture right after I fainted.
Then, my health started declining so rapidly I had to be admitted into the hospital in order to get the proper nutrients I wasn’t able to consume myself.
My friends come in to see me most afternoons when they’re done with school, which has helped me keep my sanity. Some days, I’m too tired to spend much time with them, which is a bummer. It’s still nice to get an update on what’s happening out in the world, even if it’s only for a few minutes.
It’s weird how far removed I feel already. My life is contained to these four walls, a TV, and the nurse’s rounds every hour. So, when my friends visit, I get to be a part of the outside world again. I do my best to stay occupied during the day, but there’s only so much mindless TV you can watch before your mind starts circling the drain of dissolution, disappointment, and despair.
“I’m never playing this game with you guys again,” Natalie retorts, making everyone laugh. We play a few more rounds when Todd comes striding into the room, his hair wet from his shower after practice. His dark features find mine, quickly assessing how I’m doing today. I give him a smile so he knows it’s been a good day.
I’ve been feeling much better this week, which is exciting. Dr. Robins ran some tests on me today, so hopefully, we’ll get some good news soon.
Todd comes over to the bed and kisses my forehead.
“Hey, there,” I say when he leans back. He winks at me, pulling a chair closer to my bed. He grabs my hand, holding onto it for the rest of the game. His constant support throughout this horrible experience has been something I’ve come to rely on heavily. I don’t know what I’d do without it.
We finish our game of Uno in a few short hands, with Sara stealing the win from me. They all leave once the game is picked up, letting me know they’ll see me tomorrow.
The minute Todd and I are alone, I scoot over in my bed, and he gets in with me, pulling me close. The warmth of his body radiates through me, providing almost a healing comfort.
“How are you today?”
“Pretty good. They ran some tests, so we should know where we stand in a few days.” I stare into dark eyes so expressive I can almost read every thought going through his head. He’s tried to keep a lot of his emotions from me throughout this whole ordeal, I’m sure, to keep me from worrying about him. I hate how much my diagnosis has affected him.
“I’d like to be there when they give you the news if I can.”
“Okay, I’ll ask the doctor when we should expect results and let you know.”
He nods his head, pressing a kiss to my forehead again.
“Tell me a story,” he whispers in my ear. When I first got admitted into the hospital, I told him about my mom making up stories for me. Ever since then, he asks me to tell him a story when he needs a distraction from the dark and depressing. It also helps me focus on something else as well.
“Once upon a time, there was a handsome prince wandering through the forest in search of his lost treasure, the princess,” I begin, telling the story I made up today. Todd plays with my fingers as I detail the prince’s adventures of fighting off creatures of the deep until he finally stumbles upon an old castle.
“Showing off his athletic prowess, he climbs the side of the castle so as not to alert the monster within.” I grin at Todd as he rolls his eyes at my teasing of his physical ability. All of my stories are similar, depicting a handsome prince, who is very similar to Todd and his adventures in the made-up world of Montgomery Land.
“Once inside, he finds a princess asleep in her bedchambers. Her beauty completely overwhelms him—”
“Yes, it does,” Todd interrupts with a wink. I roll my eyes because I know that’s not true. Between non-existent hair, my gaunt face, and a hospital gown, I am far from beautiful right now.
“Suddenly, a monstrous beast bursts into the room, angry the prince is trying to take his treasure. After a long, exhausting fight, the prince finally slays the monster. The evil curse breaks with the monster’s death, allowing the princess to wake from the nightmare. Happy to have been saved by her prince, they go home to live happily ever after.
Todd smiles as he always does at the end of my stories. “I’ll be there to slay whatever monster stands in my way. Promise.”
“Forever?”
“Always.”
