Status: Completed
Let Me Count the Ways I Fell in Love With You
The confessions
One week later:
“T.A! T.A! Wake up!! Dad’s making pancakes and Mrs Owen came over! Wakey wakey!!”
Tyler shook her sister’s body.
It was already 12 in the afternoon and it was rare for his sister to be sleeping in late on a Saturday. Usually, she would be the first to wake up and prepare breakfast. But, seeing the fatigue look on her face this few days, Tyler guessed it must be school.
“T.A! Wake up!” He tried again.
He got a muffled reply before her sister finally sat up. Her face looked pale and she looked like she had been run over by a truck. In other words: She looked horrible.
Her hair was in a weird position and Tyler stifled a giggle. He jumped on her bed and his sister smiled weakly at him. He nodded and pointed to the kitchen.
“Pancakes!” He said.
Tania smiled while nodding and got up. Suddenly, her knees turned jelly and she had to hold her bedside table for support.
Uh-oh. No good.
She took in a breath and tried again. Better. Tyler led the way down to the stairs. She stared at them in confusion. Her eyes kept shifting away from focus and she rubbed at them gently. Then she looked again. It was better but, the dizziness would not disappear. She saw a blurry Tyler walking down the staircase.
Shrugging, she took a step onto the first step of stairs when she felt like everything was crashing down on her. Oh, wait, she was the one crashing down on them. She felt the twirling and the changing of image between the stairs and the ceiling and she knew that she was falling down those evil, vile stairs. She felt pain raking through her body at each turn. Sounds buzzed around her and she felt like it was the longest stair-falling-stunt she had ever done – even though the stairs was only a mere 3 metres from ground level.
As she reached the bottom step, her ears were enhanced and she could hear many different sounds at the same time. Either that, or it was Tyler and Mrs Owen yelling her name out. That was all she could remember before everything went pitch black.
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Shane’s heart almost stopped when his mother called. His heart stopped when he heard what his mother had to say. All day, he has been having this bugging feeling and it definitely was not pleasant. So now, he was running as fast as he could to the hospital without his car. And only god knows why. Okay, he knew it too. But, well, that is another story all together.
Right now, he was bumping into every trash cans in his way just so that he could get to the hospital, because his girlfriend was in one of those wards and on one of those beds. He almost damn died when his mother called and told him that Tania had fainted on the stairs – which in turn, made her fall down the stairs. Damn those stairs.
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“I cannot believe you skipped! You skipped 3 months of chemotherapies! What the hell were you thinking T.A?!” Her father boomed at her in the hospital ward.
Patients and visitors alike stared at the terrible, noisy twosome. Can’t a father scold her daughter in peace?
Tania looked at her fingers guiltily. He was bound to find out sooner or later.
“Well… I couldn’t help it. Doctor Angelico was treating me like I’m 7.”
“That is not a reason for you to skip! Can’t you at least make a decent excuse?!”
Tania pouted and puffed her cheeks. Not. Fair.
“Tania… I think your father might be right,” Mrs Owen spoke after awhile, her voice a mass of soothing warmth.
“Okay,” Tania replied dully.
She hated chemotherapies. It made her feel sick. It made her feel awful. It made her go bald…
“Tania!” A voice she missed so much suddenly shouted in her head. Her eyes lit up at the sudden memory.
Then, the voice called out her name again but, this time, it felt near.
“Oh, dad… I hear Shane’s voice in my head. It sounded so near,” She looked at the hospital’s ceiling in confusion.
“That’s because I am here!” Shane said again.
Her eyes bulged open and she looked towards the voice. True enough, Shane was there, walking towards Tania. His hair dishevelled and he was covered in sweat.
“Was he running?” Tania thought to herself.
“I told him that you fainted…” Mrs Owen admitted.
Oh, he ran.
Tania saw him taking a deep breath as he tried to regain back the air in his lungs. However, he did not take his eyes off of her.
“Okay, boys. I think we should wait on outside and leave this two lovebirds alone…” Mrs Owen hinted to her dad and Tyler.
They went outside and left Shane and Tania together – and of course those other patients and visitors alike.
Shane walked over to the visitor’s chair, sat down and continued staring at her. Tania, however, looked at the patient opposite from her and wandered what the patient was feeling. It was the least she could do – wanted to do – other than think about the awkwardness of the situation.
Finally, Shane started the conversation. “Why didn’t you tell me Tania?”
Not much of a conversation starter but it was a start nonetheless.
Tania kept her mum and continued looking at the patient across from her. But instead, she was thinking, thinking about what she should say next. Shane gave her the time.
Finally, Tania looked to him, smiled and fidgeted with her hair. Suddenly, she did the most shocking thing he had ever seen her do: She took out – literally – her hair. What was left was her scalp and it was… empty. Tania was… bald.
Shane’s eyes widen and his eyes turned red as tears started streaming down one by one by one.
“I had brain cancer a year ago. The doc said that the cancer cells were spreading faster than normal. Before I knew it, the cancer had gone into the intermediate stage. There was a 50-50 percent chance of me surviving the surgery but, I think it’s kinda stupid,” She grinned sheepishly but, the hurt was apparent in her eyes. And the fear. “So now, the cancer cells are almost at the end of the intermediate stage. I didn’t go for my chemo for the past 3 months and it had started to move again… so, yeah. I have a percentage of about, 0 to 15% chance of living. But… I don’t think it’s necessary…” She crunched her face teasingly.
“T.A! T.A! Wake up!! Dad’s making pancakes and Mrs Owen came over! Wakey wakey!!”
Tyler shook her sister’s body.
It was already 12 in the afternoon and it was rare for his sister to be sleeping in late on a Saturday. Usually, she would be the first to wake up and prepare breakfast. But, seeing the fatigue look on her face this few days, Tyler guessed it must be school.
“T.A! Wake up!” He tried again.
He got a muffled reply before her sister finally sat up. Her face looked pale and she looked like she had been run over by a truck. In other words: She looked horrible.
Her hair was in a weird position and Tyler stifled a giggle. He jumped on her bed and his sister smiled weakly at him. He nodded and pointed to the kitchen.
“Pancakes!” He said.
Tania smiled while nodding and got up. Suddenly, her knees turned jelly and she had to hold her bedside table for support.
Uh-oh. No good.
She took in a breath and tried again. Better. Tyler led the way down to the stairs. She stared at them in confusion. Her eyes kept shifting away from focus and she rubbed at them gently. Then she looked again. It was better but, the dizziness would not disappear. She saw a blurry Tyler walking down the staircase.
Shrugging, she took a step onto the first step of stairs when she felt like everything was crashing down on her. Oh, wait, she was the one crashing down on them. She felt the twirling and the changing of image between the stairs and the ceiling and she knew that she was falling down those evil, vile stairs. She felt pain raking through her body at each turn. Sounds buzzed around her and she felt like it was the longest stair-falling-stunt she had ever done – even though the stairs was only a mere 3 metres from ground level.
As she reached the bottom step, her ears were enhanced and she could hear many different sounds at the same time. Either that, or it was Tyler and Mrs Owen yelling her name out. That was all she could remember before everything went pitch black.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shane’s heart almost stopped when his mother called. His heart stopped when he heard what his mother had to say. All day, he has been having this bugging feeling and it definitely was not pleasant. So now, he was running as fast as he could to the hospital without his car. And only god knows why. Okay, he knew it too. But, well, that is another story all together.
Right now, he was bumping into every trash cans in his way just so that he could get to the hospital, because his girlfriend was in one of those wards and on one of those beds. He almost damn died when his mother called and told him that Tania had fainted on the stairs – which in turn, made her fall down the stairs. Damn those stairs.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“I cannot believe you skipped! You skipped 3 months of chemotherapies! What the hell were you thinking T.A?!” Her father boomed at her in the hospital ward.
Patients and visitors alike stared at the terrible, noisy twosome. Can’t a father scold her daughter in peace?
Tania looked at her fingers guiltily. He was bound to find out sooner or later.
“Well… I couldn’t help it. Doctor Angelico was treating me like I’m 7.”
“That is not a reason for you to skip! Can’t you at least make a decent excuse?!”
Tania pouted and puffed her cheeks. Not. Fair.
“Tania… I think your father might be right,” Mrs Owen spoke after awhile, her voice a mass of soothing warmth.
“Okay,” Tania replied dully.
She hated chemotherapies. It made her feel sick. It made her feel awful. It made her go bald…
“Tania!” A voice she missed so much suddenly shouted in her head. Her eyes lit up at the sudden memory.
Then, the voice called out her name again but, this time, it felt near.
“Oh, dad… I hear Shane’s voice in my head. It sounded so near,” She looked at the hospital’s ceiling in confusion.
“That’s because I am here!” Shane said again.
Her eyes bulged open and she looked towards the voice. True enough, Shane was there, walking towards Tania. His hair dishevelled and he was covered in sweat.
“Was he running?” Tania thought to herself.
“I told him that you fainted…” Mrs Owen admitted.
Oh, he ran.
Tania saw him taking a deep breath as he tried to regain back the air in his lungs. However, he did not take his eyes off of her.
“Okay, boys. I think we should wait on outside and leave this two lovebirds alone…” Mrs Owen hinted to her dad and Tyler.
They went outside and left Shane and Tania together – and of course those other patients and visitors alike.
Shane walked over to the visitor’s chair, sat down and continued staring at her. Tania, however, looked at the patient opposite from her and wandered what the patient was feeling. It was the least she could do – wanted to do – other than think about the awkwardness of the situation.
Finally, Shane started the conversation. “Why didn’t you tell me Tania?”
Not much of a conversation starter but it was a start nonetheless.
Tania kept her mum and continued looking at the patient across from her. But instead, she was thinking, thinking about what she should say next. Shane gave her the time.
Finally, Tania looked to him, smiled and fidgeted with her hair. Suddenly, she did the most shocking thing he had ever seen her do: She took out – literally – her hair. What was left was her scalp and it was… empty. Tania was… bald.
Shane’s eyes widen and his eyes turned red as tears started streaming down one by one by one.
“I had brain cancer a year ago. The doc said that the cancer cells were spreading faster than normal. Before I knew it, the cancer had gone into the intermediate stage. There was a 50-50 percent chance of me surviving the surgery but, I think it’s kinda stupid,” She grinned sheepishly but, the hurt was apparent in her eyes. And the fear. “So now, the cancer cells are almost at the end of the intermediate stage. I didn’t go for my chemo for the past 3 months and it had started to move again… so, yeah. I have a percentage of about, 0 to 15% chance of living. But… I don’t think it’s necessary…” She crunched her face teasingly.
♠ ♠ ♠
I hate confessions.