Contagious
.02
"Vic." she said softly kissing his olive cheek, "I'm done."
He rolled over and smiled, "Come here." he pulled her head to his chest and cradled her body against his.
"Vic, do you believe in the afterlife?" she asked suddenly looking up at him.
He furrowed his eyebrows, "Random."
"Well we were talking about death earlier, are you afraid of death?" she looked back down and cuddled closer to him when the breeze started back up.
"We can't be, " he started, "It happens to every living thing. I'm just afraid of dying and being forgotten by the people I love."
"Would you forget me?" she squeaked, "If I died?"
"Never." he said quickly, "you'll always be in the back of my mind. Every choice I made would involve you in a way."
He heard her sniffle and wipe her eyes with the back of her hand.
"What's wrong?" he asked worried.
"Vic... I have leukemia." she whispered
Vic sat up as fast as he could but it all seemed so slow to him. For a moment he saw the leaves stop moving and the kids on the swing set pause in mid air. The sun dimmed down and Hilary's green eyes turned black. The pit of his stomach rose to his throat and his senses shut down.
"That's impossible." he choked out.
She had always been one of the healthiest persons he had ever met. When everyone around her was sneezing and complaining she would be the one taking care of them.
"How?" his tone became urgent. His body was sitting up but curved from the pain he felt in his chest.
"I don't know. Vic." her voice was even trying to calm him. Her cold fingers pressed on his warm cheek, "I thought it was just the flu...but I was losing weight for no reason, so... they gave me a blood test."
He kept staring at her, he had noticed her weight was dropping but given the response he got when ever he gave his real comment on weight to females he vowed keep quiet.
"That's when they found out I was sick... that's why I wanted to come here today Vic. I didn't want you to be around my mom... her face hasn't changed since I was diagnosed."
"But you're getting treatment. You'll be okay." It wasn't a question. His statement was as strong as the feelings he had for her.
She took a deep breath, "Acute myeloid leukemia, my doctor says he's going to try everything in the book...but he also said I shouldn't plan anything for next year." Her green eyes wide with honesty. The gleam was all too familiar for Vic. He had seen that childlike gleam hundreds of times before, mostly when he told her that he loved her. Even that wasn't the truth, the truth was that every fiber of his being loved her, and that would never change.
"I didn't want someone else to tell you, Vic you have to promise to not change your attitude towards me."
Vic shook his head, "How do you expect me to do that Hilary? I don't want to lose you." he pulled her towards his body comforting himself.
She was too calm about the whole situation, mentally prepared.
He didn't know what to do with himself, he told himself that this was just a nightmare. An all too vivid nightmare that clung under his skin. When he woke up he would run next door and tell her about it, and she would laugh. She would laugh that joyous laugh that seemed to echo off the walls and linger inside of him for days.
"Vic I promise to love you until the day I die." The statement was all to real for a nightmare.
This wasn't a nightmare, it was far worse. It was reality.
He rolled over and smiled, "Come here." he pulled her head to his chest and cradled her body against his.
"Vic, do you believe in the afterlife?" she asked suddenly looking up at him.
He furrowed his eyebrows, "Random."
"Well we were talking about death earlier, are you afraid of death?" she looked back down and cuddled closer to him when the breeze started back up.
"We can't be, " he started, "It happens to every living thing. I'm just afraid of dying and being forgotten by the people I love."
"Would you forget me?" she squeaked, "If I died?"
"Never." he said quickly, "you'll always be in the back of my mind. Every choice I made would involve you in a way."
He heard her sniffle and wipe her eyes with the back of her hand.
"What's wrong?" he asked worried.
"Vic... I have leukemia." she whispered
Vic sat up as fast as he could but it all seemed so slow to him. For a moment he saw the leaves stop moving and the kids on the swing set pause in mid air. The sun dimmed down and Hilary's green eyes turned black. The pit of his stomach rose to his throat and his senses shut down.
"That's impossible." he choked out.
She had always been one of the healthiest persons he had ever met. When everyone around her was sneezing and complaining she would be the one taking care of them.
"How?" his tone became urgent. His body was sitting up but curved from the pain he felt in his chest.
"I don't know. Vic." her voice was even trying to calm him. Her cold fingers pressed on his warm cheek, "I thought it was just the flu...but I was losing weight for no reason, so... they gave me a blood test."
He kept staring at her, he had noticed her weight was dropping but given the response he got when ever he gave his real comment on weight to females he vowed keep quiet.
"That's when they found out I was sick... that's why I wanted to come here today Vic. I didn't want you to be around my mom... her face hasn't changed since I was diagnosed."
"But you're getting treatment. You'll be okay." It wasn't a question. His statement was as strong as the feelings he had for her.
She took a deep breath, "Acute myeloid leukemia, my doctor says he's going to try everything in the book...but he also said I shouldn't plan anything for next year." Her green eyes wide with honesty. The gleam was all too familiar for Vic. He had seen that childlike gleam hundreds of times before, mostly when he told her that he loved her. Even that wasn't the truth, the truth was that every fiber of his being loved her, and that would never change.
"I didn't want someone else to tell you, Vic you have to promise to not change your attitude towards me."
Vic shook his head, "How do you expect me to do that Hilary? I don't want to lose you." he pulled her towards his body comforting himself.
She was too calm about the whole situation, mentally prepared.
He didn't know what to do with himself, he told himself that this was just a nightmare. An all too vivid nightmare that clung under his skin. When he woke up he would run next door and tell her about it, and she would laugh. She would laugh that joyous laugh that seemed to echo off the walls and linger inside of him for days.
"Vic I promise to love you until the day I die." The statement was all to real for a nightmare.
This wasn't a nightmare, it was far worse. It was reality.