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Heart-Breaking Promise

I sat at on the edge of Annie's hospital bed. I was confused and feeling uneasy. I licked my chapped lips, my mouth felt dry and stale.

"How long have you known?" I croak out.

It seemed like just yesterday I'd met her and now the doctors were saying she didn't have very long to live and it wasn't just Annie's doctors that were saying she didn't have long, Annie herself kept talking about her dying, what type of flowers she wanted at her funeral, what she wanted to be buried in.

"Stop." I stand up and pace around the room. I repeatedly flexed my hands into fists for several minutes. "How can you talk like that?" Annie was always so positive and now she was talking about her death.

"Greg, come here." Annie spoke sternly, holding out a thin hand.

I moved over to her and sat close as she held my hand, as if to comfort me, when it's her I should be comforting. Her face was completely serious and for once there was no trace of my happy Annie, my bubbly Annie that could take on the world with her bare hands.

"How long, how long have you known?" I forced a sob back down my throat with a gulp.

"Awhile now." She stated, a blank look crossed her face.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" I whisper, disappointed.

She shrugged her bony shoulders, "I just wanted to live in the moment, if you had of known you'd only be thinking about how I'm going to be six feet under all the time." She explained.

I hated that she was right but it feels like I'd only just met her yesterday. I never thought about Annie never being around, she pushed her way into my life and now she'd be ripped out of it... by cancer.

"Greg you have to promise me something," She said, bringing me out of my thoughts. I listened to her. "When I die, I want you to promise that you'll continue improving your life like you have been, I want you to live for the both of us, have fun for me and live it to the max, do what you love to do and don't let anyone stop you, including yourself."

I stared at the floor then up at Annie and I saw a familiar spark in her eyes.

Even though it broke my heart to make that kind of promise I owed Annie that much. She had been my glowing star and now she really would be a glowing star, up above, the world so high, she'd look down on me and I want her to look down in pride.

"Of course, I'd do anything for you." And that was the truth.