His Final Days

The monitor beeped harshly in Landon's ear as his rib cage rattling cough woke him up. He felt a hand squeeze his and looked at the intertwined fingers before him. His hand was deathly pale against the other delicate, tan hand with its chipped black painted nails. His eyes followed the hand up to a face of a girl; the love of his life, his best friend.

Her big brown eyes were filled with concern as she tried to plaster a smile on her full lips, showing him her dazzling white smile. "Do you need something to drink?" her melodic voice whispered through his ears and he shook his head no, black curls falling into his eyes. She reached over and brushed his hair out of his face, "We can't hide those pretty blues of yours."

"You're a mess, Marilyn," he chuckled at her and she returned his laugh. Landon's laugh quickly turned to more violent coughs. Upon pulling his arm away from his mouth he saw the bright red smatter the light blue fabric of his hospital gown.

"Oh, no," Marilyn whispered. "Nurses!" she called out and started flustering over him.

"Please, stop," Landon put both of his hands up. "It's just a little blood." Marilyn frowned at him but didn't say another word as the nurses made their way in to check his vitals. "Everything's clear," a little blond nurse told Marilyn who retorted with, "Oh yeah, him dying is real clear."

The nurse's eyes flew wide as Landon shouted, "Marilyn!"

"What?" she yelled back at him. "It's not clear. Nothing will ever be clear again!" Anger displayed clearly across her features as tears started to well up.

"Please leave," Landon asked the nurses nicely. "And close the door on your way out?" They obliged quietly, leaving him alone with his angry best friend who now had her head in her hands, her body shaking with sobs. "Marilyn," Landon whispered and a tear streaked face looked up at him. "Come here," he patted the bed next to him and she eyed it warily.

"There's not enough room for the both of us." Landon tilted his head to the side and raised a brow at her. "Okay, okay," she said as she attempted to climb in the bed with him. Once settled, he wrapped her up in his arms and held her tightly.

"You know I love you," Landon whispered and kissed the top of her head. A smile spread across Marilyn's lips and she looked up at him. "I have something to tell you..." he trailed off.

"What is it, Lan?" Her doe eyes filled with concern once again; she could feel, and hear, his heart rate speed up and his skin becoming balmy. "What's wrong with you?" Her eyebrows knitted together.

"It's just..." Suddenly he was grabbing her face between his fragile hands and crushing his chapped lips to her smooth ones. It lasted for only a second but it was just enough time for him. As he pulled away, Marilyn's hand flew to her lips and eyes widened, this time with shock. "I'm in love with you. I have always been; ever since you asked me to push you in the swing on that little playground when I was seven years old." It felt like a weight lifted off of Landon's shoulders; it was a welcome feeling, knowing he wouldn't die never having told her just how he felt.

"I-I don't know what to say..."

"You don't have to say anything," he shook his head and smiled. "I just feel better having told you."

"Oh, Landon," the tears were beginning to well up in the corner of Marilyn's eyes and she tried to swallow the lump in her throat.

"Don't cry," Landon whispered as quickly moved to brush the falling tear off her cheek. Marilyn placed her head on his chest and let her tears silently fall. They laid like this for a while, his arms wrapped around her tightly. After a while he spoke again, "I want to go home."

Marilyn's head jerked up to look at him, "No. You can't. You're sick, they have to take care of you..." The rest of her sentence hung the hair; the lost hope that maybe, just maybe, they could fix whatever was wrong.

"Marilyn, I'm dying. There is nothing else to it. I can feel in my bones that this is all I have left. I would like to spend what little time I have left, at home with my family, with you." Marilyn bit her lip and nodded her head.

"Okay, I'll let your mother know when she gets here," a sigh escaped from between her lips, "You just rest for now, please?" Landon smiled at her and then closed his eyes, his breathing slowed and she knew he was asleep. Reaching over, she kissed the top of his forehead and whispered, "I love you." A ghost of a smile flitted across his pale, sleeping face and her heart contracted. How was it even fair that she was losing her best friend at sixteen years old? They were supposed to go to college together, explore the world, get old and senile together; he wasn't supposed to die at seventeen and leave her alone is this cold world.

The tears started to slip down her face once again as the thought of losing him consumed her. Suddenly there was a pair of hands on her shoulder blades and she turned to see Landon's mother. "Oh, mom," she cried softly and threw herself into his mother's arms. This woman had been a second mother to her since the day she had met her, and vice versa with her own mother and Landon.

"Come with me, honey," his mother whispered into her hair and led her out of the room. They made their way down the hall and eventually into the cafeteria. "You need to eat something," his mother eyed her as they made their way to the line. Marilyn picked up a plastic container full of applesauce and a chocolate milk. "Is that all?" Janie, his mother, raised her eyebrows at her.

"Yes, mom. I really don't think I can manage to hold anything else down." Janie nodded her head and grabbed the same thing and made their way to the cash register to pay for the items. They picked a little round table in the corner of the room, wanting to be secluded from everyone else who was floating about.

"How was he this afternoon?" Worry filled Janie's eyes as she waited for Marilyn's answer.

Marilyn chewed on her lip for a moment and sighed, "He's fine as he can be... He wants to go home." She looked up at the woman across the table from her, her heart aching in her chest. "He says he knows it's his time," a choked sob manages to escape from her lips and she moves quickly to cover her mouth, her body racked with sobs. "He t-told me-e-e-e that he i-in lo-ove with me-e-e-e," she barely managed to get out through the hiccups that were assaulting her body.

"Oh, sweetheart," tears were brimming in Janie's eyes as she moved to pull the young girl into her embrace.



The next day they packed up their things and moved Landon back home. He seemed genuinely happy but you could see him slowly deteriorating away. His skin was becoming pale, translucent; his energy not what it once was; his appetite slowly fading away; his smile becoming fainter.

Marilyn struggled to be everything she could be for him; bright, energetic, everything he once was. Everyday became harder and harder on her. She could feel herself slipping away as his life slipped away. Her clothing fit just a bit loser than it did before and not many things brought her joy as they used to.

Janie watched all of it from afar. She could only watch as her son and his best friend fell apart and the seams and it was killing her from the inside out. Every night she slipped into her room to silently cry as she pressed her ear against the wall that separated her bedroom from his, just so she could hear them talking until Landon drifted off. Then she was able to hear the soft whimpers coming Marilyn and all she could do was join her.

Marilyn went about her normal routine of getting ready for bed and making sure Landon had everything he needed as well. She helped him get into the bed and handed him his medication. "I don't know what I'd do without you, Mar," he smiled a faint but brilliant smile at her.

She returned his smile, "Lay down, Lan." He did as he was told as she climbed into the bed next to him. She laid her head on his chest, as she did every night, just to hear his heart beat and he wrapped both his arms around her, weakly. They laid in silence for a bit before she spoke up, "Lan, I have something to tell you..."

"Anything Mar. You know you can tell me absolutely anything."

The bedside lamp was still on so she could see him clearly as she angled her head to see his face. She propped herself up on one elbow and moved her hand to brush his curly black hair from his face. "There are those pretty blue eyes I love so much." Landon smiled up at her, his eyes shining brightly. "You know, I've been thinking about what you told me at the hospital..."

Landon's smile faltered a bit. "I realize I shouldn't have told you that. That's a lot for someone to take in, especiallywhen it's coming from someone who is dying..." Landon frowned.

"Oh shush," Marilyn placed a finger over his chapped lips. "Don't interrupt me. I'm glad you told me. I just wanted you to know, before this all done and over with," the tears were threatening to come early tonight, "that I love you, too. I'm completely in love with you, Landon James Parker." The words were out and the tears were slipping from her eyes.

"Oh Marilyn," he whispered and used what strength he had to pull her face down on his, crashing his chapped lips into her smooth ones. He dared to slide his tongue against her lower lip and she allowed it to invade her space. It was true; she was in love with him and he was being taken away from her and there wasn't a thing she could do about it.

After a few minutes they pulled apart, both breathing fairly heavy. Marilyn layed back down after she turned out the lights and snuggled up to his body. "I love you, Landon."

"I love you, Marilyn."



Marilyn shifted in her sleep, the sunlight waking her. She grumbled as she moved to rub her eyes and poke at Landon to wake him up. "Landon," she whispered but there was no response. She grabbed his wrist and said his name a bit louder. His skin was cool to the touch and her breathing started speed up.

"Landon!" She screamed. She placed her head to his chest but there was a sound nor was it moving to signal that his lungs were taking in the air he needed to live. "No, no, no!" She cried out and Janie busted into the bedroom, a phone pressed to her ear.

Marilyn didn't understand what was going on; suddenly there were people all around her and they were trying to pry her away from Landon's body. She tried desperately to cling to him, she wasn't ready to let him go. Janie was the one who managed to tear her away from the cold, lifeless body that once belonged to the person they both loved so much.



The rain fell lightly on Marilyn's black umbrella and she watched, from what felt like another person's body, as the funeral for Landon played out before her. As they lowered his body into the ground, she turned to leave; she couldn't watch this.

She ran and ran. She didn't know where she was headed, only that it was away from everything and everyone else. When she finally stopped running, she glanced around to see where she was.

The playground. The playground that had started it all.

Marilyn fell to her knees and let the salty tears fall down her cheeks as the rain mingled with them, soaking her in her little black dress.