"Please call me Clay." she heard him say. He was here because they had asked him to. No other occasion like her birthday was important enough for him to come but Rosalyn Mears was on her deathbed. That's what it took for her to meet Clay Aiken.
She was 16 years old, just turning 15 when she was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia. With a proper bone marrow transplant she was told she would live. Three months ago she had a relapse due to her body rejecting the marrow. The Make-A-Wish foundation had come to her less than a month ago. That's when she realized the relapse was final, that no matter what she was going to die.
"If you could make anyone of your wishes come true Rosie, which one would you choose?" She glared at the woman for using the nickname only her parents could use. They had accidently used it in front of the woman.
"I wish I could meet Clay Aiken." Rose said knowing that was one wish they wouldn't be able to keep.
"I don't know Rosie, he's pretty busy but we'll see what we can do okay?" The woman was way too happy. There should have been a sign on the door saying 'No happiness allowed beyond this point'. The weeks had passed and she knew that she should have died by now or maybe it just felt like it but the doctor said to her parents that she could die any day now. That's why she was so surprised when she found out her wish would be coming true.
"Can I come in?" Clay politely asked even though Rose could tell he had already crossed the threshold.
"Sure," she said turning from the window for the first time since they had helped her into the small room. It was usually used as a waiting room but they had gotten it reserved it for today. Clay stood there awkwardly she noticed and looked ready to bolt out the door with permission. "Why did you come?" Clay opened his mouth to respond then closed it again realizing he didn't have a good enough answer. "Was it because the people from the foundation told you to?"
"No," he said softly. "They never told me to. They asked."
Rose looked at him a second longer before looking back out the window. "So what, you have nothing better to do? I can think of a million more important things to do than visiting me."
Clay was beginning to question why she even wanted him to come visit her. "You're a celebrity, you don't have some kind of party you could go to instead of being here?"
"Well, I had something but I canceled it so I could visit you today."
Rose gave a small snicker. "Yeah, like I'm supposed to believe that." She looked to him again almost challenging. "How long are you staying for?"
"As long as you'd like, may I?" he gestured to the spot on the couch next to her.
"Go ahead." She shrugged then went back to what he had answered. "But if your cell phone rang and they needed you, then you'd leave right?"
Clay pushed her blanket closer to her as he sat folding his left leg under his right. "No, not until you wanted me to."
"Doesn't it scare you that I could die any second? Any minute?"
Clay shrugged. "I don't know, should it?"
"It scares me." she whispered.
"Well at least you still have your pretty brown hair," Clay said trying to change the subject.
Rose looked to him coldness flashing in her eyes as she reached at the front of her hair pulling it down to reveal her bald head.
"I-I'm sorry I..." Clay felt his cheeks grow hot from embarrassment.
She put the wig back on her head making sure it was straight. "It's okay, you didn't know."
Clay looked to the ground wondering if there was anything safe to say. "Do you want me to sign something?"
"What's the point if I'm going to die. I won't be able to enjoy it or show it off to my friends," the last word came out choked as she began to sob. Clay wrapped his arm around Rose's shoulder as she curled up resting her head in his lap. "I'm sorry," she said a few minutes later.
"For what?" Clay asked as he pulled her blanket over her more.
"For being so...depressing. It's just that through out this whole thing no one ever asked how I felt. I kept my emotions pent up. And I'm also sorry for the way I treated you. I am a fan believe it or not." she said with the tiniest smile.
Clay tucked a strand of hair behind her ear still amazed that something so real looking was fake. "I don't doubt it. Why else would you waste a wish on me?"
"Waste?" Rose exclaimed looking up at him. "This is hardly a waste," she said with a small giggle. Reality was kicking in for her as she yawned. "Clay, would you ever visit me...you know, after I�m gone?�
Clay bit his bottom lip as he tried to keep the tears back. �If you wanted me to I would.�
Rose noticed his eyes had become teary. �You don�t have to, I was just wondering.�
�Rose, if it would make you happy, then I promise to visit your grave,� Clay said. �Any other requests?�
Rose smiled. �Sing to me please?"
"What would you like to hear?"
"Surprise me."
Clay thought for a moment then grinned. "Oh, there once was an old man named Michael Finnagan..." Rose teasingly glared up at him. "Just kidding," he said with a giggle.
Tomorrow morning if you wake up and the sun does not appear,
I will be here
If in the dark we loose sight of love hold hand and have no fear
I will be here
I will be here when you feel like being quiet
when you need to speak your mind I will listen
and I will be here when the laughter turns to crying
through the wining, losing and trying...
Rose smiled at the sound of Clay's voice as she snuggled the blanket closer to her slowly drifting off to sleep never to wake again.
It was a cold January day as two men got out of a car to walk across the cemetery field. The taller one stopped a few feet short letting the other to continue on to what he had come to do. Kneeling by the grave Clay brushed some snow off the tombstone that had been planted into the frozen ground just barely a year ago.
Rosalyn Emily Mears
1987-2003
As he looked to the rose he held in his hand his cell phone rang.
But if your cell phone rang and they needed you, then you'd leave right?
No, not until you wanted me to.
He waited for the ringing to stop, once it did he placed the rose just below the tombstone. He stayed like that a minute more then walked back over to Jerome. "You gonna be okay?" Clay nodded and headed back to the car where he would then be driven home. He had no interviews scheduled or parties he needed to be at. He had cleared his whole day just to visit her, just like he had promised.