.::*Later That Day*::.

.::*`At The Hospital`*::.

I sat in the chair, worried more than ever about my best friend. What was wrong with her? Would she be okay? Questions raced through my mind at the speed of light, going unanswered. I had my head resting in the palms of my hands propped up on my knees. I stared at the floor as if something were there, but only I could see it. Kelsey�s parents and siblings ran into the lobby and my mother stood up to greet them. Her sister, Aaron, walked over to me and asked, �What happened?� Though my voice was shaky and nervous, I answered, �We were walking, ya know, just hanging out and talking. Then she stopped and told me she didn�t feel well. Before I knew it, she was on the floor in my arms passed out.� Aaron sighed, �Good enough a story for me.� She hugged me and said, �Are you okay?� I nodded, knowing it was a lie. Knowing that I wasn�t okay, I was worried, scared and nervous. How could some one you�ve known your whole life faint and be at the hospital the next minute? We sat there for the next couple of hours, in concern and agony. Finally, the doctor came out and talked to my mother and Kelsey�s family. Kelsey�s brother, Blake, walked over to me and said, �Do you wanna see Kelsey?� I stood up quickly, nodding and walked over to the rest of the group. The doctor handed us masks and said, �Put these on, and never take them off until you leave the room. It�s very fatal to Kelsey.� I looked around confused as I put on my mask. Our group was fairly large, how were we all going to fit in a room? The doctor continued, �Since she is weak, I want five minutes per person. Please go in there separately or three at a time.� My mother looked at me and said, �Jesse, do you want to go first or last?� I shrugged and Kelsey�s mother replied, �Why doesn�t Jesse go in first and then last?� Every one agreed and the doctor led me to the room where Kelsey was. As I entered, I saw a frail, pastel girl lying on a bed. I glanced around the room looking for Kelsey and asked the doctor, �Where�s Kelsey?� He pointed to the girl lying on the bed and said, �Right there.� I nodded thinking, �That can�t be Kelsey. She�s so colorless and�and�it just can�t be Kelsey.�
Unfortunately the doctor was right. When I walked over to her, she opened her eyes and weakly said, �Hi Jess.� I smiled even though she couldn�t see my face very well. I asked, �How are ya?� Kelsey sighed, �Not very�well.� The doctor was watching me, although I didn�t see him, I could feel his eyes watching my every move. He broke in, �You can touch her or sit down, just be careful. I�ll be outside explaining things to your parents.� I nodded and brought a chair over to the side of her bed and sat down. She let out a small cough and said, �Wha�What happened?� She turned her delicate head towards me and looked at my face. I held back tears, as I answered, �You fainted, but I caught you before you hit the ground.� I paused momentarily and continued, �Did they tell you what�s wrong with you?� Her what had once been her beautiful heartwarming voice, now sounded old and used. Her eyes were like a zombies and her skin was a gray tone. She slowly replied, �No.� Her gestures were weak and small as she answered. I took a hold of her hand, replying, �Yeah, me either.� A tear rolled down my cheek and Kelsey replied, �Don�t worry. I�m fine. I�ll be out of here by tomorrow afternoon.� Both her and I knew she was lying, but it was the best she could do to reassure me. As I started to speak, Kelsey asked, �Call Greg for me?� I nodded and replied, �Yeah. I will.� Kelsey continued, �Visit me every day?� I let tears roll down my cheeks as I responded, �Yes, I will.� There was a small cough before the doctor entered with Kelsey�s siblings. I kissed her forehead through the mask and said, �I�ll be back.� I let go of her hand as her brother and sister sat down next to her. I exited the room and burst into tears, taking off my mask. My mother walked over to me and said, �It�s okay.� I shoved her away and asked, �What�s wrong with her? That�s not my Kelsey!� Kelsey�s mother tried to smile as she said, �Kelsey has cancer and it can�t be cured. She�s apparently had it for a few years, but no one never knew.� I cried more and repeated over and over getting quieter, �That�s not my Kelsey.
That�s not my Kelsey.� My mother, and Kelsey�s parents walked into the room in exchange for Kelsey�s siblings. Blake gave me a hug, telling me, �It�s gonna be okay, bro. She�ll be out of here in no time.� I sobbed as Aaron gave me a hug after Blake walked towards the wall and leaned against it. I cried into Aaron�s shoulder and said, �I can�t believe it. This isn�t happening.�
She rubbed my back still in hugging position and said, �Its gonna be okay. I�ll drive you down here every day after school so you can see her if you want.� I only nodded, unsure if she was being truthful about driving me down here. The doctor walked over to me and said, �Ready to see Kelsey again?� I wiped my tears away and nodded bravely.

Before walking back into the room, my mom gently squeezed my shoulder, telling me that it was okay to be scared. I walked back over to the bed where the gray, colorless, boring Kelsey was and sat down in the chair. Tears were in her eyes as she spoke, �Jess. Tell me it�s not true.� I looked at Kelsey in question as she continued with a better sounding voice, �Tell me that I don�t have leukemia.� I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. She let out a short sob and said, �I don�t want to die, Jess. I want to grow old and have kids and die of old age.� I didn�t know what to say. As I gently grabbed her hand, tears fled to my eyes and I joined her crying.