Page 38 of Part of Forever
“Wait, with Tucker, right? That’s the boy who kissed you?”
I nod, happy that she remembered.
“It’s next week, so I’ll still have to take it easy, but he knows I’m having surgery today.”
“So you told him?” Lucy asks.
I glance away, my face going warm. I look down at my hands. “Not exactly. I told him and my best friend this morning that I was having some stomach pain and that I have to get my appendix out.”
“Won’t they know that’s not true when there’s not a scar on your stomach?” Lucy asks. There’s no judgement in her voice, just an honest question.
“I wasn’t planning on showing them my scar, even if I had an appendix surgery. I’m not really that kind of person…” I trail off.
Lucy nods. “I get it,” she says. There’s a moment of silence, then, “I mean, the not telling them part. I do think you should tell them, but I understand why you want to keep it to yourself.”
“You’d be the only one,” I mumble.
She nods again. “It’s like everyone else who does know just wants the world to know, so they don’t have to be the only ones watching you, waiting for you to break.”
“Exactly.” I sit up a little straighter. “I don’t want to be the girl with cancer again, I just want to dance and enjoy my life.”
Lucy looks sad for a moment, so I rush to add, “Not that being the girl with cancer is a bad thing.”
“I knew what you meant,” she says, and her smile comes back. “It is hard, when you just want to go on living a normal life. It’s easier to pretend when not as many people know.”
“Right,” I say, and the door to my room opens again. My parents and Nathan enter the room.
“Hi.” Lucy waves at them and wastes no time introducing herself. “I’m a friend of Rosie’s and just wanted to wish her luck before her surgery.” My parents and Nathan look at Lucy, then at me, the question,‘You made a friend?’on all of their faces. I roll my eyes. Do they really think I don’t know how to make friends?
“We met at group therapy,” I say. Dad grins and shakes Lucy’s hand. Mom gives her a tight hug and looks like she might cry. Nathan simply eyes me curiously. I haven’t told him about Lucy.
“Well, I’ll let you all have some time together.” Lucy starts toward the door. “I’ll come visit once you’re done?” she asks and I nod; she’s not a bad friend to keep around. In fact, I think I really like her. But I do wish I knew why she was so happy all the time.
“I’ll see you later, or tomorrow, whenever I can fully wake upfrom the anesthesia,” I say, and Lucy laughs before heading out the door and back to her own room.
“She seems nice,” Dad says, taking Lucy’s spot at the edge of the bed and rubbing my foot through the blanket.
“She really is,” I tell him. “And somehow more optimistically hopeful than Grace.”
Nathan barks out a laugh. “Is that even possible?” He sits on one of the hard chairs in the room, pulling out his phone.
“I didn’t think anyone could love life more than Grace, but then I met Lucy.” Just then, Doctor Barker comes into the room with another doctor.
“This is Doctor Lisben, she’ll be assisting me today and is here to get you prepped for surgery.” Doctor Barker turns to my parents. “You’re welcome to wait in here or in the waiting area. We’ll be taking Rosie now and be done in a few hours.”
Mom nods and Dad moves to give me a hug. Nathan also hugs me tightly and says, “I’m praying for you.”
I hug him a little tighter. If this were reversed, I would be in hysterics if he were getting rolled back to surgery, but he’s surprisingly calm.
I force myself to smile at Nathan as he pulls away. I will be brave. I will not cry. This is going to be simple, and once I wake up, all of this will be over and I can go back to my normal life.
16
I’mgroggy when I wake up. But there’s light trying to sneak in through the closed blinds. It must be early morning. Nathan is asleep on the small chair in the corner of the room, and Dad’s asleep on the cot the nurse must have brought in. I wince as I reach for my phone on the table next to me; the right side of my body is tender.
My phone lights up before I can reach it. Even though it’s dark in my room, I see that it’s nine in the morning. I must have slept all night after the surgery yesterday, which Doctor Barker said would probably happen. The time also explains why Mom is gone; she’s probably at the studio since she has to be there early on Saturdays.
“Hey.” I barely get the word out, but my throat is so dry and screaming for water, so I need someone to wake up. Thankfully, Dad wakes up at the sound of my quiet whisper and is by my bedside in an instant.
