The Exception(30)

“I’ll be back tomorrow.” I kissed her forehead.

“Looking forward to it.” She smiled.





Chapter Eighteen


Jillian



The next day, as I was arranging the bouquet of flowers I picked up for Kristen, Dr. Jenkins walked in. I swallowed hard when I saw the look on his face.

“I have the results of your scan, Kristen,” he softly spoke.

Noah and I both grabbed hold of her hands while we waited for the doctor to give her the results.

“How long do I have?” she bravely asked.

“Anywhere from six to nine months. But nine months is stretching it. The cancer has spread to other areas of the brain.”

It felt like the air had been knocked out of me and to breathe was nearly impossible. Tears started to stream down Noah’s face, and as I looked at Kristen, she remained composed and calm, as if she already knew what he was going to say.

“Thank you, Dr. Jenkins,” she spoke. “I know you’ve done everything you could.”

“Again, I’m sorry. You’re far too young to have to go through this. You can go home tomorrow, but you’ll still need to be on antibiotics for the bacterial infection,” he spoke before walking out of the room.

Tears started to pour from my eyes. I knew I needed to be strong for her, but I couldn’t be. This was too much of a shock. Noah buried his head into her arm and sobbed. The only one in the room who wasn’t crying was Kristen and I couldn’t understand why. Maybe it hadn’t hit her yet.

“I’m so sorry.” I bawled like a baby.

“The two of you have about five minutes left of crying time and then it stops. I was prepared for this. I knew deep down that I wasn’t going to get better. I made peace with it already and I need you both to do the same. I’m not afraid to die.”

After drying my eyes, I stepped out of the room to give her and Noah time alone. Walking out of the hospital, I put on my sunglasses and took a seat on a bench underneath a large tree. The tears wouldn’t stop falling and I had never felt so alone. She was my sister, she was dying, and I had no one to talk to, right here, right now. I tried to call Kellan and he didn’t answer, so I pulled up Drew’s number. He said if I ever needed anything to call him. But what did I actually need? To hear his voice? Maybe. No. I wasn’t going to burden him with my problems. I had never even mentioned Kristen to him. Anyway, I was sure he’d already forgotten about me and the fact that he even gave me his number. I needed to grow the hell up and push my feelings about this aside for now and be there for my sister. I couldn’t let her see me crumble into a million pieces.

As I approached her room, I stood in the doorway and stared at her.

“Where have you been?” she softly spoke.

“Outside, sitting on a bench under a large tree.” I gently grinned.

“Okay. I get it. You needed your time to absorb what Dr. Jenkins said.”

“Where’s Noah?” I asked as I sat down on the edge of her bed.

“He’s calling his family.” She grabbed my hand. “Listen, I’m going to make the most of the time I have left and that doesn’t include watching the people I love being upset. Jill, you have to understand that I was prepared for this, so it’s not news to me.”

“How the f*ck are you so strong?” I pouted.

“I get it from my mom. She wasn’t afraid to die and neither am I. I know it’s hard on you and Noah. If the situation was reversed, I’d be devastated, but I need you to just go on. Live your life as if I wasn’t dying. I intend to and I’m going to make each day worth it. Would you like to take a painting class with me?” She smiled.

“A painting class?” I cocked my head.

“Yes. I’ve always wanted to take one and, damn it, I’m going to do it before it’s too late.”

“I’d love to take a painting class with you. Would you like me to set it up?”

“Nope. I’ll do it and I’ll let you know when it is.”

I leaned over and hugged her. “You are so brave, my dear sister.”

“It runs in our family.” She smiled. “You’re the brave one for leaving your family behind and starting a new life. Not many people can do that.”

“I didn’t leave my family behind. You’re my family and all the family I need.”

Noah walked back into the room with his parents and, immediately, his mother started to cry.

“Go home now. There’s no reason for you to stay and witness this. I’m fine and I’ll call you later.”

“Are you sure?” I asked.

“Very sure.” She gave a small smile. “You better go fix your eyes. They’re a mess.”

“I know.” I put my sunglasses back on.

I gave her a kiss and hugged Noah goodbye. As I stepped out of the hospital, the once bright blue sunny sky had turned gray and now it was raining. I wasn’t ready to go home yet. Walking back into the hospital, I stopped at the gift shop and picked up an umbrella. I decided to leave my sunglasses on to hide the fact that I’d been crying. If I was going to walk around the streets of New York City, I didn’t need people staring at me.

Walking down Madison Ave, I stared straight ahead as I held the umbrella over my head. My shoes sloshed on the wet pavement as the rain poured down. Kristen told me not to be sad, but how could I not be? She was the only person I had left in this world and now she was being taken away from me. The rain suddenly stopped and the sun appeared from amongst the clouds. As I was closing my umbrella, I pulled my ringing phone from my pocket. When I looked down at it, I saw Kellan was calling.