Even Angels Die (One Direction)

Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Julia's Point of View

Taking a deep breath, I opened my eyes and gathered as much strength as I could, before pushing open the door which led me back into the children's cancer care unit. It had been a while since I'd visited Ethan, far too much time had gone past since I was last here. It seemed to have taken all my bravery away with it. No-one was entirely sure how much of this he understood, and seeing me break down would not help anything at all.

My mum had taken a half day at work to visit him during the designated afternoon visiting times, and I was thankful that it wasn't just me with my aunt and uncle. The pain and fear on their faces never left. My mum and I had no idea whether the new treatment they were giving him was getting rid of the cancer or not. All we knew was that he'd barely spent any time out of the hospital since I stumbled across them with Harry.

"Ready to go in?" my mum asked, and I nodded. We walked down the busy hallway which was full of relatives with strained smiles. It was obvious that every child on this ward was very seriously ill, but there was hope everywhere. The doctors and nurses, the mothers and fathers, the brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles; all of their eyes were filled with hope and determination. As I reached Ethan's room, I saw the looks on my aunt and uncle's faces. They were the same as everyone else's: a mixture of fear, grief and hope.

"Julia," my auntie greeted me, granting me a small smile as she stood up from the chair beside Ethan's bed, opening her arms. A clear invitation, which I quickly accepted. My uncle greeted my mum, and we all turned our attention to the small, sleeping figure on the bed. He looked so much different since the last time I'd visited, so much sicker. I knew the treatment would save his life, but at the moment it looked as though it was killing him.

"Any news?" my mum murmured lightly, and I glanced across at my uncle.

"Nothing yet." He sighed, running a hand through his already tousled hair. "The doctors say that it's very fifty, fifty at the moment. If his body can accept the treatment, then things can only get better from here, though." I turned my gaze back to my tiny cousin, and nodded.

"It could be a lot worse," my aunt told us, obviously in an attempt at reassuring us. I sighed, and sat on the end of his bed, watching his chest rise and fall gently in his sleep.

"If he doesn't wake up before you have to leave, we'll tell him you came." My uncle assured us with a tight smile.

"Thank you," my mum nodded in reply, sitting down on the last spare chair in the room.

We sat in silence for a while, all of us comforted by the company of others. I tried to take the positive attitude of the others in the room. There may not have been any good news yet, but there wasn't any bad news yet either. It was only a matter of time before we knew what was going to happen, and if it was bad...then at least at this moment we could still be relatively happy. He was in the right place, with skilled doctors who knew what they were doing...or at least I desperately hoped they did.

"Mummy?" a sleepy voice murmured and I blinked in surprise as I saw Ethan's eyes were open and alert.

"Right here, sweetie. Look! You have visitors, say hello!" his mum told him, her voice cheerful - despite the pain and worry clear in her eyes.

"Hiywa Julia!" he waved with a sleepy smile, as he saw me sitting at the end of the bed.

"Hey Ethan, I brought you a get-better-soon present!" I smiled, attempting to copy the cheeriness in my aunt's voice.

"You did?" he asked, excitement taking away the rest of his tiredness.

"Yep!" I replied, pulling out a small toy - wrapped up in blue paper with little balloons on.