For Greener Pastures

                A cool breeze was drifting silently down from the vent overhead and making the temperature in the sparse hospital room steadily drop. Nathan didn’t notice it until his body instinctively reacted to it by shedding a chill and knocking him out of his worried thoughts.

                The ticking of the clock on the wall seemed abnormally loud and, in just the few seconds he took to glance at it, the sound began to annoy him. His olive green eyes moved about the room, taking in the situational details.

                Mr. and Mrs. McDowell were sitting quietly at the bedside both staring blankly into space and Missy was sitting in a plastic chair on the other side of the bed uncomfortably napping. No one moved or even seemed to breathe except Marnie, the beautiful woman lying in the bed.

                The blankets covering her didn’t do much to hide her emaciated figure; her legs were basically skin covered bone and her ribs were painfully visible despite the loose fitting hospital gown she was wearing. Her face, however, had been saved from the ravages of the radiation and looked just as pretty as ever.

                It was her face that had attracted Nathan in the first place. He had always been a sucker for cute features on a woman and Marnie had just that: A round face, baby-like cheeks, a button nose, and small ears. Before it had been shaved, she’d sported naturally blonde hair, some of the most vibrant he had ever seen. Even while she slept, her beautiful face looked peaceful, as if she were dreaming something good.

                Nathan got up and moved around to the side of the bed as quietly as he could manage. Mrs. McDowell glanced up at him as he did so and then looked worriedly back down at her daughter, sinking back into her own little world. He gently took hold of the blanket and tugged it up from her waist to her neck. Marnie stirred slightly but didn’t wake up. Nathan then adjusted the scarf covering her head so it was more secure and backed away.

                That thin blue piece of fabric had been her favorite accessory before she’d been diagnosed and she refused to wear it saying she never had a good enough occasion. He didn’t understand why she couldn’t just pair the thing with jeans and a sweater, but no matter what he said she just wouldn’t do it. The first thing she said has they got into the car after that fateful appointment with the doctor was that now she could wear it every day and have it be stylish. That was quintessential Marnie— to look at the bright side of being diagnosed with stage three Breast Cancer. That was also why he loved her and had since the first time they’d met. She was so bubbly and happy all the time which was refreshing given his career.

                Nathan sat back down on the window sill and looked at the bleak sky. Snow was drifting steadily down from the grey clouds above and slowly piling up on the ground below.

                Red and white Valentine’s Day themed posters lined the walls of the hallway that led from the elevator into the largest space the Lovegood Shopping Center had to offer. Each had a corny slogan inscribed on it like “Be Waltzy for Valentine’s Day!” or “Foxtrot Your Way into Their Heart!” and Marnie couldn’t help but smile at them as she made her way down the hall toward the studio.

                It was on the second floor of the complex and as such was relatively difficult to find for newcomers. Thankfully she had been to this particular dance studio once before with her sister at Christmas when they had come to the party the owners threw every year. Missy apparently knew them personally since she took ballroom dancing lessons and had convinced Marnie to pick up the sport again.

                During her “glory years,” as her mother called them, Marnie and her partner had won several national ballroom championships. Unfortunately, just after she had graduated from high school, she had broken her ankle while hiking which more or less ended any future dancing ambitions she had. That had been nearly ten years ago. Although she was sure she would not have even close to the agility and precision she had enjoyed before her accident, she figured it would be fun to get back on the horse and relearn the sport. She had chosen this specific studio because it was owned by the well reputed Cameron Fredericks who was a multiple trophy winner as well.