We're Going To Be Okay #JustWriteIt

Three Teens

One month.

Thirty days.

Not ten months like we'd thought.

No.

A dull throb starts at the back of my head as the most pessimistic thoughts swirl around in my mind. The thoughts I had in Anna's room just minutes ago seem so much more real, so much more devastating. But strangely, a determination is born along with the negativity in my head. A determination to make everything perfect, to put in my all, to give Anna the best birthday ever.

I refuse to think of our limited time together. I refuse to let it hold me back. I refuse to reduce myself to a sobbing, broken teenager. I refuse to let this weaken me.

Anna would hate it.

So I toughen up, push the thoughts of Anna's inevitable end far away, and concentrate on the task at hand. Giving Anna her world for a day seems more important now than ever.

"Abby?" Daniel's voice pulls me back to reality.

"It's her birthday day after tomorrow. So that'll be the day when she lives in a world that's hers. She'll be the queen. For that one day, everything will be right. Everything. And we'll make it right."

It's after I say those words that I notice the conviction with which I said them. Daniel wipes the dampness in his eyes away and intertwines our fingers. He takes a deep breath, as if collecting his strength, and says,

"What are we waiting for then? Let's go."

I nod; giving him another hug to let him know we're in this together, and then we both get up to leave.

"Does Anna's mother know?" I ask Daniel.

"Not yet. There's one more test result pending. They'll break the news to her after they get those reports."

I nod again. We briskly walk out of the hospital, only briefly stopping to tell Hannah at the reception that we wouldn't be helping out in the Kids Room for the next two days. Thankfully Daniel's cousin Hayley and her friends have promised to take care of the kids this week so our absence isn't hurting anyone.

As I pull the seat belt over me once I'm in Daniel's car, he says,

"Let's go over our plans again."

I take out his notepad from the dashboard where I'd left it and flip the pages to our crude little list. Meanwhile Daniel drives us out of the hospital block to a nearby store to shop for supplies.

"Number 1: all smiles no tears. Number 2: people in costumes of purple unicorns. Number 3: popcorn flavoured cookies. Number 4: pillow fight-"

"About that," Daniel interrupts me, "Dr Green said it's too exerting and so we should go for something less tiring for her. She's not exactly in her strongest state right now."

"Okay." I reply as I strike out pillow fight from the list.

"So, if it's like a birthday party now, we also need a guest list." Daniel points out.

"Right." I reply and turn over to a new page, where I start jotting down some names.

"We'll ask Mrs Keith later to help us with the guest list. And again we'll need to ask some doctors, because while I'm sure most of the kids from the hospital can attend, I'm not too sure about Mary, Andy and Jacob." I point out, referring to the three friends on Anna's who were terminally ill like her. The rest, thankfully, were blessed with a better fate.

"I'll ask Dad. He'll know about those three. And yeah, I think the others attending the party won't be a problem. By the way, where are we having this party?" Daniel asks.