Lift // Hamliza

• chapter 39 •

• Alexander •

Here's a few things I've learned today:

Number one, MRI and CT scans suck. They take a freaking long time and you have to stay super still. It wasn't fun.

Number two is that small hospital rooms are really hard to try and cram three sisters, their dad, a tall Frenchman, a buff guy who loves horses, a curly haired turtle lover, and a patient in a bed that takes up half the room.

When everyone first got here, they all came in as a group, which I don't even know how that was allowed. Then, they all took turns and one by one visited me. They started with John, since he's my best friend. Laf came next, then Herc. Angelica came after him and Peggy after her, then Mr. Schuyler. Eliza came last since she already saw me. By the time they left, the room was much more full of life. Green and blue balloons sat in the corner, and Get Well Soon cards from everyone sat next to my half empty water bottles. Plushies and little snacks sat in various places of the room as well.

The goodbye was tearful and sad. Herc and Laf left first, and I thought they were going to crush me with their hugs. The Schuyler's (including Eliza, after my intense persuasion for her to go home for a while and rest) left afterwards. John on the other hand, refused to go. I didn't mind.

"Why did you stay?" I asked, about an hour after everyone else had gone. He looked up and me and responded,

"I don't want you to be alone. No one deserves that. And you're my best friend, I can't just leave you." I nodded at that, thanking him.

We joked and laughed for a while until Dr. Hosack came in with a folder and an unreadable expression on his face.

"So, we got someone to take care of all your scan readings really fast so you wouldn't need to wait. I know it's only been about six hours, but luckily we have some highly trained people who got this done. Oh, and John, you can stay for this. Alex might want you here." He explained very vaguely. Something had to be up. John gave me a look as to say, what's going on? I have him a confused glance back to let him know I was just as lost as he was.

"Alex, when you told us about your migraines and nausea, we thought it was just the concussion. But then you told us it had been going on for a long time and you had trouble with concentration and feelings of pins and needles. In the medical world, random unexplained things like that are always a red flag, which is why we ran the scans." He began, relaying information I pretty much already knew to me.

"Ok? Um, so is there like a good news, bad news thing that'll happen now? Like, good news, you're all good but you still have to go to that depression thingy?" I asked, still confused and just wanting to know what was going on. Dr. Hosack shook his head grimly.

"Alexander, I'm afraid to say that you have stage four brain cancer."

And the world seemed to crumble before me.