Missing Martha

112

Zoe left the room quite promptly after putting Ryan to bed and telling the others to get some sleep. Martin was leaning against the wall in the living room, she walked straight towards him and looked up at him,
"What's going on, why are you looking like that?" She asked him quite sternly.
"You don't know about Ryan." Martin said, biting his lip, "the tumour is spreading and he said that he had less than three years.. but by the looks of it-" he paused, "by the looks of it he's got less than one."
"What?" Zoë gasped, taking his arm and bringing him into the bedroom. "Martin how could you say that?"
"Because the exact same thing happened to my mum two months before she died, and the same thing happened to my dad two days before he died." He said, holding her hands before she took one away and covered her shaking mouth, breaking into tears.
"W-What are we gonna tell the others?" She asked him, sitting down on the bed.
"I don't know if we should." Martin replied, putting one hand on her shoulder,
"They're all best friends, of course we have to. We've become so close and if we know they deserve to know too." Zoë said, looking down,
"He's not going to make it to Christmas, Zoe.." Martin said, climbing back into bed before pausing while Zoe turned off the lights. He thought about everything.
"God.. he's not gonna make it to Christmas." He repeated in a near gasp, his eyes tensed and he pushed his fist against his lips.
Zoe sat beside him, biting her lips together, "he's only eighteen."
Martin wiped a tear from his cheek with his wrist, "we've got to tell the others now." He said, sniffing, "they've got to know. I don't want it to be a shock to them when it happens."
Martin turned over and switched on his lampshade, reaching for his phone and texting in the groupchat; if any of you are awake come into our room.
After about two minutes the door lightly knocked and Ollie, Jemma, Cloda and Lucy walked in, their eyes pink and dark.
"Hi guys." Zoë whispered, sitting above the covers with her hair over to one side, still wearing the white dressing gown.
Martin looked over to Zoë then to the others,
"I think... I think we all know.." he began, before his throat seemed to tighten on him.
"Please don't say it, please don't." Lucy gasped, her eyes watering.
Martin stood up and sat beside her at the end of the bed, wrapping his arm around her as tears subsided in his own eyes.
"I love him, sir. I know I'm only seventeen but I love him." She cried.
"I know you do." Martin replied, he had seen their bond grow from when they were eleven years old, he knew so well that she loved him, and that he loved her too.
Ollie sat up on the bed beside Cloda and Jemma, who were trying their best to keep their tears in.
"How long?" Asked Ollie, breaking the silence and the taboos. "Ryan said two to three years but what do you think? You've been through this before."
Martin looked down at the floor while still holding Lucy,
"I don't want to give any answer to that because it's probably going to be wrong." He said.
"Did this happen to your parents?" Ollie pushed.
"yes." Martin Replied, the tears falling from his eyes as he let go of Lucy. "Yes and- and I'm so sorry.."
"How many months have we got?" Cloda asked, watching as Martin cried,
"Maybe two." He told them, "b-but he might be fine tomorrow; it could just have been a slip."
All was silent as Cloda covered her mouth to hide her shrieks of heart break.
"Whatever time he's got left, whether that's two days or two years, he better have the best time. And we'll make it like that for him." Promised Jemma, looking straight at Ollie who nodded as he began to break down.
Martin rubbed his face, "lets do it, then." He chocked, "we're gonna start heading home tomorrow back towards France. I am going to have to tell his parents.. I hope you understand."
The others nodded, their eyes crackling with tears before the door slowly opened again and Ryan stood at the threshold.
Everyone stood up trying to hide the smudges on their cheeks without brushing them off.
"Ryan are you alright?" Zoë asked, standing up and walking over to him, taking his arm.
"I- I don't know." Ryan replied, his eyes wide and confused. "My head hurts.. have you got any painkillers?"
Zoe nodded, "Yeah I'll get some, sit down." She helped him sit down beside Lucy who rubbed his back and kissed his cheek while Zoe opened her handbag and pulled out a sachet of ibuprofen, lifting a glass of water in which she hadn't drank yet and handing it to Ryan.
Martin watched as Zoe tried to keep herself together, seeing her cheeks tense as she watched his shaky hands try to take the water.
Martin reached over and took her small pale hand, looking empathetically into her green eyes.
Zoe bit her lip as her eyes watered intensely, she put her hand over her mouth and walked into the bathroom, looking up at the mirror above the sink and splashing her face with water before Martin entered behind her, rubbing his hands on her shoulders and kissing the top of her head as she continued to look into the mirror.
"Why him?" She breathed, her eyes failing to dry.
Martin shook his head, "I don't know." He whispered. Wrapping his arms around her as she turned around to embrace him.
"That's possibly the biggest bath I've ever seen." Martin regarded, looking over to the large tub by the window, trying to cheer her up by changing the subject.
Zoe chuckled as more tears fell from her eyes, "I think I might get in it."
"I think you need some sleep first." Martin told her,
"I don't think that's possible." She replied, sinking into Martin's chest as he kissed her forehead.
"We need to be there for them." He whispered, stepping away and wiping the tears off her cheeks with his thumbs before walking back into the bedroom.