“Hey Nick,” Linda said from the doorway. “I thought that you could use some of this.” She handed Nick a warm cup of hot cocoa.
“Thanks,” Nick said, setting the cup down on the bedside table and then moving his hand back to Mackenzie’s hair.
“C’mon Nick, take a break. She’s gonna be okay,” Linda said, trying to reassure herself more than Nick as she resting a hand on Nick’s shoulders.
Nick was quiet for a moment. “I caused this Linda…I can’t just leave her here.”
“Nick, you didn’t give Mackenzie cancer…this isn’t your fault.”
“Maybe I didn’t give her the cancer but I made it worse.”
Linda sighed. Since Nick had arrived at the hospital, he had been nothing but a bundle of guilt. He would swear to you that Mackenzie’s condition was his fault. Linda pulled up a chair at the opposite end of the bed and both she and Nick held Mackenzie all through the night.
Howie sat on the edge of his bed just staring out the window. A knock at the door brought him back. “Come in,” he said softly.
AJ pushed the door open. “How are you holding up?” AJ shut the door and entered the room.
“I’m all right,” Howie said. “I just can’t believe any of this. Two months ago, Mackenzie didn’t even show the signs of cancer and now…”
“I know,” AJ pressed his lips together in frustration. “It’s just not fair. She’s twenty.”
“Yeah, she had all of her life ahead of her,” Howie sighed.
“Don’t say ‘had’ yet. She’s gonna come out of this.”
Howie looked at AJ. “She’s gonna fight like hell AJ, but it’s not looking good.”
“I know…I’m just trying some wishful thinking…”
Mackenzie felt as though she was drifting around in the middle of the ocean somewhere. So lost, so forgotten, so damaged. She didn’t know exactly what was happening to her. One minute she felt the presence of a white light and then the next she moved into light tones again. Now she just felt as though she were sleeping but no one would wake her. She wished that Nick were there…and in a way, she felt his presence and thought that she heard his voice, but she knew that Nick couldn’t be there. He hated her; he had no clue she was dying…
Chapter Twenty-One
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