Chapter 28
When Nick got to the hospital, he
parked in a space on level C of the parking deck and hurriedly got out of the
car. By some coincidence, as he raced
towards the entrance of the hospital, he passed Olivia’s parents.
Nick had only met them once or twice,
but it was enough that he recognized them now.
And they recognized him too.
“Nick?!” Melinda asked in
disbelief. “What are you doing
here? I thought you were off on tour
somewhere.”
“I was.
But we postponed our concert. I
had to come see Olivia,” Nick said breathlessly. “How is she?”
“It’s just pneumonia,” Randy said.
“Oh.
So she’s gonna be okay?” Nick asked.
Randy and Melinda exchanged
glances. “Well… yes, for now,” Randy
said, after a long pause.
Nick shot him an odd look. “What do you mean?”
Randy cocked his head. “You mean, you don’t know?”
“Know what?” Nick asked, shifting
nervously.
“Oh dear,” Melinda said, looking
pained.
Randy swallowed hard. “Our daughter’s dying, Nick,” he said softly.
“What?!” Nick gasped. “Dying?!
But… but she…” He could not even
get the words out.
“I can’t believe she didn’t tell you,”
Melinda said.
“How long has she known?” Nick asked,
shocked himself that she hadn’t told him.
“For a couple weeks now. She found out after her last seizure, when
you found her,” Randy said sadly.
“Oh my God,” Nick whispered, feeling
like a deflated balloon. How could she
have known all this time and never have told him? He thought they were friends.
“I’m so sorry you had to find out this
way. We thought you knew,” Melinda said
softly, resting a hand on Nick’s shoulder.
Nick nodded, pinching the bridge of his
nose, trying to keep from crying. “I
think I’ll go see her now,” he said.
“Alright, dear. We’ll see you later,” Melinda said, patting
Nick’s shoulder. Then she and Randy
walked on towards their car, while Nick headed for the entrance to the
hospital, his head down, hot tears welling up in his eyes.
***
Olivia was still watching TV when a
knock came on her door. “Come in,” she
called.
The door opened, and in walked the last
person she ever expected to see right there, right then.
“Nick?”
“Liv.”
“What are you doing here?!” she cried.
“Your mom called me, and I came as soon
as I could,” he said.
“But what about your concert?”
“It’s postponed.”
“You’d postpone your concert just
for… Nick? Are you okay?” Olivia stared into his red-rimmed eyes,
realizing for the first time that he had been crying.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Tell you what?” Olivia asked in
confusion.
“I just talked to your parents, Liv. They told me
that… that you’re… you’re…” He couldn’t
even say the last word, but Olivia already knew what he meant.
“I… I’m sorry, Nick,” she whispered,
blinking back tears. “I just didn’t know
how to tell you. And I didn’t want to
ruin my friendship with you.”
“What are you talking about? How would that ruin our friendship?” Nick
asked.
“I just didn’t think you’d want to be
friends with someone who was going to die in a matter of weeks.”
Nick’s mouth dropped open, and for a
moment, he was speechless. “Liv,” he said finally, “I would never do that to you. You’re one of my best friends, and I’ll be
there for you, no matter what.”
“I know that now,” Olivia replied. “I’m so sorry.” She began to cry softly.
“Shh, don’t cry. It’s okay,” Nick soothed, hurrying over to
hug her gently.
“Nick, there’s something I have to tell
you,” Olivia said a few minutes later, her voice shaking. Nick nodded, waiting for her to
continue. “I’ve been thinking a lot about you lately,
and I really like you. Like, more than
a friend.”
There, she had said it. There was no going back now. She waited anxiously for his reaction.
“You do?” Nick asked, his eyes
widening.
Olivia bit her lip. “Yes.”
Nick let out a chuckle. “That’s really funny…”
“What do you me-“ Olivia started to
ask, but he went on, interrupting her.
“… cause I’ve been thinking the same
thing about you.”
***
