CHARLOTTE'S LAST DAYS

      Ethan and Nora pulled up in front of the hospital. Ethan came out of the car and went round to open the door for Charlotte. He helped her out of the car. Charlotte had no wig on now, she had a scarf tied around her neck. The back seat door opened and a tall, tan, lanky teenage boy with curly brown hair got out of the car. He went over to the trunk of the car and brought out a wheelchair. He opened it, set it and opened the other side of the car and helped an older woman out. Nora who had come out of her car went and helped the boy put the woman on the chair. 

      Ethan led Charlotte towards the hospital entrance while the lanky boy followed.  Ethan guided Charlotte slowly up the entrance step, but Charlotte looked at him. 

                "Soy Fuerte," she said. 

              "Huh?" He raised his eyebrows at her. 

                "I'm strong." 

                "Let me take care of you, you stubborn girl." He put his arms on her shoulders. The tan, lanky boy, pushed the woman up to them. 

      Faith stood by Nora's car, refusing to go. She just hugged herself. It was not very cold. She had her hat on, her gloves, a scarf around her neck, and her boots on, but she still has shivers and felt goosebumps all over her. She tried to remember if she had witnessed the death of a loved one before. Who had she even loved? Her mother was the closest person she knew, Joshua has followed, he was more like a solace than a companion. He was the next person she had leaned on. Then she had met Nora. 

        And none of them had died, at least not in her presence. Her father had been a monster to her and his death had been more like a relief to her than a demise. She couldn't even remember if she cried or felt worse when he passed away. Nora would know but, she couldn't remember. So, this was her first time off feeling this way, yet Charlotte was not related to her. She glanced at Charlotte's mother in the wheelchair and her younger brother who was pushing her into the hospital and wondered how they felt. 

      She didn't even know that her eyes had filled up with tears until they fell from her eyes. She blinked them away and dabbed her eyes with her finger. They had been instructed not to cry when they get to the hospital. But her tears never have backbones and that was why she had stayed behind while others moved forward. 

       Nora stood by Ethan's car in a grey woollen overcoat, skinny pants and black winter boots. She clasped her hands over her mouth looking at the people who were going into the hospital reception. Then she glanced back and saw Faith still standing by the car, her hands in her coat pocket. She walked back to Faith and dragged her. 

        "She said not to pity her. Is this how you plan to make her last days memorable?" Nora scolded.

        "Are you not?" Faith asked, looking at Nora. 

         "Am I not what?" 

         "Are you not pitying her? Or on her poor mother and brother?" 

         "I guess that would be of no help to anyone right now, right?"

         "I can't help it, I have not experienced this thing before." 

      Nora stopped and turned to look at her. "You have to take a grip on yourself.  I will be going to Rome in no time and you will be the only one here. You have to be strong enough to be able to withhold your tears.  Faith nodded her head and sniffed. Nora was right, she was supposed to be strong now, not the other way round. 

         "Let's go," she said, looking at Nora and putting on a bright smile. 

         They caught up with Ethan and the rest. After their discussions last night, they found out that Charlotte had been in remission all this while and she had just refused to stay at a place and sulk. But she had started getting the symptoms again and her doctor had asked her to come in for treatment. 

      Charlotte was taken to a private ward. The doctor came in. A roly-poly cheerful-looking man, in his late fifties. Charlotte smiled at him when he entered. 

         "My stubborn friend," the doctor called her. 

          "Dr Campbell, meet my family," Charlotte said pointing toward her friends. 

        "Your family seems larger this time." He looked at the others.  "You're welcome." 

          "Thank you," they said in unison. 

       The doctor turned to Charlotte's mother and smiled. 

      "Mrs Hernandez, how are you feeling today?" 

        "I'm fine," the woman replied with an accent and smiled. 

        "When did the symptoms come back again?" the doctor asked, motioning her to lie down. 

     She laid down on her back.  "I started having unexplained fever last week when I went home." 

   The doctor placed a stethoscope on her chest.   "Alright. I will call the nurses to give you uniforms and fix you up with a cannula." 

        An hour later, Charlotte was on the bed smiling at Ethan, Faith and Nora. Ethan was holding her hand and squeezing it. 

        "Thank you for everything," she said. 

          "I should thank you for coming into my life," Ethan said. 

      Nora went forward and rubbed Charlotte's arms.  "I'll come back later in the day, I need to go to work." 

        "Alright." 

         "I'll get you chicken kebabs when coming back." 

    Nora took Faith with her and went out of the door. She looked in from the space of the door that is transparent and then looked at Faith. 

        "I hope you are okay now?" 

        "I just keep thinking why she has to die. Can't you like tell God to take this away? Why do people have to suffer like this? Why do people have to die?" 

       Nora smiled.  "Sin has always been our biggest flaw, but God knows the best. He knows what's best for us. We will just hope and pray for her." 

     "I have never experienced it before. I guess I'll be alright." She looked down. 

    Nora held her hands.  "Hey, listen to me, look at me."  Faith raised her face and looked into Nora's eyes.  "You would be alright, you hear me. Now, when you go inside there, don't keep mute, join them in their conversations and when you are left alone, don't ever bring up her predicament, that is the last thing she needs now." 

       "I'll try." 

       "Don't look forlorn, be cheerful alright?" Faith nodded.  "Her mom is sick and might not always be there, so we are going to show support and make sure she dies happily."

      Faith nodded. It was that death that always gives Faith shivers. She didn't know what she would do if Charlotte eventually dies. 

                                     * * *

        Later that evening, when Charlotte was asleep and her mother was by her bedside. Faith decided to take a walk around the hospital premises. The hospital compound was a vast one, amidst a rustic setting of trees, flowers and grasses. Faith loved the fresh air, the openness, and the countryside feeling. She was feeling better tonight after sharing so much laughter with Charlotte, Ethan and Charlotte's mother.  The compound was brightly lit with decorative bulbs. 

     She went into a garden and sat down and her phone went off. She looked at the screen, it was an unknown number. She knew that number, she had mastered that number with time. The number had started calling her a few years ago after her college graduation. It always calls once in a blue moon. She would answer the call but whoever it was would just remain silent. 

        She had stopped answering the number after so many warnings and threats she had dished out on the person. At first, she had been scared. She had thought her dead father was calling her from the grave, but that was just a stupid thought. Today, as she stared at her phone, she had a sudden urge to answer the call. She slid to the green icon and placed the phone on her ear holding her breath. 

        "Hello," she said. 

       "Faith," the person called in a whisper. 

     Her eyes widened and she sat straight on the chair. For the first time in years, the person has spoken and had called her name. Whoever it was, knows who she is. 

         "Yes, this is Faith. Who is this?" there was silence at the other end. 

        Faith waited, but no response came again. She glanced around to see if there was anyone with a phone placed to their ear and looking at her. But there was no one or the person was hidden. 

        "Hello, talk to me. Who are you and what do you want?" There was still dead silence at the other end. 

        Someone tapped her shoulder, she jumped, screamed and flung her phone while turning to look who it was. Ethan stood behind her with two travel mugs. She glared at him. 

         "You scared the hell out of me!"

    Ethan came in front of her.   "Why? Where are you receiving a death threat?" 

       She sighed and picked up her phone from the floor, turned it on and it came on. The number has hung up. Ethan sat down beside her and handed her a mug. She looked at the mug for a short while. 

        "I was asked to stop taking coffee," she said looking away from him. 

        "When and why?" Ethan inquired. 

          "Never mind, I'll just have the coffee, one mug won't kill." 

          "I thought so too. I have searched all over the place for you." 

     "Thank you."  She waved the mug.

      They remained quiet for a while. Ethan looked up at the starry sky, Faith held the mug in her hand looking forward. She had not drunk anything from her coffee mug. He inhaled and drank. 

      "The night is so colourful!" Ethan said. 

  Faith opened her eyes and looked at the night sky. The stars appeared, countless scores of tiny lights, blinking in the sky. She had remembered that her brother Joshua had once told her that each star represents a heartbeat and that was why stars blink. She had asked if her heartbeat was there, he had pointed to a particular brighter star. 

        "That's your heartbeat because you are an angel, that's why it's the brightest. Where ever you see this star just remember that you are an angel and you have me beside you." He had said.

         She had beamed with smiles and had looked at him. "You will not leave me as mom left?" 

       He had arched his elbow and had hit his chest.   'I will be with you every step of the way. "  She had believed him and had nodded. 

       "So what happens to those that are dead? Their stars will not blink anymore?" she had asked. 

       "They would become angels and watch over the heartbeat of others." 

      She had turned sharply to him with a confused frown on her face.  "Why are you calling me angel, then? I am not dead yet." 

      He had chuckled and had looked her in the eyes.  "There is some special kind of angels. Those one were born special and don't need immortality to become angels. You are one of such angels." 

       She had faced front.  "I don't think dad knows that," she had muttered. 

      He had leaned closer to her and had whispered in her ear.  "I think he knows but he is jealous. He is always saying to God. 'why did you not make me a mortal angel?! I have served you with all my heart!" 

        She had burst into uncontrollable laughter and he had joined her. They had laughed hard and long that night, looking up into the starry skies. 

       She was smiling as she recalled it. She was looking into the sky.  "Where are you now?" she whispered slowly. 

       "Huh?" 

     She recalled that she wasn't seated alone and her face creased into a frown. She turned and looked at him. She had totally forgotten that she was seated there with someone.  He peered closely at her. 

         "Are you still here with me? Who are you missing?" 

      "How is Charlotte, was she sleeping when you left?" she asked trying to divert from the question. 

       "Miss Prescott, you are too reserved why? I keep wondering how Charlotte was able to penetrate you. She must be a pro and I have to go get some tips from her." 

      That made Faith chuckle and she didn't know why but she told him.  "I was thinking about my brother and his ideas about the stars."

         "You have a brother?" 

          "Not anymore." I'm all alone now. 

          "Is he dead?"

     She shrugged.  "Dead from my life, maybe. I don't know if he is dead or alive."

          "Alright. I have two sisters too. Twin sisters." 

    She looked at him.  "Wow, they must be so cute." 

         "They are both married." 

         "Wow, that's even nicer."

    He wanted to tell her that he was under pressure because of that, he wanted to tell her that he had only but three months to get a bride. But he decided to keep it to himself. 

         "So, your brother left home or what?" he pressed. 

     She wasn't usually open about her family and she always avoided these kinds of discussions, knowing that one chapter would open another and another until you were spilling your whole heat, body and soul to the next person. Usually, she didn't find it comforting talking about her family, it was a thing of shame to her. 

        But, he had gone through her diary, hasn't he? She turned to him. 

        "The other day, you came to my office and said some things to me. Some of them you read from my diary. You should have known that I have a brother."

        "I just went through the last details. You mentioned the names of those that have left you. I thought maybe, he was one of those boyfriends." 

        "Tsk. His name is Joshua and he was my only friend then." She rubbed her arm and hugged herself. 

       He shifted closer to her and looked into her eyes.  "Are you cold?" 

      She was feeling chilly already. She had removed her gloves and had put them in her handbag, now her hands were freezing.   She sighed.  "I kind of feel sleepy and I feel hands freezing." 

        Ethan took her hand and rubbed it.  "I think this would keep them warm. She let him hold her hand and watched him as he rubbed each. She remembered Noah and how her hands were like, trying to make it warm. He always doing things that Noah had done for her when they were still together and she kept wondering if it was a coincidence or if he was deliberately reminding her of Noah. 

        "You can rest your head on my shoulders," he said and patted his shoulder with his free hand. 

        She looked at his shoulders for a while and decided that p lace her head on his shoulder for comfort. Then she placed her head there and in a matter of minutes, she was asleep.