"Hi, I'm Henry." He smiles, closing the door, and she glares back at him.
"Natalie."
"Yeah… I mean, I know. My mom told me. Dr. Grant, you know her?"
"Yeah." She sighs, "I do." Shifting in her bed, Natalie drums her fingers, "Look, I don't need your pity. You can go cheer up the doomed five year olds down B Hall. I'm fine on my own. Goodbye."
"Nah, they've got a clown in there right now. I was hoping for some company, you know, that knows how to tie their shoes." He tries to joke, but Natalie sighs and pulls up her covers.
"Whatever. You can stay. But I'm going to try to sleep."
"Gotcha. So…. Natalie…. what're'ya in for?"
"You make it sound like I'm in fucking juvie or something." She smiles, though her head is turned so he can't see, "Glioblastoma."
"Oooh, a newbie. Sounds fancy. Not like those leukemia kids down the hall, amirite?" He grins and she actually laughs.
"Yeah. See, I'm not like other girls." Natalie shakes her head, laughing, turning around, though still lying on her pillow, "Because they have a chance of living. Me? I'll be in a morgue within months." It's now a harsh, bitter laugh, but she's still smiling so he smiles back.
"Sucks. I get the struggle. My dad died of skin cancer during Mom's pregnancy. It's why she does this, I guess."
"Ah. Nice. My mom and dad are both still alive, though can't say the same for my brother. Mom's insane, anyways; she's in some hospital in Seattle. Dad lives over there, too. Can't move here, because his job pays for our medical bills." She shrugs, closing her eyes.
"Oh… so… no family here?"
"Nope."
"Aunts? Cousins? Godparents?"
"Zip. Zilch. Nada."
"Oh," He's suddenly uncomfortable, considering the girl's been here for a few months. Her room is bare, compared to others. No balloons or flowers, no pictures, candy, anything. "That's… well, that means I should visit more often, doesn't it?"
"Don't flatter yourself. I don't need company. I can be bitter and miserable on my own."
"Doesn't misery love company?" He winks, and she chuckles.
"Well, if you put it that way, you can visit whenever. Just don't be alarmed when I'm in a body bag before the week is through."
"No, I'll weep over your body until the doctors have to pull me away."
"Romantic. Sort of necrophilic. I like it."
"Knew you would."
"Well, I'm gonna get some sleep, for real. Come back before I die, or not, considering these very well could be my last words." Natalie shakes her head, smiling, "I'll see you."
"Nice you meet you, Nat. I'll see you tomorrow." He walks out the door, but is stopped by her calling him back a moment.
"One more thing."
"Yeah?"
"Try not to fall in love with me."
xXxXxXx
"Hey-"
"Don't go in there, Henry!" His mom tugs him away from Natalie's room, "She's not stable."
"What?"
"Seizures."
"Oh…will she be okay?"
"Yes, they've already injected her; they're just waiting for it to kick in. You'll probably be allowed in within ten minutes."
"Thanks, Ma."
He waits, and shakes his head when Dr. Grant eyes the flowers in his hands. She frowns, but doesn't say anything on the matter. Within a few minutes, the doctors exit her room and let him in.
"So, Romeo," Her voice is hoarse, weak, but still drips with sarcasm, "Those for me?"
"How'd you know?" He smirks and sets them on her table, "I thought you may want to see colors other than white for a change." Henry sits on her bed, trying not to sit near the IV. Her fingers brush the petals and she smiles to herself.
"Thanks… I guess." Natalie closes her eyes, "Hate to disappoint, but I'm probably going to fall asleep on you. Not… on you, I mean, so don't get too excited." Grinning, she settles down into her pillow and pulls up her blankets, "Feel free to talk, though. The staff here are awful conversationalists… and you're kinda cute."
"Oh my, Miss Natalie, did you just… just compliment me?"
"I believe I did. Don't get used to it."
"Well, mind if I compliment you back?"
"Shoot."
"I think you're kinda cute, too."
xXxXxXx
"Where the fuck have you been?"
"Uhh… school? You know? Where the normal kids go from 8AM to 3PM?"
"Oh…" She blinks, "Yeah. Forgot about that, actually. Sucks for you. My parents pulled me out as soon as it got bad. Never got to finish sophomore year."
"Hated sophomore year. You lucky little…" He grins and pulls up a chair next to her bed.
"Totally lucky, y'know, I've just got tumors eating away at my brain, and all." She chuckles, "So, what'd you bring me?"
Henry's jaw drops, "What ever gave you the idea that I have something for you, Miss Goodman?" However, he pulls out a bag and hands her the contents one by one; The Fault in Our Stars ("It's, like, required reading for cancer patients, obviously."), a large pack of BubbleYum ("They only have Double Bubble shit in the hospital gift shop and that's bull."), some old rock and roll CDs ("You've never listened to The Who? Okay, let me educate you in good music…"), and the newest edition of Teen Avengers ("Shut the fuck up, I love that series.")
"You're the best," She grins, grabbing the comic and thumbing through.
"Oh, and…" He pulls out a disc, standing to pop it in the DVD player, "Season one of Community."
"My, you really know the way to a diseased woman's heart, don't you?" Natalie grins, getting comfortable in her bed.
He ends up in her lap, her hand in his hair.
"Hey…" She nudges him, "S'over… well, this disc is. I'm a bit tired. I think I'm gonna sleep for a bit. You don't have to stay, I know it's only five and you're probably not t-"
"A nap would be heavenly, right now. Scootch over?" He lets her shift before climbing under the blankets with her. "Mm, night." He mumbles, swinging an arm over her stomach and pulling her the tiniest bit closer.
"G'night." She blinks, suddenly wide awake, but decides, after soon feeling the gust of warm breath against the back of her neck, that this might be a nice way to fall asleep, and wastes no time in doing so.
xXxXxXx
"Hey, you." Natalie smiles, and Henry notices the weight she's lost, even over just a few days, with a faint frown.
"Hey. You think you're up to going out tonight? We can go to the park, outside." He sits on her bed and she nods.
"I'd like that. Though I may try to break out of this damned hospital while you aren't looking. Don't try to stop me."
"Wouldn't dream of it."
"Lets do this. Let me get dressed, and I'll meet you in the hall. Unless you're going to stay in here and watch me strip like I know you want to." Natalie winks, and Henry laughs.
"As much as I'd love to take you up on that, I'll wait outside."
She emerges from the room and he realizes he's never seen her stand; she's taller and lankier than he expected, just a few inches shorter than him. "Enough staring there, buddy? You'll get more than enough time to stare at my body at the funeral. That is, if I choose to add you to the guest list."
"So, you've got a guest list to your own death?" He leads her down the hallway after signing her out, "That sounds a bit morbid."
"I'm a morbid person, it seems." She shrugs, "But, you should see it; it's more exclusive than a dinner party for the president. Mostly because I hate people and don't want people who barely knew me to have to pretend to mourn me. You know? I don't want that whole, 'oh, we could have been friends; she will be missed!' fiasco on my Facebook wall. I'm giving you permission to kick the ass of anyone who dares post that shit. Not even my parents, Henry." She's dead serious, and he chuckles.
"So, Miss Goodman-Comma-Natalie, how long's it been since you were outside?" They walk out the automatic doors and she grins, dragging him over to the swing set next to the hospital. It's quite desolate, really. Paint chipping from the structure, rusty chains. It's sad, truly, but Natalie seems not to notice as she sits herself upon the swing, kicking her legs and looking over at him in a way that gives him the unsettling feeling that he might break his promise, after all.
xXxXxXx
"Hey, since I'm dying, and whatever, can I ask you something?" Natalie says, on a particularly good day. She's alert and focused and thinking clearly, which is all they need from her.
"Yeah, sure, Nat." He rubs the back of her hand with his thumb, "What's up?"
"Kiss me." She says simply, and for some strange reason, he doesn't hesitate in the slightest, pressing his lips to hers as soon as she gets the words out. Natalie runs her fingertips up and down his upper arm and soon the kiss breaks, neither knowing which pulled away first, but they are content and they do not mention the kiss again.
xXxXxXx
"You're a dumbass." Natalie punches his arm, and he laughs.
"I'm not even going to deny that." He pulls her bony figure close and presses their foreheads together, "But I'm you're dumbass, aren't I?"
Natalie rolls her eyes, "It does seem that I'm stuck with you…" He grins and she kisses him gently, which causes his ears to go scarlet.
"Nat…" He pulls away, tugging a curl around his finger, "What are we doing?"
"Well, I was kissing you." She raises an eyebrow, "And I'd like to continue doing that, if you don't mind." Natalie leans in and nips at his lip, "So..?"
"So," He pushes her back, "Is this a good idea?"
She kisses the corner of his mouth, tracing his bottom lip with her tongue, "Why not? I mean… I'm gonna be gone, soon. We should have fun, yeah?" Her bony hands take one of his own and she plays with his fingers, not meeting his eyes.
"I agree, wholeheartedly." He tilts her chin up and pulls her in, kissing Natalie over and over again.
xXxXxXx
They kiss often, now.
"Hey," She'll look at him with her eyes rimmed black and blue, and he'll want to kiss away the pain, the bruises, the tiredness that's taking her over more and more lately. Instead, he simply kisses her lips gently, over and over until Natalie gets sick of his careful attitude and places his hand right at the swell of her breast. "Come on, dork, you won't have this opportunity much longer." She mumbles and he nods, obeying her commands. "I'll miss this." Escapes her before she knows it, and they both try to ignore it.
"Nata, we've got to stop…" He pants, pulling away. "I'm gonna… go to the bathroom, okay?"
"You know, I could help you finish off." Natalie states, quite bluntly, "I mean, if you want me to. It's not like it's a big secret that you go in there to jack-off every day."
Henry stares back at her, "Natalie… you sure you're up for that?" It's not that he doesn't want to -God, he does- but…
"Henry… do you really want me to die a virgin?"
They don't argue after that, and Natalie Goodman will not, in fact, die a virgin.
xXxXxXx
His mom has started letting him skip school to see her. He'd be thrilled, however, there's a reason Ms. Grant is okay with it.
Things are getting bad.
"Henry," His mother pulls him aside one day, and he doesn't want to hear what she has to say, "You know Natalie's in stage three, right?"
"I know, mom." He grits his teeth.
"She's nearing stage four, sweetheart…" Ms. G states gently, "I think it would be a good idea if you two started saying your goodbyes."
Henry walks away without another word.
"Hey, Romeo." She says quietly, "You come to say farewell?"
"Don't say that." He snaps, but composes himself quickly, "Sorry, just… do you want to talk today? Just talk?"
"Sure, I guess." Her voice is soft, it's hoarse and it's so beaten, so worn out. His heart is breaking and it's all her damn fault.
"Or we could," He kisses her forehead, "Lay here, and enjoy each other's company. And we won't have to think about the future, yeah?"
She nods, and he's thankful, just holding her close in his arms. She's content, too. Her eyes are closed, head resting against his chest. She's warm and safe and she begins to cry.
"Natalie? Natalie, what's wrong?"
"I…" She chokes out, "Henry, I don't want to d-die…"
"Nat…" Henry says softly, kissing her hair, "It's okay, remember? It's okay…"
"But it's n-not okay!" She blubbers, "Everything was fine before you showed up! I was going to die with nothing to l-lose and no one miss me… but you just… you had to make me fucking fall in love with you, didn't you?"
Henry stays silent and lets her cry, lets her ball up the fabric of his shirt in her fists and lets her scream until she can't scream anymore. "Natalie… I love you, too."
"B-but, you promised…"
"Promises are meant to be broken." He tilts her chin up, and she hiccups a giggle.
She pecks his lips and snuggles into his chest, silent tears tracking down her cheeks.
xXxXxXx
He visits her one last time, and the next time he shows up, his mom won't let him in.
"Mom, I…" He swallows, and she rubs his shoulder.
"…I'm sorry, Henry." She hugs him tightly; his throat is dry and his lungs seem not to be working.
"W-when…?"
"This morning. Around nine thirty."
He stays silent for a long time, and sits down. "Was she…" Henry's voice cracks, "…alone?"
Her face says it all, and he goes home before he can watch them clean out her room.
xXxXxXx
It turns out she did put him on her guest list.
Her dad pays for his flight from California to Washington, and he doesn't even have to search for him in the airport; he knows that look, oh, that too-familiar look of heartbreak and utter exhaustion that never will quite go away, painted on his features.
"Henry?" Mr. Goodman clears his throat, and Henry shakes his hand, "I've heard a lot… a lot about you."
The ceremony is small. Her parents, a girl or two who used to go to school with her, grandparents, a few cousins, and himself. She's in a dull blue dress, lips painted dark red, and he decides she looks nice in make-up, however, he much prefers when she stayed natural.
They bury her under the shade of an oak tree, one that reminds him of the tree outside the hospital. They toss flowers into the hole with her, and he shakes his head because they're mostly lilacs and there's nearly nothing she hated more than the smell of lilacs.
He doesn't say anything against it, but instead throws her a daisy.
xXxXxXx
They read her will, and he almost laughs.
'To Henry (who hopefully didn't run off with my corpse), I leave whatever gum I have left, my books, my entire collection of CDs, and my piano compositions. You were expecting something cheesy like 'my heart', right? Well, I don't know how literal people take these things, so instead I'm going to say love. Again, cliche as hell. Still, I love you, and there's no changing that.'
Even in death, she's a little shit. It makes him smile for the first time since…
Henry's going through the CDs when they notice the small handwriting on the margin of where his paragraph is located.
'PS- I'm glad you broke your promise.'
He is, too.