I shook my head, trying my best to let the tears dry of their own accord.
"Miley?" Oliver asked quietly. "Are you okay?"
I nodded shortly, unable to speak.
Lilly placed a hand on my shoulder. "It's okay, Miley. We're with you..."
I tried my utmost best to smile, but all that came out was a horribly wavering grin.
Oliver shrugged. "You must feel awful..."
Lilly rolled her eyes. "Oh no, she's ecstatic!" she snapped sarcastically, and received a punch in return.
I let out a feeble chuckle which lightened the tension immediately. "What else?"
"Er...Miley?" Lilly asked softly. "Could you...don't mind, but you know...do you remember...when you found out she was going to...well...die..." She bit her lip and stared timidly at me, almost afraid I would burst into tears or something.
I grinned. "It's alright, Lilly, there's nothing to be scared of."
"Well?" Oliver asked expectantly.
I sighed a heavy one.
"Mommy!" a ten year old me yelled, searching for her. I was going to Lilly's in ten minutes, and I couldn't find my pink Chinese-collared shirt. It annoyed me that I always had to ask Mommy for my missing clothes. She hardly kept them in place those days!
"Mommy!" I shouted and barged into her room.
On seeing her, I froze in horror.
"Mommy!" I whispered in shock. I had never seen her in such a pitiful state.
Her usually tied-back hair was all over the place, sticking out at random places. Her once-bright eyes had lost their sparkle and drooped ominously, dark circles tarnishing them from beneath. Her clothes were ill-fitted, and I noticed that her hands, which were all skin and bones, were clutching a bottle of water and some pills.
She looked up groggily. "Go away, baby. I'm not well," she spoke in a raspy voice so unlike hers.
"But Mommy-" I started, and climbed up on her bed.
She pushed me away. "Miley, you heard me. I don't want you near me now," she ordered firmly.
I did not go, and stared at her. She took a noisy and ungainly sip of water, splashing some down her shirt.
"Here," I offered, holding the bottle steady.
She yanked it away, spilling more water. "Get away from me, Miley!" she snapped.
"But Mommy...what's wrong with you?" I asked desperately.
"I'm sick, alright?"
"But why are you all...scary?" I asked, half-afraid of the answer.
She sighed in exasperation. "Baby, please go out. I'll explain it later."
I shook my head with defiance. "Not until you tell me why you're dressed up like this."
Mommy scrutinized me carefully, as though deciding whether to open her mouth or not. Finally, she replied in a much calmer tone, "Well...Mommy's just a bit unwell. The doctor has told me to take rest. Now baby, be a sweetie and go. You don't want to catch whatever I'm having, do ya?"
I shrugged, eyeing her suspiciously. "Okay," I said and backed away from the room, searching for Daddy. He was at the kitchen.
"Daddy!" I tugged at his shirt, pulling him into my room so that Mommy could not hear me. "You've got to tell me what's wrong with Mommy," I demanded, pushing him down on my chair.
Daddy looked at me in an almost sympathetic way. "She's just sick, bud," he answered simply.
"Why do I have the feeling that you guys are keeping something from me?" I asked, incensed.
He patted my back. "Nothing's wrong. Just go to Lilly's, 'k? Your Mommy will be fine..." Even as he said it, his brow furrowed in doubt at his own statement.
"Daddy-"
"Just go," he ordered firmly, and left.
Annoyed, I flopped down on bed. What were they hiding from me and why?! Was Mommy really sick? Or was it something else that was bothering her?
I suddenly got an idea to spy on her. I knew it was really mean of me to spy on someone, but drastic situations called for drastic measures.
I tiptoed carefully to my parents' room, to avoid getting caught by Jackson or Daddy, and stood right outside, my ear to the wall and my eyes peeping through the gap between the hinges of the door.
There was Mommy, still clutching the bottle of water. The pills, I noticed, had gone. Perhaps she had already swallowed them?
Daddy was also there. He had his arm around her and her head on his shoulders.
"Why me, Robbie?" she asked feebly, a single tear trickling down her cheek.
"It's alright, we'll get through this," Daddy replied consolingly. He turned Mommy's head to face him. "Nothing's going to happen to you."
"How can you tell?" she asked again. She had never looked this defeated. It was usually Daddy, or Jackson and me, who were in need of comfort. And we got truckloads of it from Mommy.
"I can."
"Eight months, Robbie. I've only got eight months left. How do you expect me to survive this?" she croaked.
I suppressed a horrified gasp. She had eight months left to...what? I hoped fervently it was not what I dreaded.
And for the first time in my life, I saw my Daddy cry. He really did, and it looked horrible. Big fat tears leaked out from the corners of his eyes, and he looked distraught, and totally helpless. "Don't say that, Violet. Never say die."
Mommy smiled, albeit weakly, and gave him a frail punch on his shoulder. "Robbie!" she laughed softly. "What else did the doctor say apart from the extremely disturbing fact that I have only eight whole months left to live?!" she asked sarcastically.
I covered my mouth to refrain myself from screaming out loud. My mother was going to die in eight months?! This was what she was hiding from me? I let out a soft, heartbroken moan which thankfully no one heard, and I slid down on the floor, my heart sinking with despair.
Daddy sighed. "The usual. Take lots of fluids, bed rest, blah blah blah."
"You can be assured of that, Doctor Robbie!" she laughed.
I heard another heavy sigh from Daddy. "This may sound corny...but your heart is the purest one here, Violet. And I can't believe it's the purest heart which has a problem..."
Under normal circumstances, I would have belched upon hearing that incredibly stupid line, but right then, I could neither think nor utter anything aside from the horrible fact that my mother was going to die in eight months. I sobbed quietly, my face buried in my hands. It was as though an awfully torturous weight was bearing down and crushing my whole body.
"Robbie, that was cornier than...well, I don't know, but it sure was corny! Cornier than a corn...or something..." Mommy ended doubtfully.
"Violet! You sure need to learn something from me!"
Just then, there was a loud yell from Jackson, "IT BIT ME!"
My parents started. "Robbie...I hope Jackson's okay...just go check, will you?"
"Yeah, hold on. That boy troubles me no end! How am I gonna deal with him once you go?!" Daddy complained, getting up.
I heard Mommy laugh. "Just go!"
Before I could get a chance to get up from my squatting place, Daddy had come out. He froze in his tracks when he saw me outside.
I scrambled up quickly, nervous.
His eyes widened in horror and his face looked thunderous as he eyed me with regret, guilt, disbelief and fright. It was the first time I had ever seen him like that.
"Daddy, I-"
"How long have you been listening?" he asked slowly, in a tremulous voice.
I looked up at him shakily, my eyes puffed and voice hoarse. "Long enough."
Sorry that I took an incredibly long time to update. I was kinda busy with 'And Along Came the Memories'. Oh, and I only just saw the episode 'I Am Hannah, Hear Me Croak' and I realised that her mom is very different from what I've potrayed. For one, Miley calls her 'Momma'. And her mom is more of the sarcastic type (like Robbie Ray), which is totally different from my version. But I'm not changing mine.
Well, here ya go, I enjoyed writing this part...and did you enjoy reading it as well??