Chapter Six

Her eyes felt heavy as she struggled to take a breath. She could feel the warmth of someone lifting a cup to her lips so she could slowly drink...she would know that touch anywhere. Her mouth still felt like cotton but she forced the water down. She felt like she had just been hit by a train but she wouldn't let him know that. She could do this on her own...she had to do this on her own.

"You don't have to stay and babysit me," she said weakly.

"You're not going to push me aside this time Nora. You might be able to fool the rest of the world but you can't fool me. I know when you're in pain."

"I'm not some charity case Bo. "

"I never said you were..."

"But you still want to fix me don't you?"

"I want you to have a fighting chance...I want you to stop wallowing in this endless sea of guilt and fight back...I've never known you to be a coward Nora...don't you dare start now..."

"How dare you...how dare you stand there and judge me when you don't have a clue...have you ever been told you have cancer Bo? Have you ever spent half a day perched over a toilet and no matter how hard you try, you just can't hold your head up...have you been through chemo or radiation...have you tried new drugs only to be told that they are not working...I am not a coward Bo...I am just so damn tired of fighting...tired of hurting...tired of losing. I just want to sleep now. Will you give me that much? Will you please let me sleep in peace?"

"I'll make you a deal Nora...You eat this without throwing it up..."

"Bo, I can't make that promise..."

"You have to eat Nora...I'm not going to let you do this to yourself."

"I'm not your problem anymore."

"You're my friend...I know you don't believe me but I'm not going to turn my back on you when you need me...and you do need me...whether you want to admit it or not."

"Fine...but I'm going to the bathroom first...you don't have to follow me in...I can manage my own bowl movements."

If the situation wasn't so damn heartbreaking, he might have found that funny...She was still the same firecracker she was when he left...It was good to know that was still inside her. But damn it, did she have to be so damn pigheaded too...It was like pulling teeth here...

He listened to the door slam as she made her way to the other side of the door...His heart would shatter a second later when he heard the quiet sobbing from inside the bathroonm. It was much harder then she would ever admit. It was much harder for him to listen to it then he would ever let her know.

She wasn't the only one who could be stubborn...