Chapter Nine

Maya's POV:

I had prayed that Lucas would just leave me there. At least when I was alone I didn't have to put on an act for everyone. I didn't have to push away which was good because I was getting tired of the effort it required. But he had insisted. He had almost made me cry. So I let him. He walked beside me, not touching me, not talking to me. Which was good. He knew when to keep his mouth shut.

"Is it that one?" he pointed to a brick building to our right.

"No that's for heart disease." I pointed to the path that led us between a collection of buildings. "We go here." We followed the path back and into a big courtyard. I walked to the farthest door on the left and opened it. Immediately the air got warmer and the familiar smell of sterilizer filled my nose. We were in the main lobby.

Lucas' POV:

Maya knew exactly what to do and where to go. I hadn't realized how much time had been spent here. She walked over to the front desk and got in line behind a couple with a baby in it's carrier. I stood with Maya and looked down at the baby and smiled.

"So cute." I felt the words slip. For some reason I felt uncomfortable talking in here. Everyone waiting in line, in the chairs, mulling around wasn't speaking and when they did they spoke in hushed tones. The mother of the baby heard me and turned around and smiled. Then she noticed Maya.

"Hello Maya." The lady's voice was sweet and quiet. Maya looked up and I saw a small smile break out on Maya's lips.

"Hey Jackie." Maya's deeper voice was a great contrast to this Jackie lady's. "Hello Emmie." Maya cooed down to the infant in the carrier. I almost fainted. I had never heard Maya speak that sweetly to anything. I had never even known Maya liked kids. "How's she doin?" Maya looked back up to Jackie.

"The cancer is taking its toll." Jackie heaved a tired sigh and shifted her weight to the other foot while her husband moved forward and started speaking with the attendant. "Sometimes I can tell she's in pain, sometimes she doesn't recognize us."

"Did they decide what they want to do?" Maya asked. I heard the deep concern in her voice. It was very endearing to hear this side of Maya.

"Mm, that's what this visit is for." Jackie explained. "Final testing. They need to get on this before it's too late."

"Absolutely." Maya nodded in full agreement.

"And who's this?" Jackie looked over at me. I startled to attention. I had been enraptured by the simply sweet look on Maya's face. Her small smile, her eyes not sparkling, but bright.

"This is Huck-" she stopped herself, looked over up at me and we both smiled at her private mistake, "This is Lucas Friar. He's a friend from school."

"Pleasure to meet you, ma'am." I extended my hand for her to shake. She shook it with her one free hand and then stepped back to look at me.

"I wish we had had boys like this when I was in high school." Jackie chuckled. "I had to go way down to Florida to find this guy." She gestured to her husband who was checking them in.

"He's not as great as he looks." Maya replied about me and she looked up with a playful smile on her face. "He can get so annoying."

"Hey," Jackie giggled, "if I was you, I wouldn't mind having a cute boy as company during this." I blushed. Maya just snickered.

"Ready, Babe?" I saw Jackie's husband turn around and place his hand around her waist.

"It was nice meeting you." Jackie beamed at me. Maya waved and stepped up to the counter to begin checking in. As Jackie was walking away she muttered under her breath to me,

"That girl is something special. I hope you know that." And then she was gone. As a matter of fact, I had just been thinking how special Maya Penelope Hart was. And how much I envied Jackie's husband for having a kid and a girl of his to touch and comfort and love. I was popular sure. I had been on a few dates. But that wasn't the same as something real. Maya, Riley, Farkle, and I were getting closer and closer to the end of high school. And I knew what I wanted. I wanted a family.

"Ready?" Maya was suddenly in front of me, holding a piece of paper.

"Where are we going?" I asked as I followed her out of the lobby and up a staircase.

"That was the floor where they do x-rays and check in. Now we're going to the more specific office." She stepped out of the stairwell when we reached the fourth floor and we were in a huge hall. Doors on each side ran the length of it. And I'm pretty sure the hall ran the length of the building. She didn't hesitate though. She began to walk briskly to the seventh door on the left and opened it. This time we were in a much smaller lobby. But it wasn't any cozier. People sat in chair with oxygen tanks making eerie whispering sounds. Most of them were in wheelchairs. Some were older and some were frighteningly young. Like an eleven year old boy who sat with his mother, staring off into space. He had dark circles under his eyes and he was wearing a hat which I'm sure was hiding the fact that he had no hair. Maya and I took seats next to each other and she took out her phone and began to check her email. I tried not to make eye contact with anyone.

"Maya Hart." I nurse opened a side door and called her name.

"Do you want me to come with you?" all of sudden I was feeling very protective of her. I didn't want her to wither in that room alone. I saw her actually ponder for a minute before shaking her head.

"Thank you, but this is as far as you go." She rasped and then the nurse led her back into the depths of the office.

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Maya's POV:

Today's check up was quicker, less chaotic. They were prepping me for chemo and having that chat with Jackie had lifted my spirits a lot. I sat on the bed wrapped in paper and let them take my temperature, check my reflexes, ask me questions and eventually have me put on that ugly gown and have them check my lungs and heartbeat.

"Not much worse than the last time." The nurse sounded pleased. "The cough any worse?"

"My voice is worse, but the medicine takes care of the cough." I explained she nodded and moved on to taking my blood pressure. By the time we were through with the regular procedures, I was already getting tired.

"Just a few more things." The nurse promised and left the room for a few minutes. My phone started to ring. I pulled it out and saw that it was Lucas. I rolled my eyes.

"Yes?" I answered.

"Are you ok?" I heard the concern in his voice.

"I'm fine."

"I just wanted to make sure. You've been in there a while."

"This is actually a shorter visit than most." I laughed dryly. I paused, then continued. "I'm almost done. Sorry to make you wait."

"No no," he immediately stopped me, "I was just checking. While I was waiting I walked around a bit. Did you know that there's a coffee cart on the fifth floor?"

"I did not." I chuckled. "But that's good to know for the future."

"It's pretty good." I could hear Lucas take a sip of something.

"So you bought some?"

"I was just gonna get something for you, but I wanted to test it first. Make sure it was good." He replied.

"Oh you got me some?" I tried not to sound too grateful.

"Sure did."

"I hope you got me-"

"Your vanilla mocha with half the sweetener?" he finished for me. "Yeah it's still warm."

"Oh." I smiled, glad he couldn't see how pleased I was. "Thank you."

"So just get out of there so you can come drink it."

"Cause I'm so in control of how fast this goes."

"If you hurry we might have time to do something before it's too late." Lucas added.

"I'd actually rather just go home…."

"Then hurry for the sake of my sanity. It's boring out here without you."

"Please." I sassed him. "It's boring anywhere without me." I heard him laugh and I ended the call.