Part 11: Cake Icing
Life was fairly good for both Lily and Jessica, as they got to know each other better. It seemed as though they had been together their whole lives, and that there had never been lies. Still Lily felt alone, she missed her home, friends, and strangely enough her school.
"So you're good with a guitar?" Jessica asked randomly mostly out of boredom.
"Yeah, and you can draw pretty well?" Lily responded trying to be friendly.
"This is getting us absolutely no-where!" Jessica screamed, annoyed.
Lily didn't respond, she couldn't help but feel that it was indeed getting them somewhere and at the same time nowhere. They had already established these things about each other; had this conversation a million times. Lily was leaving in only a few days. They'd have their birthday together, go through all the medical stuff needed of Lily, and then she would return home. She might never see her sister again, if her sister even lived. Lily had grown more accustomed to calling Jessica her sister rather than referring to her as Jessica. She turned her head away from Jessica and looked intently at the floor. She was scared, more scared than she'd ever been in her life. Even more scared than when she first performed a song in front of an audience.
"What are you thinking about?" Jessica asked.
"To be totally honest, I'm thinking about fear." Lily replied.
"Good summarization, you seem like you're really good with words." Jessica clapped her hands.
Lily wasn't good with words, especially not now. Sitting with her sister in that tiny, uninviting hospital room she couldn't help but picture the worst possible scenario.
"Come on Lily you gotta help me, my lungs aren't as good as they used to be." Jessica called to her sister.
They were sitting quietly in Jessica's hospital room. In place of a birthday cake was a pair of cup cakes that each had one candle sitting in the center. Their adoptive parents had felt so 'bad' about lying to them so much that they hadn't dared interrupt the celebration. So Lily and Jessica were alone half of the time crying.
"I still can't believe that our parents' weren't even willing to come to our birthday party." Lily sighed.
"Does it really make you mad? I mean isn't it nice not have people around saying 'I'm sorry' and 'how are you feeling?' every second they get the chance. I rather like sharing my birthday with and only with my sister." Jessica commented.
"I guess you're right. I'd hate for them to make a big deal out of it." Lily replied.
"Exactly! So are you going to help me blow out these candles or am I going to have to suffocate blowing them both out?" Jessica exaggerated herself in an attempt to get Lily's cooperation.
"It's been a great day." Lily said under her breath. "I just wish there were more to come."
"You're not still hung up on the fantasy that I'm going to die are you?" Jessica frowned. "Come on all your worries will be relieved tomorrow."
"No they won't. You may think that miracles are going to happen as soon as you get the transplant, but be realistic! My worries will just be beginning tomorrow, especially since for the rest of my stay here I'll be in pain! Resting and hardly able to spend time with you! Oh yeah you bet, everything is going to be miraculously fixed tomorrow! I may never even see you again!" Lily's sudden outburst caused Jessica to grow suddenly scared. Not for herself, but for Lily.
"There's a simple four-letter word to think about, H-O-P-E, hope." Jessica returned assuringly.
Jessica turned her head to the clock on the wall, and sighed. "Not too much longer, Lil."
Lily sighed in return, and quickly wiped a small run-away tear from her face. "I know."
Jessica looked in her sister's direction. The room was still dark with early morning light. "You seem happier with sleep deprivation than with a full nights sleep." She joked.
Lily yawned. "I wish I could sleep."
Jessica nodded understandingly. Lily was nervous about the day's events, and Jessica couldn't help but shiver. It was becoming more and more clear to her how serious everything was. She hadn't wanted to think about it, she'd needed to be strong throughout it all. But mostly she'd needed to be strong for Lily. In all actuality she was terrified, but she couldn't let her sister know.
"Me too." She said indistinguishably.
The door creaked open, and several people walked in, one of them being the doctor. There was no backing out now.
Lily turned her head in the direction of the window, and looked up at the fading stars.
Life was fairly good for both Lily and Jessica, as they got to know each other better. It seemed as though they had been together their whole lives, and that there had never been lies. Still Lily felt alone, she missed her home, friends, and strangely enough her school.
"So you're good with a guitar?" Jessica asked randomly mostly out of boredom.
"Yeah, and you can draw pretty well?" Lily responded trying to be friendly.
"This is getting us absolutely no-where!" Jessica screamed, annoyed.
Lily didn't respond, she couldn't help but feel that it was indeed getting them somewhere and at the same time nowhere. They had already established these things about each other; had this conversation a million times. Lily was leaving in only a few days. They'd have their birthday together, go through all the medical stuff needed of Lily, and then she would return home. She might never see her sister again, if her sister even lived. Lily had grown more accustomed to calling Jessica her sister rather than referring to her as Jessica. She turned her head away from Jessica and looked intently at the floor. She was scared, more scared than she'd ever been in her life. Even more scared than when she first performed a song in front of an audience.
"What are you thinking about?" Jessica asked.
"To be totally honest, I'm thinking about fear." Lily replied.
"Good summarization, you seem like you're really good with words." Jessica clapped her hands.
Lily wasn't good with words, especially not now. Sitting with her sister in that tiny, uninviting hospital room she couldn't help but picture the worst possible scenario.
"Come on Lily you gotta help me, my lungs aren't as good as they used to be." Jessica called to her sister.
They were sitting quietly in Jessica's hospital room. In place of a birthday cake was a pair of cup cakes that each had one candle sitting in the center. Their adoptive parents had felt so 'bad' about lying to them so much that they hadn't dared interrupt the celebration. So Lily and Jessica were alone half of the time crying.
"I still can't believe that our parents' weren't even willing to come to our birthday party." Lily sighed.
"Does it really make you mad? I mean isn't it nice not have people around saying 'I'm sorry' and 'how are you feeling?' every second they get the chance. I rather like sharing my birthday with and only with my sister." Jessica commented.
"I guess you're right. I'd hate for them to make a big deal out of it." Lily replied.
"Exactly! So are you going to help me blow out these candles or am I going to have to suffocate blowing them both out?" Jessica exaggerated herself in an attempt to get Lily's cooperation.
"It's been a great day." Lily said under her breath. "I just wish there were more to come."
"You're not still hung up on the fantasy that I'm going to die are you?" Jessica frowned. "Come on all your worries will be relieved tomorrow."
"No they won't. You may think that miracles are going to happen as soon as you get the transplant, but be realistic! My worries will just be beginning tomorrow, especially since for the rest of my stay here I'll be in pain! Resting and hardly able to spend time with you! Oh yeah you bet, everything is going to be miraculously fixed tomorrow! I may never even see you again!" Lily's sudden outburst caused Jessica to grow suddenly scared. Not for herself, but for Lily.
"There's a simple four-letter word to think about, H-O-P-E, hope." Jessica returned assuringly.
Jessica turned her head to the clock on the wall, and sighed. "Not too much longer, Lil."
Lily sighed in return, and quickly wiped a small run-away tear from her face. "I know."
Jessica looked in her sister's direction. The room was still dark with early morning light. "You seem happier with sleep deprivation than with a full nights sleep." She joked.
Lily yawned. "I wish I could sleep."
Jessica nodded understandingly. Lily was nervous about the day's events, and Jessica couldn't help but shiver. It was becoming more and more clear to her how serious everything was. She hadn't wanted to think about it, she'd needed to be strong throughout it all. But mostly she'd needed to be strong for Lily. In all actuality she was terrified, but she couldn't let her sister know.
"Me too." She said indistinguishably.
The door creaked open, and several people walked in, one of them being the doctor. There was no backing out now.
Lily turned her head in the direction of the window, and looked up at the fading stars.