Lily's POV:

I woke up when it was still dark, whether it was night or morning – I didn't know.

When I looked around I had machines attached to me, surrounding my bed until there was almost no room to move around. I knew this because I tried to flip to my other side when the one I was laying on had fallen asleep; I had an IV in my hand and a different drip in the fold of my arm. I figured it would be best for me to fall back asleep, instead of struggling with all the wires that held me down.

I lay back down into my bed, and pulled the covers up until they were closer to my chin. "I'm sorry Mr. and Mrs. Truscott," I heard from outside my room. "I don't think Lily is ready to see anybody."

I leaned my head closer towards the door so that I could hear what my mom said back, "Is she awake? Is Lily going to be okay?"

I heard silence, not able to find out whether the doctors opinion on whether I was going to be okay or not, and then I heard my mom sobbing, and falling to the ground. My stomach dropped, "Don't tell that to Lily," I heard my mom cry to my dad. "Lily has to know that everything is going to be alright, positive thinking."

"Positive thinking," I heard my dad repeat, and then I could tell that they were both getting up from the floor now, because I could hear the clack of my mom's high heals against the hospital floor.

I tried shutting my eyes again after that, but my mom's words repeated in my head until I could feel tears running down my cheeks. And for the first time since I found out about my brain tumour, I thought about death, and how this was the way it could end for me. I thought about what it was going to be like, going through surgery and radiation treatment – how I was going to feel afterwards, and whether it was going to work or not. And then I thought about Oliver and Miley – what I was going to tell them, how I was going to tell them, and wondering how and what they were doing at this very second.

"Lily?" I heard Miley's voice outside the door, and her rhythmic rap on the door. I heard her open the door, despite the rules I knew she was breaking. "Lily, be alright, be alright," Miley chanted to herself as she came closer to my bed. I had already closed my eyes again so that I wouldn't have to face my friends just yet.

I felt Miley sit on my bed, and take my hand, "Hey Lily," she whispered. "You look great," Miley laughed nervously. "I – I mean that, you've got your colour back. Well – compared to yesterday, and the doctor says your temperature is down and you can breath on your own." Miley smiled, I could see it now that my eyes were squinted. "I'm not supposed to be in here, apparently you're not allowed to see visitors yet," Miley announced. "But I just said I had to go to the bathroom and well – I just walked into your room."

In the hallway I could hear a doctor walk by the room, Miley flinched in my hand and I knew she was going to leave soon. "Well," Miley sighed, giving my hand one last squeeze before I could feel her getting off the bed. "I've got to go; I'll talk to you later. I guess."

I almost nodded my head, but I knew I couldn't, so I listened to Miley walk out of the room, and have a nurse walk in a half a second later.

"Your friend is quite the sneaky one," she told me, thinking that I was still unconscious as she checked my vitals and replaced the bag of the unnamed drip that lead to the fold of my arm. "I can't say she's going to get in trouble though, I wouldn't turn her in, she's the cutest thing." The nurse tucked my sheets into the bed so that they were tighter around me. "Been here all along, been crying in the corner, the poor thing."

I could tell the nurse was quite used to these one sided conversations. She had something to say every time she walked into my room, and didn't care whether she got a response or not. This nurse would tell me about what was happening with my family, and announce my vitals out loud without meaning to.

It was when she told me about Miley again that I decided to 'wake up'.

I was in the hospital for my third day, and Miley and Oliver had snuck in twice already to see how I was doing. Once they left, of course, the regular nurse came in and started to talk to me.

"They are the cutest things," she told unconscious me that afternoon after Miley and Oliver stopped by in the morning. "I don't think that Miley is ever going to leave this here hospital until you come to. You guys must be best friends," the nurse laughed, and checked my vitals. "It seems your blood count is almost back to normal Lily," she announced, "Should be waking up soon then." I quietly moaned to show the nurse I was alright and she laughed again. "Well let's see," The nurse sat on my bed to replace the tape on my IV. "Oliver's been catching Miley up on school lately, and I think you guys have a project due in a week. A play from what I heard, it sounds interesting." I moved my arm slightly. "Miley sounded excited about it, sounds like she's going to be going back to school tomorrow to work on it."

I silently laughed at the last play Oliver and Miley had done, and hoped for Oliver's sake that this one wasn't going to be Shakespeare.

"Perhaps if you're ready," the nurse sighed. "I can pull some strings and get you out of here for the day to go see Miley and Oliver when they perform." I moved my other arm slightly and flickered my eyes open slowly. My nurse, who I could see clearly now as a young women who looked like she might have just graduated from medical school. She had a warm smile on her face, genuine and not fake. "Good afternoon Lily," she said. "Glad to finally see you awake. Are you feeling alright?" I nodded, clearing my voice so that I could try and talk. My nurse noticed this, "your throat is a little bit dry," she told me, giving me a bottle of water to drink from. "It may hurt to talk for a while, but it should go away in a couple of days." I nodded again, and my nurse rushed out of the room – most likely to announce to the many waiting outside for me, that I was now awake. And as I predicted it, I started to hear tears of joy and cheers coming from my family and friends who now stood outside of my door.

I heard the doorknob turn, and the first faces I saw were my parents. They were smiling like crazy, especially my mom. "Sweetie," she hugged me and sat down on my bed while my dad stayed standing. "Lily, your back, Lily, you have no idea. I love you," she hugged me again and when she pulled away I saw her wipe tears away from her face.

"How are you feeling Lil?" My dad asked, taking a chair and sitting it right next to me on the other side of the bed. "Dizzy? Does your head hurt? Nauseous?" I shook my head, and he hugged me just as tight as my mom had before.

"Lily," my mom said to me in a serious tone after we'd remained in comfortable silence for a few moments. "They're going to have to take you into surgery while you're here." I nodded my head. Afraid of 'being under the knife', as I had never had a medical procedure quite like that done to me before. "Surgery and some treatments of radiation. The doctor said it would be best if we combined the two – better chances." I nodded again; my mom seemed to choke at the last few words.

"Will I loose hair?" I asked, shocked at my own raspy voice, just as much as my parents.

My mom nodded, "for the surgery they'll just shave where they have to make the incision, but as you will loose it later on, I think you might want to consider shaving it all off now."

"I'll think about it," I whispered to my parents. I was so worried about loosing my hair, "When – when will I have to go into surgery?"

My mom and dad looked at each other before answering which meant that I really didn't want to know, "there's a slot for tomorrow," my mom reached to hold my hand, and my dad stroked my hair. "If we don't do it then, you might not have another chance for a couple of months, and – and, by then," my mom stopped.

"By then," my dad continued. "The tumour might grow larger, and you'll get worse."

I nodded my head, understanding. "I'll do it tomorrow then," I smiled bravely at my parents. "Just, please, remember not to tell my friends about this. That's my job," my parents agreed, and left the room so that more visitors could come in. Even though I knew it hurt them a lot not to be with me at that moment.

Right after they left I heard Miley's rhythmic tap against the door frame, and I looked up to see Oliver and Miley standing there, huge smiled on their faces.

"Lily, Lily, Lily!" Miley smiled, hugging me harder than anyone so far. Oliver laughed, and we did the handshake we made up when we were in the third grade. "You have no idea how much I have to tell you," Miley announced, sitting on my bed, with Oliver by her side. I nodded my head for Miley to go on, "They've assigned another play yesterday at school," she smiled at Oliver and we both laughed. "So Oliver signed me up to be partners with him, and I have to go back to school tomorrow to work on it. But the nurse said that she would find a way for you to get out of the hospital for the day."

"To come see us," Oliver interrupted so that he could talk. "I promise not to make any jokes or mess up or anything. Just a good time," I nodded.

"And your mom," Miley announced, almost jumping up and down as she said this. "She said that we could go out for dinner before we brought you back to the hospital. You know, as celebration."

"For the play," Oliver cut in, "And your awakening."

"Great guys," I smiled, unable to take all of this in at the same time.

Miley's smiled faded and little bit and she brought the back of her palm to my forehead, "what happened to your voice Lily?" She asked, trying to keep her voice calm. "Are you alright?"

I nodded my head, and dragged Miley – who was getting off of the bed to call a nurse, back down next to me. "The nurse said that it would be raspy for a couple of days. I promise I'd tell you if I was getting another fever."

Miley and Oliver nodded and sighed with relief, "I guess we should leave you now." Oliver said, taking Miley's hand and lifting her off of the bed.

"It was so great seeing you," Miley hugged me, a huge smile on her face as she left the room.

I smiled, glad to be back, but my stomach would not let me forget about my scheduled surgery tomorrow,

A/N: I will be at camp for the next two weeks, and whether or not I'll be able to update is still under consideration. I might or might not be able to bring my laptop, but I promise that if I can't that I'll work on this story in a notebook and come back home with a bunch of new chapters for you all.

3 ChillinInNZ