A few days later John was sitting in a bookshop/coffee shop reading a book about the people being murdered in England, it wasn't that interesting but it took his mind off things. After about 5 minutes he but the book down and closed his eyes.
"Not that interesting, I guess?" a voice said. John opened his eyes to see a candy red haired women sitting at the next table.
"Not really, I'm John, John Tracy." he said.
"I'm Maddie, Madeleine Harrison." she said.
"It's nice to meet you Maddie. So what do you like to read?" They talked for hours and learned a lot about each other, Maddie liked crime novels and love stories while John liked astronomy books and Sci-Fi, Maddie was a senior at Juilliard studying Dance and Music and she knew Virgil, she was the one he'd gone to see. When they had finished talking they arranged to meet for dinner that night. John walked home smiling for the first time in days. The smile lasted until he got home, were it soon fell. He walked in to see his younger brothers fighting over something. Before he got a chance to talk his father entered to room looking mad.
"Boys what's going on?" he yelled.
"He started it Dad." Alan said.
"Did not." Gordon said pushing Alan slightly. This caused the younger boy to tackle Gordon, this was where John intervened. He pulled the two apart earning him a elbow to the gut from Alan. He doubled over slightly, it hurt.
"Sorry Johnny didn't mean to hurt you." Alan said panicking.
"I'm fine but why are you fighting." He asked straightening up.
"He took my I-Pod again." Alan said.
"Did not." Gordon said staring at the floor.
"Give it back." John said before walking off. He ended up in the bathroom leaning over the sink, getting elbowed in the stomach didn't agree with him. He heard a knock on the bathroom door and his father poked his head around the door.
"You okay son?" he asked.
"Yeah just a bit painful." he said turning to look at his dad, tears were brimming in his eyes from the pain.
"You sure?" he asked.
"Yeah just not used to getting elbowed in the gut." he said.
"Okay." he said.
John moved to leave the bathroom when he turned to his dad with the smile back on his face.
"I'm going out to night, just thought you would like to know." he said.
"With who?" his father asked as the re-entered the living area.
"A girl I met at a coffee shop earlier." he said.
"Does she know?" he asked.
"It not something you bring up when you first meet someone." he said.
"I can't get a date but the one with cancer can." Gordon muttered to himself, earning him a smack to the back of the head from Scott who had just entered the room with Virgil.
"What's her name?" Scott asked.
"Madeline Harrison." he said, this caught Virgil by surprise.
"You're going on a date with my friend Maddie." he said shocked.
"Yeah, she's really nice." he said getting a bottle of water.
"John are you sure about this." his father said. John slammed his hand on the table, causing his family to jump.
"I'm not an invalid, I'm not dying and I don't need you telling me what I can and can't do because I have cancer. When I was 15 I took my SATs while I had cancer and I did very well on them. I'm fine and I want to live my life the same way I used to." he said before leaving. When he entered his room he lay on his bed and sighed, he hated the way his family treated him when he was sick. A knock on his door drew his attention. His father came in and sat beside him.
"I'm sorry son, I just worry about you." he said running his fingers though his blond hair. It was the way he calmed his second son, thought soon he wouldn't be able to.
"I know dad, I know." he whispered.
Later that night John was sitting in a restaurant laughing with Maddie. She was fun and see made all of his worries and fears wash away. She was beautiful, her smile lit up the room. But John knew that it wouldn't last, in less than a week he started his treatment and that was too much for anyone to deal with. John had decided not to tell her until he had too and he would give her the choice to leave him.
"So what do you do?" she asked.
"I used to work for NASA but now I write but that's pretty much it." he said. "How long have you known Virgil?"
"A few years, we met at a musical work shop a Juilliard." she said. They talked for another hour before taking a walk down 5th Avenue.
"So, can I ask what is this?" Maddie asked, this question threw John.
"I...I don't know what do you want it to be." he said a little off guard
"I don't know I like you, but do you like me?" she asked.
"I like you too." he said before leaning in and kissing her. This kiss was gentle but passionate. After they parted it hit John what he had said, he had 6 days before his world would crash down with a simple needle going into his arm and pumping his body full of a vile red liquid and he'd just pulled Maddie down with him.
"I've to get going." she said placing a kiss on his cheek before getting a taxi and leaving. John started to walk home. He got about 2 blocks before his felt like he was going to pass out. That was the problem these days he tried out quickly. He sat on a bench and pulled out his phone and called Mary, his father's assistant and told her to to sent a car to his current location, the always had a car at the ready if one of them was in need of it. About 10 minutes later a black Bentley pulled up and a man exited and opened the back door, John smiled and nodded at the man before entering the car.
John leaned back in his seat and sighed, tonight hadn't gone as he had planned, he wasn't meant to get attached to her but now he was falling in love with the red haired beauty. Shit he thought.