Chapter 7
Outside the ER, the doctor said sadly.
“You can go in and say goodbye.”
Riley could barely stand. A nurse had to help her into the room.
She grabbed Stella’s lifeless hand, her throat so tight she couldn’t make a sound.
After a long moment, she stared at Stella’s pale face and croaked:
“Stella. you fought through so much hell these past five years. How could one fucking glimpse of Blake just… end you like this?!”
Why do you even care that Blake’s getting married? Didn’t you say you were totally over his ass?!”
You can’t just die on me! If you bail like this, I’m not doing shit for your funeral. No flowers, no fancy casket, nothing. You can haunt this shitty world forever or all I care…”
uddenly, the heart monitor started beeping and the flatline jumped just a little.
iley burst into tears, her voice totally wrecked:
Doctor, she can hear me! Oh my god, she heard me!”
was so exhausted. In my dreams I kept seeing this dark, creepy city and some endless bridge.
ut Riley’s sobbing wouldn’t stop echoing in my head.
ler crying dragged me back. I wasn’t about to let my funeral be as shitty as she threatened…
he next day, I came to and heard Riley’s broken voice from outside my room.
Terminal leukemia. It’s everywhere now. The doctors are basically saying there’s nothing left to try.”
fter forever, Blake’s voice cut through the silence.
When… when did she find out?”
froze. How did Blake know? When did he get here?
he conversation outside kept going.
iley answered him: “2020.”
lake’s voice was hoarse and completely exhausted.
Right before she broke up with me. What about her parents? Do they know?”
When Riley stayed quiet, he pressed on: “So that’s why you called me today? Made me come to the hospital to tell me the ‘truth’-that she has leukemia and oesn’t have long, so she dumped me to protect me?”
She just disappeared without a word. Why should I forgive her just because she’s dying?”
You’re telling me this right before my wedding-what, you think I should throw my whole life away for her?”
When Riley had pushed me to tell Blake the truth, I already knew how this would go.
I was the one who chose to leave back then. Now he’s about to get married. He shouldn’t have to give up everything.
My chest ached with this sharp, bitter pain.
My head was getting all fuzzy again. I was so fucking exhausted-I wanted to stay conscious and hear how this ended, but I just couldn’t hang on.
18-77
1 passed out again.
When I came to, it was 11 PM.
The nurse switched out my IV-just fluids and morphine basically keeping me breathing at this point.
The second she left, Mrs. Reed barged in.
She threw a plane ticket and a debit card on my bed.
“Get out. Take the money and disappear. Sophia’s crazy about Blake and I’m not letting you screw things up for them.”
This crushing sadness just washed over me.
I could barely breathe, my voice coming out all raspy. Just talking was taking everything I had.
“I can’t… I literally can’t get up anymore…”
Mrs. Reed looked at my ghost white face and got even angrier. “Even if you’re dying, don’t you dare die in Riverside.”
Every time I see your face, I think about how much Sophia suffered for twenty-two years.”
My fingers curled weakly into fists, my voice barely a whisper. “What about me? What did I ever do wrong?”
Your only mistake was being born to that woman.”
iley came back from getting water and heard this. She slammed the pitcher down.
weet, gentle Riley turned into a total hellcat, shoving Mrs. Reed toward the door. “She called you Mom for twenty-two fucking years! Are you insane? Stella’s lying and you’re still trying to hurt her?”
Did Stella ever have a choice in any of this?”
Get out! Just get the hell OUT!”
watched Mrs. Reed’s retreating figure, everything getting blurry.
or twenty-two years, I’d been watching that same back walking away-when I was a toddler stumbling around, when she secretly wiped tears dropping me off t kindergarten, when she’d sneak around planning my birthday surprises…
All those memories hit me at once.
pathetically croaked out: “Mom…”
was hoping she’d turn around like she used to, squeeze my cheeks, and go “How is my big girl still such a mama’s girl…”
ut this time, she kept walking.
wenty-two years of my life just crumbled to nothing.
started throwing up blood again. The white sheets mixed with that sharp hospital smell, and now the whole room just reeked of death.
uley was bawling, screaming down the hall: “Doctor! Somebody help!”
But I squeezed her hand. “Riley, I’m done with all the bullshit treatments. Just let me… die like a human being.”
Out in the hallway, the brutal hospital lights made Blake’s eyelashes look all shaky.
He looked completely drained.
He got up and walked the opposite direction from my room.
