Chapter 7: Alone

Chapter 7: Alone

Alyssa woke up and searched the house for Gavin. He was no where in sight and hasn't been for the past two weeks. Alyssa tried calling him but he never answered. She became worried, scared even. What if something had happened to him? What if he never came back? Alyssa knew that she was probably being paranoid but with her it seemed to be a natural reaction. As Alyssa came down the stairs, she heard a knock on the door and stopped moving instantly. Who could it be? She thought.

"Alyssa, It's me! Gavin!" He yelled.

"Gavin?" She whispered to herself. "Wait, It's Gavin!" She quickly sped to the door and opened it. Alyssa ran into Gavins arms and gave him a hug.

"Gavin," She mumbled. She pulled away and squinted with her eyes.

"Where have you been? I was worried and seeing as how you weren't in school didn't make it any better."

"I'm sorry." He answered. "I was...well...sick. I didn't want you to see me like that."

"Well," She started but thought against it. "Come in."

Later that day Gavin left and promised to come back. He went home to see his mom.

"Are you feeling better?" She asked him.

"I'm fine, mom." He sighed.

"The doctors said they finished the test. They also said that you'd be fine. It's a good thing it's Friday, you get to relax. Now do me a favor and go back to that girl you have been spending so much time with lately." Gavin opened his mouth to say something but his mom held up her hands to silent him. Seeing the look of bewilderment on his face, she threw her head back and started laughing.

"Good-bye son." She said getting up and walking out of the room.

*****

That night after dinner, Gavin and Alyssa sat down for a movie. After minutes of deciding which one they should watch, they settled on Last Holiday. It was about a girl who got the wrong diagnosis from a doctor and was told she had a number of weeks to live. Alyssa cuddled up in Gavin's arms on the sofa. About halfwat through the movie, the two of them fell asleep.

******

"Gavin?" Alyssa called.

Alyssa turns around and sees a hospital right behind her. Her phone vibrated and she viewed a text message from an unknown number. Gavin's at the hospital. After reading, Alyssa rann into the hospital and looked around for some help.

"M'am. I'm looking for Gavin, Gavin Reed. I was told that he was here."

"Just a minute." The lady said. "He's in the room down the hall. Make a left and he's the first door on the right. The lady watched Alyssa leave and frowned. She knew that she was the one the he has been asking for. She wished that she could keep her from going into that room, from finding out what was happening. To keep it from happening.

Alyssa ran to his room; her heart beating through her ears. She spotted Gavin laying on the hospital bed looking at the doctor as he explained some things. His mom stood by his side with eyes that were blood shot. Alyssa's heart nearly broke as she watched Gavin's mom sob. She knew the news wasn't going to be good. It took her a few minutes to walk inside the room. The doctor had already left and it was just her, Gavin, and Mrs. Reed. Alyssa looked from Gavin to his mom and his mom silently left the room. Tears welled up in Alyssa eyes as she heard the door close. She walked over to Gavin's side grabbing his hand in hers.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked.

"I don't like you to worry." He replied weakly.

"Either way, I was going to worry." She said, her voice now breaking. A tear fell down her face as she stared into her boyfriends eyes. Alyssa didn't want Gavin to leave her, ever. She would be so alone without him.

"Don't cry over me." He whispered, wearily wiping a tear from her face.

"How could I not? I care about you too much." She said through short breaths.

"I'm sorry." Gavin said touching his hand to Alyssa's cheek. It almost angered Alyssa to hear Gavin say I'm sorry. It assured her that this wasn't going to end well.

"Kiss me," Gavin whispered.

"What?" Alyssa asked confused; Gavin gave a faint laugh.

"I want you to kiss me, Alyssa." Gavin feared he only had a few more minutes left and wanted Alyssa to be the last thing he felt. She kissed him softly with tears still rolling down her cheeks. She pulled away and slid her hand through his soft hair. Gavin smile and moaned softly, treasuring the feeling. Alyssa gave a quiet laugh, a laugh that almost sounded like a whimper.

"I love you." Gavin says. Alyssa looks at Gavin in shock. She didn't want to hear those words. She knew it was his way of telling her good-bye without actually saying it.

"No, don't say that." She cried, her voice hoarse.

 "Not now, not like this.

"It's okay, Alyssa. Everything will be alright." Gavin was lying through his teeth, but he didn't know what else to say.

"I love you," Gavin gave one last smile and squeezedd Alyssa's hand gently. Tears streamed down Alyssa's face as she heard the sound that told her Gavin wasn't coming back.

"No! No!" She cried. "Gavin! I'm sorry! I love you! Come back! Please! Gavin, come back!"

*****

Alyssa's eyes shot open and she found herself staring at the blank t.v screen. She could see her arm draped over Gavin's body as he slept. He looked so serene and peaceful to her; a smile smile playing on her lips. She felt Gavin move under her and heard him taking a deep breath. Gavin moved his hand across Alyssa's back slowly and cleared his throat.

"What's wrong?" He asked. Gavin could feel Alyssa tense up.

"Nothing," She whispered. "Bad dream." Gavin kissed Alyssa's forehead as she squeezed him tighter, holding her in his grasp making her feel warm and secure.

"It's just a dream." He said after a moment.

 "Come on, let's go upstairs. You'll need more rest than a two hour nap." He softly smiled.

"Okay," She whispered reluctantly. She was afraid of another horrible dream about Gavin.

Gavin watched her walk upstairs and waited until he heard the click of the bedroom door closing. He felt a sharp pain in his chest and clutched the area over his heart. He sat there unable to move for a brief moment. Soon he fot up and went to the bathroom. He coughed a few times and spewed up small amounts of blood into his hands. He didn't know what was happening to him but didn't want to tell Alyssa. He didn't like her to worry so much, he hated her to worry. Gavin didn't want to be another burden in her life. He decided to take a shower to fully cleanse himself.

About twenty minutes passed when Gavin got out of the shower. He came into Alyssa's bedroom and lay beside her with his back facing her. Gavin inhaled deeply as he felt Alyssa scoot towards him. He felt his heart jump as Alyssa touched him; him almost cried right then and there. Gavin shifted his body to his side and wrapped his arm around Alyssa's waist. Alyssa put her hand over his signalling for him to not move it.

*******

"Sorry about your boyfriend," Mr. Cameron said sarcastically with a smirk on his face. Alyssa stared at him for a long minute before saying, "That's not funny." Her voice was cold and bitter, her nose runny, eyes red. Mr. Cameron stepped towards her bringing them face to face.

"It's hilarious," He said slowly, the smell of alcohol heavy on his breath. "Death is hilarious." Alyssa's anger grew at new lengths as she clutched her fist turning away from her father.

"Aw, did I hurt your feelings?" He mocked.

A tear ran down Alyssa's cheek as she left through the front door. She ran outside running towards the school. As the day passed by she instinctively searcheed for Gavin at every hallway, at every class, refusing to believe the reality of the situation. After school she ran to the lake where he first took her on the canoe. After, she went to the beachm and then she went home. Her parents weren't home so she ran upstairs, slamming her bedroom door shut. Alyssa thought about the last moment in the hospital. She thought about how he was still concerned for her when he was the one that needed the concern. She thought about how he had asked her to kiss him, she thought about him saying I love you. She remembered how she didn't get to say it back. Alyssa plopped onto her bed laying in the spot that Gavin always laid in. She sobbed into her pillow as she thought of him; his voice, his face, his smile, his eyes, his touch, everything. She was shattered.

"I love you too, Gavin."

*******

Alyssa got up from her bed removing Gavins arm from around her. She watched him sleep for a couple seconds before grabbing a jacket and leaving the house. She went behind the woods and to the vacant lake. The sun wasn't up completely; the sky was dark, light barely present. Alyssa sat down and brung her knees to her chest crossing her arms over them. She couldn't seem to shake the though of Gavin dying from her mind; the thought of being alone...again.

Gavin awoke to Alyssa gone and found himself sweating. He had a fever and was sick as a dog. He wondered where Alyssa was and decided to go look for her; his concern for her greater than his for himself. He couldn't go to sleep without knowing she was okay and by his side. He went to the bathroom and washed his face with cold water. He thought of the lake, where he and Alyssa first talked; where they first had a real conversation. He went as fast as he could without becoming too overwhelmed. he was worried about her.

When Gavin arrived at the lake he seen Alyssa crying into her hackey. His heart ached for her, just seeing he upset. He quickly walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her protectively.

"Hey, Alyssa, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" He asked just above a whisper, his voice soft. When she didn't reply, Gavin kissed her forehead and told her it'll be alright.

"I'm afraid," She mumbled into his shirt.

"Afraid of what?"

"Of you leaving me alone. I'm afraid to be stuck here with them again, stuck alone. I'm scared, Gavin." She stopped speaking and cried. Gavin's heart broke to pieces. He didn't know what was happening to him. All he knew was that it wasn't good. He had a high fever well above one hundred, chest pains, and now he was coughing up blood. He didn't know what to expect next.

"I'm not going anywhere." He said. The truth was, that he was scared too.