The Last Time

A young woman battles cancer.

The last time.

Maggie was at the height of her life when the worst news she could ever imagine was given to her by a doctor in his fifties. She had a rare form of cancer and while she stared at him with utter shock, only dark thoughts entered her mind.
"I don't understand?" she said.
The doctor looked at her with an uncomfortable expression, before answering, "I'm so sorry. We'll do the best for you in the circumstances. The problem is it's a very rare form so treating it could have it's problems. Do you understand, Maggie?"
She understood the seriousness of the situation, but her brain found it difficult to process the information. "So what happens now, what's my chance of surviving this?"
The man rubbed his forehead, then replied less confident, "I'm afraid the chance of this is limited. At worst you might have a few months left, so my advice is to get everything in order and say goodbye to the people in your life that matter just in case. I'm so sorry to give you this dreadful news."
Maggie understood, and gave him a warm smile. "Thank you for being honest with me."
He smiled back, before saying emotionally, "You're such a brave woman, and it was a great pleasure to meet you."
Before long she stood in the corridor of the big hospital, tears running down her cheeks. A middle-aged couple gave her an odd look while they made their way to one of the wards. Maggie dabbed her eyes with a tissue. She needed to talk to someone, so calling her best friend on the mobile she waited patiently for Hannah to answer.
Within seconds a voice was heard. "Hi, Maggie. We still meeting later?"
Maggie didn't know what to say, knowing her friend would be devastated by the news. "I'm at the hospital at the moment, I've got the results to do with all the tests I've been taking. It's not good news, Hannah."
Her dear friend hesitated for a moment, before saying with worry in her voice, "I'll drive to the hospital now and you can tell me everything."
"Okay. Thank you." Maggie started to cry again as she put the phone into her trouser pocket.

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It didn't take long for Hannah to show up.
The moment she saw her friend walking up the long corridor towards her, all the horrible thoughts disappeared. They hugged and cried. Once both were sat in the nearby cafe Maggie told Hannah everything. The look on Hannah's face Maggie would never forget. It broke her heart.
The journey back from the hospital was chaos, but this gave time to talk about the next step. Maggie felt immense relief to have a mate like Hannah, this meant the world to her.
Once they'd arrived at Maggie's home it was time to tell her family. While she rang them to tell them the news her friend held her hand. Some time later her parents arrived. The mood was sombre understandably while they sat in the living room. A knock at the door caused everyone to jump as nerves were raw. Maggie gave a hand signal for everyone to stay seated while she made her way to the entrance. At the open door stood her older brother. He hugged her tightly.
"I don't know what to say," he said. "I'm so sorry."
At this moment she realised it wasn't all about her. In life she'd never been selfish or spoilt, and she certainly wasn't going to start now. She needed to be strong. Maggie needed to embrace the horrifying situation she faced. With her friends and family around her she felt blessed. Whatever time she had left she wouldn't waste it on feeling sorry for herself. Taking her brother's hand they entered the living room where her mum looked up to her brother with disbelief.
The silence was unbearable, Maggie had a folder that the kind doctor had gave her explaining what was going to happen next with her treatment, because there was a faint chance it could work. She showed everyone so they could understand the gravity of the situation. Hannah sat beside her as she talked about the coming weeks, and what they should expect. At one point her mum kept shaking her head, not believing what her daughter was going through. Maggie joined her putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Be strong, mum. If I haven't got much time left I don't want people to feel sad. I don't want tears and self pity, I want you to cherish our last moments together. Will you promise me that, mum?"
Gwen looked up at her beautiful daughter, her eyes filled with tears. "I'm finding this very hard, love. I will try for you. I promise."
Maggie kissed the top of her head. "I love you, mum."
"And I love you very much, Maggie."

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The next few days were very hard, especially for Maggie. After the first chemo session she felt extremely tired, but her friend kept her company while they giggled about men they'd fancied from years ago. At one point Maggie drifted off to sleep. Hannah held her in her arms while their favourite film ended. I love you, Maggie. You're the greatest friend anyone could ever wish to meet. She kissed her cheek softly causing Maggie to awaken. "Good morning, sweety," said Hannah. "Did you have a pleasant snooze?"
Maggie rubbed her eyes, her arms ached strangely. "Is it morning?"
Hannah laughed. "I'm just messing with you. You were asleep for about half an hour. How do you feel?"
"Not great. My head hurts and my whole body aches. I'm happy you're here though. I really do appreciate it, but don't feel like you have to stay. I'll be okay."
Hannah wiped a tear from her eye, before saying, "I want to be here. I want to be here with you."
Maggie peered up at her, then said, "Please don't say anything to anyone else, but at times I get really scared. It's hard to explain. But when everybody is here it takes my mind off the inevitable. I don't like showing weakness, especially in front of my family as I know it'll upset them a great deal. Does that make sense?"
"Yes, it makes perfect sense. I will never leave you, Maggie. You're my best friend, I know you better than I know myself. If you ever need anything don't be afraid to ask. It would be my pleasure to help you in anyway possible."
Maggie smiled, closing her eyes.
Her friend fast asleep, Hannah got up carefully from the sofa so she wouldn't interrupt Maggie, making her way to the toilet. Inside the small room she stared in the mirror, trying to gather her thoughts. The thing that petrified her more than anything was Maggie not being there anymore. Hannah realised she needed to find some courage from somewhere, to carry on the way she has been, even on the darkest days when it would seem like all hope is lost. I love you, Maggie. With all my heart.

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The next few weeks were testing to say the least. The chemo treatment wasn't improving the situation, leaving Maggie feeling lethargic most of the time. Hannah and the family rallied round to make her life easier, but it was tough. No one really knew how to deal with the situation. On the last chemo session everyone felt hopeful that things would improve, especially for Maggie who was suffering the most from it. But through all this she still looked on the bright side, which is why everyone held her in such high regard. The local pub kept all the customers in the loop to all the latest developments, as they all cared for her greatly.

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The doctor in charge of her case looked at the family with sadness. They all sat in a side room away from the ward where Maggie was. "I have some very grave news about your daughter. I wish it could be better news I'm afraid. She hasn't got much time left. A month at best. We tried our best to rid her of the cancer, but the treatment failed. I'm so sorry."
Gwen stood up to face the doctor. "Can we take her home, we would all prefer her to spend her last days at home with people that care for her?"
The man scratched the side of his head, then replied, "Yes that should be fine. We'll give you all the necessary medication, and a leaflet dedicated to her needs and when to take the tablets, also if you need assistance a nurse will be on standby just in case. Please do not be scared to ring her anytime, day or night. Do you understand?"
"Yes we understand, and thank you for all you did."

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Hannah stayed by her bedside most of the time. Maggie seemed more alert since the chemo had become a distant memory. The medication kept the pain she was experiencing at a minimum level. Then one day she had an odd request which surprised everyone who had gathered.
"But it's an insane idea, what if something happens?"
"Please just let her do this, Gwen. She wants to say goodbye to all her friends while she can. Please understand what this means to her?" said her husband. "This could be her last chance."
"Yes, you're right."

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On Friday they got Maggie ready, a wheelchair also handy because she had trouble getting about on her own. Hannah was there to keep an eye on the proceedings. Her hair hadn't grown back, but Maggie was proud and determined to say farewell properly. Also she didn't want anyone to know the truth, that it would be the last time.
Hannah pushed the wheelchair from the car to the front of the pub, where many familiar faces had gathered. Maggie said hello to everyone, and they welcomed her with open arms. Being careful Hannah pushed her through the entrance into the left bar. Some of their oldest acquaintances joined them while they chatted for the next two hours, it was just like old times. Around 10.30 Hannah could see Maggie's eyes closing as tiredness consumed her.
"Are you okay, Maggie?" she asked softly.
Her eyes opened, and she replied, "Thank you for tonight, Hannah. I'm ready to go now if that is okay with you. I've said goodbye to all the people that matter to me the most, and I've had a brilliant time all because of you."
Hannah neared her friend, both began to cry.
By quarter to eleven the car had turned up, while it waited at the back of the pub. They said goodbye to everyone including the landlord and landlady.
And for the last time Maggie made the journey home with her best friend by her side.

The End.

Dedicated to the bravest lady I know x