Recovering Forever (Chapter 5)

by Zoe in a land of daydreams (which my teachers say I visit too often)

Recovering Forever
Part 1
Chapter 5

And yet Stephanie didn't tell her sister of the island. Days went on, and after several arguments with the nurses and docters, Stephanie was let out of the hospital. There were several treatments she could undergo, but they were unlikely to help and had side effects. Stephanie didn't want them. She took some pain killers for the aching in her body, her soreness, and that was all she needed. She couldn't concentrate on this, and her mind was still pre-occupied with James. Karen had told Rachel not to rush Stephanie into telling her, in a hushed whisper when she thought Stephanie was asleep. Now, she rode in her sister's convertible, sitting in the passenger's seat, listening as Rachel ranted.

"Come on, Steph! There are treatments, right? Why don't you take them?"

"I will take some of the treatments, Rachel, but they aren't cures. You know that no matter what, I'll die. You heard them say that. Cure isn't possible. I didn't catch the cancer soon enough. You always said my stubberness would be the end of me, right?"

"Yeah, but I didn't mean it quite so litterally!"

While Rachel's voice was a shriek, Stephanie was so calm it suprised even her. Her voice wasn't even choked as she spoke with a firm voice, looking fowards out the windshield at the city. Rachel continued to babble, but Stephanie didn't listen. She was taking some treatments, yes, they were only to ease the pain, and maybe stop the spreading of the cancer, something like that. She hadn't listened, just skimmed some forms and signed them. She was twenty years old, very much at liberty to do that.

The car made a sharp turn down a street a lot less busy than the less, though still busy, until finally they reached the old hotel Rachel had been staying in. It wasn't pernament, Rachel had said, but it was close to the hospital, and Stephanie had to be close to the hospital anyways. Rachel had a fair amount of money. Jason had been saving for college, and now that he was dead she had his money. And her own college fund. It didn't matter to Stephanie, really, it was her sister's business.

In a sort of tired daze, Stephanie made her way up the stairs in the hotel, Rachel several strides ahead of her, until they went down the stuffy hallway where Rachel's room was. Finally there was a click as Rachel's keys turned and she entered the room.

SOme of Rachel's stuff were in the room, but Stephanie didn't pay attention to those. Really, the room was just a cheap hotel room, kind of stuffy, dirty, but liveable. Better than the hospital. She enhaled the air, thick and laced with the stale smell of coffee. It smelled clean somehow, but in the dirty way, if that made any sense.

It wasn't much to Stephanie's suprise that Karen sat at the edge of the room, staring out the window. She looked back at Stephanie when she entered, and stood, smiling.

After quick greetings, Stephanie plopped down on Rachel's bed, leaning back to relax. She seemed really tired these days, and it wasn't just because she was sleep-deprived, she was exhausted and her bones ached.

It was quiet until Karen said,

"Remember what we discussed?"

It took her about a minute for Stephanie to realize the question was directed at her.

"Huh?" she asked, sitting up straight.

"We agreed you would tell Rachel. About the island."

"OH yeah," Stephanie muttered, tone guilty as she stared out the window. She could feel her sister's gaze boring into her. Finally she sighed, swirling around to face Rachel.

"Fine, I'll tell you about the island. But Karen will help me. It was four years ago, and I don't remember it all . . ."