Closer Ch. 05

Kim stood with her arms crossed and her head bowed. Every so often she looked up at Justin, who looked just as uncomfortable. They answered more questions from the fire department and a pudgy police officer. They waited impatiently while one man took notes. Kim felt her irritation rise when the firefighter asked her the same question for the umpteenth time.

"Ok, for the fiftieth-fucking time, I told you: I got to her apartment and my boyfriend and I smelled smoke. We went inside and found her passed out in the living room with a burning cake in the oven," she replied, pissed off. How many times did she have to tell them that!

"Ma'am we're going to need you to calm down. We know you're upset and we sympathize with you, we really do, but you need to settle down. There is no reason for you to get mad, or curse," the firefighter stated.

Kim rolled her eyes and stomped her foot in a small rhythm. Someone she cared about was in trouble and they had her in here answering stupid questions. Questions she already gave answers to half an hour ago.

"Are you sure it was a cake. How do you know drugs weren't involved?"the officer asked, chewing and smacking his piece of gum loudly. Kim sucked her teeth loudly and felt Justin place his hand on her back. She shrugged him off and stared at the emotionless officer. He knew he was only trying to make her feel better, but she didn't want to be touched.

"Despite your belief that we're all drug addicts, there are some good people in that building. And, she's seventy-four years old for the love of god. She doesn't do or make drugs. She was trying to bake me a fucking cake for my graduation and she passed out. If you don't believe me then go check. It's still on the stove," Kim huffed out, trying not to flip out.

"Ma'am. This is a hospital; you need to keep it down. Just take a deep breath, calm down, and try not to answer using the 'f' bomb," the officer instructed. Kim exhaled loudly. Was he serious?

"I am trying to keep calm, but you two are making it extremely difficult to not say 'fuck' all the time. Didn't I just answer these questions? Why the hell am I even answering them again?" she asked, looking at the two people interrogating her. She tried to calm down while Justin brought his arm back to her shoulder. She didn't fight him this time.

"Ok, can we finish this another time? Obviously, my girl needs a break from all the Q and A," Justin chimed in for the first time. The two men in uniforms looked at each other, then at Kim, who was looking like she'd explode, and then at Justin.

"Fine, but this isn't over," the officer stated, handing her a card. "Call this number here later," he added.

"I'll get right on it," Kim spat out sarcastically.

"And, might I advise you to take some anger management classes," the firefighter added.

Kim watched as the two men left and turned around to sit in one of the empty waiting room chairs.

"Fine, but this isn't over," Kim mocked, taking a seat. "Fucking prick," she said, rolling her brown eyes.

Justin sat next to her and grabbed hold of her hand. They sat there in painful silence. The only noises in the room were the annoying tick of the clock on the wall, and the clanking of toys being dropped by small children.

Kim felt other eyes in the waiting room staring at her. She figured most of the people in the room heard the little interrogation that took place. She saw an older woman, maybe a little younger than Anita, look at her disapprovingly. Kim guessed it was because of her constant use of the 'f' word a few moments ago. It didn't matter though. That woman wasn't important to her, Mrs. Marshall was.

Kim watched as each person or group was called out by a nurse or doctor. As the many children left the room, Kim felt more and more anxious. People who had arrived before her were being called before her. She wasn't much of a believer in a higher power, but right now she was pleading and praying for Anita to be okay.

Kim fell asleep on Justin's shoulder and in that uncomfortable hospital chair. She had no idea how long she'd been at the hospital until she heard someone clear their throat loudly. She looked up to see a young nurse looking at her and Justin. Kim shook off the sleep that still had a hold of her and looked back at the woman. She gently nudged Justin until he too stirred from sleep.

"Umm, are you two the young people who brought that elderly woman in?" the woman asked. The woman was short with shoulder length red hair and thin lips. Her eyes were a deep green color and her face was framed by thick glasses.

"Yes," Kim replied, immediately rising out of her chair. Justin also got up and she took his hand in hers.

"Are you family?" the female asked, motioning towards Kim with her index finger.

"Yeah. Is she alright?"

"Well, I'm nurse Stone. I think you should know that she's conscious. She was somewhat confused when she regained consciousness, but she's better now. It looks like this was just a mishap with her diabetes," Nurse Stone exclaimed in a calm voice that sounded a bit rehearsed. Kim blew an audible breath of relief.

"Can I see her?" Kim asked, taking her bottom lip into her mouth.

"Unfortunately, visiting hours are up in about two minutes. You both can come back tomorrow if you want," the nurse replied, tucking some of her hair behind her ear.

Kim quickly glanced at the clock on the wall astonished. "It's ten already?" she asked incredulously.

"I'm afraid so, but you will be able to see her Saturday. Visiting hours start at eight."

"Umm, ok. Can you tell her I was here?" Kim asked, grabbing her jacket and slipping it on. She really didn't want to leave without seeing Anita, but she had to.

"It'll be the first thing I do when I go to check on her," Nurse Stone exclaimed. Justin and Kim politely said goodbye before leaving the hospital.

They got into Justin's car and sat there for a moment in silence.

"Do you want to come over to my house?" Justin asked, breaking the awkward silence. Kim looked at him and tried her best to smile.

"What about your parents?" Kim asked.

"They won't care. Besides, it wouldn't be the first time you spent the night. So yay or nay?"

"Yeah, I don't want to be by myself," she replied. He nodded his head and started the car.

When they got to his house, his parents were in the living room watching some stupid comedy movie. Justin led Kim, who was fighting off sleep, to his room.

"I'm going to take a shower really quick," Kim exclaimed, already stripping off her clothes. Justin watched her and immediately his thoughts turned lustful. He watched her beautiful hips move side to side as she walked towards his bathroom.

He took off his own clothes as he heard the shower water running. When he was down to his boxers, her climbed in bed and got under the covers. A few minutes later, he heard the water cut off and Kim emerged from the bathroom. She was wearing his bathrobe and she looked like the sexiest thing on earth to him. She went to his dresser and took out one of his shorts and one of his shirts.

"I'm gonna call Maria tomorrow. I can try to trade shifts with her," Kim exclaimed, slipping beside him on the bed. His arms automatically draped over her body. He felt Kim place small kisses on his chest and shoulder.

"At least she's conscious now," Justin stated, rubbing the small of her back. He looked down at her.

"I know. Thank God. I think that was one of the scariest moments of my life. Finding her on the floor like that," she said. "And it made me realize that life changes in the blink of an eye. Life is too damn short," she added quietly.

Justin held her tightly against his hard frame and buried his face in her beautiful neck. He kissed her there until she whimpered lightly.

"You mean the world to me," he whispered, leading his kisses up to her mouth. Justin nipped her soft lips before he felt her pull away. He could feel her looking at him even though the room was pitch black.

"What's wr--," he started.

"I think I should start taking birth control," she told him.

"It's smarter, you know? We don't need any scares when you're leaving soon," she added. Before he could say anything else, he felt her mouth cover his again.

"I love you, Kimberly," Justin murmured against her warm mouth.

"Not as much as I love you. Now go to sleep," she whispered back.

*********

Kim sat in the hospital room that Saturday morning watching the small rise and fall of Mrs. Marshall's chest. Anita was asleep and her harsh, labored breathing, along with the groans of the other patient, filled the room. Kim gently stroked Anita's hair and listened to the constant beep of the machine next to her. It was annoying as hell, but it was a good thing it kept beeping.

Kim's thoughts were interrupted when she heard a light knock on the door. She instinctively looked at the door when she saw the person wearing the white coat.

"Oh, hi, I'm Eliza Jenner. I'm her doctor. Are you a family member?" the woman asked, holding a clipboard to her chest.

"Yeah. I'm her, uh, granddaughter. My name is Kim." The woman nodded and checked various things on Anita's body.

"It's a good thing I'm meeting someone from the family. I just hate it when people have to go through difficult situations by themselves," Doctor Jenner exclaimed.

"She means a lot to me. She'll never have to go through anything alone when I'm around."

Doctor Jenner smiled, "I wish more young people shared your attitude young lady."

"When do you think she can be released? I mean last night the nurse told me she'd be okay. It was just a complication with her diabetes, right?" Kim asked after noticing the doctor was finished.

"She didn't tell you?" Doctor Jenner replied in a low voice.

"Tell me what?" Kim asked clearly confused.

"I think it's better if you follow me into the private room," the woman replied.

Kim looked down at Anita once more before she got out of her chair. Doctor Jenner opened the room door and waited for Kim to walk out. Kim hurried out and the doctor closed the door behind them. Kim walked in silence as the doctor began leading her down the hall. The walk felt like it took eternity. The woman halted and motioned toward a small oak door with the words 'Private use' in silver italic letters.

"Here it is," Doctor Jenner exclaimed, twisting the knob. She let Kim walk in first and followed behind closely. Inside was a long table with uncomfortable looking leather chairs that sort of reminded Kim of The Apprentice.

Kim took a seat and waited until the doctor sat in the chair across from her. Doctor Jenner cleared her throat loudly and clasped her hands together. It was similar to how grade school teachers instructed students to do it while they were speaking.

"Have you noticed different things in your grandmother's behavior? Like, is she complaining of severe neck, back, or chest pain?"

"No, not really. I mean, she has a lot of back pain, but I figured it was normal since she was in an accident about a year ago," Kim replied. She watched as Doctor Jenner wrote down some notes in her chart.

"Has she had a loss of appetite or unexplained weight loss?" Doctor Jenner asked, getting ready to write down her answer.

"I don't know about her appetite, but I haven't noticed any weight loss." Again, the doctor scribbled in the silver chart.

"Ok, what about intense coughing, or shortness of breath?" Kim swallowed loudly and tucked some of her raven black hair behind her ear.

She'd notice when Mrs. Marshall wheezed loudly as she made her way up the stairs in the apartment building. She'd notice the small cough that grew louder, and louder as time went on. It got so bad that Kim could hear it at night when she was getting ready for bed. It often worried her, but she hadn't paid it much attention and now she felt guilty about it.

"What's this about?" Kim asked quietly. She gripped her hands underneath the table and waited. Waited for the moment this doctor would tell her something she didn't want to hear. She was waiting for her to drop the bomb.

Doctor Jenner exhaled and dropped her pen. The one thing she hated about being a doctor was breaking bad news to families. This girl who sat across from her looked so young, but the life seemed to look drained from her body. This girl, Kim, looked anxiously as she was preparing for her to speak.

"I believe that your grandmother has lung cancer, and we need to run some tests to be sure what type of lung cancer she has. I'm so sorry."

Kim's eyes widened and her hand immediately came up to her chest. Lung cancer? No, no, no.

"I'm so sorry," Doctor Jenner whispered again. She reached over the table to grab Kim's hand. "We told Anita last night and I thought she told you," the doctor continued.

"If she does have lung cancer, what do we do?" Kim asked, gulping audibly.

"Well, it's important that we start treatment right away. Like, radiation, chemotherapy etcetera."

"I can't believe this is happening," Kim said, pulling at her hair.

"The best thing you can do is hope and pray that I'm wrong. You have to remember to be strong for your grandmother's sake," Doctor Jenner coached.

Kim nodded and wiped at her tears with the sleeves of her jacket until the doctor offered her some tissue.

"I'll give you a minute and when you're ready, you can come back into your grandma's room," Doctor Jenner exclaimed before getting up and leaving the large room. Kim sat there and bawled until she felt she couldn't produce any more tears. She sniffled for a moment before wiping away the last of her tears.

"You have to be strong, Kimberly. Be strong for her," she told herself over and over. She repeated the same phrase over and over for about ten more times before she finally got out of her seat. She left the private room and walked to Anita's room.

Kim pushed open the door and was somewhat happier when she saw Anita awake and flipping through the TV channels. She glanced over at Kim and a smile etched across her face, making her wrinkles pop out more. She held out her hand and motioned for the girl to come closer.

"Kim," Anita whispered, swallowing hard. Kim walked over to her friend and grabbed her hand.

"Hey you," Kim replied quietly. She sat down next to Anita and leaned against one of the bed railings.

"I'm so sorry I ruined the cake." Anita exclaimed in a hoarse voice. Kim smiled and clutched harder at the older woman's hand.

"I don't care about the cake. You're more important," she replied.

"I still feel bad about it. I didn't burn down the building right?" Anita asked, stifling a cough with her hand. Kim reached over and grabbed a cup of water that sat on a tray next to them. She handed it to Mrs. Marshall and watched as the women took huge sips through the straw.

"No, there wasn't even a real fire," Kim laughed softly, accepting the cup when the woman was finished. Anita sighed and settled her head against the hard hospital pillows.

"Good. I'm happy everyone's okay," she replied softly.

Kim sighed and looked at the woman sadly, "The doctor just told me that you might have lung cancer."

"I would've slept much better knowing you didn't know," Anita whispered painfully, shaking her head slowly against the pillows. "I don't want you feeling sad about it."

"I'm only sad because you're so important to me and I wish there was something I could do," Kim replied, looking deeply into the woman's weak eyes.

"When I was a younger, I had leukemia and now I might have lung cancer," Anita stated with a large frown.

"You had leukemia?" Kim asked.

"When I was twelve. My mom couldn't pay for treatment, so she called my father and his family. He made a deal with my mom that if he paid for my medical bills, he wouldn't have to deal with us anymore. I really thought I would die in that cold hospital room, but somehow, I made it," Anita said gravelly.

"You beat leukemia, you're gonna beat lung cancer," Kim said.

"I don't know if I can, but I've lived a full life and I can accept if it's time for me to be with my family," Anita whispered.

"Don't talk like that. You're gonna be okay," Kim cried out sadly, feeling the sting behind her eyes growing.

"Don't cry, don't cry. I'm just saying that if I do have lung cancer and I can't pay for treatment, I can deal with that. Don't cry for me. I want you to celebrate my life and my happier moments. Deal?" Anita asked, rubbing Kim's cheek with the back of her hand.

"Deal," Kim said after a small sniffle.

"And, remember our deal, when I go, you have to take care of my cat."

Kim laughed softly, "I remember and I'll take care of Monty to the best of my ability."

"I know you will," Anita replied with a smile. "So, where's that handsome man of yours?" Anita asked. Kim's smile grew exponentially.

"Way to change to conversation," Kim laughed softly.

"Well, it was getting kind of intense. I want to talk about something happy. So how is he?"

"He's fine. He couldn't make it today, so he wanted me to tell you 'hi' for him," Kim replied.

"He's quite a guy and I still want to figure out a way to say thank you to both of you."

"Don't thank me. Justin was the one who got you out," Kim replied with a shrug.

Anita smiled and shook her head, "You both saved me."

"How'd you sleep?" Kim asked, turning the channels the small TV in the room.

"Besides this mattress being harder than stone, I slept fine," Mrs. Marshall replied, scratching her arm and swatting at the tubes.

"Don't mess with those IVs," Kim scolded the older woman.

"Okay, you sound like my mom," Anita joked.

"Did you dream about anything?" Kim asked while flipping through the channels. Finally stopping when she found some Good Times re-runs.

"My husband, Benny," Mrs. Marshall replied with a small, sad smile. "It was a dream about our wedding day."

"What happened during your wedding?" Kim asked, showing the woman her undivided attention. Anita laughed for a moment, reminiscing about the day.

"Well, we got married at a small church and we invited maybe a hundred and fifty people. That day, the reverend showed up drunk," Anita laughed. Kim joined in, imagining what happened.

"He slurred through the whole ceremony and occasionally cracked some stupid jokes. It was amusing. After Ben and I said our vows, it was time to exchange rings. Benny's best man lost the ring and had to run out to his car to find it. Then, in the reception one of my little cousins knocked down the cake. It was one of the best days of my life," she continued. Kim laughed at everything Mrs. Marshall claimed happened.

"Wow. That must've been some wedding," Kim stated. Anita nodded her head against vigorously as she laughed loudly.

Kim and Anita continued to chit chat about everything until Kim's phone ran loudly. She was going to ignore it until she realized it was Justin.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Hey, are you ready. I'm outside the hospital right now," he exclaimed on the other end of the phone.

"Really?" she asked surprised.

"Yeah, I need to talk to you about something," he replied. Kim looked at Anita who was occupied with watching TV.

"Would you mind if I left right now? Justin is waiting for me."

Anita shook her head with a smile, "No, you've been here all morning. Enjoy you're afternoon."

"Okay, I'll see you later," Kim replied. She leaned down and kissed Anita's forehead.

"When you come back, do you think you can bring me some food? The food in this hospital is terrible," Anita exclaimed, making a face.

"It can't be that bad," Kim laughed, grabbing her small purse.

Anita shot her a look that completely contradicted that statement, "You'd be surprised what simple foods these people can mess up."

Kim laughed one more time. She couldn't help it. At the moment, Mrs. Marshall reminded her of a small child refusing to eat their broccoli for dinner.