text: *Trigger Warning: Cancer, Suspenseful* “Breathe, Harley! Breathe!” He begged. She gasped for air as he wrapped his arms around her gently, his body tense and his mind racing with questions that needed answers. It felt as if the taxi driver didn’t care that his best friend was dying. “Breathe, damnit!” He pleaded, rubbing her back as they flew past the walking pedestrians and the wait signs. He had paid the taxi driver extra to hurry and get them to the hospital. “Just relax, we’re almost there.” He told her. Her small frame was tense and she was shaking like jello, practically gasping for air as she inhales, pierced her lungs with the pain of a thousand needles. “Breathe, Harley,” He told her. He couldn’t lose her, they had been through everything together. School, awkward socializing, panic attacks, family divorces, rehab. Everything he had ever gone through, she was right by his side. They were pals to the end, yet this truly felt as if it was the end. As the screeching tires of the Taxi pulled into the drop off lane of the hospital, He got out first, then picked Harley up bridal style as he hurriedly carried her inside, out of the rain. He ran up to the front desk. “We need a doctor, now! She can’t breathe!” He demanded, his voice more shaky and aggressive than he had ever used it before. The front desk lady nodded and called for a stretcher. While waiting, all he could do was hold her close and whisper that everything was gonna be ok. “You’re gonna be fine, Harley, I promise, just breathe...” He directed her. She gripped his wet jacket tightly, her weak body begging for air. A group of nurses, a doctor, and a stretcher came running into the waiting room. He laid her down as the nurses put an oxygen mask over her nose and mouth. She reached out longingly for him. A male nurse held him back as they took her away. “No! She needs me! I need her! Let me go with her!” He begged. As the stretcher was quickly rolled away, all she could do was reach out for him, her hand shaking with pain and dizziness. All she could say before losing consciousness was... “Carter...” ~1 Hour Ago~ “Wait, are you serious?” Harley asked with a giggle. Carter laughed and nodded. Harley flopped down on her bed, holding her phone up enough to where her best friend could see her face. Thank god for facetime. Besides, she liked knowing Carter was safe as he walked to her house. It was a long walk and, knowing him and his luck, something bad would happen to him. “How did you hear that? Is she really pregnant?” “Yep! She’s 19 weeks pregnant. She posted it on her Instapic account,” Carter explained. “Arg! I hate the rain! Why does it always have to be rainy in the fall?” Harley could only smile a response to her friend. “Hey, did your chest ever stop hurting? You told me it was Costochondritis, but I’m still worried about you.” He asked her. Harley shrugged. “It’s a little worse today than it has been, but it’s really nothing bad,” Harley replied as she fiddled with a lock of her slightly wavy, red hair. She was a redhead with blue eyes and tan skin, though lately, Carter had noticed that she was getting paler and more tired. “I told you not to worry about me. It’s fine.” She snapped in a silly tone. Carter chuckled and looked around before glancing back down at his phone. “Yeah, yeah, I know, I know,” He chuckled through his sentence. Harley cleared her throat and sighed. “Hey, is your front door unlocked? I’m almost there.” He asked. Harley nodded and coughed slightly. She inhaled slightly before coughing again. “Hey, are you ok?” Carter asked, turning his full attention to the girl on his screen. “Hey, answer me,” He demanded in a gentle voice. Harley nodded and coughed, the cough growing harsher and harsher. “Hey, what’s wrong? Can you even breathe, dude?” Carter asked with a nervous chuckle leaving his lips. Harley shook her head and coughed, sitting up from her bed. “I-i can’t... I can’t breathe!” She told him as she coughed again. Carter could feel his face go pale as he began sprinting as hard as he could toward her house. He didn’t know what was going on, but whatever it was, it was bad. He listened to her cough get worse and worse as he got closer and closer to her house. “C-carter, I can’t breathe...” Harley repeated as she gasped for air. Carter ran up to the front door of her house and jiggled the doorknob. "You said your door was unlocked!" Carter criticized. There was no response from Harley. He ran to the side of the house and climbed over the fence, running for the back door. He slid the door open and ran through the house, down the hall, and barging into Harley's room. "Harley!" ~The Present Moment~ Harley slowly opened her eyes as the beep of the heart monitor woke her. She felt sick and dizzy. She could feel her heartbeat in her chest. Harley could smell hand sanitizer, cloth linen, and lavender Scentsy light. She couldn’t help but yawn, though she just woke up. Harley slowly sat up, looking around at her surroundings. She could feel an oxygen tube wrapped around her neck and attached to her nose, but she wasn’t complaining. It definitely was helping her breathe. She looked toward the door when she heard the knock, yet couldn’t make out words to invite them in. As the door opened, Harley could see that it was her friend, Carter, with a small bouquet of flowers and a get well card. He smiled when he saw her as he walked over to her bedside. “How are you doing?” He asked her, his tone soft and gentle. She could barely remember anything that had happened. Last she remembered she was talking to Carter on the phone... or... fighting with her parents... “Where am I?” She asked him, completely sitting up and taking a deep, pained breath. Carter sighed softly as he put the flowers next to her bed, then sat in a chair by the foot of the bed. “You're in the hospital,” Carter replied. Harley flinched as she finally understood why her bedroom decor changed. “Two days ago you had trouble breathing. I rushed you here. The doctors took x-rays and...” He trailed off. Harley looked at him. She could see that he had been crying about something. He sighed deeply before continuing. “The doctors diagnosed you with Stage 3 Lung Cancer.” Carter finally explained. Harley just seemed to... freeze. This couldn’t be happening to her. She was only 15, turning 16 in a few weeks. She just got a scholarship from one of the best Colleges in her state. She just became the head photographer for her school yearbook club. Stage 3 Lung Cancer... this couldn’t be happening... “Did anyone tell my parents?” She asked, her voice now soft. Carter shook his head and looked down. “I tried calling both of them but... no answer.” He told her. Harley nodded. Her relationship with her parents was always rocky, having its ups and downs, never really looking right from the left. It was her stepmom's fault. Harley always knew that she wasn’t the right woman for her daddy. She sniffed and looked at the flowers on the bedside table, right next to all the tubes and wires and the heart monitor machine. Harley took another deep breath before nodding and looking at Carter. “Then, I guess I’ll start Chemo and they can pay for it later.” She confirmed. Carter looked at her and smiled, nodding in agreement. “After all, how hard could it be?” ~1 Year Later~ It was hard. Really, really hard. The first week of Chemo wasn’t the worst, it was the weeks following that really rocked Harley off. She’d get sick all the time, lose energy, and miss school days because of chemo sessions. Her 16th birthday was spent at home with Carter, staying up late and watching movies with popcorn. They both ended up falling asleep by 10:30, Harley’s head resting on Carter's lap as Carter fell asleep listening to Harley breathe. Due to missing so much school, Harley had to give up her position as head photographer for the school yearbook. That really devastated her, so Carter decided to throw an “at home fashion show”, so Harley could experience the high school crazy outfits. It helped Harley a little bit, but it wasn’t the real thing. Carter started staying long weekends at Harley's house. It wasn’t like her parents cared, all they were doing was paying for the Chemo and grumbling about how much it cost them. It helped Harley’s mental state for Carter to be there for her every day, all day. Carter adjusted his classes at school that way he could have the same schedule as Harley. He was always safe with Harley at school. If there was someone with a cold, Carter would make Harley stay as far away from them as possible. Needless to say that during the flu and cold season, they ate lunch in a Teacher Conference room once they got permission. There were good and bad days, some being a lot worse than others. The days that Harley struggled, Carter was always right by her side, getting water or holding her hair back as she threw up or simply just reading to her until she fell asleep when her medications kicked in. He hated that this was happening to her. He missed going out and walking around the mall or ice skating or looking at cute boys and girls downtown as they walked past. But there was nothing, nothing that could compare to his worry for Harley. All he wanted was for her to get better, to be healthy... She was like a baby sister to him... It was at the doctor's office that they found out it had spread. Leukemia was added to the picture. Carter held Harley’s hand through the entire doctor's visit. More medications were prescribed, heavier Chemo was administered, and worst of all: The doctor told Harley that she had to stop going to school. With the flu and cold season this year being so severe, he didn’t want Harley to risk getting worse. Harley agreed, of course, but cried the entire way home. Carter couldn’t say anything. He was so afraid of losing his baby sister, his best friend, his one companion. Nothing could compare to the fear he had. Harley started sleeping a lot more, getting much more tired easier, and betting dizzy after standing for long periods of time. “Carter?” Harley asked one night as they sat in her room, Carter reading “Great Expectations” to her in a soft tone. He looked down at her and smiled. “Yeah?” “If I don’t get better,” She started. “Now stop,” He interrupted. Harley stared up at him. “You’re gonna get better. Everything’s gonna turn out ok, sis. I promise,” Carter reassured, though he couldn’t really reassure himself. It was hard always smiling and saying that it would be ok when it was simply only getting worse. “You're my baby sister, I can’t lose you.” He told her as he held her close, the beanie on her shiny head slowly sliding off. Harley nodded as she closed her eyes. “Thanks, bro...” Carter chuckled softly as he closed the book in his hands and set it on the floor, turning off the lamp on her bedside table. “No problem sis.” January 1, 2021. Carter stared down at the large, blackish tombstone, umbrella over his head protecting him from the rain. He stared down at the flowers planted at the grave, knowing that this isn’t how this should’ve ended. He sighed softly as several tears rolled down his reddened cheeks. She had so much more fight in her, yet she stopped. Her body was too tired to go on, yet her mind was prepared for anything. Carter closed his eyes, remembering all the things that he was told before she passed. “Love you, bro!” “Happy birthday Bro!” “Stop crying. It’ll be ok, bro.” “Wait, bro, say hi to the teachers for me!” He opened his eyes when he felt the cold hand on his shoulder. His mother smiled warmly down at him. Carter sighed softly as he read her grave one more time before turning away. Harley Rayne Johnson 16 and a Half July 4th, 2005 - December 25th, 2020 Beloved Daughter, Best Friend, and Sister. Carter swallowed as he mumbled softly, “See you on the other side, sis...” *A/N: This short story is based on real life. On January 1st, my sister passed away of Stage 4 Cancer in the blood, lungs, and brain. In this story, I used a different name, yet it’ll always be dedicated to the same person. Enjoy!*