A New Family

Luke's POV:
Its Friday now and I haven't seen Lily for a week. I've imagined every possible scenerio and they all have bad endings. I've had the worst feeling in my stomach ever since Lily hasn't come to school and it just keeps getting worse everyday. I had a need for her, I feel like I'm getting weaker everyday.

I've collecting all of Lily's homework lately, then finishing it, and turning it in (saying that Lily finished it). I have no idea how I'm going to manage one more day without her. I get so tired in class, it's liked someone sapped all my energy and the only way to retrieve that energy is if Lily is here.

All I ever do is think about her, during school, soccer, home, I don't know why she would just leave without telling me what she's doing. I decided that I would visit her today, I need answers.

After school, I biked over to Lily's house and walked cautiously to the door. After ringing the doorbell, I paced around until the door opened a crack.

"Hi, is Lily here?" I asked anxiously. The women (who I'm guessing is Eleanor), looked away, and turned back to me.

"You must be Luke, please, come in." I trudged up the stairs and walked through the door. Eleanor quickly locked the door behind me and walked over to an enormous kitchen. I noticed the stairs going all the way up to a fourth floor, I wonder if that's where Lily is. Nevertheless, I followed Eleanor into the kitchen and sat down on a bar stool. Eleanor studied me carefully, as if I was her science project. I coughed, uncomfortable.

"So, can I see Lily?" I asked impatiently.

"Lily doesn't want visitors." Eleanor replied smoothly.

"Can I at least know what happened?"

"Lily is allergic to pollen and that corsage you gave her had a bad amount of it. The pollen was circulating in her bloodstream but, the doctors got it out." I wanted to curl up and cry like a little boy. Out of all my scenarios, it was never my fault that Lily got hurt!

"So, this is all my fault." I croaked.

"No, she didn't tell you and she forgot about her allergies."

"Wait isn't there pollen everywhere?"

"Her allergies specifies to flowers only."

"Does she...look the same?"

"She's getting there, hives spread across her body but they're slowly going away. She's skinner than usual because she hasn't been able to eat much with so many scans to see if all of the pollen is out of her system."

"Can you tell her that I miss her and I hope she gets better?" She nodded.

"Can I have her number?" Eleanor held her hand out and I put my phone there. She typed in her number and set it on the counter. I felt a sense of dread wash over me, it was time to leave.

"I should go home." I swiftly walked to the door and pulled it open, the cold air nipping my nose. I looked upstairs one last time before closing the door and climbing onto my bike. As I pedaled away, it felt as if time was slowing down and a ringing in my ears began, blacking everything else out.

When I reached home, the ringing in my ears was only louder. In my room it was screaming at me:

This is all my fault.

Eleanor's POV:

I gulped, realizing that I would have to deliver the news to Lily. Taking my time to walk upstairs, I could see Lily more clearly with every step I took, pale and sickly. Reaching the end of the stairs, I bit my tongue, the only thing that was going to stop me from screaming.

When I described Lily to Luke, I was being very nice about it, knowing that he would beat himself later about it. But Lily is thinner than when she tried starving herself because the doctors can't let her eat if she has to continuously do scans. The doctors aren't sure that all the pollen is out and her body can tell. Every hour, Lily convulses, throws up, scratches, and swells. She doesn't look even close to herself, it's bad enough she's all bony, by now the skin that she has left, is swelling to the size of tennis balls.

She's convulsing because her body desperately needs to get all that pollen out, she scratches because she thinks she can scratch it out. She's so weak, that she can't open her eyes much, never mind getting out of bed and talking. It's true, Lily wouldn't want anyone to see her in the fragile state.

My my lip trembled upon reaching her bed, the covers tossed aside due to her rising temperature. Lily's eyes were closed but small tears were sliding down her cheeks, she's in so much pain and theres nothing I can do to help her. I forced myself to shake her shoulder, making her eyes open. I help out a small pill.

"Lily, can you try to swallow this?" She opened her mouth and I threw the pill to the back of her throat and quickly put a glass of water up to her mouth. Lily managed to get the pill down but then ran to the bathroom. I didn't dare follow her, the stench of her vomit already reeked the bathroom, the air practically toxic. Every belch she made made me cringe, knowing that I had done this to her, I knew the side effects of the pill but I also knew it would help her heel faster.

When Lily was done, some of the swelling already went down and her scratch marks had started to fade. I held my arms out, welcoming her into a hug but Lily hesitated and walked past me to her bed, pulling the covers high. I cried, I can't even hug her! I yearned to stoke her hair and hold her close like a mother should, but the doctors warned me.

"Who came?" Whispered Lily.

At least she could talk and her hearing is still good.

"Luke did. He hopes you get better."

Notes