Memory Filled Adventures
Chapter 16: What does that mean?
Sage’s POV
Everyone seemed to be in a better mood by the time we pulled into Louis’s great-aunt’s driveway. I smiled at the sight of her house because we had painted her a mural last summer. Just thinking about that summer made me want to laugh; I remember it so clearly. Taylor and Cleo came up with us and helped us. We painted a field of flowers with an empty picnic table in it and the sun setting behind it. I put the car in park and got out while everyone else did the same. We all stopped and looked at the painting before walking up the stairs to her house. Louis knocked while the rest of us stood quietly on the tiny steps. The door opened to reveal a stout woman with dark brown eyes and graying hair, she had a big smile on her face too.
“Oh hi babies.” She said cheerfully as she let us into her house.
“Hi Aunt Susie.” Louis hugged her in the kitchen.
My eyes wandered around the room while they said hello. She was the definition of a cat-lady but we loved her for it. All around were pictures of cats and all sorts of cats stuff and the smell of cat fur filled our noses but that’s what made her house so special to us. When my turn came to give her a hug, I stepped forward with a smile.
“Aw Sage, you're getting so tall.” She cooed as she hugged me. “And your hair, it’s so long and pretty.”
“Oh thank you.” I played with the ends of my hair when I let go of her.
“Let’s go sit down.” She led us into her little living room.
The room was small and short on furniture, but why have a ton of furniture if you live alone? She had a porch that wasn’t closed of to the inside so she had a twin bed out on the porch and another inside the living room. Aunt Susie sat on her rocking chair and Louis sat in the older chair across from her. Liam took the other chair leaving the rest of us to sit on the bed.
“So how’s he doing?” Louis asked shyly.
“They said that they don’t know if he’ll make it. He has pneumonia and his lungs only work 40% of what they should.” She took a deep breath as she sounded choked up. “He asked to be put on hospice care.”
“What’s that?” Louis asked with a shaky voice.
“It means that he’s giving up.” Aunt Susie blurted it out as tears filled her eyes, shocking all of us.
“It’s basically a whole thing system set up for people who don’t want to fight anymore. Like if something were to happen to him, it is illegal to help him because he doesn’t want any doctor care.” I answered his question.
“Like ‘Do Not Resesitate’?” Louis asked in a shaky voice.
“Yes.” I spoke quietly, trying to soften the blow even though that wasn’t possible.
“Oh.” A tear ran down his cheek as he took his bottom lip between his teeth.
Harry was closest to him, physically, so he reached out and touched Louis’s shoulder. More tears streamed down Louis’s cheeks as a few ran down Harry’s cheeks. They stood up and hugged as the sniffled shakily. I looked up at Niall when I heard him sniffle and saw that his blue eyes were watery. I reached up and wiped his cheeks as tears spilled from my eyes too. Aunt Susie stood up and walked out of the room before sniffles and pained breathing came from the kitchen. Louis looked up from where his head was buried in Harry’s shoulder and glanced around the room.
“I’ll go check on her.” I stood up quietly and wiped my cheeks before leaving the room.
I walked slowly into the room where I found her sitting at the table with a folded up tissue in her hand. She was looking down at the table when I sat down next to her.
“I’m sorry, I just don’t know how to handle it. He’s the only person I have left so it’s hard for me to watch him give up.” She looked up at me with tear-filled eyes.
“I know it isn't easy, trust me, but you just have to find a way to either persuade him to keep trying or stand by his side and support him with love.” I never thought I’d be saying that to anyone. “And you have all of us, Louis’s parents and the cousins but I understand what you mean.”
“That’s true.” She nodded and wiped her cheeks with the tissue in her hands. “Thank you Sage.”
“No need to thank me, that’s what family is supposed to do for each other.” I smiled at her before standing up and walking back to the living room.
Nobody was crying anymore but almost everyone’s eyes had reddened since I left. I leaned against the doorframe and looked at them as Aunt Susie came back into the room and sat down.
“Are we able to see him?” Louis asked, I could tell it took a lot of courage to ask that.
“We will be in about 30 minutes, it’s lunch time for the hospital.” She nodded and looked at her watch. “Actually about 15 minutes.”
“Okay, can we meet you over there? We need to go back to the hotel, I forgot something.” He didn't sound sure of what he was saying.
“Of course.” She stood up as we all did the same. “I’ll be over there by 1:30.” I looked up at the clock, It’s already 1:10 so we have almost half-an-hour.
“Alright, we’ll meet you there.” Louis led the way out of the house.
We trotted down the stairs and met in the driveway. None of us knew what to do so we just looked around at each other.
“Can we go get some lunch or something please?” Louis asked while he ran his fingers through his hair.
“Sure, what do you want?” Liam was trying to comfort him but I didn't think it was working.
“I don’t care, it’s up to you guys.” He shrugged and got into the passenger’s seat.
I handed the keys to Liam and then climbed into the back row and watched Harry get in next to me. Once we were buckled, he rached for my hand with a smile. He laced our fingers together as Liam started the car. Louis reached over and turned the radio up.
“Are you okay?” I asked Harry quietly.
“No but I will be.” He said in a tone that made me believe him.
Everyone seemed to be in a better mood by the time we pulled into Louis’s great-aunt’s driveway. I smiled at the sight of her house because we had painted her a mural last summer. Just thinking about that summer made me want to laugh; I remember it so clearly. Taylor and Cleo came up with us and helped us. We painted a field of flowers with an empty picnic table in it and the sun setting behind it. I put the car in park and got out while everyone else did the same. We all stopped and looked at the painting before walking up the stairs to her house. Louis knocked while the rest of us stood quietly on the tiny steps. The door opened to reveal a stout woman with dark brown eyes and graying hair, she had a big smile on her face too.
“Oh hi babies.” She said cheerfully as she let us into her house.
“Hi Aunt Susie.” Louis hugged her in the kitchen.
My eyes wandered around the room while they said hello. She was the definition of a cat-lady but we loved her for it. All around were pictures of cats and all sorts of cats stuff and the smell of cat fur filled our noses but that’s what made her house so special to us. When my turn came to give her a hug, I stepped forward with a smile.
“Aw Sage, you're getting so tall.” She cooed as she hugged me. “And your hair, it’s so long and pretty.”
“Oh thank you.” I played with the ends of my hair when I let go of her.
“Let’s go sit down.” She led us into her little living room.
The room was small and short on furniture, but why have a ton of furniture if you live alone? She had a porch that wasn’t closed of to the inside so she had a twin bed out on the porch and another inside the living room. Aunt Susie sat on her rocking chair and Louis sat in the older chair across from her. Liam took the other chair leaving the rest of us to sit on the bed.
“So how’s he doing?” Louis asked shyly.
“They said that they don’t know if he’ll make it. He has pneumonia and his lungs only work 40% of what they should.” She took a deep breath as she sounded choked up. “He asked to be put on hospice care.”
“What’s that?” Louis asked with a shaky voice.
“It means that he’s giving up.” Aunt Susie blurted it out as tears filled her eyes, shocking all of us.
“It’s basically a whole thing system set up for people who don’t want to fight anymore. Like if something were to happen to him, it is illegal to help him because he doesn’t want any doctor care.” I answered his question.
“Like ‘Do Not Resesitate’?” Louis asked in a shaky voice.
“Yes.” I spoke quietly, trying to soften the blow even though that wasn’t possible.
“Oh.” A tear ran down his cheek as he took his bottom lip between his teeth.
Harry was closest to him, physically, so he reached out and touched Louis’s shoulder. More tears streamed down Louis’s cheeks as a few ran down Harry’s cheeks. They stood up and hugged as the sniffled shakily. I looked up at Niall when I heard him sniffle and saw that his blue eyes were watery. I reached up and wiped his cheeks as tears spilled from my eyes too. Aunt Susie stood up and walked out of the room before sniffles and pained breathing came from the kitchen. Louis looked up from where his head was buried in Harry’s shoulder and glanced around the room.
“I’ll go check on her.” I stood up quietly and wiped my cheeks before leaving the room.
I walked slowly into the room where I found her sitting at the table with a folded up tissue in her hand. She was looking down at the table when I sat down next to her.
“I’m sorry, I just don’t know how to handle it. He’s the only person I have left so it’s hard for me to watch him give up.” She looked up at me with tear-filled eyes.
“I know it isn't easy, trust me, but you just have to find a way to either persuade him to keep trying or stand by his side and support him with love.” I never thought I’d be saying that to anyone. “And you have all of us, Louis’s parents and the cousins but I understand what you mean.”
“That’s true.” She nodded and wiped her cheeks with the tissue in her hands. “Thank you Sage.”
“No need to thank me, that’s what family is supposed to do for each other.” I smiled at her before standing up and walking back to the living room.
Nobody was crying anymore but almost everyone’s eyes had reddened since I left. I leaned against the doorframe and looked at them as Aunt Susie came back into the room and sat down.
“Are we able to see him?” Louis asked, I could tell it took a lot of courage to ask that.
“We will be in about 30 minutes, it’s lunch time for the hospital.” She nodded and looked at her watch. “Actually about 15 minutes.”
“Okay, can we meet you over there? We need to go back to the hotel, I forgot something.” He didn't sound sure of what he was saying.
“Of course.” She stood up as we all did the same. “I’ll be over there by 1:30.” I looked up at the clock, It’s already 1:10 so we have almost half-an-hour.
“Alright, we’ll meet you there.” Louis led the way out of the house.
We trotted down the stairs and met in the driveway. None of us knew what to do so we just looked around at each other.
“Can we go get some lunch or something please?” Louis asked while he ran his fingers through his hair.
“Sure, what do you want?” Liam was trying to comfort him but I didn't think it was working.
“I don’t care, it’s up to you guys.” He shrugged and got into the passenger’s seat.
I handed the keys to Liam and then climbed into the back row and watched Harry get in next to me. Once we were buckled, he rached for my hand with a smile. He laced our fingers together as Liam started the car. Louis reached over and turned the radio up.
“Are you okay?” I asked Harry quietly.
“No but I will be.” He said in a tone that made me believe him.
Notes
Hey everyone! I hope you like this story. I'm going to start putting a link to the outfit she is wearing.http://www.polyvore.com/sage/set?id=90576061
6/25/13