UNTIL ANGELS CLOSE MY EYES
Chapter Eleven

Joanna and Meg accompanied Rose to the girls’ bathroom once the ambulance took Jack away. Rose was sobbing now, unable to stop shaking. She leaned against the wall, burying her face in her arms.

Meg stroked her hair, ordering Joanna to get a few paper towels and wet them down.

"You can skip the rest of the day," Meg soothed. "It’s not like you have a test or anything."

Rose gratefully accepted a damp paper towel to wipe her face and used a dry one to blow her nose. No doubt she looked terrible; she stumbled to the mirror, peering wearily at her reflection. Sure enough, her eyes were puffy and streaks of mascara were apparent on her pale cheeks. She turned on the faucet, splashing more water onto her face.

"Thanks," she squeaked, accepting another paper towel. She knew she wouldn’t survive the rest of the afternoon, and as a senior, she had an easier chance of escaping school grounds. Unfortunately, school wasn’t the only thing she had to ditch that day. She was scheduled to work, and no doubt Marietta would throw a fit if she called out.

"Are you sure you’re okay?" Joanna asked once Rose calmed down.

"I just…I can’t believe this is happening," she whispered, massaging her forehead. "It’s like a nightmare."

Meg hugged her. "If it makes you feel any better, Jo and I will come with you."

Joanna looked excited--she’d never been given the opportunity to skip class before.

"Yeah," she agreed. "But if we’re gonna do it, we’d better leave now, before the bell rings."

The girls snatched their things and dashed out into the hall. They narrowly escaped a security guard and sneaked outside. Once inside Rose’s Saturn, they took off, her wheels screeching on the asphalt.

Rose took her cell phone out of her purse, and, keeping her eyes as best as she could on the road, dialed the number for Sam’s Club. She bit her lip as she listened to the ring, and glanced at Meg and Jo through her rearview mirror. Her friends were chatting quietly between themselves, so Rose could hear.

When someone finally picked up, Rose took a deep breath. "Yeah, hi…can I speak to Marietta, please?" she asked. There was a pause, and Rose felt her heart racing.

"Yeah, hey!" she added, once she recognized her boss’s voice.

"Who is this?" Marietta’s brash, Puerto-Rican accent asked, and she rolled her eyes.

"It’s Rose. Listen, I’m not going to be able to make it into work tonight. Something personal came up."

Marietta stood at the COS podium, watching as the lines began growing, despite the four cashiers she had on duty already. "Are you kiddin’ me?" she asked, exasperated.

"I’m sorry, Mar, but I can’t make…" Before Rose could continue, Marietta began shouting at her in Spanish. Rose rolled her eyes—it was ridiculous how retail managers treated their employees. They acted as though work should be the most important thing in life, while family and school only came second and third.

"Marietta, you know I only speak about ten phrases in Spanish," she said as calmly as she could. "I can’t understand a word you’re saying."

Joanna suddenly sprung her arm over the back of the seat, snatching the cell phone out of Rose’s hand. Meg cried out in alarm, covering her mouth with her hands.

"Listen up, you insensitive bitch!" Joanna yelled once she put the phone against her ear. "For your information, Rose’s boyfriend had to be rushed to the hospital. That’s what’s so important, thank you!"

Rose felt sick, grateful that they weren’t on a major road. She was sure her boss would fire her for this. "It’s for you," Joanna suddenly said quietly, and handed the phone back to her friend. Rose snatched it out of Joanna’s hand, and Meg punched Jo on the shoulder.

"Nice friend, eh? Don’t you think you should be in charge of your own dirty work? I know you have a stronger will than that."

Rose sighed. "I’m really sorry," she apologized. "We’re all really upset right now, so we’re not thinking clearly."

Marietta was quiet, and Rose could hear the sound of registers bleeping as her co-workers hastily scanned items, tossing them into the customers’ carts.

"Listen," Marietta began slowly. "I guess I was a little harsh with you before. You know how it gets around here. Hang on…" Rose cringed when she heard her voice shout, "In a minute! Hold your horses, will ya?" and then her voice was normal again. "So, this boyfriend…is it the blonde one?"

Rose had to chuckle. "Do you think I’d be this upset if it was Cal who was in the hospital?"

Joanna snorted from her seat, and Meg whacked her on the arm again.

"I guess not." Marietta laughed. "Okay, honey. Since you do have a good record, I’ll let you go tonight on this one. Give him my best, eh? I like him. Make sure they take good care of him at that hospital."

Rose sighed with relief. "All right, Marietta. I’ll tell him you were thinking of him. I’m really sorry again. And good night." She hung up and flipped the cell phone closed before stuffing it back into her purse.

"I can’t believe you called Rose’s boss an insensitive bitch, Joanna!" Meg cried, once they were able to talk in regular voices again. "Are you crazy? You almost got her fired!"

Joanna shrugged. "The bitch deserved to be put in her place! And it worked, didn’t it, Rose?" she asked, and Rose nodded, feeling a lump form in her throat. She was afraid that if she spoke, she’d burst into tears, and losing her cool in the car wasn’t a safe thing.

"Shh," Meg hissed, nodding towards Rose, and Joanna folded her arms, wet her lips, and stared out the window.

When they reached the ER doors, Rose led the way to the receptionist’s desk.

"May I help you?" A short woman with a head of curly gray hair peered at Rose through a pair of ridiculously large glasses.

"My--" Rose gulped, out of breath. "My boyfriend, Jack Dawson, was just brought here. I wanted to know what room he's staying in."

The secretary gave a bored sigh and flipped through her charts. Joanna nudged Meg's arm, nodding towards them with a smirk.

"Daryl...Datton...Dawson. Mmm-hmm. He's still in a cubicle in the ER. We haven't found a free room for him yet."

Rose cursed under her breath. "Is there any way I can see him?" she asked, and the woman raised an eyebrow.

"You his sister?"

Rose shook her head.

"Then I'm afraid you'll have to wait. No one but family members are allowed in the cubicles. But if you'll have a seat, I'll contact the doctor to let you know the details. Fair enough?"

Rose wanted to shout, "No! That’s not good enough!" But she was too drained to argue with her. So she gave a weak nod, and let Joanna led her into the waiting room.

"His mom's probably on her way," Meg said, once they were sitting. "And I’m pretty sure you can convince her to let you in and see him."

Rose crossed her legs, too anxious to pick up a magazine. Joanna and Meg tried their best to keep up a casual conversation, but Rose was clearly in another world.

When Lorraine Dawson burst through the door at last, Rose leapt off of the couch.

"Rose!" Lorraine gasped. "What happened to Jack?"

Rose felt her throat choking up with tears. "He passed out at school," she said. "I just got here, and they wouldn't let me see him."

Lorraine rushed to the desk, demanding to see her son. Rose, upon Mrs. Dawson's approval, was allowed to come with her, but Joanna and Meg were forced to remain in the waiting room. Rose gave them both apologetic smiles, and they waved their hands to show her it was no problem.

Lorraine and Rose finally found the doctor on duty, who brought them to Jack's cubicle.

"Your son is still unconscious," Dr. Stellar told Lorraine. "We are in the midst of giving him a blood transfusion...he suffered a nasty nosebleed."

Lorraine squeaked in fear, covering her mouth with one hand.

"Is he going to be all right?" she asked, and Rose kept trying to peek through the curtains.

"We believe so," Dr. Stellar said. "But right now, it's hard to tell. He hasn't woken up at all since the ambulance picked him up. I wouldn't recommend going in right now if blood makes you queasy, Miss," he added, and Rose blinked, realizing he was talking to her.

"What?"

"Sweetie," Lorraine began, "I'm not sure that this is a good thing, for you to go in and see Jack. Maybe once he's been cleaned up and is in an actual room…"

Rose felt her cheeks grow hot. "I'm not a wuss," she seethed. "I can take a little blood."

Dr. Stellar laughed softly. "Don't take offense," he said. "I'm only saying that he looks a bit...gruesome at the moment, and we're using a substance called cocaine hydrochloride, which will help shrink the blood vessels in his nose. That, hopefully, will stop the bleeding fairly quickly. But, I will warn you...the stuff tends to make patients a little loopy afterwards."

Rose tried to visualize Jack proposing to everyone in the emergency room; she'd done that at the dentist’s once when they'd given her laughing gas.

"Are you sure you want to go in now?" Lorraine asked, and Rose nodded.

"Yes, I'm sure."

Dr. Stellar nodded. "Very well."

Rose took a deep breath and followed them both into the cubicle. Jack lay very still on the bed, covered with a thin blanket. His face was bloodless, so the stains of red were more vivid. He was hooked to an IV that pumped blood into his body, and Rose found that she wanted to burst into tears more than vomit.

"Oh, Jack," she breathed, taking his hand gently. Lorraine smoothed her son's sweat-soaked forehead and planted a kiss there. Dr. Stellar checked Jack's vital signs, which appeared to be good, and told the two women that he would return shortly.

"Rose...did you know how he was feeling before he fainted?"

Rose smoothed her boyfriend's cheek, wishing she could see those crystal blue eyes open up.

"We kind of had a falling out, so we were kind of avoiding each other for a few days." She blew a loose curl out of her eyes. "But he just seemed really run down, and hasn't been eating much, either. But I noticed that he wanted to drink a lot instead." She ticked off the symptoms she'd noticed throughout the past week.

Lorraine gave a tiny nod. "Mrs. Dawson..." Rose added. "Jack...I'm sorry if this is inappropriate, but he told me he had leukemia twice when he was younger. Is that true?"

Lorraine frowned deeply. "Unfortunately, yes. He was very sick for a long time. He was first diagnosed when he was eleven, and he was on chemo for about a year. Then he went into remission, and was doing fairly well until he got sick again at fifteen."

Rose closed her eyes; no wonder Jack had been keeping his illness a secret. He was afraid that if he said the word cancer out loud, it could bring out the possibility that it might return for a third round. She still couldn't help thinking about the dreaded disease in the back of her mind, though, and prayed that he would come out of this without a problem. I’m sure it's just some stupid flu bug that got out of control, she thought to herself.

"I’m so sorry," she breathed, and Lorraine nodded.

"Thank you. I'm assuming he told you?" she asked quietly, and Rose wet her lips.

"Yes, he did. But I kind of reacted a bit more harshly than I should have when he told me, but I think I was more upset about the fact that he was not honest with me than about the cancer." She remembered when she, as a child, thought cancer was a disease only found in old people. It had completely shocked her when she saw a kid for the first time on the oncology floor, so sick from the chemotherapy treatments when she was visiting her grandmother. She remembered how scared she'd been about it, and how she'd cried when she got home.

Now Jack--it seemed so unreal, seeing him laying so still. He looked so small beneath the sheets.

"Well, Jack has always had difficulty accepting the fact that he had cancer. It's very difficult for kids especially; they're afraid their friends will ostracize them for being different. And as always, people fear what they don't understand. Jack wanted to live his life as normal as possible, so I’m guessing that's why he didn’t tell you sooner." She frowned. "So," she added, "just how serious are you two?"

Rose remembered how uncomfortable Jack's parents looked as they watched them through the living room window the one night, and she blushed furiously. "I...well, we've just started dating, so I'm...I guess pretty serious, yes," she stuttered, wanting to slap herself.

Lorraine chuckled. "No need to be nervous!" she promised. "I'm glad Jack found you, Rose. If he were to be dating anyone, I would have wanted him to be dating someone like you. I felt good about your relationship since the beginning; we were only frightened because…well…now you understand."

Rose nodded. "That was nice of you to say, Mrs. Dawson," she said, and Lorraine touched her shoulder.

"Please call me Lorraine, honey," she said, and Rose beamed.

"All right."

Jack suddenly let out a small moan and began tossing and turning a little. Rose took his hand, holding her breath as she watched his eyes flutter. Dr. Stellar came back in at that moment and smiled. "Oh, good...he should be coming to any minute."

Sure enough, Jack's eyes opened, and he gazed somewhat blankly at the ceiling.

"Honey?" Lorraine reached over to feel his forehead, which was still a little warm.

"How are you feeling, young man?" Dr. Stellar asked, and Jack suddenly gave a lopsided grin.

"Fide!" His voice was way too high-pitched, and when he caught sight of Rose, his grin grew even wider. "Rose! Ib all bedder dow!"

Rose stifled a giggle--the packing in his nose made him sound very stuffy, and his loopiness was beginning already.

"I want some of what you just took." Rose laughed, wishing she had that much energy daily. Dr. Stellar laughed himself.

"I wouldn't recommend cocaine hydrochloride to non-patients," he said, and Rose grinned, listening with amusement as Jack began rambling about the strangest things.

"Did you dow the sky was blue, Rose? I feel lig I'b flyig albost, I'b feelig so good. Am I flyig, Rose?"

Rose snorted. "No, you're right on the ground with me, as you should be." She kissed his cheek.

Lorraine brushed Jack's sweat-soaked hair out of his eyes as the doctor began talking again.

"The blood transfusion seems to be going well," he said. "I'll unhook the IV in about five minutes. In the meantime, Mrs. Dawson, I would like to have your permission to run some tests on your son."

"Tesds?" Jack suddenly spoke up. "I’b dot in school. Shouldn't hab to tage a test, should I, Bob?"

Rose covered her mouth to stifle more giggles that broke out, and even Lorraine had to smile.

"What sort of tests?"

"Well, Mrs. Dawson, I was reading through your son's medical history, and I saw that he had leukemia twice within the past five or six years. I did not like what I was seeing when I tested his blood cell count, and he has some very nasty bruises forming on his skin. I would like to run a CAT scan, as well as do a biopsy on him."

Rose felt suddenly sick; did that mean there was a possibility Jack was truly sick with leukemia again? If he was, she wasn't sure she could bear it.

"Of--" Lorraine cleared her throat. "Of course, doctor. I suppose you'll be keeping him overnight, then?"

Dr. Stellar nodded. "I'm afraid so," he said. "We would have done that anyway, just as a precautionary measure for observation. But yes, I would like to keep him one night, possibly two, until the tests are complete."

Lorraine's eyes were wide and tear-filled, and if Rose wasn’t determined to stay strong in front of Jack's mother, she would have broken down on the spot.

"Yes, that will be fine. I am sure my son will be just fine in your care."

Dr. Stellar nodded. "Well, I am going to see if we have any rooms open for him, and we'll get him settled. You're free to stay if you wish, though it will not be very exciting."

"I'm staying," Lorraine said. "I am staying with my son."

"I'm staying, too," Rose added, and Lorraine looked at her.

"Rose, please, honey. I refuse to let you spend the night at the hospital. You need to go home and get some rest, and you can come back tomorrow morning when everything's been said and done, all right?"

Rose stared at her, unsure of whether or not to argue. But seeing Jack's worried face, she kissed him. "Jack...I...I love you," she said, and he managed another smile.

"I lob you, too," he whispered. "I dod wad you to stay here oberdight, Rose. I'll be fide. Bob'll be here wib be."

Rose nodded. "Then I'll be here first thing in the morning. All right, baby?"

Jack nodded weakly, and, after another kiss, and after giving Mrs. Dawson a hug, she dashed out of the cubicle. She caught up with Joanna and Meg, who both stood up as soon as they saw their friend approach.

"How is he?" Meg asked, her voice filled with anxiety.

"He has to stay overnight," Rose choked. "They want to run some tests."

"Oh, wow," Joanna breathed. "Rose, I'm so sorry."

Rose nodded. "Thanks," she choked. "Well, we'd better get out of here. I'll drop you two off, and then..." She took a deep breath.

"We're here for you," Meg insisted, hugging her friend tightly. "We're here for you."

"Absolutely," Joanna added, grinning.

Chapter Twelve
Stories