The Friends We Keep

The boy looked up and grinned when he saw her. “Hayley. I wasn’t sure you’d come back.”


“I said I would, didn’t I? Plus, what was I going to do with this?” She held up the bag from Gary’s Café. “As requested, a cheeseburger, fries and a chocolate shake.”

Noah raised the bed. “That sounds great. Thank you. I don’t know how much I can eat. I had a bad night.”

Hayley pulled up a chair and sat next to his bed. “You don’t have to eat any of it. I won’t mind at all. I can throw it out so the smell doesn’t bother you.”

“No way. I want to try.” He grinned. “It’s been a long time since I had a burger.”

She moved the rolling table closer and set the bag in front of him. As he pulled out the burger, she tried not to stare at his bald head. It was just...he looked so vulnerable, she thought. Defenseless. To have to deal with cancer as a kid was awful, but to do it alone. She couldn’t begin to imagine. If it had been her, her parents would have been camped out in the hospital. They would have dragged Morgan along. Her sister would have complained loudly about Hayley getting all the attention, but they would have been there for her.

Because they were her family, she thought. Flaws and all. She regretted taking the scenes of her childhood and twisting them into something bad. Something that had scared her. Especially when it hadn’t been necessary.

Noah took a bite and chewed. His eyes widened with pleasure.

“Wow,” he mumbled, then covered his full mouth.

“Yeah, I know all the best burger places,” she joked. “Stick with me, kid.”

He grinned and took another bite, then offered her his fries.

She took one. It was still warm and salty.

“How’s your nephew?” Noah asked.

“He’s good. The surgery went well and he should be going home in the morning. He’ll miss a couple of weeks of school, which he’s very excited about.”

Noah rolled his eyes. “A lot of kids don’t like school, but I do. It’s fun to learn new stuff. Better than being home sick.”

She would guess that nearly anything was. “How long are you going to be in the hospital?”

“A couple more weeks. This is my second round of chemo and they think it’s going to be my last.” He put down the burger. “Sorry. I can’t eat any more right now.”

He’d taken two bites.

“It was really good, though.”

Hayley shook her head. “So you’re saying that whole burger-fries thing was cheap talk?”

He grinned. “Yeah. But I think I can drink the milk shake.”

“Don’t worry if you can’t.”

A nurse in cheerful scrubs walked in. “Hey, Noah.”

“Hi, Minerva. This is Hayley.”

Minerva looked surprised. “Nice to meet you. Are you Noah’s foster mother?”

“She’s a friend,” Noah told the nurse. “Her nephew broke his leg and she’s visiting.”

“Oh, sorry about the accident.” Minerva turned to Noah. “I need a blood draw.”

Noah sighed. “Minerva’s part vampire, but I like her anyway.”

“I can’t help it. Your blood is so appealing.”

Hayley stood. “Let me get out of your way.”

Minerva waved her back into the chair. “You’re fine. I have a port I use.”

“It’s easier,” Noah explained. “They can get blood when they need and give me drugs. It’s kind of gross, but I’m used to it now. It doesn’t hurt.”

Hayley watched the nurse fold back his hospital gown to reveal an IV connection in his upper chest. Minerva pulled a sealed needle out of a protective sleeve. Hayley instinctively reached for Noah’s hand. He squeezed her fingers.

“It’s okay,” he promised.

“I’m trying to reassure you. Not the other way around.”

He grinned. “Okay. If you insist.”

“I do.”

When Minerva left, Hayley stayed a few more minutes, then glanced at her watch. “I have to get back to work. Want some company tonight?”

“Sure. If you want to stop by.” He looked at her. “You don’t have to, you know. Visit me. I’m used to taking care of myself.”

“I’m sure you are, but I’d still like to stop by. Anything else you wouldn’t like to eat?”

He laughed. “Chocolate chip cookies.”

“You’re on.”

*

Gabby didn’t bother closing the bathroom door. There was no point. It was close enough to dinner that the pets were following her everywhere. No matter how many times she pointed to the clock and explained they had another hour, they didn’t bother learning to tell time.