cassie had been keeping an eye on you all day.

your mom was a patient admitted this morning — terminal lung cancer. she had come in alone explaining that you had been at a sleepover she insisted you go on, and cassie had been the one to call you.

you were sixteen, a normal teenager on the fourth of july, except you weren’t normal, because your mom was dying, and once she died, what would happen with you? cassie learned through your mom that you had no dad had stuck around. no family that lived close. it was her and you — and that was the way it had always been.

cassie had spent her morning caring for your mom, administering medication, keeping her comfortable. cassie knew it was the end. your mom knew it was the end. the only one who didn’t seem to know, or didn’t want to accept it, was you.

when cassie walked in on your mom, roxie, distressed, she had explained to cassie that you were upset that she was choosing to pass away in the er, upset that the end was coming. she asked cassie to find you, and it didn’t take her long.

you were standing there, a vacant look in your eye as you stared at your phone. you was leant back against a counter, and cassie mimicked your position. she looked over your shoulder, and saw your phone.

it was a picture, of your mom and you, when you were younger, cassie presumes.

“i’ve known she was dying for months, but… now it’s happening… i’m not ready to say goodbye.” you whisper.

cassie looks at you. she can’t imagine the stress you feel at only sixteen — alone, your mom dying, and having to deal with all of this. “nobody is ever ready.” cassie says softly. “but if you don’t spend this time with your mom, you’ll regret it.”

you sniffle, looking away. cassie can see the conflict of emotions that flit across your face.

“what do i say to her?” you sniffle again, voice shaking. “what do i do?”

cassie is silent for a moment, and she puts a gentle hand on your shoulder. “you hold her hand. be there. talk to her. tell her you love her.”

you nod, looking at the door of your moms hospital room. you inhale and exhale. cassie gives you a pat on the back, following you in but lingering at the doorway as you sit beside your mom