"911 what is your emergency?" The dispatcher lady
asked nonchalantly as she responded to the
emergency call my mom was making.
"My daughter!...sshee, she's struggling to breathe
again, hurry and come please!" She told them
frantically. I was suffering yet another attack; I have
been suffering from this respiratory disease for 16 of
my 19 years of living and this disease was much
worse than asthma, bronchitis or any other
respiratory illness.
"What exactly is the problem ma'am?" The
dispatcher asked
"SHE'S STRUGGLING TO BREATHE!" She yelled at the
dispatcher angrily because in her mind she had
made herself clear from the beginning
"Ohkay ma'am, I'm gonna need you to come down---"
"Don't tell to calm down! Just send an ambulance
now!" My mother shouted
"What's the address to your residence ma'am?" The
dispatcher asked trying to get this over with as
quickly as she could. My mom told her the address
and she would send one right now; she hung the
phone up and turned to me
"It's gonna be ohkay baby, just hang in there" she
said as I nodded slowly, still struggling to breathe,
my eyelids getting heavy as I slowly closed them, my
world turning black.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Ara*
I woke up to an all white room that I had become all
too familiar with, I was at the hospital. My breathing
was back to normal again but my body was sore. I
looked to my left and saw my mom sleeping on one
of the room's chairs, using her jacket as a blanket for
herself.
"Ma" I tried calling her, my voice sounding a bit
hoarse. She wasn't responding so I tried again
"Ma!" And that's when she startled and woke up
looking at my direction. She wore a smile that made
everything okay.
"Ara...my baby" she said now standing up and
coming my way to hug me
"Good morning mom"
"Morning baby, how are you feeling?" She asked
brushing her hand along my forehead
"Okay, better than the last time." I frowned thinking
about my last encounter with this disease, my mom's
heart was aching too, I could see it in her eyes.
"It's all my fault Ara, I should've been a better mom
when I was---"
"Mom, it's not your fault. What's done is done ma,
please don't blame yourself"
"How could I not?" She argued now sitting to the
chair that was adjacent to my bed; "You're
permanently sick and it's all my fault" she said
looking down. I was about to respond to her
argument when the door opened to reveal a man in a
white coat. He was gorgeous; he was black and stood
at 6'4 inches; he also had caramel skin, which
complimented the coat perfectly, he had beautiful
brown orbs which glowed when he smiled at us, I also
took notice of his teeth, beautiful white teeth.
"Good morning Mrs Powa and your daughter, my
name's Dr Brown. I'm glad to see your daughter all
well today. I was a bit skeptical last night when they
brought her here." He finished his sentence now
looking at me smiling, I looked away before I turned
red infront of him and my mom
"Well, Ara is a fighter Dr Brown" my mom said
proudly as he nodded in agreement and looked at me
again
"She is isn't she?" He looked at his clipboard which
contained all information about me
"Well we can discharge her tomorrow morning, we
have to keep her here tonight to make sure she is
perfectly fit"
"Thanks Doctor." She then turned to me, "Ara baby I
have to rush off to work, before those kids in the
class kill themselves" Dr Brown chuckled and I
smiled at her
"It's okay mom. As long as you'll come back after
school" I said to her
"Of course I will Ara" she said standing up preparing
to leave
"Please keep an eye on her doctor"
"Yes ma'am" and then my mom left
"You look worried" I turned to look at him
"I just don't like hospitals doctor" I said truthfully
"Well don't worry, I'll make sure you like this one" he
said smiling showing off his beautiful ruler straight
pearly whites; "and you can call me Chris" he said
coming closer to me. I felt some sort of tension or
pull between us that I couldn't understand at the
moment
I gave him a smile and managed to breath out an
okay to him
"I'll be back shortly to check up on you" he said
pulling away from me. He looked back one more time
and then left. "Gosh he's so sexy" I quietly said to
myself
-------------------------------------------------------
*Chris*
I walked down the hallway as I left Ara's room. I
smiled just thinking about her name, it was so
beautiful, just like her. I only met her last night when
she came here and I was already feeling something
between us, that can't be good.
"Dr Brown" my thoughts were cut off by Tracy, this
nurse who had this huge crush on me
"Yes Nurse Gold?" I answered her trying to power
walk avoiding her
"I have some news about your patient, Miss Powa"
she said making me slow down and turning to look at
her
"Ara?" She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion as to
how I knew her name, usually we call our patients
using their last names
"Yes doctor. Her respiratory disease has become
fatal, much more fatal and she's not given much time
to live. In about 6 months or so her disease will have
spread throughout her body and..." She shook her
head and discontinued, she didn't have to cause I
didn't want to hear her continuation
"Are you sure about this?" I asked swallowing a lump
in my throat
"Yes"
"Nurse Gold, we need you on the ER unit" one of the
other nurses came and told her
"I'll keep you informed Dr Brown"
"Yeah..." That's all I could say at this point. I looked at
her room and on the floor and sighed.

*Ara*
I sat quietly on the bed as I watched t.v, waiting for
my mom to come and pick me up so we could go
home. I was so hungry I could eat a whole buffet at
this moment, I've been avoiding eating the hospital
food, it tasted pretty much awful. I just wanted to get
out of this hospital! The one thing I could compliment
the hospital on was the fine speciman that came to
check up on me every hour. I liked seeing Chris' face
and he just made the hospital stay worthwhile. He
would come and crack me up with his lame jokes or
encounters he had with other patients, especially
female patients. He was extremely nice and I had
learnt that it was his first year as an official doctor.
The problem was that he was 26 though. He was way
older than and out of my league. Here he was, a black
man who graduated with honours at the top of his
class and was now a doctor, and a good one at it; and
here I was., 19, and still trying to figure out what to
do with my life. Everytime I try to do something with
my life, it always gets hindered by this damn illness,
so that meant I stayed with my mom and was
unemployed...
"Are you ready Ara?" I looked towards the door to see
my mom standing by it smiling at me
"Yes mom. I've been ready for the past 2 hours." I
said now standing up and grabbing my things
"Sorry, the principal called an impromptu meeting for
all the teachers" she rolled her eyes, "I swear that
man has a zero fun life. I also cooked up a meal for
you..." she beamed and my eyes sparkled, no matter
what I loved my mom's cooking
"You did? Ahh thank you mom, you didn't have to" I
said as she stared me with that "yeah right" look and
I giggled at her actions.
"Uh huh. Well the food will get cold let's go"
The door opened and in entered the man I was
starting to really like.
"Good morning Mrs Powa" my mom gave him a
friendly nod and he turned and looked at me, "Ara"
"Hey" I said shyly as my mom grabbed my things
and headed towards the door.
"You're not going to tell us anything else right
Doctor?" my asked, clearly in a rush
"No ma'am. Everything I said to you on the hallway
was everything you needed to know" he answered
smiling at her, my insides melting at that smile
"Good! Thank you so much for everything doctor.
Ara, let's go sweety" my mom said
"Okay mom I'll be there shortly" I answered her and
she nodded and left Chris and I alone in the room
"Really thanks Chris for everything." I started and he
looked at me with passion in his eyes
"It was no problem at all. I was just doing my job" he
replied in a low voice
"So..." I shrugged and waited for him to complete my
sentence
"So...I guess I'll see you around" he completed it and
my heart slowly shuttered. Deep down I knew he
would say that, it's just that I didn't want him. I
wanted him to ask for my number and tell me he'll
call and we'll chat later, but that was all fantasy
"Yeah...bye Chris"
"Goodbye Ara" he replied warmly as I walked away
from him heading towards the door. I looked at him
and smiled a little as I opened the door and went out
of the hospital. Once I was out I sighed
"Who was I kidding really? He's 26 and you're 19
Ara" I quietly said to myself as I walked away

*Ara*
When I arrived home my mom immediately dished
up what she had cooked for me, it was my favourite,
lasagna. After that I said goodnight to her and went
and took a shower and went to bed. As I was to sleep
my phone beeped indicating I had a text message
•Received: 9:48 pm•
|Sender: Lavender|
[Hey gurl! I heard about your hospitalization, I was
working double shifts so that's why I couldn't come.]
I smiled at my best friend's text. She was the only
person who tolerated me and my illness, she
understood. She was 19 also, and we met in high
school through a fight. Everyone else became my
friends and then would abandon me as soon I
became sick. I typed my response to her
•Sent: 9:50 pm•
[No problem hey. Just don't forget to go with me
downtown so we can find a job for me. Plus I want to
tell you something]
She quickly texted back
•Received: 9:52 pm•
|Sender: Lavender|
[Oh I will! Hmm can't wait for what you're gonna tell
me. I hope it ain't about that Justin dude]
I rolled my eyes at the sight of Justin's name. He
broke up with me last year when I wouldn't want to
sleep with him. He got angry and told his friends that
I had herpes and cheated on him and that's why
didn't want to sleep with me. Apparently him and his
friends have this rule that if either of them didn't
sleep with their by the 6th month, they're considered
a pussy. And I'd been with him for 6 and a half.
•Sent: 9:56 pm•
[No, it's not about him. See ya tomorrow! Goodnight

*Chris*
I arrived late after working the night shift at the
hospital to my apartment. More than anything I was
tired. Walking to my big living room I threw my case
on the couch and grabbed the remote and turned on
the tv; settling for my favourite show, World's
Dumbest. As I was about to sprawl myself on the
couch my stomach grumbled indicating my hunger
and I remembered that I didn't eat anything good all
day, and since I wasn't too big on cooking, I ordered
some pizza, my almost daily dinner. I really need to
find a companion to cook for me; I chuckled at that
thought. I started to think about Ara, just the
thought of her made me smile. I frowned as I thought
about her limited time her on earth. She was so
beautiful and had so much to offer the world and on
top of it all I was feeling her in so many ways. But it
was so wrong in so many ways; I was way older than
her and even if we'd pursue something, I'll end up
getting hurt because in a few months she'll be gone,
taken away from me...
"Ara..." I quietly said her name and smiled
-------------------------------------------------------
*Ara*
"Ara!!!!" My best friend Lavender screamed and
came up and hugged me as I we met at the Red
Square Breakfast Café
"Lav, how are you doing gurl?" I asked with half her
enthusiasm, partly because of the medication I took
and mostly because of Chris. The waitress came to
take our orders.
"How do you know me Ra? Your gurl always in a good
mood, especially after getting some play play from
Carter last night" she said and I laughed
"Before or after you texted me?" I asked now a bit
disgusted
She looked away; "I think it was during"
"Lavender Johnson!" I gasped in shock
"Yeah well I tend to gather my thoughts well when
I'm in the moment, ya know?"
I squinted my eyes at her, "you're insane"
"Whatever. Anyway what's been up? What did the
doctors say this time?"
I sighed and looked down at the menu in my hands;
"Same old, same old..." I drifted off looking at some
muffins on the menu that seemed appetizing
"Ra? Tell me what's up gurl? I've known you for so
many years now so spill it out gurl" she said as she
drank the ice tea
she bought before coming here
"Well I met someone" I said and looked at her, she
looked shocked
"As in another patient?"
"Gosh no Lav, the doctor who was treating me"
"Whoa, I mean I didn't know you went for older men
now" I glared at her
"No, he's 26 and gorgeous too" I said confidently
"Wow look at you, all happy and shit" she laughed
and noticed me frowning. "Ohkay...what's wrong with
him?"
"I think he lost interest in me" I sighed, "I sound mad
dumb right now, as if we were actually dating. We've
known each other for 2 days for crying out loud!"
Lavender laughed.
"Well I can see you like him Ra; so why not? Just call
him and arrange a date" I looked down and she
looked at me
"Tell me you asked for his number" when I looked at
her she knew I didn't.
"Ara---" I cut her off
"Do you really expect me to ask for his number?
Really Lavender?"
"Whatever. You just lost a good man Ra"
I sighed and looked away, "yeah" ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *Chris* After I had finished my pizza last night I watched more t.v and slept at about 11 pm, forgetting that my shift would start at 3 in the morning the following day. I was tired and already looking forward to getting out of here. I mean I loved my job as a doctor but right now I was beat. My shift would end at 3 in the afternoon, and after glancing at my watch I realised I had 50 minutes more to go. "Thank God" I quietly said to myself as I entered one of the patient's room for her daily routine. Entering I smiled softly and sang out her name; "Oh Mrs Osborn" She looked from the t.v to me and returned the smile. It surprised me that an 84 year old still watched WWE SmackDown and still found it interesting. "If it isn't my amazing healer. How are you doing this morning?" I laughed and helped her sit up straight "Well the 'amazing healer' part was unnecessary" I chuckled as she rolled her eyes, "don't butter me up Mrs Osborn, I'll still have to inject you" I watched her as she huffed. "It was worth a try" she mumbled. "And I should be asking the 'how are you?' question. I'm pretty sure you miss your family right now" "It's better if they don't see me like this. They are used to seeing me all energetic and all. I'm just happy I'm left with a week here" she finished off with a sigh "Two...you're left with two weeks Mrs Osborn. But rest assured, I'll keep you company" I told her and prepared her injection. "I'm sure. Although Marcus could do a better job" she said and looked out the window with a sad expression on her face. Marcus was her husband of 60 years who passed away on their 60th anniversary two years ago. The stories she told me about them made me realise that true love did indeed exist out there "All I want to do is to join him" she started again I looked at her in confusion, "I'm sure you don't mean that" "Oh I do Dr Brown. There's nothing else to live for anymore, when you lose that kind of love, you feel all empty inside." she looked at me from the window; "just promise me Dr Brown that when you find that special someone, you won't let go of her" I looked down at the set of medication I had set for her. She grabbed my hand and I was forced to look at her "You have haven't you?" she asked even though she sort of knew the answer to her question. I didn't answer her, I proceeded and injected her arm. She winced a little before asking, "What's her name? I took out her set of pills, "Ara" I said as I gave her the pills. "Beautiful name. D'you know what it means?" she asked before taking the pills and gulping them down with water "I have no idea" I answered as we both chuckled at my answered. "But I'm sure it means something beautiful, just like her" "Don't lose her Dr Brown" she said and focused her attention back on the t.v My phone beeped and I knew that it was five minutes before my shift ended. I grabbed everything I came in with and prepared to leave, I looked at Mrs Osborn again and thought about what she just said. "Yeah" I said as I responded to her previous statement, feeling like I had already lost her ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------- *Ara* I entered an upscale restaurant, Le Republik with Lavender in toe. We both were beat from job-hunting the whole day. All the places we went to had no vacancies. "I'm so tired Ra. Look at my feet, they're breathing in and out" Lavender whined and sat down once we were inside the restaurant. I asked for the manager and the cashier agreed and went to call it. "Hang in there Lavender. We're almost done. Trust me if I don't get this one, we're done for the day" I told her as the manger approached us. I put on the best smile I could for her "Good afternoon ladies, my name is Claire Goodman. How may I help you?" she gave us a warm smile "Actually I'd like to know if you still give jobs away..." I drifted off not knowing what to say next. Her eyes shone bright like she had found the secret to end poverty in the world "You're in luck Miss---" "Powa, my name is Ara" "Well you're in luck, one of my employees quit today for no apparent reason. Oh my you're heaven sent Ara, I've been wrecking my brain trying to find a replacement for her. We can't be short of employees, especially at this time of the year" "Thank you ma'am. When can I start?" I asked with excitement building all over me. "How about tomorrow? At 8. We'll discuss the salary and hours tomorrow when you start, how about that?" she asked still holding that smile "Sounds great" I said shaking her hand, "I can't wait to start working here" "Can't wait to have you here" she said and we said our goodbyes to each other "You see? Everything works out for the best" Lavender said emerging from her seat I smiled and looked at her, "yeah it does. Now let's get out of here, I'm so beat" I told her as we made our way out of the restaurant. As we went out the door, I accidentally bumped into someone "Oh sorry" the guy replied and we looked at each other; I then realised who it was. "Chris..." I said barely above a whisper "Ara" he said looking down at me with his chocolate brown eyes that I drew me in. The way we were close to one another made the situation more intense "Chris..." I repeated, never taking my eyes off him, "I didn't think I'd ever see you again" "Me neither. Where are you going?" he asked absentmindedly using the same tone as I did "Home...and you?" "To eat here, this is my favorite place to eat at" "Uhm excuse me but Ara we have to go. We're tired remember?" Lavender interrupted us and I looked her, taking note of her hair all over the place and her sort of tired, bloodshot eyes. I then looked back at Chris "She's right, I have to go" I said somewhat disappointed that our encounter was short lived "Before you go" he fumbled in his pocket and took out his phone and held it in his shaky hands, "I was wondering if I could get your number, maybe we could do something together sometime." I looked down at it and smiled as I took his phone, "sure" I responded as I typed in all my digits in his phone and saved it. "Here you go" I said as I gave it back to him "Thanks, I promise to call" he said in a shaky voice and said goodbye to both of us before walking inside the place we just left. "Wow" I said as l looked at the hand that held his phone "That's the doctor? That's enough reason for me to stay out in the cold" I looked at Lavender and rolled my eyes and laughed a little. "You're crazy. Now let's get out of here before I get tempted to go back there to him" I told her and she agreed. We called out for a taxi and got inside once we found one. I looked back at the building that I knew he was in, praying that he indeed will call...