I wake up and blink around.

This isn't home, this isn't the hospital, I don't think this is anywhere that I know of.

"Hello?" I shout. This can't be this dream, again. Please, don't be that one dream.

"Garroth." A scary sounding voice says. I start to shake, and the person laughs. I gulp.

"Heh." A figure covered in black comes up to me and caresses my cheek. I stand completely still.

"W-Who are you?" My voice is scratchy and quiet. Can't blame me, this is a scary experience for anyone, especially an eight year old.

"You know me." It scares me, "I'm approaching you. The name's death."

I wake up, sweating extremely hard. The scratchy sheets of the hospital bed feel wet, I assume I've been sweating the whole time. I've been in this hospital only for a couple weeks, but it feels like months. I notice my hand shaking against the white surface.

I sit up and look around to find no one. I wonder why no one is here, but probably it's for a normal reason. I can't sit up too well, I feel dizzy if I try. I reach over, my hand covered in tubes and tape, for my iPad. I turn on Netflix. What? It's the only thing available to watch. Nothing good is ever on TV.

I can't watch my show. The only thing in my mind is that dream, that one scary one. I shift uncomfortably, partly because I'm scared and partly because these sheets feel scratchy and I want to rip them off and go home.

The nurses say I can't do that, so I'm stuck here.

My dad walks in with quiet footsteps and closes the door ever so carefully. He smiles, probably at the fact that I'm awake and relatively sitting up. A blue mask covers his face, and a green suit covers his body. I asked the doctors why he had to wear that. They said it was because they had to keep the room as clean as possible.

"Hey, buddy." He comes over and sits on my bed. I don't mind, it doesn't bother me personally.

"Hi, dad." I smile down at my iPad and pause the movie. I debate whether or not to ask him a question, a question I'm so desperate to know the answer to.

"Is something on your mind?" He asks. That's one reason why I like dad so much, he always knows when something's wrong. He was the first to point out that my eyes were funny.

"Can I ask you something?" I mumble, but loud enough that he could hear. It seems too loud, personally.

"Sure, Garroth. Anything." I look down and clutch onto the blanket since I've had since I was a newborn. I take it to any doctor's appointments.

"Am I going to die?"

He looks at me shocked, but his eyes are filled with questions of his own. My dad looks down, closes his eyes, and takes a deep breath. He opens his mouth to say something, and at first nothing comes out. But he takes another breath.

"Buddy, I'm going to tell you something that not a lot of people will tell you. Are you sure you want to hear it?" Hearing those words make it almost a thousand times worse.

But I nod anyway.

"Garroth, cancer is a really bad thing, and it kills many people." He pauses, "I don't want you to die, I'd give anything for that not to happen. But you might. Cancer could take over your young body and you could die." He says, trying to sugarcoat it as much as possible.

He looks at me with hardness and sympathy in his eyes. I tear up and start to cry. I rub my eyes, trying to make the tears go away.

Dad pulls me closer to him and hugs me. It's not as comfortable because of the suit, but it's something. He hugs me tight, really tight. My arms around his neck hug him tight.

We let go from the hug. I sit down and look at his eyes. His mask is wet and tears slightly stain his cheeks, from what I can tell.

I don't want to look at that, so I look away outside the glass window. I notice the girl that I saw the other day.

What was her name?

Aphmau. That's it.

She's holding who I presume is her father's hand and a small toy that I can't see. She turns around and smiles at me. I wave, and she waves back but turns around again.

"Who's that?" Dad's voice is soft and tender, something I like.

"Her name's Aphmau. Can she come in?" I only ask because it's boring here just watching movies and TV all day, no one to play with.

"I'm afraid not, bud." I look down, "We can't have germs in here."

"She could put a mask on like you!"

"No," he shakes his head, "they only let family in. I'm sorry, buddy, I know you want someone to play with."

I don't want him to suggest my brothers. Don't get me wrong, I love them, but it'd be pretty boring playing with a two and six year old.

So I just nod in an attempt to not have him suggest that.

He smiles and nods, knowing what I meant, thank God.

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Hey everyone! The qod should be in Garroth's Injury today.
Thanks for reading! Bai!
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