What time is it?

The sound of this clock ticked at an annoying pace, every time Sherline glanced she could only see the big hand of the clock beside the broken TV in her hospital room she lived in Seattle her companion she had was her cat Mimi who could not walk her through chemotherapy. Her long-distance boyfriend she has never met in person, they skype and facetime from time to time, she always finds an excuse of why she never could see him on camera. Once on Valentine, she decided to purchase a cherry-colored wig with a bang and stayed on the camera for an hour before claiming her phone lost power. The two made various attempts to see one another. The previous summer Sherline visited her grandmother in Cincinnati who died of chemo last year. *Sighs*Sherline whispered to herself, I miss her dearly.

Sherline tossed over to her side, struggling to breathe she finally could adjust, the door opened. Goodmorning Ms.Sherline, time to get some sunlight don’t you think? The petite nurse Mrs.Hawkins said while immediately opening the blinds, letting a beam of sunlight hit Sherline's eyes, Sherline immediately squinted and put her hands in her face, I think not! Sherline said. Nurse Hawkins ignores her request she is already accustomed to Ms. Sherline's lazy, stubborn habits.

She promptly propped Sherline's hospital bed upright and turned her over Sherline did not want to cooperate but was too weak to resist. Mrs.Hawkins looked down at her wristwatch and sighed.“I have to check your vital signs okay?” “How was your Christmas. Rumor has it you were on facetime, talking to Mr.Prince charming! You would be happy to know that we invited your friend to come for the patient care day he sounded excited too.

Sherline abruptly shouts.No! Who told you to do that? -With an aggressive tone. Deep down she knew never she had the intentions of meeting him, a self-conscious issue she had been battling with for a long time. She never could imagine even talking to him in the first place, as many likes he got on Instagram and how many comments he got 100 Instagram likes was a superstar to Sherline. Who would have thought out of all the dm’s he checks a day he would respond to her?

She rolled back over and started contemplating, hands sweating, skin boiling, because she had watched catfish before, she was sure she was his catfish. Nurse Hawkins saw Sherline's stressed tomato face.Softly she says "We all just thought that it would be nice, it seems like he has been the only thing keeping you smiling in here, we did not think it was a problem… he did not think it was a problem.”, She exited the room. Sherline balled up she had never meant to yell at the nurse, overwhelmed in anxiety, fear and she had never really dealt with confrontation before. Sherline turned her head towards her overbed table and stared at her phone for a notification.

She did not wait any longer, unlocked her phone, and frantically scrolled through her messages, prince charming did not text her about coming to patient care day, nothing. As she scrolled through Instagram slowly as time passed. Bing! there was the message notification echoing louder than usual, in her head more of a BINGGGG! this message changed everything stomach instantly drops. She views the message from her notification bar. Hey babe, I wanted it to be a surprise, I bought the next flight to Seattle, The hospital called about a patient day?

Which was weird because you had only been there for a week. They got A1 staffing, coming to see you soon my gift to you this time. She swiped the message wanting it to disappear looking at the top of her screen where there were no more notifications only the time, she locked her phone Click! Sherline's heart dropped she took a deep breath and while exhaling she instantly started to cry.

Her boyfriend knew she was in the hospital but not for chemo he thought she had a car accident and was receiving physical therapy for about two weeks. Sherline had created this story to buy her time to go through dialysis praying that she would make it out of the hospital with good news. She did not even have her wigs with her, just a blonde synthetic wig that a visitor donated to her.

Mrs.Hawkins has been giving her some time to herself as she was making her afternoon rounds passing Sherline's patient room over and over made her want to come and comfort her she came in and tried to fix the TV. I know you are just about tired of staring at this clock woman. Mrs.Hawkins said.

She got it working after a few laughs and turned on Sanford and Son, the episode where Fred bought an antique clock for five hundred dollars and thought he could auction it to something more expensive. Sherline stared forward into the tv not necessarily watching it almost dissociating, silently encouraging Mrs.Hawkins to leave. She rolled on her back when the nurse left sniffling through the commercials hoping that she could get over everything.

She unlocked her phone and turned DND mode off her messages instantly popped up, weirdly the messages were not from her boyfriend but her neighbor, multiple messages about her cat MiMi. The message said, "I think I saw your cat in the driveway, did you lock the windows or get a caregiver."? Sherline was rushed to the hospital after her neighbor reported her unconscious in her kitchen about a week ago this was how she ended up here today, Sherline and her neighbor became close when she first moved to her new townhouse and got her bushes cut into cancer ribbons.

No one but her neighbor cared to inquire about it. She brought her edible arrangements & balloons one day and welcomed her to the neighborhood, sat over tea, and had a conversation about Sherline pictures of her grandmother in the living room came about the biggest picture in the living room hanging just above the fireplace, in a wooden frame in the shape of a clock the two hugging in front of a pastry store. Sherline explained that that store in the background was a bakery that her grandmother owned in Cincinnati now up for auction saving almost every bit of her income so she could buy it back.

She was hospitalized shortly before reaching her goal, a couple of days later it was sold the contractors tore it down, now being turned into a dog park. Sherline's neighbor then asked about how her grandmother died. Sherline shared that her grandmother had chemo and died in her home because she was so stubborn about being treated at a hospital, then shared it is hereditary in her family and how she also has chemo. Sherline's neighbor always checked on her since then. Rather it is, calling to ask if she needs something from the grocery store or as simple as knocking on the door to see if she would want some hot tea, sending holiday cards and gifts. Sherline asks her neighbor to set a bowl of kitty nibble by her trash can to get MiMi back she could not have gone far being older and is so spoiled she would never leave the house without being forced really.

“I hope she did not run off to have some kittens.“ Sherline's neighbor said, chuckling in hopes of cheering her up. Thanks, I appreciate it. Sherline says “No problem, how have things? I meant to tell you I found the bucket lists we made *chuckles * There is no need for these.” The neighbor said. Sherline got awkwardly silently created tension over the phone, her neighbor was not sure if their typical death jokes were appropriate right now. Ms.Sherline began chuckling shortly full-on laughing and began to cry, the conversation went on for hours. After hanging up Sherline began to fiddle with the pen she got in London with her grandmother.

A smaller model of the Big Ben clock, when clicked the shorthand would move, she constantly clicked the pen back and forth, she grabbed a napkin left on the over bed tray from lunch and started scribbling *Sighs* Well it would not hurt, Sherline Whispered. She began to write bullet point lists beginning to colonize. She unlocked her phone and searched up something, she stared at her screen squinting as if she was unsure about something,*The door abruptly opened*

“ Sherline Wilson?” an unfamiliar male nurse voice called with the door was only cracked open enough to see the top of his head, Sherline was startled tucking her phone, and sat up,

Umm Yes Sherline Says. A taller dark man walked in with his large hands gripping a large bouquet and balloons, looking around quickly, and says

“ My apologies I did not mean to invade your privacy, I think I may have the wrong room my apologies ma'am.” Sherline looked shocked as if she had just seen a ghost, gasping she says “Wiz?!”, the man on his way out, glanced to the side and saw a blonde wig to the side of the hospital bed. Confused " Sorry did I miss something how do you know my name?" said the man. {PART 1: TO BE CONTINUED}

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