Dexter felt the soft mattress squish underneath him. He let out a deep breath of air and readjusted his body yet again. He dropped his head back to the pillow, letting his black curly hair compress into the fabric. The heart monitor sat beside him and he watched the lines go up, then down. The beeps that indicated each beat echoed throughout the otherwise silent room. There was a bag filled with medication that dripped into a tube attached to his arm. He itched the spot where the tube met his vein, attempting to ease the pain and irritation with his rough and strong fingertips. He noticed a nurse in light blue clothes enter the door across from his room. Dexter wasn’t sure of everything the room contained, but through the sliver in the door he could see many bedpans. It must hold some pretty important things because it seemed like there was always a nurse going in or coming out. The nurse in blue came out of the room with a plastic bag that held something that resembled a hospital gown or a blanket. Maybe a pillow.

“Dex, do you need anything?” Dexter had been so caught up in the nurse outside his room that he hadn’t even noticed the one that had entered his. She was pretty, but not extraordinary. Her eyes were a bright blue that matched her scrubs and her hair was blonde, in a sloppy ponytail. That blonde hair was familiar…Dexter shook his head and remembered where he was. He remembered what she was doing to him. The nurse stood above his bed and looked down at him with eyes that leaked concern. Probably not genuine.

“No,” Dexter retorted as he rolled his dark brown eyes and snapped his head toward the window, away from the nurse, “I don’t need anything.” He turned his head back toward the nurse and stared her right in the eyes, “I’ve had enough.”

Dexter turned his head away from the nurse again and pretended to forget she existed. He heard her footsteps as she walked out of his room. He watched the second hand of the clock tick away when his mother, Patti, walked in. He immediately turned his head and composed a fierce expression. The cruelty of his face was intense, but a soft crinkle was present on the side of each eye and his forehead was home to wrinkles.

“Hi, honey...” Patti spoke hesitantly to her son. She attempted to walk over to him, taking each step slowly and cautiously. “Are you feeling any better?”

Dexter turned to his mom now. “Considering that I’m being forced to be in this hell-hole while tied to a bunch of tubes, I suppose I could be better.”

Patti flinched at the sharpness of Dex’s voice. “Dex, we’ve talked about this. We’re doing this for you. You know I would never want you in pain, but the tubes and the medications are going to help you. You have to trust the doctors.”

“I don’t care what the doctors say! We all know that you are not doing this for me. I don’t want any of this. I only have a couple days anyway, so why don’t we cut all this bullshit and just let nature run its course.” A twisted smile touched the edges of Dexter’s lips.

Patti stepped back and recovered from the ruthless words. “I know that you would rather be running around with Meredith, but this is what we need to do. This is what you need to do to get healthy. And as long as I have a say in it, you will be sitting right there in that bed.”

Dexter whipped his head around and looked directly at his mother. “Don’t bring Mer into this. And thank God you only have control for another day.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. You are my son. You will do what I say.”

Dexter chuckled at his mother’s ignorance. “I turn eighteen tomorrow! And you can’t do anything about that.”

“No…your birthday is in….” Patti counted the months on her fingers as she realized that it was in fact June and Dexter’s birthday was tomorrow. She had lost track of time because of all the hospital visits. Time seems to cease existence when every day is perfectly identical to the last. Wake up, eat breakfast, go to the hospital, return home, and go to sleep. How could she have forgotten? The stress of sickness was unbelievable.

“That’s right. Just enjoy—” Dexter suddenly stopped speaking as his eyes focused on the girl entering his room and the wrinkles disappeared from his forehead. She attracted all his attention. Her blonde hair was perfectly straight and stopped right above her chin. She smiled, but the smile didn’t produce the dimples it normally would. Her forehead was creased with wrinkles and her eyes had an empty feeling to them behind her square glasses. She crossed her arms across her deep maroon sweater as she walked toward Dexter’s bed.

“Hey,” she said. She glanced over at Patti and pulled her hair back behind her ears. “Hi, Mrs. Maygan.” Patti nodded in the girl’s direction and rummaged through her purse.

Dexter extended his arm and wiggled his fingers, signaling the girl to grasp it. “Hey, Mer. How’ve ya been?”

“Fine, I guess. Yesterday night I had chocolate pie after dinner. It made me think of that time when you brought it over but then dropped it on the floor.” Meredith laughed and intertwined her fingers with Dexter’s as she sat down in the chair next to his bed. She looked at his heart monitors and tubes before looking at him again.

Patti looked pointedly at the linked hands and said, “I’m going to go home now.” She looked at Dexter, “We aren’t done with our discussion. I will talk to you later.” She started to leave the room and then turned her head and said, “Good-bye Meredith.”

Meredith smiled and responded, “Bye, Mrs. Maygan. Have a good afternoon.”

Dexter laughed at Meredith’s formality and traced the lines on her palm with his index finger. They both slouched a bit in their chairs once Patti left. “You know,” Dexter told her, “You don’t have to be nice to her if you don’t want to. I mean, she’s the reason for us being apart so much. You’re too polite for your own good.”

Meredith smiled a small smile and said, “I think she deserves some kindness. I mean, I understand what she’s going through. It takes a lot to have to put up with you all the time.” She nudged his shoulder lightly with her finger and they both chuckled.

“Ha-ha. Very funny. I wanted to tell you something though…I realized this morning when I saw the doctor filling out my chart that today is June 16th,” Dexter told Meredith.

“Yeah, I guess it is. Why does it matter?”

“Well, I’m seventeen right now. And my birthday is June 17th. So that means tomorrow is my birthday. I’ll be eighteen tomorrow, Mer,” Dexter continued to run his finger along her palm as a grin spread across his face.

“Yeah, that makes sense. But I don’t know why that’s so awesome. I mean, I know you’ve been dying to vote. Or join the army. But think of the consequences of political responsibility and military commitment…I don’t know if you’re ready for that quite yet.”

Dexter laughed at Meredith’s sarcasm and took both of her hands in his. He looked her in the eyes as his reflected hope. “Meredith. I don’t have to stay here anymore. My mom can’t tell me what to do. I’ll be legally able to make my own decisions!” He laughed with excitement and glee as the idea of being free floated around his mind.

Meredith broke their gaze and stared at the bag dripping a clear liquid into his body. She stole her hands from Dex and stood up to trace the lines of the heart monitor with her hand.

“Dex, are you sure you want that? I mean, without the hospital you’d…” She stared at the jagged red lines and pushed her hair behind her ear.


Dexter reached as far as he could over his bed and poked her stomach, causing a tiny giggle to escape Meredith. She backed away, crossed her arms, and looked down at the rubber floor.

“Dex! This isn’t a joke. You need to think about this. You know what would happen if you left. It would only be hours before…”

“Yeah, Mer. I know what would happen. I’d die. You can say it.”

“I just don’t know if that’s the best thing for you. I won’t stop you if that’s what you want. But I also want to be sure of what it is you want.”

Dexter dipped his head and a crooked smile played on his lips. “Mer. You know that I know what I want. I always have known. “

Meredith looked up and started to walk forward. “Yeah, I guess so…if you’re sure.”

“What’s not to be sure about? I want to do this.”

Meredith sat on the edge of Dexter’s bed and grasped his hands. “Okay.” She pulled his hand to her face and kissed the place where the tube connected with his skin. “Okay, Dex.”

Dexter smiled and exhaled and let out the nerves he had been keeping since his decision.

“So, what’s the plan? What are you planning on doing once you leave?” Meredith asked.

Dexter looked at her with disbelief. “Mer, you already know. I’m going to vote. And join the army.” He smirked at her as she laughed and shook her head.

“Dex, come on. Where are you going to go?”

“Well,” Dex began, “I was sorta hoping that the two of us could go to that park where we met. You remember, right? The one with that red bench with our names carved into it? It’s underneath that willow tree and next to the cart that sells ice cream…only in the summer though. Which is convenient, considering it’s June. I would love more than anything to sit on that bench and share a triple-scoop chocolate cone with you. We could hold hands and talk about things and just be regular for a couple hours. It would be great.”

Meredith didn’t say anything for a few moments. Her eyes were closed and she was living the scene that Dexter had just set up. She had lived it before. Same place, same boy, same ice cream. Different situation and different reasons. Dex bumped her leg that was beside his on the bed. She opened her eyes and smiled.

“So? What do you think?” Dex prodded.

“I think that sounds absolutely wonderful. Except…” Meredith trailed off as she thought of a flaw in the plan.

“What? Do you not want to go with me? Is it because—”

“I think it should be Moose Tracks ice cream. Chocolate is too simple.” Meredith laughed as Dexter relaxed.

“Yeah, Mer. Moose Tracks is fine.”

“Okay, good. I should probably head out now…your mom will be here soon and I have to get organized for tomorrow. I’ll be here around noon?”

Dexter beamed up at Meredith. “Yeah, sounds good. I’ll be waiting for you downstairs.”

Meredith grinned at Dex as she squeezed his hand, got up, and walked out of his room. A nurse walked into that room again, probably getting a bedpan.

Before long, Patti walked back into Dexter’s room. He rolled his eyes again and said, “Mom, there is nothing you can do! Will you please give it a rest?”

Patti looked at her son. Tears blossomed in the corners of her eyes. She walked forward and grabbed onto Dexter’s hand before he could pull it away from her.

“I thought about our talk, and I just came to say that I’m sorry you dislike me. I love you, and I hope that you are happy with what you do.”

Just like that, Patti released Dexter’s hand and walked out of the room without turning back. He watched her walk out, keeping his hand in the position in which she held it.
***

Dexter woke up the next morning and remembered the significance of the day. He looked at the clock that was on the news broadcast. It read 11:55 a.m. S***, he was going to be late. Dex took a deep breath. He sat up and ripped the tubes out of his skin, leaving behind a few droplets of blood. Dex found his clothes that were placed underneath his hospital bed. As he was pulling his leg through his jeans, a nurse walked by and noticed that he was out of bed and unattached from his medication.
“Excuse me, but what do you think you are doing? You can’t just tear those tubes out!” The nurse walked forward and reached her hands out in attempt to help Dexter plug back in to all his medical necessities.
“Yes, I can. I’m leaving. No one can stop me. I’m eighteen.” Dexter tried to walk past
the nurse but she re-positioned herself so he was blocked in.
“Do you realize that if you leave you will be leaving against medical advice? You’re going to have to sign a paper. I really think you’d benefit from staying with us.” The nurse noticed a loose strand on her scrubs and pulled it until the entire section was stripped of the fabric.
Dexter rolled his eyes. “Bring me the papers.”
The nurse sighed in defeat, left the room, and returned moments later with the AMA form. Dexter grabbed the pen she handed him and signed with a few flicks of the wrist.
Dexter finished putting his clothes on, walked directly past the nurse still standing in the room, and strolled right away from his sickness without turning back.