Our a Cappella by Yessi Smith Page A

nurse’s stethoscope.
    “Big breath, Uncle Nate,” she states and Nate obliges. “Again,” she says and closes her eyes in concentration.
    Tonya immediately wraps Erin in a tight hug and I nod my head at Nate. While he continues to smile for Shayna, his eyes burrow into mine letting me know we have to talk. I nod again and pick Shayna up from behind her and she squeals.
    “I’m Uncle Nate’s doctor,” she tells me seriously and I nod.
    “Shay’s a real good doctor, too. She’s fixed me all up,” Nate tells us, earning him a big smile from Shayna.
    “So what’s the hold up?” Shayna wants to know making us all laugh.
    Thank God for Shayna. That girl doesn’t just light up my life, but has helped every one of us in that room at one point or another.
    “They just wanna watch me for the night,” Nate tells her. “Maybe they’ll run some sorta experiment on me,” he says winking at her.
    “Then you’ll be like Spiderman,” she says happily.
    “Something like that, mi niña,” Sofia tell her. “Why don’t we go look for some snack in the vending machine?” she asks Shayna who eagerly goes with her.
    Erin sits on Nate’s bed and waits for Shayna to be out of ear shot. It’s obvious from the tension building in the room that everyone but Erin and me knows what’s going on. I stand behind Erin, putting my hand on her shoulder, which she squeezes before looking at me. The looks she gives me breaks me. She knows it’s bad and there isn’t a damn thing I can do to make it better.
    “Talk, Nate,” she tells him, leaving little room for debate.
    I watch him sigh before he opens his mouth.

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 16
     
     
    Nate
     
    “I have cancer.”
    There I’ve told everyone. Erin stares at me, betrayal and anger evident in her eyes.
    “Cancer?” she spits out at me. “How long have you known?” she asks and I shrug, because she knows me so well she probably already knows I’ve been keepin’ it from her.
    Does it really matter , anyway? From the look in her eyes, apparently it does.
    “A couple months,” I mumble, feelin ’ like a child bein’ chastised by his irate mother.
    “Fine,” she says with hatred spilling out of her eyes.
    “I got cancer, Erin. Not you,” I tell her flatly, knowin’ this whole fucked up situation is hurtin’ her. But Erin does better with anger than hurt so I gear myself up for a fight.
    “You’ve had cancer for months. Months , Nate,” she says. “You could have gone to the doctor, had surgery, started chemo. Whatever. But you kept quiet. Why?” she asks, her eyes swimmin’ with tears she won’t allow to trickle down her face.
    “I didn’t wanna hurt nobody,” I tell her, lookin ’ at anything but her.
    “Bull shit,” she says and Tonya chuckles.
    Angry, I glare at her. Bull shit? All my life I’ve done what I can to protect her and she calls bull shit?
    I watch as Erin lifts herself from my hospital bed and begins to stalk the room, only to be stopped by Trent who holds onto her as if she might break. But she won’t. She’s not built to break. She’s stronger than anyone else in this room. Brave, persistent, compassionate, and loyal.
    And that’s why I didn’t want to tell her. I didn’t want the strongest person I know to see me break. The realization makes me hiss in a breath that hurts me so bad it brings tears to my eyes.
    Erin spins around at the sound and I’ll be damned how she knows, but she does. The hatred in her eyes is replaced with the same fear I’ve lived with for months. With our roles changed, Erin becomes my protector and sits back on my bed and holds me as sobs escape and rake my whole body.
    I feel her tears fall on my shoulder, but she remains strong, speakin ’ quietly to me as she runs her hand comfortingly over my short hair. I cry my fears and anger away until I’m so exhausted I’m sure the tears will cease, but they continue to roll down my face.
    In my sister and best friend’s arms,