Chapter Text
"Are you okay? Any headaches?" A voice asked in concern. The silence inside the room being broken by the sound of the legs of the chair scraping against the floor.
Laurance turned to his older brother, Louie, who looked at him with worry, but still giving a small smile of sympathy. Ignoring his question, the boy had turned to face the drawer that stood beside his bed, opening one of the compartments to pull out a book.
"I finished the book you gave me last time.. " he said, his weak voice barely above a whisper, his words more sounding like a mutter, barely enough for his brother to hear if it wasn't for the fact it was just the two of them, the only other sound being heard was the beep of the heart monitor.
"Is that so? How was it? " His brother smiled at him, seemingly unphased by the fact that his brother ignored his question, he already knew what the answer would be, considering the fact he listens to the doctors and nurses reports on his brothers condition.
"It was great. It was different compared to the other books you gave, I liked the fantasy setting. I don't like how it ended though.. " he said the last sentence to himself as his eyes scan the cover of the book, his thumb rubbing against the material of the cover.
"Oh.. You didn't like the ending.. Well, how about I bring your more books that I'm sure you'd like? And I'll even make sure it's all fantasy. I'm sure reading books will be much more entertaining than having to stay here all day with nothing to do. " his brother said, clearly talking about how Laurance stays inside his hospital room all day without even going outside to breathe some fresh air.
"Promise? " "Promise."
Laurance was only 10 when he had that conversation with his brother, but he could still remember how bright his brothers smile was when he made that promise, his brothers dimples visible on his brown skin as he smiled.
For as long as he can remember, he'd been admitted to the hospital because of his weak constitution, he then came to envy others who were free of this burden, looking so healthy and being able to live their life however they want, their life free of risks without having to be tied to a machine just to be able to breathe.
Because he was weak ever since birth, for his whole life he only came to know about the endless procedures, medicine and the surgeries he had to go through because of the complications he had, it came to the point where he'd gotten used to all of it, at times like this, he'd sometimes think to himself if living was truly worth it if he had to continue living this way just to be able to live through another day, he got tired of people telling him how strong he was, how he needed to be brave so that he could get better.
Been there done that, he's tired of those words, when would he even be able to get better? It was all just a cyclical process.
Laurance was lonely, most of the time, his parents hardly ever visit, that's because they needed to work long hours to be able to afford Laurance's hospital bills, medicine and everything he needed to get better, the only thing he'd gotten from them was the daily messages he'd get from his Father, asking him if he's feeling okay and if he slept well, and then he'd end the conversation with a 'We love you and Miss you. ' his Mother was too tired, considering how she barely went home at all. (Louie had mentioned this during one of his visits back then)
As Laurance grew older, it only seemed that his condition only seemed to continue to worsen every passing day, his brother had gotten more concerned when he got an update from his Father about Laurance, after school, he'd come to visit him immediately and sit by his brothers bed, grasping his thin hand in his.
The size comparison seemed to sadden him as his heart twisted in a painful way, he didn't like seeing his brother this way, he was afraid that if he was even held too tightly he'd be in pain, ever since Laurance was born, Louie had only wished good health for his brother, even if it meant that because of this, both of them were neglected by their parents to be able to make a living.
But they had each other, and Louie was the only hope that Laurance had, he wanted to get better and be able to do things that Louie spoke of, going on hikes, going to the beach, being able to travel, ride a bike, there was so many things that Laurance wanted to do before he died, it was unfair.
The only escape that he had was books, he liked the books that the nurses would give him that came from the hospitals library, but especially loved the fantasy books his brother would get him, his room had a shelf that was already filled with a few world wide known fantasy book series', ranging from different genre's, if it was fantasy, he's reading it.
So, Laurance was inspired to write a book of his own, as per his request, he had asked if he could get a notebook to write a story in, so one day, his Mother came to visit him in a long time, he didn't know how to react, but he let her hug him as tight as she could, talking to him about how work was and basically how she was sorry about not visiting him for a long time.
Giving him three blank notebooks to fill up with whatever he wanted, giving him many pens to use, her leaving with a promise of reading whatever story he finished.
And so he started to write, writing like he was running out of time, writing day and night like he's running out of time, and if you are speaking logically, he basically is, considering the fact about his depleting health, and he wanted to leave something behind before he died, at least maybe something for his family to remember him by.
It started off as a boy being sick, just like him, but unlike Laurance, he gets better when he is blessed with powers by the gods, who heard of his cries for him to get better, the gods chose him to protect the Empire of Oragon, the setting where the story begins, and with other chosen individuals, they take up the roles of the new Guardians, that protect Oragon from any danger.
It was a work he was truly proud of, so he shared it with his family, talking about it over the phone, through calls or messages, talking about his story to whoever was free to listen.
His whole demeanor changed as he continued to write his story, even his family saw this obvious change, Laurance had found himself a new reason to live, being able to finish writing his book before he dies, that was his only goal, so when Louie let him borrow his laptop to be able to write his book and further edit it.
Laurance found himself being absorbed into his work, even at the age of 15, he'd worked endlessly, replacing certain things, fixing his grammar and spelling mistakes, improving the characters. He's worked with so many drafts, but if having that many drafts lead him to the eventual end of the book, then he'd write even 100 drafts if it meant for him to be able to live through even the publishing of his book.
But not everything will go according to his simple but difficult plan, he did end up finishing the book, but he didn't live through it being published, it was only published after his death in request as his dying wish.
Laurance died at the age of 18, in the arms of his brother who gave him a hug, before the eventual drop in his heart rate, the flat line of the heart monitor filling the room, conjoined with the sobs of his Mother.
If Laurance had to change anything in his life, it would be that he would've wanted to live a healthy life, where he didn't have to be sick and weak.