They Say You'll be Fine

It seems like just yesterday that I was with you

Well I suppose that’s because I was

We laughed and talked and stayed up late into the night

Everything was fine

I left the next day and went far away

Only to get a text saying you were in the hospital

The world came crashing down around me and I felt like I couldn’t breathe; only you were the one who really couldn’t breathe

They say you’ll be fine, but I know it runs in the family, a series of health problems with fatal consequences

I’d seen it in her, in the way she couldn’t catch her breath and struggled to even be able to walk

I’d see it in the other one as well, in the way she had coughing fits and seemed to choke on nothing at all

And I’d see it in you, in the way you, too, would cough until you couldn’t breathe

Then one day you coughed too hard, and it was gone

The shortness of breath came, you felt like you were dying

The world seemed to race by on your way to the hospital

And I wasn’t even there

I was far away

They say you’ll be fine, but I can’t help but be doubtful

Walking into the hospital room of a loved one is my worst nightmare

The pain behind my smile is clear to see, but I keep a fair façade

I don’t want you to see how scared I am, that would only worry you

I sit politely, I joke with you, and we bring you flowers

It’s all so fake I feel that I might be sick

The untold words hide in my eyes and I know you can see them

There’s an unspoken rule between us: We accept that you’ll be healthy again, even if we know it could be a lie, because they say you’ll be fine