Chapter 1
Lakeside House. It sounded a little cliche, to be honest. Large comfortable rooms, 80 acres of land, most of which was home to a large lake. It was nice, if you liked that sort of thing.
It was home to many elderly people, people that couldn't stay at home on their own anymore. But there were the occasional medical patient. People who need help during their treatment, people that want or require hospice care. The people the own the care home are a nice couple. They accept the special cases, people who aren't elderly but need somewhere to go once in a while.
This was where Wade was going to be visiting during the last moments of his life. He had been diagnosed with a fast acting brain tumor. He refused the medical treatment for it, it was cancer and he knew he was going to die because of it someday. What was the point in elongating his life when he had no one to spend it with anyway?
Wade looked up at the large building from the car. He got a lift in from his apartment in the city. He paid a little towards the cost, but most of it was paid for by the owners. His parents had known them and he had even helped out when he was younger. So they gave his special treatment. Almost like they wanted to apologise for all the things wrong in his life.
Getting out of the car, Wade waved goodbye to the driver. He would be back in the evening to take him home. He walked up the stairs of the large building and walked through the rotating doors into the entryway.
Lisa was there to greet him, she was one of the owners of the home. She was exactly as he remembered. Motherly and old fashioned. She wore those awful cardigans that were out of fashion over a decade ago.
Lisa greeted Wade with a hug and a kiss. She showed his around the building. It was larger than it looked, and Wade felt like quoting Doctor Who, but know that Lisa wouldn't understand. He was shown where all the important things were.
When he was finally left alone he made sure to remember the path to the closes bathroom. He near constantly felt nauseous and didn't want to throw up on the expensive looking carpets of the halls.
It was his third visit to the Lakeside House when he met Peter. Peter was a sweet kid and Wade took a shine to him immediately. Peter was at the house because he had MS.
He'd had it for almost three years now and he was in the middle of a relapse. A pretty sever one Wade assumed. Peter was currently being carted around in a wheelchair and refused to go home. His balance was awful but he could walk around if assisted, the chair was just easier.
Peter lived with his Aunt when he was home, but he hated being a burden to her so stayed at the Lakeside Home when he relapsed.
The two spent most of their time together at the home. Wade learned all he could about Peter, and found they had a lot more in common than he first thought. They both enjoyed the same shows and movies. They enjoyed the same games and Peter even laughed at Wade's jokes. Wade had fallen in love after the first week.
It was a month later, when he started getting weaker. His personality started to change more. He was a lot angrier than he used to be. He became more violent than usual, although Peter was normally there to keep him calm.
Peter's MS receded after a while and he was able to walk around on his own again. He went back to live with his aunt but made sure to visit whenever Wade was at the house.
The spoke more about the past as the days got shorter. It was early December and the grounds were constantly covered in snow. The lake was frozen over completely, Wade was tempted to skate across it.
Wade told Peter how he had been a Navy SEAL before being diagnosed. By the time the tumor had been discovered, it was already too late. It was at least Grade 3 and was fast acting. He was given a few months at most and had been chastised for not contacting someone sooner. Like he knew his symptoms meant he had cancer.
Peter had grown up without his parents. Lived with his aunt and uncle for his entire life. His uncle had died while he was still young, only seventeen. His aunt had raised him on her own ever since and he cherished her for it. He felt bad about his illness, and hated being a burden to her, which was why he was so enthusiastic about going to the Lakeside House everyday.
The two grew closed over the next few weeks and as it got closer to Christmas, Wade was starting to regret not having some form of treatment. If he had done anything, then maybe he could have more time with Peter.
He was getting weaker now, and couldn't walk from one end of the house to the next without needing to stop to catch his breath. He was more nauseous than ever, and hated the fact that he struggled to keep himself feeling sane. He refused any help that was offered to him that wasn't from Peter.
He was sure he was starting to hear voices. Voices in his head whispering all his fears into his ear. All his worries and the things that make him sad.
He was offered an official room at the Lakeside House. He was now one of the permanent guests there. When Peter would leave in the evenings he would go out and walk through the snow. It was too cold for him most nights, but he let it sober him. The cold numbed him and made the whole thing seem a lot better.
Wade was dying and he knew he didn't have long left. The tumor had been left for too long and he had refused the treatment offered to him. It was entirely his fault and he hated himself for the decisions that he had made.
On Christmas day Peter's MS relapsed again. It was another severe episode. Wade knew he shouldn't feel happy, but he couldn't stop the smile when he got to see Peter for Christmas. Peter was still able to walk on his own, but he was weak and used the wheelchair mainly for convenience.
The made a habit of taking long walks out in the snow, wrapped up warm. Wade would push Peter around and they would talk about what they planned for the new years.
Peter knew Wade didn't have long but he liked to talk like they had all the time in the world. All the time to talk and be together. They were best friends by now, even if they had only known each other a month.
They took these walks at least three times a day. Once in the morning, one after lunch and one in the evening, when it was dark. They would walk through the grounds, until they reached the edges of the lake.
Their favourite spot was right at the end of the path. There was a stone wall which framed the steps which lead down to the lake's edge. Framing the steps were two benches.
Wade would clear himself a space on a bend and would scoot Peter's chair right next to the end. He would sit and the two would look out at the lake and talk nonsense.
Wade loved the walks he had with Peter, especially the nightly ones. The lamps along the path would illuminate the snow and made it glow and sparkle. They illuminated circles of pale light which reflected in Peter's eyes. Wade loved Peter's eyes. They always held a happy warmth to them.
It was late January, Peter had gotten better and was again living at home. The two still did their daily walks but they were filled with silence now. Wade could tell Peter was sad.
Wade remembered one night more clearly than most. Him and Peter had been sitting on the bench after an evening walk. It was dark and they couldn't see the lake anymore. Peter was sitting next to him on the bench.
It was normal for them, to sit in the dark in silence. It was nice and comforting for them. But that day it was different.
Peter cried for most of it. They spoke about small things, meaningless things.
Wade cried in the end. They spoke about their feelings. What they regretted most in life. What they appreciated most.
Peter said that he would miss Wade when he finally left. And Wade admitted that he regretted not getting treatment.
When Peter left for the night the two shared a quick kiss.
After that the days seemed a lot more quiet. Peter didn't visit for a few days and Wade was getting weaker.
February was when it began to end.
Peter was more morose than he usually was, Wade was weaker. Peter had started wheeling Wade around in a chair and it was a surreal experience. As Wade was slowly leaving, their situation had flipped from when he had first arrived.
They spent more time inside and no longer took their walks. Wade would spend most of his time in bed and Peter had taken to sitting with him and reading stories. He also did his homework on occasion but it wasn't as often. He said he didn't want to bore Wade, but Wade just wanted to watch Peter.
Wade would be happy if he could spend his last moments watching Peter being Peter. And when he voiced this, Peter cried. Neither of them wanted Wade to leave, but there are things in the world you can't change.
Peter also took to cuddling up to Wade. They would often have naps in the middle of the day curled up together. Peter would make sure Wade was as comfortable as he could be.
Peter became dependant on Wade, it was like he needed to take care of him. Wade knew it was Peter's way of coping. Thinking that if he did something, then he would feel better when Wade finally left.
Every time Peter left to go home, Wade saw the tears well in his eyes.
The two were never intimate after their first kiss, bar the cuddling. For Wade it was because of Peter, he knew that doing so would hurt the kid. It was too raw for Peter and it would ruin him, Wade didn't want to do that.
Their last day together was February 23rd. It was still snowy at the Lakeside House, but warm enough that the Lake had thawed out by then. Wade was no longer able to move around on his own, and he got irritated at having to be helped everywhere.
Peter visited as usual, Wade could see in his eyes how sad he was. They were no longer filled with the happiness Wade loved.
Wade convinced Peter to talk him out for a walk that day. They walked all the way down to the stone steps and sat by the benches. Wade in the chair and Peter sat next to him. It was quiet and Wade was fading in and out of consciousness often.
When he was conscious enough to notice, Peter would be talking about what he planned for his aunt's birthday. Wade wasn't truly thinking when he reached out and told Peter he loved him. But he knew enough to wipe away the tears when Peter cried. He almost missed the whispered reply.
When Wade next came to he was in bed, Peter sat next to him reading from one of favourite books. Wade was more aware this time, and somehow he knew. There was a feeling deep in the pit of his stomach that told him that this would be the last time he would see Peter.
He reached up and stroked the side of Peter's face, he knew Peter had the same feeling he did. Peter sniffled tried not to let the tears fall this time. But when Wade asked for one last kiss he couldn't stop himself.
Peter left that day with a hole in his heart. Once Wade fell asleep for the night, he never woke up again.
