Free The Debt 5 by Kelly Favor

running.”
    Then she quickly scurried off to wherever
she came from.
    “I think she’s an angel,” Skylar said,
closing her eyes and exhaling.

 
    ***

 
      Later on, Raven took a break to go and
eat at the hospital cafeteria.   Skylar seemed to be doing well with the chemo once they’d gotten past
the initial problem with the IV.   Her mother had come back and seemed to calm down, so Raven left the two
of them and went on her own.
    She already was exhausted from dealing
with the anxiety of watching her friend suffer, worrying for Skylar’s wellbeing
and trying to put up a positive front all at once.   Knowing that there was going to be nearly
two months of this for Skylar was terrifying.   And there was no telling how her body
would react to all of the drugs they were pumping into her system—it was
essentially poisoning her, hoping to kill off the cancer before doing too much
damage to the rest of her.
    When Raven finally got to the cafeteria,
there was already plenty of people milling about, getting food from the various
different stations, or sitting at the tables.   There were doctors, nurses, patients and
families, and there were also students, since Boston Memorial was a teaching hospital
as well.
    She decided to get a precooked
cheeseburger, because there was no line and it was simpler than standing around
and waiting to get pork loin or roast turkey.   The cheeseburger came in a bright foil
package that was greasy to the touch.   Then, Raven grabbed herself a Diet Coke and some potato chips before
paying.
    As she left the register, Raven scanned
the brightly lit room for an empty table, and didn’t see any.  
    “Crowded, huh?” a woman said, coming up
next to her.
    Raven glanced at the woman.   “Yeah, it is.   Feels like high school all over again.”
    “Tell me about it.”   The woman grinned.   She was short, with frizzy red hair and
freckles.   Raven instantly liked her
for some reason.
    “I guess I’ll just have to bite the
bullet and sit with strangers,” Raven said.
    “Wait, I think I see some people getting
up.   I’ll go grab a table for us!”
the lady said, and then she was off like a rocket, racing to get to the newly
open table before someone else tried to claim it as their own.
    Raven chuckled at the sight of the
smaller woman as she barely dodged a group of students, who looked at her like
she was a fool.
    Finally, the redhead was able to sit, and
she waved Raven over.   By the time
Raven got there, her new friend was still breathing heavy.
    “I knew I quit smoking for a reason,” she
said, as Raven sat down.
    “You didn’t have to do that,” Raven told
her, smiling.
    “But you’re glad I did, aren’t you?”
    “Yes, of course.   Now I feel like I should buy you a
cookie or something.”
    The woman shook her head.   “Don’t give it another thought.”   She had a cellophane wrapped tuna
sandwich and a bottle of water.   She
slowly and painstakingly began unwrapping her sandwich.   “My name’s Bri, by the way.”
    “I’m Raven.   Nice to meet you.”
    Bri nodded, got half her sandwich unwrapped
and started eating it with gusto.   “Food’s not so bad here.”
    Raven couldn’t say the same about her
cheeseburger.   It tasted like it had
been made with mostly soy and microwaved until it turned into a hockey
puck.   But she was hungry enough to
eat it, especially once she’d dumped enough ketchup
and mustard on the burger to make it less offensive.
    “Do you work here?” Raven asked, after
swallowing a particularly unsatisfying bite.
    Bri shrugged.   “I’m a freelancer.”
    “Oh.” Raven wasn’t sure what that even meant,
but decided to let it go.
    “What about you?” Bri asked, her green
eyes suddenly piercing.   “What
brings you here, if you don’t mind me asking?”
    “My friend’s getting treatment and I’m
here for support.”
    “Ah,” Bri said.   “I get it.   That’s nice your friend has you.”
    “I’m