The Secret Garden (GirlxGirl)

Red Carnation

"Any change today?" I ask the nurse as I walk into the room. She shakes her head and I drop mine. The nurse places a hand on my shoulder before she leaves the room to give me some privacy. I walk around the bed and take a seat in the chair that I've sat in countless hours. "I need you to wake up." I lean close and whisper to her. "I need you to be okay." I say and I can feel the tears starting to build. I sigh and sit back in the chair, grabbing my journal from my bag on the floor next to me. I grab a pen and open it up to a blank page. I stare at the figure on the bed before me and let a single tear escape my eye before I wipe it away and begin writing.

–

"And what does this one mean daddy?" I asked him picking up a red flower.

"Well that one is called a Carnation, sweetie." He said, taking the flower from my hand and gathering me up into his arms. "A red Carnation means that you admire someone or that you long for them." He finished and kissed me on the cheek.

"What does admire mean daddy?" I asked and he could only smiled.

"Well..." he started, placing me down on a bench and taking a seat next to me. "When you admire someone you sweetie, it means that you look up to them or respect them." He explained and I nodded.

"Daddy..."I said after a moment.

"Hmm, sweet pea?" He asked, looking down at me with a smile.

"I really admire you." I said then stood on the bench to hug his neck.

–

I stopped writing and looked around the room at the dozens of flowers that covered it. I noticed that not one was a red carnation. I close my journal, placing it into my bag as I got up from the chair.

"Do you think the gift shop sells red carnations?" I ask the nurse, once I reach the desk across from the room I just exited.

"Um..." She scratches her head. "I'm not sure. Would you like for me to call down and see?" She asks and I shake my head.

"No thanks. I'll just go get her some." I tell her, forcing a smile to be polite. I hate leaving her here. Even for only a second, but I have to do it often. To eat, sleep, go to work, when her family comes around. It's hard to be away from her, but sometimes I have no choice.

–

"You said you were looking for what color carnations?" The boy at the flower shop asks for the fourth time.

"Red." I say simply, trying to keep my composure. Something that has been hard as of late—especially when people say dumb things or ask dumb questions.

"Ah." He says and pulls a flower from a batch and tries to hand it to me. Seriously?

"That's a red rose." I spit out and he scratches his head.

"Oh." Is all he says putting the flower back.

"You know what, never mind." I tell him and turn and exit the store before he could say anything else. Sometimes I don't even know why I bother.

I walk the few blocks to the Grandeline Garden, knowing I probably should have just driven. Leaving my car in a flower shop parking lot in downtown L.A is never a good idea.

"Ashley, hello." Mrs. Peatree greets me.

"Hi, Mrs. Peatree." I smile a warm smile at her. Mrs. Peatree and her husband have owned and operated this Garden for over sixty years. She's well into her eighties, but is as young as ever. She said it's the flowers that keep her young.