Short Stories Collection

2. Second Chance

What if you were given a second chance in life after overcoming many life-threatening illnesses, but there was one catch: none of these life-threatening illnesses could be cured? Skyler is no ordinary girl. She is extraordinary when it comes to fighting for her life with multiple life-threatening illnesses. Her best friend, Grayson, gives her a second chance at being normal with a special night that she will always remember. You see, my life has always flipped upside down like a pancake. I have been battling many life-threatening illnesses at once since I was born.

Most of my illnesses can be very deadly, and I have been in and out of the hospital more times than an employee comes in and out of a hospital in a year. I have never really been out of this hospital that much, and I really cannot be normal like everyone else in this world. My life has changed since I met my very first best friend, Grayson, who happens to be just a normal teenager who was visiting his grandmother in the ICU. Ever since we met, he has always come back to visit me while I was getting many treatments. He made me a special friendship bracelet that he gave me that says, "Skyler and Grayson, Superhero and Sidekick," which is my favorite bracelet. He always finds sneaky ways of bringing food from the outside because hospital food is not that good after a while; he stays the long, endless nights with me when I am sick to my stomach; he has adventures around the hospital like fun scavenger hunts; and he sneaks me out of the hospital for nighttime adventures.

One of my funniest and most memorable adventure nights was when Grayson stuck me out of the hospital with the help of my favorite nurse, Emma. Somehow, he got her to let me off on "hospital arrest," which is impossible because of all my hospital's restraints, testing, producers, remnants, and appointments. Anyway, this one night, he told me to get ready for a nice, fun surprise adventure and also to dress comfortably and casually for a fun night. I got ready with the help of Emma, who picked out a nice outfit to wear and did my hair and makeup. She even packed a backpack for me with extra supplies for my port, such as a PIC line, a feeding tube, and other items, just in case.

Grayson picked me up from my hospital room with a dozen roses in his hand and a huge chocolate cupcake. Grayson took me to Disney World for a special dinner in front of Cinderella Castle, which is my favorite place in the world. When the fireworks started to begin at the end of the night, he put his arm around me to bring himself closer to me and then surprised me by kissing me, which sent electric shocks through my body. After we had our magic night, we had to go back to the hospital so I could get better. That night, I fell in love with my best friend, and that was my favorite adventure. For the first time in my life, I was not sick. I was just a normal girl, and honestly, it was the best feeling in the world.