The Barefoot Girl

Chapter 36

I swear, the traffic on Q street is the worst it's ever been. Or maybe I'm just more anxious than normal.

"What the heck is even going on that is bringing all these people to a random place like Omaha, Nebraska?" Megan wonders aloud from her seat directly next to me.

"Ummm... It could just be city traffic," Ben points out jerking his head around to see Megan.

"Ugh, it'd be faster if we walked; I'm about ready to jump out and do just that," I announce, banging my head against the car window impatiently.

Michelle, who's directly in front of me flings her head around.

"Oh calm your butt down," she retorts.

"We're gonna have to wait for the surgery to be done anyway."

I turn away from the window and rest my head on my hand. I can't help but smile like an idiot in Michelle's direction, for once happy she threw a sarcastic comment at me.

That's the Michelle I know and love.

"What are you smiling at?" she says when I don't stop grinning. She's trying to act annoyed but I can tell it's all she can do to keep herself from smiling.

For an answer, I stick my tongue out at her playfully. She rolls her eyes, still trying to hide her amusement, and turns back forward. I sigh deeply and resume staring out the window.

After that, everyone keeps to their own thoughts. The car goes silent and all the noise we hear is coming from outside our little box.

My ears greet the sound of impatient drivers honking their horns and my eyes take in their angry looks. I can't help but think that they have no right to be so impatient. They aren't the ones with a seven year old in the hospital with cancer. I immediately regret that thought. For all I know, many of these people could be in the same boat as us.

I suddenly become very aware of the people in the surrounding cars. I marvel at the fact that each one of those people as a story, most I will probably never know.

It doesn't take long for my wandering mind to snap back to thoughts and worries concerning Lacy.

Please, please, please, please God, I pray silently over and over again.

Let the transplant work pleeeassseee.

______________________

I don't know why I thought arriving at the hospital would make me any less anxious. If anything, I'm losing my head more now that we're here. Michele's right; we've gotta sit and wait for news on the transplant. And who knows how long these things take?

I'm walking back and forth between the two rows of waiting room chairs, picking at my hair one minute and my nails the next. All I can see is that same look on the doctor's face from only days before.

"I'm so sorry... I'm so so sorry..."

"Would you quit pacing?" Michelle hisses under her breath, snapping me out of my midday nightmare.

"You're freaking me out."

I freeze mid-stride and look at her.

"Sorry," I mutter, before sitting down beside her.

But my nervous energy is still bubbling inside me, aching for a way out. Before long, my knees are bouncing and I'm chewing my nails.

Michelle glares at me and swats my hand away from my mouth. My knees go still right along with the my furious teeth, as if the two actions were connected.

"You worked on breaking that habit for literally two years, don't start again now."

She huffs, crosses her arms, and turns to stare across the aisle at the row of chairs facing us. I give her glare back. She's quickly getting on my nerves. But I know giving me a hard time is her way of distracting herself, so I try to have some patience... As much I wish she'd find an alternative.

My knees subconsciously start bouncing again. Before Michelle can tell me off for it, I stand up and start walking in the direction of the entrance. I stop right in front of the front desk, combing my hair with my hands and blowing air with through my lips.

This is torture.

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch the sight of a doctor approaching the waiting room from the hallway. I nearly jump out of skin, quickly turning so I'm fully facing him.

It's not a doctor I recognize...

He meets a coworker at the end of the hall and talk for a bit before heading their separate ways. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. This is gonna be a long day.

"Nervous?" a voice from behind me asks.

Startled, I whirl around to find Luke on duty. I hadn't even noticed he's working right now.

Smiling nervously, I nod.

He gives me a sympathetic look.

"Me too, kid."

I look down and study a hole that's forming in my sneaker. Luke stares at the ceiling for a moment. Then he offers me a reassuring smile.

I excuse myself and walk right outside the entrance. I've decide I want to call Natalie.

I dial her phone number and let it ring a few times before I remind myself that she's still in school. I mentally scold myself and hope Natalie remembered to turn off her phone today.

Just as I'm going to hang up, Natalie's voice breaks through.

"Bridget??" she practically screeches.

"Natalie!" I reply in shock.

"Aren't you in school?"

"The teacher let me answer when I told her it was you," she replies off-handedly.

I chuckle, embarrassed.

"So everyone's heard the false alarm," I mumble.

"Yeah Bridg- What FALSE ALARM??" she shrieks.

I take a deep breath and endeavor to explain the whole thing to her. It all happened so fast; my head is spinning as I relive the whole thing.

When I finish, Natalie is silent for so long I wonder for a moment if she hung up or some teacher wandering the halls confiscated her phone. But then her voice comes through the phone once again.

"Whoa..." she breathes.

"Guess I'll have to make sure everyone knows that," she says.

I try to decide whether or not she's kidding.

And then, I break down. I think it surprised me more Natalie.

"Bridget...?" Natalie prompts gently.

"Is there such thing as too much hope?" I whisper.

There's silence for a second. I can practically see Natalie's face as she ponders that question.

"No," she finally decides.

"No there's not."