Seeing Clearly

Chapter Eight

“Between the red cells and white, something’s not right” Skin (Sarabeth) [Rascal Flats]

Lily sat beside Alaya at Violet Ridge Hospital. Her eyes wandered around looking at everyone, a young girl ran by her with a Barbie clutches tightly in her right hand and in her left she was dragging a boy who had no hair. He looked like he was only eight.

Lily frowned and swallowed as she watched the girl and boy run around giggling until a haggard looking nurse came out and picked the boy up off the ground. The little girl stomped her foot and followed the nurse back into the corridor she had come from.

She really hated hospitals. 

Lily wrung her hands together and bounced her knee up and down; she didn’t know how much longer she could wait. Her dreams last night had been filled with images of Alaya in a hospital bed with a dozen machines attached to her. Lily had woken up twice but second time she woke up she actually walked over to Alaya’s room to check on her.

Her dream had ended with the doctor saying, “I’m sorry but your niece isn’t going to make it”

On that happy note, Lily turned her eyes to look at Alaya, who un-like she was sitting with ankles neatly crossed and her I-pod earphones in, her hands were strumming on her thighs.

Lily inhaled; if a sixteen year old could sit still for half an hour, so could she.  She lasted about two minutes before she felt her blood pressure rise again. She turned her attention to the walls, deciding that the shade of light green they were painted were not relaxing but really quite annoying.

“Miss. Dranias? The doctor is ready to see you two” a voice said. Lily brought her eyes up quickly to the nurse in pink and blue scrubs standing in front of her. Lily tapped Alaya on the shoulder before grasping her hand and pulling her up off the seat.

The nurse kept a big smile on her face as she grabbed Alaya’s elbow and ushered the two of them into the corridor. Lily looked around slightly panicked, a man was sleeping in a wheelchair on one side of the hall; a girl was expertly swinging herself down the corridor with crutches. Lily’s panic grew as they passed quickly through a door labelled “Cancer and Terminal Illness Ward”.

Dr. Almariez works in this ward; his office is down here, Lily scolded herself as her heart rate picked up again. After pushing through the doors they turned to the left right away where a heavy wooden door with a black plaque read Dr. Almariez; Head of C.I.W.

The nurse knocked lightly before grasping the metal doorknob and pushing it open.  “Thank you” Alaya whispered quietly.

Lily nodded her head in the nurse’s direction whose smile weakened slightly. The lady gave Lily a small shoulder squeeze before walking back out the way they came.

“Thank you for coming in Lily” the Doctor said standing up from his desk with a thick file in his hands. Lily helped Alaya into a chair and sat down herself.

“The MRI’s came back perfectly” he started, as he sat down on the front of his desk. Lily nodded and fought the urge to shake the man who was sitting there holding the answers to all her questions. “But...the reason we are a bit-erm- concerned, is the results of the blood work”

Lily dug her nails into her palm as the Doctor continued speaking. “ There are white and red blood cells; and you need both to function properly; her red blood cell count is alarmingly low”

“Is there anything we could do?” Lily asked, a bad feeling gnawing at her as the Doctor lowered his eyes to the file in front of him. “I’m afraid,” He started. “That isn’t the worst of the news”