"She isn't getting any better ma'am. Her tumor is not getting smaller, it seems to be getting larger. The treatment isn't even putting a dent in her cancer...even after a month. By now it should be doing something. We can continue with the treatment to see if anything changes, but I don't think it will. A year has turned into 5 months... maybe. Soon this tumor will effect the way she talks, thinks, and acts. As time goes on her intelligence levels will lower, and she will start acting like a child. Soon after she will be disabled. Even if we did continue the treatment, and she did go into remission, she would never be the same. Even if we were able to remove the tumor, she wouldn't be the same. The tumor would have already done it's damage.... Launey, this is Sara Berkley." The doctor gestured toward a woman dressed in a particularly expensive dress suit.
Launey looked the woman up and down, "Who is she?" She asked as politely as she could. Her arms were crossed, and worry was strewn across her expression.
"Hello miss... I am with the Make-A-Wish foundation... and I wanted to discuss options for your daughter." The woman said. She tried to sound as sweet as she could, it wasn't easy giving news like this.
"What do you think they're talking about out there?" Adelaide said, sitting up in her bed, her eyes were glued to her mother. Dylan had been reading to her, she wasn't paying attention.
The boy lowered the book slowly, and glanced out the large window in the hospital room. He noticed the distraught look on Adelaide's mother's face, his heart wrenched. "Probably just what happened the other week and continues to happen. This is the first day your mother has had off in a while, she needs to be filled in." He gave her a reassuring smile.
"They already told her about it. You were asleep, but she called me a few days after. Every time it's happened since, she's called." Adelaide adjusted her position, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration. "I bet it's about the test I took the other day. He has the results."
Dylan didn't speak, he knew that she wasn't dumb, she understood everything that was happening. He just couldn't bring himself to believe that she might not even make it. He sighed and glanced at her arm that rested by her side, it had been twitching, his eyes widened and he shook his head. Arm twitches were the first sign of an attack, something they began to call her episodes. The minute he realized that she was going to have one she began to cough, blood fell into her hand. Dylan stood quickly grabbing a few paper towels. He put one in her hand and plugged her nose with another. "Hold this one for a second." She did as she was told and he grabbbed the bucket that she used for vomit. Just in time. the minute he held it under her mouth she began to spew bloody liquid. The doctor was by their side within seconds, nurses were called, and Dylan was pushed aside along with Launey and Sara. Launey clung to the boy in fear, she had no words.
Zelda rushed in along with other nurses and began tending to the girl. Dylan watched Zelda stuck her with a syringe, her thumb pushed the contents into Adelaide's body and Adelaide slowly fell asleep, the attack was over. The doctor shook his head and made his way to the three adults in the corner. "It seems to be that her organs are beginning to fail. I will spare you the details, she lost a lot of blood today, I am going to need to run a blood transfusion. And run a few tests to confirm that her organs are beginning to fail. If I am correct, Adelaide could go at any time. Her body is giving up. After the blood transfusion and tests, I am going to send all three of you home with a home nurse. She should be in the comfort of her own home before she does go. If what I'm thinking is true there is nothing more we can do... I am very sorry."
Dylan watched them place a needle in the sleeping girl's pale arm, he then watched the crimson fluid flow down the thin tube and into her arm. His ears were filled with the noise of Launey's sobs next to him. The tests came back proving the doctor to be right. Tears threatened to pour from his eyes, the boy closed his eyes and shoved himself from the old hospital chair and moved from the room. His feet carried him all the way outside of the hospital and they only picked up speed from there. The boy was headed for the beach.
Once there, the sun was beginning to set. Sweat ran down the boy's body and he fell to his knees, only the ocean, fish, and sand accompanied him. His head found his hands and he began to pray, "I don't know if I've ever prayed, I don't know if I even really believe in you. But why not give it a go... Adelaide doesn't deserve this. Adelaide doesn't deserve to die, she deserves to live a full life, she deserves to find love, and grow up, and play music for whomever she wants to. It isn't her turn, can't you create a miracle or something? I just don't understand why, if you are real, you would pick her, why her of all people? I mean after all she's been through? Why would you even consider putting her through this, just to die at a young age?" He was babbling through his tears. The boy was angry at the doctors, at himself, at Adelaide's father, and at her mother for not being there more.
When Dylan returned to the hospital Adelaide was awake and in a wheel chair. They were putting the girl into her mother's van. Zelda, now his girlfriend, sat along side the girl, happiness didn't overcome him when he realized that she would be the nurse. Launey told him to follow them home, he could stay at their place if he wanted. He did what she said.
