He was sleeping when she came in. A tiny porcelain figure curled up beneath blankets on a bed that seemed far too large for the six year old boy. Curled beneath pale, skinny arms was a well loved floppy eared stuffed dog, squeezed in the child's fevered sleep. After checking his vitals and IV, Ebbie stood watching him in the silence of his darkened room. There was no hair on his tiny head. Not even eyebrows. The chemotherapy had seen to that. Acute Leukemia, a devastating disease responsible for more child and young adult deaths in the US than any other type of malignant disease, ran rampant through the little boy's body. Chemo could only do so much to stem the progress of a very dabilitating disease. Remission didn't last long for little Sammy. Withought a bone marrow transplant, his chances for survival were slim. But at Shriner's Hospital, he'd get the care he needed. Care he wouldn't have gotten anywhere else. And quite possibly the chance to survive something that killed nearly 85% of people diagnosed with it.
She watched him as he rolled onto his back, the stuffed dog tucked in close to his side as he let out a deep breath. Little green, bright eyes opened slowly to look up at her."You're new..."his voice smoothed over the silence gently as he blinked up at her. Ebbie smiled brightly at him, pulling his disheveled covers up a bit more to settle below his chest."Yes I am. My name's Ebbie. I'll be helping to take care of you for the next few weeks."she said, reaching across to his tray and grabbing a cup of water with one of those little flexie straws."You're prettier than the other nurse. She smelled like old cheese..."he said with a bit of a shy smile. Ebbie laughed at that, recalling Nurse Mayer. She'd been transfered. Ebbie had taken her place."Well, thank you. You're not so bad yourself."she said, holding the straw close to his mouth."Come on, drink up, kiddo. Gotta build your strength if you're going to the fair tomorrow, right?"A hawaiian fair was coming to the hospital, down in the back parking lot, specifically for all the children. Ebbie was looking forward to it. More than that, looking forward to taking the kids. He took a long sip, then settled back on the bed."I can't go."he said softly, looking sullen as he pulled his puppy up into a big hug. Ebbie's chocolate hued eyes looked curious as she set the cup down, "Now what makes you think that?"she asked.
Sammy didn't look at her as he fiddled with one of the dog's floppy ears. "My mom won't be here. She had to go back home to be with my sisters for the weekend."It was a sad but relatively often occurrance in such situations. Parents split themselves in two to be with their healthy children as well as the ones who needed round the clock care, like Sammy. Ebbie put a hand on his head, smoothing over the soft skin gently."Tell ya what..." she said, offering a friendly and bright smile,"You and I should go together."Sammy looked at her, a bright glint in his eyes. Happiness. Such a wonderful thing to see."Really?"he asked shyly."Really."she said, then cuddled his blankets a little closer around him."Now you get some sleep, and I will definitely see you tomorrow."she gave him a gentle wink and he smiled, turning over with puppy dog in arm and closing his eyes with that happy look still on his face.
Ebbie stood in the doorway, watching his face and body relax as he began tosettle back into sleep. Smiles like that were what made the job worth while. Watching him, Ebbie couldn't quite help herself. She let the walls down, softly focusing on the sick little boy in his bed. Like a warm liquid, she flowed into his mind. And did the one thing she did best above all else... listened. At first there was nothing... just sweet silence. Then the soft tones of a whispering thought process. He couldn't wait for the fair, couldn't wait to see the shows. Couldn'twait to win prizes... couldn't win prizes... couldn't do anything. Slowly, an aching sadness filled his head, and in turn filled her own. He missed his mother. Wished he was healthy. Wished he could do all the things he used to do. Ebbie closed her eyes and let out a short breath, and placed one of her own thoughts into his head...'Soon, you will be healthy. Till then, you have to build your strength. Tomorrow you will have so much fun. You'll see...'
She pulled out of his mind then, pulled the walls back up into place. Opened her eyes and smiled softly. She would make sure he had a wonderful day tomorrow. It was the least she could do, after all. Despite what he thought, he never showed it. Never let anyone see the sadness he held, the pain he went through, the loneliness from time to time. He was a little hero. Stronger than most adults. And though she did her best not to think about it, he was a hero that the world would lose some day. If he wasn't lucky. Ebbie went about her rounds then. There were other children in the Critical Care unit who needed her attention. But always in the back of her mind she could see his smiling face. Proof that hope survived even in the darkest of situations. And to find it, all you had to do was listen...
