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I smile. “Not yet. I need to find out a little bit about him first, you know? I want to make sure I find him the perfect buddy.”
“I think Eli is really sad.” Cassie, one of the little girls, frowns. “I tried to say hi last night, but he told me to go away. I feel bad for him. I hope his buddy can help him.”
I give Cassie a quick hug. “Well, that’s the plan. I want to find just the right person for him, someone who can make him happy, because you know what all of the doctors and nurses say, right?”
“To stay happy and positive. That’s how we beat the cancer.” Cassie smiles. “We need to make Eli happy and positive, too.”
“Exactly.” I stand up and wave to the other kids playing in the large alcove. “So wish me luck. I’m going to meet him now.”
“Good luck!” Cassie and Ian say in unison, returning to their game.
I stop by the nurses’ station and grin at the head nurse, Clara. “Good morning!”
“My, my, don’t you look chipper this morning, sweetie!” Clara leans in. “Did you have a hot date last night?”
“No, actually, I’ve been here since last night.” I snicker. “The only big date I had was with a pile of patient charts.”
Clara laughs. “Well, that couldn’t have been too steamy, now could it?”
I tighten my ponytail and laugh. “Not if you count gangrene, a flare-up of irritable bowel syndrome, and a severed finger to be super sexy.”
“Not even close. I have no desire to live vicariously through you, sweetie. No offense.”
I wink at Clara. “None taken.”
“So you’re going to see Eli, hmm?” Clara shakes her head. “Poor thing. He’s having a really rough time. You know, his older brother is really the one taking care of him right now. Mother is a junkie who just got picked up for possession after the diagnosis came in. I guess she couldn’t handle it. The father took off years ago. I don’t think they have any contact with him anymore. It’s bad, sweetie. And I don’t know that a buddy is going to help with his problems. But I’m sure your smiling face will cheer him up a bit.”
My heart clenches. Un-freaking-believable. “Is Social Services involved?”
“Well, the brother is twenty-one years old, so he is the legal guardian. Social Services can’t do much about that.”
I furrow my brow, scanning his chart. Acute something or other leukemia. “Does the brother know what he’s in for? Does he go to school or work? How is he going to do this on his own?”
“The doctors have discussed everything with him, and he said he will do whatever Eli needs.” Clara covers my hand with her own. “Sweetie, you know you can’t solve everyone’s problems. I can see the wheels turning behind those pretty eyes of yours. You take on way too much, and it isn’t healthy for you. Your job is to give him something to look forward to, a shoulder to cry on, someone to make him laugh, someone to comfort him when he’s feeling sad or scared.”
I let out a deep sigh. “I know, it’s just that I hate these kinds of cases. How can such deadbeats become parents? How can you hear your son has just been diagnosed with a serious, potentially terminal illness, and you shove the responsibility at your other kid and go get blasted as an escape? I mean, how do you live with yourself? That poor kid doesn’t need a buddy. He needs his freaking parents!” I slap a hand on the top of the desk. “Okay! I have to get back to happy Sloane and leave pissed-off Sloane here with you.” I wink at Clara. “Sorry about that. I’ll be by later to pick her up.”
“I love your alter-ego, too, so take your time, sweetie.”
I turn down one of the hallways toward Room 16. My sneakers squeak on the freshly scrubbed tile floor, and I stop outside of the door, taking in a deep breath. The sharp smell of antiseptic cleaner fills my lungs and I let it out, along with all of the anxiety of meeting this new patient. I inch toward the door and knock twice before entering.
Eli is sitting up in his bed. He stares at an open book in his hands, never lifting his head.
“Eli,” I say in a soft voice. “My name is Nurse Sloane. I just wanted to stop by to say hello.” I creep closer to the bed, taking ginger steps, not wanting to upset him at all. “Can I get you anything? Are you hungry or thirsty?”
Still no response. I can’t blame him. Being diagnosed with this kind of a disease at his age, dealing with the loss of the only parent you know, feeling scared, alone, and helpless…it all makes my stomach roll.
He raises his dark eyes to mine, narrows them, and says in a biting tone, “Why don’t you just get out of here? I didn’t ask for anything, and I don’t want anything.”
I bite my lower lip. “Eli, I…I don’t understand what you’re feeling right now, so I won’t pretend by saying I do. What I do know is that there are people here who want to make you as comfortable as possible and to help you get well. That’s what I do. So, while you might not want anyone around right now, when you decide you do, I’ll be here.”
His eyes fill with tears and he clenches the bed sheet, forgetting about the book in his lap. “Did anyone tell you I don’t have a dad? Or that my mom is a drug addict who’d rather get high than be with me, her sick son?”
I nod. “I can’t imagine how hard—”
“No, you can’t.” A deeper voice comes from the doorway, and I spin around with a gasp to find a taller version of Eli standing behind me with the same hardened look on his face.
“Oh, you must be Eli’s brother. My name is Nurse Sloane. I just wanted to stop by to say hello and to see if he needed anything.”
