Work Text:
ALONE
A little girl was wandering all alone an empty corridor of a hospital. It was early in the morning. The nurses, tired from a trying night shift preparing to hand over their patients to the day shift. All the same, they did not pay much attention to the little girl as they prepared for the tasks ahead of them.
Most patients were still asleep, so the nurses started the day by opening the doors and curtains, getting everybody ready for the morning routine. The little girl peeked into each and every room the nurses opened.
Peeking into the next room, the curtains were still closed. She couldn´t see anyone inside but she could make out a faint whimper, a disrupted soft sob. Suddenly the curtain were drawn and bright sunlight flooded the room. „Good morning Mac, what a lovely day, “a nurse chippered. „How are you today? “The blond boy, not older than 8 wiped away his tears with the sleeves of his way too big hospital gown and turned his back to her, pulling the blanket over his head.
Some people would get offended and leave, or they would scold a child for such a behavior, but not „Emma“– this nurse’s nametag said. She just smiled at the shifting heap on the bed and sat down at its edge. She laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. Suddenly the boy started coughing and wheezing hard. Emmy rubbed his back and tried to help with the coughing fit as good as possible.
„It´s alright sweetheart, take it easy, slow breaths, remember? The doc will be checking in on you in a moment and then I will sneak some sweet honey in for you. “
Emma noticed the little girl in the doorway staring with big green curious eyes. She leaned down to the boy and whispers softly „I think you have a visitor. “
She gently squeezed the boys shoulder and got up to leave. As the little girl made space for her to pass Emma smiled at her, „His name is Angus but he doesn´t like it. “
The little girls face lit up with joy and curiosity when Emma winked at her encouraging her to go in.
From the corner of her eye, she saw the boy lowering the blanket but just as she wanted to make her first step inside, the doctor and several residents rushed past her closing the door right in front of her nose. She heard the muffled voices through the door- none of which belonged to the boy. Patiently she waited when she heard a deep but yet soft and caring voice behind her.
„He needs YOU “an old man came walking towards her speaking on his cellphone. He looked worried and sad as he searched the number of the room he was going to.
„I told you I am sorry, but he had so much fun in the snow I didn´t realise how long it`s been. But he is better now. “
„James, you are his father! He just lost his mother, he needs you more than ever. “
„You know I always will be there for him. Nevertheless, James… “he sighed staring at the cellphone in his hand. He pocketed it when he finally reached the room. Right at that moment the doctors opened and greeted the man to fill him in on the boy’s condition.
The girl tried to listen in on the conversation but didn´t understand much of the grown-up medical talk. All she knew now was that the boy was sick from playing in the snow too long and that his granddad was here to visit him. Apparently, his mom got lost somewhere and his dad was angry that he was sick- so sad, she thought.
„Here you are young lady“, busted. „Come with me at once! “
With a last glance she memorised the room number and swore she`d return.
ALMOST
A little girl was walking the empty corridors of a hospital again. It was late at night and everyone was asleep. The night shift settled down for a quiet night and did not pay much attention to her.
She went to look for the boy’s room she saw earlier that day. She tried so hard to remember them throughout the eventful day and luckily, she found it again. Quietly she opened the door without a sound and peeked into the darkness. The boy lay in his bed but now, he had a nasal cannula and seemed to have a nightmare. He was stirring and thrashing in his bed, mumbling indistinctively. She wanted to go to him, try to wake him from his torment. The moment she decided to step in a nurse rushed past her into the room. She had picked up the distress from the heart monitor. She rushed to him to see what had happened.
He woke up panting and disoriented. Soon he calmed down again and the nurse tucked him back in. She then closed the door, not letting the little girl enter. “What are you doing here, little lady? Aren´t you supposed to…” but before she could say any more, the little girl pointed worried at the boy’s direction. She noticed earlier that he had no toys, not even a teddy bear with him and he was alone yet again. The nurse smiled. “You´ll visit tomorrow, okay? Now go before the tickle monster gets you.” She raised her hands mimicking claws ready to tickle and chased the little girl a few steps ahead. “Maggie” her nametag said.
RAINY DAY
One rainy afternoon a little girl was wandering the empty corridors of the hospital in search for a certain boy in a certain room. Most patients were in their rooms. Maybe they were sleeping; maybe they had visitors. It was quiet and not even the nurses paid much attention to her.
She reached the boy’s room- it was open. The boy was alone in the dark except for a dim light from the nightstand. She heard him cry yet again and her heart sank. She wanted to cheer him up so badly, bur was not sure of how to do it. Hesitantly she entered his room unnoticed by everyone.
The boy was sitting on his bed. His head buried in his arms wrapped around his knees. He sobbed and cried. She hugged her teddy one last time, then she sat it right in on the bed before climbing up on it herself.
The boy stopped crying to peek out from between his arms. He saw a little girl with long dark, almost black hair and a bright purple feather braided into a strand. She hat bright green eyes and rosy cheeks. She must have been about 5 years old. Her smile was comforting and the boy, Angus, though still shy, raised his head a bit further. The girl held out her teddy bear to him and smiled.
“For me?” he asked. The little girl nodded and scooped a little closer. Angus wiped away his tears and reached out to touch the stuffed bear but didn´t take it yet. He looked in her eyes and when she nodded reassuring, he took the bear with both hands and buried his face into the soft plush. The teddy smelled fresh and sweet like candy and berries, or, like a fresh picked peach after a warm summer rain. She thought she saw a little smile on the boy’s face.
He looked up at his visitor. “I´m Mac.” He said still a little shy and unsure what to make of her. The little girl’s smile widened and her eyes sparked, yet she didn´t answer right away.
She looked around as if looking for something or someone but then looked him right in the eyes almost forcing his undivided attention and pointed to herself first, making sure he was watching, then to the window and last she raised her arms and twinkling her fingers while moving her arms back down in front of her.
Mac looked a little confused but when she repeated the movement, he figured it out. When she repeated it the third time he spoke while she did it: “I… you, you are?” The little girl nodded. “Window...outside…” she shook her head… “Rain, rain? Rain! You are Rain.” Rain nodded and clapped her hands.
“Your name is Rain?” she nodded again.
“You can´t speak?” Rain shook her head.
“But you can hear.” Another nod. Both of their faces lit up.
“Why are you here? Mac asked. Rain shrugged and pointed to her throat.
“Your voice? Because you are not speaking?” she nodded, then pointed at him.
“I played too long in the snow. Got punio- pnumi- puminomia.” At her puzzled looks, he added “bad cough.” She nodded understanding.
“Do you like riddles…?”
After the night nurses started their shift, one of them would check up on the boy, because they also knew that he was a lonely boy. However, what they found that night would end up as a photo memory on the nurses’ favourite patients- wall. The photo would show a little boy sleeping peacefully for the first time since his stay at the hospital, snuggling a soft teddy bear. No nightmares tormenting him, no sleepless cries and sobs at night. Behind him, a little girl was snoring softly with one arm laid around him protectively.
From that moment on Rain would visit him every day. They would spend the whole day together. He would show her how to make things from other things and she would teach him some sign language: One day she formed her index fingers into little hooks and interlocked them. She nodded at him to do the same. Mac did so. Then she loosened and instead grabbed his right hand and interlocked one another’s index fingers.
Mac stared at it for a moment, then epiphany hit him: “Friend.”
Mac asked the nurses to bring some paperclips and by the end of the day the two of them had made hundreds of paperclip animals and shapes that they would trade in for some extra jelly.
And as the days passed the boy got better and better.
FRIEND
One misty morning the little girl walked the busy corridor of a hospital, heading straight to her friend’s room. All this time they were together every single day and soon the whole hospital called them Mac’ n Cheesy.
However, this time, the bed was empty.
Her happy smile turned into a frozen mask of confusion and sadness. She stood in the doorway not quite knowing what to do when a door opened on her left. Mac stepped out of the bathroom- all dressed and ready to leave. He didn´t say a word at first, a bit ashamed like he had been caught in the act. For a moment they just stood in silence staring at the floor.
“I am well again.” Mac said sheepishly, feeling guilty as if he committed a crime by being well again.
Rain nodded but didn´t look up. A huge crocodile tear ran down her cheek and formed a sea of sorrow on the floor tiles.
Deep down, they both knew that this day would come. Mac gently raised her chin and wiped away a big crocodile- tear off her cheek.
Her otherwise sparkly green eyes were a sad muddy color now and Mac felt the sadness cutting into his heart. He would leave her and perhaps never see her again. The hurt was mutual.
“Alright Mac, ready to leave? Oh…” Mac’s granddad strolled towards them. He took care of the paperwork and came to pick up his only grandson.
“You must be Rain. Delighted to finally meet you, little lady “ he held out his hand toward her. She slowly raised hers to politely shake it, but instead, the old man took her hand in his, scooped down to her and kissed her hand like a gentleman.
A tiny little smile formed in the corner of her lips, her cheeks blushing.
“I´ll leave you two now. Mac, I´ll be waiting over there.” Pointing at the vending machine at the end of the hall, he stood up and left.
Before they said good-bye, Mac pulled out a paperclip pendant from his pocket in the shape of an endless interlocking heart.
“Thanks for the bear and…” he said, but the real surprise was yet to come.
He finished the sentence by raising his right hand to his lips, followed by a set of certain motions – in sign language. Rain looked up, pleasantly surprised and pulled him into a huge bear hug, not wanting to ever let him go.
She then watched as he walked away flanked by nurse Emma and Maggie. When Mac and his granddad stepped into the elevator, they waved one last time. “Rain, what did he say?” Maggie asked curoisly.
Rain smiled at her, took out her notepad and wrote: “Thank you for being my friend.”
ALONE AGAIN
One stormy afternoon a little girl wandered the empty corridors of a hospital no more.
She just sat on her hospital bed, sad and alone, playing with her paperclip pendant that she wore around her neck on some dental floss, and waiting for someone to pick her up, too.