Do you want to Dance?

The room seems to have a life of its own, filled with hums and beeps and the buzz of the florescent lights. A brown-haired girl lies on the bed; her thin body seems hidden beneath the white sheets. There’s a clatter and a jangle of keys as a nurse walks by the girl’s open door. The blinds are shut tight against the bright light of day, making the room dark. The girl shivers and tries to slide further under the thin sheet. Her eyes blink open, staring straight at the window blinds. She struggles to sit up, green eyes darting from the bed to the window and back again. Shifting her weight, she moves toward the edge of the bed and winces. With a look of frustration, she slumps, glaring at the closed blinds.

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“What’s wrong with her?” My mother demanded, her piercing green eyes staring down the doctor.
“Calm down Ms. Adams, we did get the results back from Molly’s tests.” The doctor paused. His silence seemed to drag on. My eyes, a reflection of my mother’s, studied the gray carpet, and the matching gray walls. How boring. Out the window was no better. The sun was blocked by dull gray clouds and offered none of its chipper light.
“So what is it?” Mother’s voice seemed to have lost some of its intensity. When she reached up to brush the hair from her face, I saw her hand shaking. Unclenching my fists, I studied the imprints my nails had left in my palm.
“I hate to tell you this, but Molly has Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia.” The doctor’s gray-blue eyes refused to meet my mother or I’s gaze, choosing instead to rest on his clasped hands sitting before him on the desk.

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I must have drifted off again, because I woke with a start. A quick glance around the room makes me wonder why I woke. The clock tells me that Mother is late. She got off work half and hour ago. I look around for signs of any other visitors, but find none. My only friend is the large stack of homework piled on the bedside table. I wish I didn’t have to miss school for this. Not that I’ve ever really been fond of school, but at least I’d be around people again. None of my friends have come, but I can’t say as I blame them. At least the doctor said I shouldn’t be in here long. I’m holding him to that. I’d give just about anything to be back in the dreaded halls of school, back where I belong.

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“What does that mean?” Mother asked.
“It means that her white blood cell count is unusually high, and is basically causing her body to attack itself, to put it simply. But there’s plenty of ways we can treat it,” the doctor reassured. Mother didn’t look so convinced.
“What will you do for her?”
“Everything we can. It’s best that she’s checked into the hospital as soon as possible so we can figure out the best route of treatment,” he replied.
Thoughts chased each other through my mind, moving so fast it was hard to keep up. But one thought brought them all to a screeching halt.
“Am I going to die?” I asked.
“Not if I can help it,” the doctor replied determinedly.

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The door bursts open, startling me from my unappetizing tray of food. It’s Mother. Her hair is windblown, and deep bags rest under her eyes. How long have those wrinkles been there?
“How’re you doing?” She asks.
“Good,” I reply, pushing dinner aside.
“Sorry I’m late, it was just such a hectic day at the office, and I couldn’t get away any earlier. I tried, but then…”
“It’s okay,” I interrupt.
“Did anyone visit today?” She asks, moving to the bedside table to wipe away a non-existent layer of dust.
“No.” I try and hide my disappointment.
“That’s odd…”
“Not really, I don’t expect them to skip school,” I sigh. Mother gives me a confused look.
“Today’s Saturday.”
“Oh, right.” I look away.
“But they were probably just busy getting ready for tonight, I’m sure they wanted to come, but…”
“Getting ready for what?”
“For Prom. Remember? It’s tonight.” she says hesitantly.
“oh, ahh… right. Right. Prom…” my voice trails off.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything, that was…”
“No, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it,” I interrupt. I slump down in bead and roll over, facing away from Mother. Tucking into a ball, I feel the tears, warm and moist on my cheeks. Of course I remember. We’d all gone shopping together for our dresses. We’d planned to get our hair done. We’d made reservations for dinner. We actually all had dates this year. It was going to be the best senior prom ever. But then this happened. And now it’s all gone.

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The room’s darkened further, but I’ve barely moved when I hear a knock on the door.
“Come in,” I sigh. The door opens a crack, and my friend, Kelly, pokes her head in.
“Feeling up to some visitors?” Kelly grins.
“Sure.” I glance at her gorgeous dress as she enters the room. “You look cute tonight. When does the dance start?”
“Whenever you want it to,” she shrugs. I look at her, confused. Then I notice my other two best friends and their dates standing at the foot of my bed. My boyfriend, Mitch, is the last to walk in the door. After giving me a hug, he pulls something from his pocket and pins it on my dress. I look down at the blue corsage.
“Do you want to dance?” Mitch asks, offering me his hand.

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She leans into his arms, eyes closed, as they sway to the soft music. The other girl’s sparkling dresses rustle with their movements, but her hospital gown is silent. Her only sparkle is the one in her eyes. Her hair is tangled, while theirs is done up nicely. Their arms bare bracelets and bangles. She wears an IV line. But in the darkness of the hospital room, the brightest light is her, a radiant smile lighting her face.

Reviews

[Senseless whatever]

Outstanding, yes a tearjerker for for. Just great. I need a tissue

[Coyote Poetry]

Brought tears to a old man eyes. A beautiful and sad story. You brought me in with a strong lead and held me with a sad and kind story. It is difficult to create a complete story in one page. You wrote a outstanding story. Thank you.
Coyote