Final 24 Hours....

This is how I'd spend my final 24 hours on Earth.... If I could that is.

I sat in my hostpital room, staring at my mother as she cried on my dad's shoulder. The doctor had just told her the worst news a parent could recieve- her teenage daughter had a mere 24 hours to live. My dad, a man of little words, sat quietly staring at the floor blankly.

"Daddy?" I whispered.

He looked up at me. His brown almond eyes- the ones I'd inherited from him- were filled with tears. "Yeah, Bucky?" His nickname for me since before I could remember.

"Can.... Can we leave? This isn't where I want...." I looked away. "This isn't where I wanna be."

He nodded and looked at the doctor standing in the doorway. "Where do I sign her out?"

****

The car ride was silent. I stared out the window at the Pacific Ocean. We were driving up the Pacific Coast Highway, all the way through Los Angeles and to Anaheim, my favorite city in my homestate of California. My parents had quickly bought tickets to an Angels game- seats right behind the home dugout they told me. I had decked myself out in my Angels gear: red shorts, Peter Bourjos jersey, red Angels cap, red earrings, and the numbers 25 (Peter Bourjos) and 48 (Torii Hunter) written on each cheek in pencil eyeliner.

My mom kept turning around every few seconds to mouth "I love you." Everytime I smiled back weakly and nodded, unable to speak.

We arrived at Angels Stadium, my home sweet home, and were greeted in the parking lot by a man in a suit. He shook my dad's hand and spoke with him quietly before they turned to me.

"Bucky," Dad started. "This is Arte Moreno."

I gasped. This was the man who OWNED the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He was definitely one of the greatest sports owners of the time, an intelligent businessman who knew how to get people to Anaheim.

He shook my hand. "Hello Talia. I recieved a call from the hospital on behalf of your parents. I was told you're a big Angels fan." I nodded, shocked. "Well, I'd like to give you a small thank-you for all your years of support for this team. If you and your parents will come with me?"

We followed him into the stadium and down below the stadium. He knocked on a giant door, and befoere it opened, I read what it was labeled: ANGELS LOCKER ROOM. He poked his head in, then waved me into the room.

He turned to the men all in their white uniforms and cleared his throat. "Gentlemen, I have a special young lady I'd like you to meet. This is Talia. She's a 16 year old Angels fan, and she has only 24 hours to live." The guys began to stare at me, eyes wide. "And she has choosen to spend her final day on this Earth here, with us. She will join us in the dugout this game, our very own angel." I saw some of the men wipe their eyes at this point.

An older man with white hair stepped out of the group and shook my hand. My heart skipped a beat as I realized it was Mike Sciocia, manager of the Angels. "It's an honor to meet you," he said kindly.

Mr. Sciocia then began to introduce me to each Angel, men I'd been idolizing for years. Torii Hunter- one of the greatest ballplayers I've ever had the honor of watching- actually gave me a hug and said he'd be praying for my soul.

"And last but not least, this is our centerfielder, Peter Bourjos."

The 24 year old rookie that I'd been crushing on since I saw his first homerun on tv smiled sweetly at me. "I hear you're a big fan of mine."

I nodded. "You're an amazing outfielder," was all I could manage.

He gave me a hug. "I also heard you have a crush on me," he murmered to me with a small wink.

"You're an amazing outfielder," I muttered again. He laughed goodheartedly.

Mr. Moreno put his arm around my shoulder and led me to the dugout, my parents tearfully smiling at me the whole time.

I sat between my parents on the bench, watching the basbeall team warm up before playing the Texas Rangers. As the Angels returned to the dugout, high-fiving me as they passed by, Mr. Sciocia smiled at me. "You wanna throw out the first pitch?"
I frowned. "But.... Isn't that dude from Modern Family throwing it?"
"After we explained the situation, he's more than willing to let you." Sciocia handed me a baseball. "Torii and Pete are gonna walk you to the mound."

My two favorite ballplayers smiled at me as we walked onto the field. My heart pounded like the timebomb it was, threatening to explode at any moment. I looked at Jeff Mathis, who smiled behind the plate. Years of softball assured an accurate throw, followed by a big hug from Mathis.

I walked back into the dugout and sat down, dazed. The Angels defense grabbed their gloves and shot me thumbs up before jogging out to their positions. I stood by Mike Sciocia and cheered them on as they secured three easy outs. The men ran back in and prepared to bat.

For nine amazing innnings, I cheered for my team from the home dugout. As they got the 27th Ranger out to end the game, Mike Sciocia pushed me onto the field. Peter Bourjos jogged over, grabbed my hand, and pulled me to the mound of Angels celebrating their new first-place status.

As Peter Bourjos hugged me, I felt my heart skip a beat. "Peter?" I asked above the noise.

"Yeah?"
"I.... I don't wanna die without kissing you...."
He smiled at me. "Will your daddy be ok with it?"
I nodded. "He'll understand," I said.

"If you're sure...." But he didn't sound concerned at all. He cupped my face in his hands and gave me the kindest, sweetest kiss. It wasn't out of pity or sorrow; it was out of pure human kindness and it meant the world to me.

He let me go and all I could say was "Thank you."

Before he could reply, I felt myself rise above their heads, and realized designated hitter Bobby Abreu had lifted me onto his shoulders.

I suddenly felt tears in my eyes. Not because I was dying; but because these men, who had known me less than 6 hours, had let me into their hearts and had treated me with more love than some people who I'd known my entire life.

****

The following morning I laid in my parents' bed, family and close friends around me and my mother by my side. I smiled at them all.

"I love you. Thank you for making my life so special. Mama, Pops? You've been the greatest parents. I'm gonna ask God to send you another baby, because you deserve one. Nina, Nino, you two have been my guardian angels. I can't wait to see you all in Heaven." I laughed and looked at my mom. "I'm gonna find L. Frank Baum and ask him if Dorothy really went to Oz or not."
Mom smiled through her tears. "It was all a dream," she whispered, kissing my nose.

I shook my head. "No. She went to Oz." I closed my eyes. "And there's no place like home." Under the covers, I clicked by heels three times, and took my final breath.

Author's Note

Wrote this for a contest.... Had fun writing it :) I love my Angels and have a major crush on Peter Bourjos! And the Oz thing at the end is a real argument my mother and I have constantly. (It wasn't a dream, I swear!) And Bucky IS my real nickname from my daddy.

Reviews

[SamBug]

Definitely a great story. Soooo glad I read this! :)

[Julie Beth]

i loved the ending for this the Oz think was great :)

[PyroKitty24]

That's beautiful! Sad, but wonderfully so~

[Talia Renee]

Hmm I never decided.... Let's go with stomach cancer.

[Dearantlers]

I wrote a story for that contest too, and yours is way better than mine. I love that she got to do all that stuff. One thing I would like to know though, is what is she dying from?