bucket list || l. norris

twenty

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The sound of the constant, high pitched beeping was painful for five-year-old Lando's little ears. He was only a young boy, still growing and developing. In any other circumstance, he wouldn't be here, between these blank four walls in a place of delight and destruction. In a normal world, he would never be here.

The children's ward of the local hospital, where sick children came to rest and repair. Some of them went home with their families, with happiness all round, but some didn't make it. Families left the hospital without their little one, and without their heart, which they'd left behind between these four walls. Lando didn't know how Mark and Mandy were feeling about Mila being in hospital, but he knew that he didn't want to lose his best friend. He couldn't lose his best friend, under no circumstance, but he had no control over it.

He understood why Mila was here. His parents told him about her heart condition when he was old enough to properly understand. From the age of three, he knew that Mila was sick. At three, she was better than when she was just born, but her healing process would take a little while longer until she was clear of anything life-threatening. Her heart worked normally now, after her operation, but she was still so small and so fragile. Now, at five-years-old, Mila had been rushed into hospital after she told Mandy about a tight feeling in her chest. She was even a little breathless, and tired, too. Maybe it was just a minor side effect, but Lando wasn't a doctor, so he didn't know if it was common. Maybe Mila was actually fine, but she just experienced pain and that would continue for the rest of her life, without being a result of anything serious. Her heart was okay now.

Lando gripped onto his mum's hand as he walked slowly through the corridors of the hospital. He'd never been to hospital before, well, not that he could remember anyway. Apart from his birth, he'd never visited before. This was his first time, and he was terrified. He didn't know what to expect. It felt like a scary place because he knew that people died here, and he didn't want that to happen to Mila.

"Mum, where is Mila?" Lando glanced up at Cisca, who looked back at her small boy. She understood how hard this was for him, but really, she couldn't see the extent to which it impacted him. Her heart broke for her best friend; if one of her children found themselves in the same position as Mila, she knew it would be difficult. She just wanted to be here for Mandy, her childhood friend, in the best way she could be.

"Just along this corridor, Lando. Stay close to me until we get there." At the sound of his mother's voice, Lando gripped onto his mum's hand, mostly for reassurance over protection. He didn't know if Mila would be sleeping or awake. Cisca told him that it was a big decision to make and he didn't have to join her at the hospital unless he was certain, but he wanted to see Mila because he knew it would make her feel better.

Cisca knocked on the door and she smiled when she saw Mandy and Mark sitting by their daughter's bed, but they glanced at the door with a smile. There was a small window and the blinds were tilted open, making it easier for them to see who was outside. Cisca sighed when she saw Mila lying in her bed; she knew she wasn't well, but it wasn't life-threatening. Mandy told her everything, so that it helped her choose whether to ask Lando or not. Mila was on a constant supply of oxygen. It wasn't serious, or so the doctors' tests found, and it was just to ensure that Mila felt well again before she was discharged.