"What if I don't want it?" Cammie questioned down to her shaking hands, she sat in the hospital bed, the blue gown wrapped around her crinkling up with her nerves. "I don't know how to accept a gift like this. Someone else's face, someone else's identity." It was all sinking in, she was getting a new face. Another human being was losing a face so she could have a fresh start... she changed her mind, she couldn't do this.
"You don't have to take it." Scarlett said immediately, "but right now your face is all anyone sees. I want them to see the real you, the you that's underneath your scars."
"Sounds like something you would have said to dad when you first met him." Cammie laughed meekly.
"She did," Evan interrupted with a smile. "Whatever you choose we want you to be happy and-"
"I want it," Cammie hesitated, "but I'm scared. What if it doesn't work? What if I'm not me anymore?" Cammie rattled off questions, she jumped at every doctor passing her room. She wasn't ready, she thought this was what she wanted but what if it wasn't? What if she was making a mistake?
"A face is just a mask, helping the world be able to experience what you feel." Scarlett said knowing too well that she put on a face, a mask of smiles and fake laughs the majority of her childhood.
"We love you, so much. We want you to be happy." Evan said holding onto his daughter's hand, tears welling in his eyes.
"Don't cry dad. You know I can't control my tears once I get emotional." Cammie said smiling slightly.
"Sorry, you are just so beautiful no matter what. We are never going to stop loving you."
"Okay." Cammie said nodding. "Okay, let's get me a new mask."
"Cammie, Colton is here." Eliot said when he emerged with a teddy bear for her. She clutched it to her chest then hugged Eliot as he climbed up with her.
"Hey, I heard you might be getting a new face?"
"You heard right." Cammie said tipping her head high. "Say goodbye to this monstrous face."
"You are not a monster, you are always going to be beautiful to me." Colton said softly and a small 'aww' escaped Scarlett's lips.
"We will give you a minute." Scarlett said pulling Evan and Eliot out of the room.
"But-" Evan protested. He knew his little girl, but a boy alone in her hospital room, he didn't like that one bit.
"Come on," Scarlett pulled them out.
"Can we get lunch, I'm starving." Eliot exclaimed as he crawled down from her bed and into the hallway.
"Sure thing El," Evan scooped up his son and carried him on his back as they made their way to the café.
"You know once you get your new face, everyone is going to want you again..." Colton began.
"I don't know about that." She hoped so, but didn't know it would work like that. Fiona had run away from her and continued to avoid her, what a good friend she turned out to be.
"Are you going to go back to ignoring me?" Colton asked from the base of her bed.
"Ignoring you? I never-" then Cammie thought about it. Colton was cute but not handsome like Jackson or Luke, he was just sort of there, never in her friend circle after 6th grade, they drifted and it was her fault. "I'm sorry I wasn't the best of friends to you before." Cammie admitted. "I won't do that again."
"I like that we became friends again." Colton said taking a small step forward. Cammie adjusted to she was sitting criss cross on the bed, her hands folded in her lap. "I want you to be happy, but are you going to go back to being miss popular and forget about me again?"
"No," she said louder. "I wouldn't do that... again." She thought, regretting how she treated Colton in middle school. "I'm sorry, but when everyone else left me you didn't and I will never forget that. So thank you." He smiled down at her. "You are never getting rid of me."
"Cameron Brooks, are you ready?" Cammie looked to her parents, her brother, her friend. They stood around her love in their eyes as they prepared for Cammie to go into the longest surgery of her life.
A/N Is putting a face on someone possible? Probably not but I dont care. I'm not a doctor im a writer. Hence, therefore, what ever, i'm giving Cammie a face!
