Catching Rose

Chapter 2

His car glistened as rays from the sun hit it at different angles. The car park was barely full since it was still the morning. But come afternoon and it would have been filled with family and frends visiting loved ones. 

He's never done something like this before, so this would be a new experience for him. He was excited to say the least but at the same time, nervous.

The automatic doors opened as he stood in front of them. Just like the car park, the hospital's lobby was almost empty. The receptionist was busy typing away at the somputer in front of her. She made no attempt in acknowledging his presence.

"Um, excuse me," he said quietly.

The receptionist, breaking her train of focus, turned to look at him.

"Can I help you?" she asked in a sweet tone, as if talking to a child.

"I'm looking for the children's cancer ward," he said uneasily, shifting his weight from one foot to another.

Her eyes sparkled in delight and relief as the words came out of his mouth. "Are you Christopher Montgomery? The new volunteer?"

With a nod of his head, the receptionist hopped out of her seat. She practically dragged him towards the children's cancer ward. Each step they took echoed in the halls. You'd find the occassional nurse or two drinking a cup of coffee. Within a matter of time, they reached the ward.

His nerves began kicking in. He doesn't know what to expect when he walks through one of the doors. But how could he? Does he treat the children differently from healthy kids? He doesn't know anyone with cancer, so how is he supposed to help them? What if one of the patients is in a life threatening situation, how does he know when to call for help? All of these questions run through his mind but none of which he knows the answer to.

After letting Christopher bask in the atmosphere, the receptionist finally spoke. "Right now, all of the children are asleep except one. Her name's Lucy and she has myeloid leukemia, a rare type of leukemia. We usually have another volunteer with Lucy at this time but she seems to be running late. If you want, you can head into her room."

Christopher just remained quiet, not wanting to disturb those still sleeping. He wondered if when the children wake up, were they full of life. Or did they let their sickness make decisions for them? These kids could have had their whole life ahead of them and achieve great things but now they're lucky if they make it to the end of the year.

"If you need anything, just ask for Sally and I'll come. Okay dear?" the receptionist said.

Christopher mumbled an "okay" before she went back down the hall. Lucy's room was right in front of him. It was the only room whose door was ajar. A paper crumpling from the other side proved that it was Lucy's room. He knocked lightly in fear of waking the others. A soft "come in" was his response.

Tossed papers littered the floor. The smell of sharpened pencils filled the room. White. Everything in the room was white. The only ounces of color seemed to come from where the bad lay. With a bouquet of flowers perched next to the bed and the art easel that Lucy had a firm grip on, there were no other sources of color.

Looks can be deceiving is all that ran through Christopher's mind. Never would he have guessed that there was something inside Lucy's body, slowly killing her. Taking away her energy and not being able to put up a fight. The worst part is, there is absolutely nothing she can do about it.

A pencil stroke here and a shading there, Lucy's hand flew easily across the page. A black and white drawing of a girl. Her hair fell beneath her shoulders and slightly covered her forehead. The talent that she held in the palm of her hands was magical. Capturing such details with a simple pencil. He couldn't help but wonder, was there really a girl out there like that or was she just a character on paper.