Pieces of Your Heart

The Funeral

Ian slept fitfully late into the morning. When he finally got out of bed, he went to the kitchen to pick up his cell phone. No calls. He sat on the couch and watched the morning news, wondering why Elodie hadn't called him back. After an hour or so, he got up and got dressed, heading to the front door to run a few errands on his day off. As he walked out onto the front porch, his phone rang.

"Elle? "

Her voice was hoarse and distant. "Ian. Hi."

"What's wrong?"

"I'm at the hospital with Alex. Ian she's sick."
"I'm on my way."

Ian drove to the hospital as quickly as he could, and made his way through the front doors and onto the elevator. Elodie had told him they were on the third floor. As he pressed the button, the floor directory caught his eye and his stomach dropped; third floor, oncology. He felt a wave of nausea come over him; endless fears flooded his mind, not only about what was happening to Elodie's little sister, but about what was happening to him as well.

He found her sitting in a dim waiting room looking tired and pale. He stood in front of her and scooped her up in his arms.

They held each other silently.

"How's she doing?" Ian asked when they sat down again.

"They're running some tests," she said flatly.

"Elle, what happened?"

"I don't know. She woke me up in the middle of the night because her nose was bleeding. I tried everything, ice packs, pressure, but I couldn't do anything to stop it. There was blood everywhere." She took a breath, trying to calm herself. "Her platelet count is low. Her blood's not clotting. They think she needs more chemo, and probably a bone marrow transplant."

Ian put his head in his hands. "Fuck."

Elodie stared at the floor. "Yeah."

"Miss Nixon?" the woman at the desk called out.

Elodie and Ian stood up.
"You can see her now."

Ian and Elodie made their way down the long hall, the sounds of IV pumps and bed alarms echoing in their ears.

Elodie went in first, and sat on the bed next to her sister. "Hey baby girl. How are you feeling?"

"Like shit," she said with a weak smile. "I'm pissed as hell. They say I have to do chemo again. All my hair's gonna fall out before Prom." Alex looked up at Ian who was standing in the doorframe. "Hi Ian. You can come in if you want."

He walked into the room and sat in a chair next to the bed. "Hey Alex. How you holding up kid?"

She shrugged. "Ok I guess. Just worried about my hair."

Ian laughed at the innocent honesty of her answer. "Don't worry about that. I'm sure you're the prettiest girl in your school by a long shot. If your hair falls out then maybe those other cows will have a fighting chance."

Alex grinned. "Yeah, you're probably right."

Ian left several hours later, but not before he bought out half of the gift shop for Alex. Something about her reminded him of his daughter, and the nostalgia combined with the fact that she was Elodie's sister sparked a protective instinct in him.

"He's so got that knight in shining armor thing going on," Alex said after he had gone. "Must be a cop thing."

"Yeah I guess."

Alex squeezed her sister's hand. "Elle, whatever you do, you have to promise me that you won't screw this up."
"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. I know you. You shut people out. Shit I barely even knew you until a few years ago."
Elodie was quiet. "I'm sorry, sis."