That's My Spotlight | ✔

xiii. sister sister

THE PUNGENT MIXTURE of antiseptic, deodorizer, and cleaning supplies stung Inez's nose as she stepped out of an elevator. It was the odor that lied underneath sickness and death. Even though the smell always grossed her out at first, she was completely used to it.

During extended school breaks, like winter break, Inez always liked to spend some of her time at the children's recovery wing of Summit Medical Center, conveniently close to where she resided. Since her mother worked down in the emergency department for kids, she found a way to get Inez a visitor's card in case any other medical staff thought she was roaming the hospital. It was very convenient in a lot of cases since not a lot of medical staff in this ward of the hospital knew who Inez was.

But luckily, she could rely on one nurse — Nurse Zamora, a thirty-year-old brunette Latina with the brightest of smiles. Currently, she's sitting at a desk area of this wing in front of a computer, typing information away as her eyes darted back and forth from what seemed like a file on the rounded desk. She is the head nurse of the children's recovery wing, so her days are mostly spent sitting down to order other nurses around. The head nurse wore scrubs with colorful smiley faces on them, as well as a bright red Santa hat with a fuzzy white area on the hem. As soon as she saw Inez walk by, a bright smile planted on her face. "Hey, Inez, it's been a while," Nurse Zamora chirped. "Can I help you with anything?"

"Yeah, do you know which room Faye is in?" Inez questioned as she held up a large, sparkly gift bag. "I have something for her."

"She's in . . ." Nurse Zamora murmured as she typed something into her computer. "Room C306."

"Thank you, Nurse Zamora," Inez smiled with acknowledgement. Before she knew it, she was off to find the room, which was luckily right across the nurse's area in a way. Before she entered the room, she knocked with enthusiasm. "Knock, knock."

"Who's there?" The girl inside, Faye, asked as if she was answering to a knock-knock joke. 

"It's Inez," she hummed as she turned the door handle. Faye had a wide smile over her face as she saw the girl walk in with the best of smiles with her gift bag in hand.

Faye is a very enthusiastic six-year-old who suffered with liver failure for the past year. With treatments over the past several months, she was able to survive, but her liver still wasn't holding up, so she'd be in and out of the hospital. A day prior, she had just gotten a liver transplant, which was why she was in the recovery room resting. Inez was always a fan of how brave Faye was. It could always be seen in her beautiful hazel eyes and white toothy grin. She had the face and actions of an angel, making her always enjoyable to visit. 

"Inez, I missed you! Did you know that I just got my surgery? I'm gonna be better now," the little girl beamed as she sat up from her bed. "My doctor says I can even go home in two whole weeks!"

"Yeah, I know. My mom told me all about it," Inez cooed as she reached out to hug the little girl. "I'm so glad they finally found you a liver."

"I'm so glad that you're here," Faye beamed as she turned to the gift bag sitting at the foot of her bed. "What's in there?"

Inez smiled as she reached for the bag to hand it to the girl. "It's a surprise. Why don't you open it to see what's inside? Consider it as an early Christmas gift."

Faye tore into the bag as if she was food deprived, taking out the sparkly pink wrapping paper that stood on top of whatever was in the bag. As she pulled the item out, her eyes widened with shock as her mouth fell into a genuine grin. "A Barbie Fashion Set? I've always wanted this," she cheered as she began to open the package with her bare fingers. "You're like the big sister I never had. Thank you!"