Bad Omens

One

The cold frost nipped at the air, painting the leaves the dulled colors that made autumn so enticing. Subtle beeps danced through the air, attempting to summon the attention of the nearest aide. People zipped by quickly through the halls, each trying to make their urgent destinations without seeming frantic.

Emma sat silently, watching out the window as the sky darkened -- a combination of the setting sun and the thunderous clouds rolling in from the distance. Her mind sat with the clouds, bouncing around along with her imagination of exploring the great city outside.

"And that's when it was apparent that her head was in the clouds and she was ignoring her big brother," a soft voice spoke beside her, snapping her back into reality.

"What?" She asked, turning to her brother. He smirked softly, amusement set in his brown eyes. He just held up the book in his hands as he raised his eyebrows at her.

"I come in and read to you, and you don't even pay attention? I'm hurt, really." He put a hand over his heart, a show of mock offense.

"No, I'm sorry," she laughed. "I appreciate it, really. I just got distracted..." she muttered as she fidgeted with the bandage on her arm. "I love when you read to me. Your posh British accent makes everything sound more interesting."

"That's why you ignore me most of the time -- stop messing with the needle," he said, shooing her hand away from the I.V. Emma looked down at it and sighed softly, noticing a dark black bruise had spread from the site where the needle was inserted.

"I swear if this makes my hair fall out again..." she muttered, running a hand through her short red curls. She had been growing it out now for the past year and a half and it had finally reached far enough to brush the tips of her shoulders. Her brother gave her a sympathetic smile as he grabbed her hand softly.

"It's just one dose... and it's going to be worth it, right? As long as it does its job and kills off the cells it's supposed to, you can get your cell transplant next month and start regrowing some healthy bone marrow..." Emma sighed softly and nodded in response.

"I'm just ready for this damn cancer to go away," she muttered. "I just want my life back."

"I know... it will soon. You're already getting better. I can tell," he said, brushing a stray curl away from her face.

A sudden knock sounded from the door and they both turned quickly to see Emma's doctor walking in, followed by her mother and father.

"Hello, darling," her father said in an accent that matched his son's. "How are you feeling?" He asked, affectionately ruffling her curls.

"Fine," she said quietly. "I really have to go to the bathroom," she laughed. Her dad gave her an affectionate smile as her mother gently took her arm in her hands.

"My god, look at this bruise," she said. "This is even worse than the one last time... can you explain this?" She asked, turning to the doctor quickly.

"Well, as you know, Emma bruises quite easily due to her leukemia... any irritation to the skin, especially an abrasive needle for treatment will, unfortunately, leave a reaction like this," he said in a gentle voice before turning his attention to the young girl. "Alright, Emma. You're all done here. Let's get this before out of your arm and bandage you up, sound good?" He asked.

"Yes, please," she laughed.

"While I do that," he said softly, beginning to gently remove the I.V., "Let's discuss our plan of action. We'll need to see you again in a few weeks and we'll check your leukemia cells and see how many are left. If the treatment worked and there aren't any, we'll move right on to the next step of the stem cell transplant. As we all know, we already have the donated cells," he said, gesturing at Emma's brother. "At this point, all we have to do is wait and make sure the chemo does its job." As he finished speaking, he finished wrapping Emma's arm in a bandage. She looked down at the large bruise that peeked out and sighed. "Do you have any questions for me?" He asked. Emma began shaking her head in response before he mother interjected.