Saving Rose

Chapter Four

I woke up and started to get ready for my day. It was finally Saturday! It had been a long week. Everyday after work Jacob would come in to pick Sydney up and we would argue constantly until they left. He got on my nerves, that egotistical jerk.

At least I got today off, there were rarely kids on the weekends. Even when there were, lots of the times we just took them home because it was much easier.

I was going to the children's cancer center, I tried to go on Saturdays whenever I could. It meant a lot to me.

I grabbed my bag with a few gifts for the kids before getting in my car and starting the 30 minute drive.

I said "hi" to the receptionist and headed through the glass double doors. Even though it had been a few weeks since I'd been, everyone knew me. It had been a hassle to visit at first, I had to call the kids parents to make sure they gave me permission to visit.

Before I went to the first room, I prepared myself mentally. I had been coming ever since I moved here, but it was necessary every time because I hated to cry in front of the kids. Sometimes you would go into a room expecting to see someone, but it would be a new patient. It always shattered my heart.

"Awwy!" Samantha shot me a huge, toothy grin as soon as I walked through the doors. She stretched her arms out wide, motioning for me to give her a big hug. She was only four, and had been in here for a few months. Her chemotherapy medication had made it so that her speech wasn't the best. I walked over and wrapped my arms around her delicately.

"How are you doing Sammie?" She didn't look very good, her skin was pale and sunken with dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep.

"The doctors say I'm not doing well, but I feel gweat!" She glanced down at the bag in my hand and she looked up at me with big eyes.

"I brought you something." I reached into the bag and pulled out a disney princess coloring book. She loved disney princesses and was convinced that I am one and my prince charming will come and sweep me off my feet.

"And, if you don't tell anyone..." I pulled a bag with a few chocolate chip cookies in it and set them next to her on the bed. She opened her mouth, but I quickly put a finger to her lips, "shh... we have to keep it a secret. Just between you and me, okay?"

A smile slowly took over her lips and she nodded at me before taking one out, looking around to make sure that she was clear, and ate it.

My experience with cancer patients was not something that I liked to think about. My ex boyfriend, the one that I had before I moved here, had a little sister who ended up being taken by cancer. It broke my heart, and she wasn't even my own sibling. Ever since that happened, I had tried to visit cancer treatment centers as much as I could.

I stayed by Sammie's side for a few hours, talking, making jokes and giggling. She colored a page in her coloring book and gave it to me. It was a picture of Belle and and her prince charming. Belle was dressed in a gorgeous yellow dress and her prince was wearing a black tuxedo. That was how Sammie thought of me.

I moved on to a little boy the next room down. His name was Ryan. He had blonde curly hair, bright blue eyes and the biggest dimples known to man. He was adorable.

"Hi Ryan, may I come in?" I asked, peeking my head around the side of the door.

"Please do." Ryan was about ten, and he had some of the best manners that I had ever seen in a little boy.

I went over to his bedside and gave him a hug, wrapping my arms around him, trying not to get tangled around with all of the wires and tubes he had connected to him. Ryan had terminal leukemia.