Once Upon A Pink Suitcase|✔️

Chapter Four:

"Wow." I say to myself.

"Wow!" I said to myself

"WOW!" I said to myself.

David thinks he will see me again. I have a good chance of getting in the Selection!

This is my worst nightmare and best hope ever. Is it worth it to sacrifice my beliefs for something greater then myself?

Yea. I want this. I want it bad.

The next few days are uneventful and torturous.

I wake up at six am every day, and get dressed and go to work at the cafe. I spend many hours their drowning myself in work, I can't think about the Selection but I can't stop wondering about it. Then I come home, make dinner, maybe watch TV or spend some time with Abigail. Then is sleep and repeat. I feel like a record disk mindlessly spinning around and around. And it's taken a toll on everyone.

I hand a latte to a customer, "Merci, come again!" I say to her, as I wave them out the door. My bright blond hair is puffed down from this annoying headband. This morning I thought it was a good idea and Abigail agreed, but not anymore. It slips off so easily, and I constantly have to bend down to pick it up or get it out of my shirt. Which is super awkward.

I lock the doors right when the clock chimes twelve o'clock, unlike our normal days which go until eight or nine o'clock, today is announcement day. Everyone is on edge including me, I can see my co workers waiting to let me go home. My nerves are contagious!

"Saige, go home" my fellow cashier Emmet says.

I throw him a death glare, "it's not my fault I am nervous!"

"One it actually is," he says, smirking and raising one eyebrow. "And two, we are closing because why not. You need to leave anyways for an appointment...."

"Ohmigosh I forgot!" I blast into a full panic. "Catch!" I throw Emmet the keys with he thankfully catches. I don't want to picture what might have happened if he didn't.

Sprinting home, which thankfully is only four blocks away, and up the stairs.

I pound on the door, "Abigail let's go!"

She gasps, "what happened to you?!?"

"Running isn't my strong suit." I gasp. "Owen is downstairs waiting for us, we should get this done then come back. We don't want to miss the announcement."

"You're so silly, the announcement isn't until 8:00 tonight! We have eight hours!" she giggles.

But the laughing stops when we get in the car, I am just praying to God that the chemo will work with her. I look outside at the passing building wondering why this life was chosen for me. I spent a lot of time after Dads death wondering why this was apart of Gods plan for me, and why it was part of the plan for Dad. I just need to keep my faith.

Owen pulls in the beat up white and orange truck to the drop off section.

"You know I would come in if I could Abs..." he says, quietly.

"Yea, I get it." she looks at the ground. I bet she doesn't really get it.

"Let's go." I say, wanting to get out of this awful conversation. So we make our way in the sticky entry and are instantly overwhelmed by the hospital smell. Abigail groans, and I couldn't help myself but groan too. We look at each other and smile. Smiles get us through the bad days, but it's never enough to make it a good day.

"Abigail Montgomery, Leukemia appointment 1:00. I am Saige Montgomery guardian and sister." I say, used to my little speech I give.

Dad never intended to be t-boned by a truck on his way home from work, at about 7:00 on a Wednesday. But what he did leave behind purposefully in his will was for me to become the guardian of Abigail. He knew Owen better than anyone on the planet, and knew he wouldn't handle being guardian well, especially because he would be grieving. So he said that if I was over 18, I would be able to become her guardian, so I did. When I would first introduce myself as her guardian I got weird looks from middle age parents and sympathetic looks from secretaries. So I tacked on the 'and sister' to make it clear I was NOT a teen mom. Even if Abigail was my daughter, I would have had her at nine years old.... the math just doesn't work.

I sit on the plush chairs, but don't be fooled the red plushy stuff doesn't make them anymore comfortable. Or maybe it's because I keep repositioning myself, so I never get settled.

"Saige, stop." Abigail says with no emotion, then turns and looks at me. "We will be okay, whatever Dr. Jacob says."

For an eleven year old, she is pretty optimistic. I don't know how I could have found good if I was sitting right their in her state. The unknown is terrifying.

The clock keeps moving, I keep repositioning, Abigail keeps being emotionless, and we keep waiting.

At 1:00 on the dot, as if right on cue, a nurse in pale blue and white scrubs comes out.

"Montgomery, Abigail." she calls in a perky voice that I can't stand. The nurses are just doing their job, but it doesn't mean that they don't deserve to be hit with a pool noodle right?

I collect my things and hold Abigail's hand, I squeeze it as we walk together to a room.

"Dr. Jacob will be her any minute now, you just sit tight!" she calls, with a little wave.

authors note:
Saige! keep it together! it's almost announcement time! please vote/comment/share!

xoxo,
@k_b5239