From the Heart

Chapter I

My eyes were open, but I saw black. I knew I was in the dark. As a two-year-old, my instinct was to cry. At first, the crying came from fear; then, it turned into crying from discomfort. My skin was bright pink and inflamed. My skin was being scorched. I was forced to cease my whimpering; my lungs were filling with smoke. I was helpless; my body was pinned down by the car. I blacked out. The next time I opened my eyes, I saw grey skies and flashing lights. I was lying on a stretcher with an oxygen mask. The ambulance took me to the hospital. I had no one I knew with me. A doctor checked me over and wrapped my left shoulder. A policeman took me, and we sat in a large waiting room. I said, "Mama," to the policeman, who gave me a glum, fearful expression. He took me and cradled me until I fell asleep. I woke up on a couch in a hospital room. I was looking at a hospital bed. In the bed was a little boy, who was hooked up to machines and bandaged up. A surgeon man, in a wheelchair, came over to me and studied me. "I'll take her home with me," surgeon man told the policeman. The little boy was my one-year-old brother. He had to stay hospitalized. My brother and I had become orphans that day.

~Bailey Elizabeth Nelson~

Surgeon man had adopted Bailey and her brother. Surgeon man and his wife, an event coordinator, had welcomed the kids with open hearts. "Hanes...Bailey, your father, will pick you up from school. After I'll meet you at the restaurant for Bailey's 16th birthday dinner!" "Okay," Bailey unenthusiastically answered. Bailey grabbed her half-full bookbag and swung it over her right shoulder. She had a tote bag held the rest of her books. Bailey always preferred her right side. "I'll meet you in the car." "Hanes, are you okay?" Matthew asked. Hanes's speed was sluggish, "Yeah, dad, my left knee is a little achy today." "Just take it easy today," Matthew and Carol parented simultaneously. Matthew and Hanes met Bailey in the car. "Do you want to drive, Bailey?" "No, I don't want you to make the adjustments for my left arm." "All I have to do is put the steering knob on and detach the gas and brake hand controls. It only takes a few seconds!" "Thanks, but not this time." "Well, I'll be driving dad's car!" Hanes chimed in. Matthew's car had worked done to it to accommodate his disability.

"Guys, I have patients to attend to; I need you to behave. If you need anything, ask the nurses. Don't annoy them or distract them for their work!" Matthew left his usually trustful kids. Bailey and Hanes took the elevator to the Children's Hospital. They parted ways once they got to the Children's Hospital. Outside the room, Bailey was visiting; there was a pack of masks. Any visitors were required to wear a mask. Bailey knocked, but there was no answer. She entered the room anyway. "Hey, Maggie." Maggie could not speak because of the treatment she was getting with her vest. Fortunately, the procedure was almost done. The nurse helped remove the vest and aided Maggie back to the bed. "Happy Birthday!" Maggie excitedly sang with a smile. "Thank you! So, I brought several movies to watch. Our favorites, rom-coms." Bailey was unimpressed with the acknowledgment of her birthday. "Awesome!" Bailey popped in a DVD and took her place on the couch. It was her day controlling the remotes. "Now, what?!" Maggie asked. "Board game?" In her closet, Maggie had a stack of board games. Bailey went to the closet, "Scrabble?" "Okay. It's on!" "Date," Maggie announced as she arranged the word on the board. "Hey, don't you have a school dance coming up?" "Yeah," Bailey mumbled. "Has someone asked you to go?" Have you asked someone to go?" Maggie bantered. "No," Bailey was disgusted with the subject. "Besides, I'm not planning on going." "Is it because you don't have a date?" Maggie's words were coming out at a slower pace. Maggie's slower-paced conversation did not faze Bailey. Maggie had to adjust her oxygen. "No...I just don't want to go." "Oh...so you're going to stay home and do nothing. You always stay at home." "Whatever." "I wish I could go to a dance, but my date is with this hospital." "You could take my place at the dance." "But, I would have to switch places with you. You would be here. I would never want to switch spots for the hospital." Bailey recognized Maggie's tired, exhausted face, and body language. "I think we should stop. You're tired, and you need your rest! I'm going to leave, but I'll see you tomorrow." "Okay." "Hey, we need to go to my doctor's appointment," Hanes announced, startling the girls. He was standing in the doorway. "I'll meet you at the elevators," Hanes offered. "Okay," Bailey proclaimed. "You know what would be awesome: Getting my first kiss." Maggie gleefully joked. "Would this first kiss be with my brother?" Bailey was shaking her head and chuckled. "That would be terrific," Maggie said, beaming. "I'll see you later," Bailey gave an eye roll.