We Band Together

Chapter 9

Flashback

General POV**

"You do realize that your father left because of you right?!" The drunk mother stumbles in through the back door, encountering her nine year old daughter sitting innocently at the counter doing homework. Without even glancing up, Emma tries slipping off the seat and slowly making her way toward the stairs. The woman grabs her daughter's already bruised wrist, resulting in a cry of pain from her.

"I wouldn't blame him though, I mean maybe if you had turned out correctly, he might've stayed- but you, you're so ugly and pathetic he couldn't stand to even look at you anymore." She snarls.

The girl shakes her head, refusing to believe a word that her mother was speaking. "Don't shake your head at me girl!" she shouts, slapping Emma across the face. She drops to the floor, clutching her face with her hands. The nine year old curls up in a ball, guarding all vital parts of her body. "It's the truth- you don't want to hear the truth?!" she shouts, kicking the girl sharply in the stomach, nearly missing her ribs. "Your father was a coward he left you!" she cackles as Emma cries silently on the floor. "Although, I am happy he left me a gong away gift." She smiles wickedly at her daughter and with one more kick to the stomach, walks away, lighting a cigarette as she goes.

Nurse Jackson**

Walking from Emma's room and toward the nursing station to meet the new patient, I see the all too familiar face, of Thomas.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, Emma has already has had enough of the bad news- she doesn't need anything else.

"Nurse Jackson, I am dropping off the new patient." Thomas gestures to the young girl who stands by him. She is shorter, with golden curls that were loose over her shoulders. Her eyes were droopy and she looks extremely tired. However, there is a glisten in her eyes that says she isn't a quitter. I take the newly typed file off the counter and read it:

Macy Reid

Age: 14

Parents: Deceased

Doctor: McAndrew

Diagnosis: Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

Treatment Options:

Chemotherapy

Bone Marrow Biopsy

TBD

"Hi, Sweetheart, what's your name?" I ask sweetly.

"Macy." She says.

To Thomas, I say, "I think we've got it from here." Silently, he places her social services folder in Brittany's outstretched hand, and leaves the hospital.

"So... What's it like here?" she asks quietly.

"Well, really it's like any other hospital, except a lot more fun," I joke with her, which results in a small smile. Progress.

"So, where will I be sleeping?" she asks.

"Let me show you." I lead her down the familiar hallway.

Macy's POV***

As the nurse leads me through the hallway, I can't help but wonder who I will be rooming with. This will be my twelfth "foster home" since I was five. Apparently I was too "difficult." To handle.

The nurse stops in front of a door that lead into a colorfully decorated room. Towards the back, there was a desk, with a girl sitting at it, staring intently at whatever she was working on. The patient had long brown hair and wore a hat. From what I could see, she was extremely skinny- almost too skinny. Nurse Jackson knocks on the door, startling the girl.

"Emma, can you come here for a moment?" the girl stands up, and slowly walks over to us. Her face was tear stained, but she wore a fake smile.

"Hi... Nurse Jackson what's going on?" Emma asks.

"This is Macy, your new roommate."

"ROOMMATE?" Emma exclaims, which startles me.

"Emma," Nurse Jackson hisses. "You will be nice, I know things are rough on you right now, but you will be nice." She says sternly, which makes Emma look guiltily at me.

"I'm sorry," she says. "I'm Emma." She starts over.

I hold out my hand, "Macy." Grabbing my hand, I notice how bony her fingers really are, I try not to stare too long, before she pulls away.

"I'll let you settle in." Nurse Jackson says, and leaves.

"So, what are you in for?" Emma asks me. I follow her into the room and sit next to her on the bed.

"Uh... Leukemia, Chronic Myeloid to be exact. You?"

"Anorexia." That explains it. I nod and look around the room.

"So, how long have you been here?"

"Five years."

"Wow. Um... alright." Emma laughs at my speechlessness.

"So where are your parents? Usually when a new kid is admitted their parents are all over them."

I look down awkwardly at my hands, "My parents died in a house fire when I was five." I say quietly.

"Oh, I'm so sorry..." she trails off, "So, are you in the foster system?" she asks.

"Yup. Been in twelve foster homes since my parents died." She nods slowly, wheels turning in her head.

"Me too." She suddenly blurts out. My head snaps up and looks at her.

"Seriously?" I ask.

"Yeah, I haven't been in one foster home before I was diagnosed, I've been here ever since."

"Oh." There was a silence so thick that it could be cut with a knife.

"You want me to introduce you to everyone else?" Emma asks.

I shrug my shoulders. "Sure." Slowly, we stand up and leave the room.

Flashback**

General POV

Emma stares at her first ever foster family. The smell of rotting food emerging from the drawers.

"We saved you! We gave you food after you have never had any! And yet you still choose not to eat!" she yells at the quivering eleven year old.

"I'm sorry!" she cries, tears streaming down her face.

"I... I can't even bare to look at you. You disgust me! I fed you food off of our table! And yet you shove it in your room to rot! I... I'm calling Thomas." She shouts back, and stalks out of the room.

Falling to her knees, Emma's head falls into her hands. She's ruined everything once again.