Healed Read Free Page B

little girl walked back in the door and smiled shyly at me. She had a bandana on her head and gaunt cheeks. I smiled back at her, taken aback by the way her big, blue eyes seemed to engulf her face.
    “Thanks , Shelby.” Luke gave her a quick hug. “Now get back into bed and rest.”
    “But I want to play charades. You promised.”
    “I promise to play if you rest some more.”
    “Promise?” She got into the bed and put her thumb in her mouth.
    “I promise.”
    “Okay.” She leaned back and pulled the bandana off of her small head. I tried to keep my smile plastered on my face as I stared at the top of her head. She was bald. I’d never seen a little girl who was bald before. It suddenly reminded me of my surroundings.
    “I don’t mind if you stare.” She turned to me with a small smile. A smile that tugged at my heartstrings.
    “Sorry, I didn’t mean to stare, ” I mumbled, embarrassed.
    “I have cancer,” s he said, matter-of-factly.
    “ I’m sorry.”
    “Don’t be sorry. I got to meet Luke,” she mumbled, sucking on her thumb.
    “Oh?”
    “He…”
    “I’ll explain more to Bryce , Shelby. You just sleep now. You’ve had too much excitement for the day.”
    “The girl fell.” Shelby looked at us with worried eyes.
    “Yes , but she’s okay now.”
    “Good. She was pretty.” And , with that, Shelby closed her eyes. Luke pressed his hand to her forehead and stood there for a while, watching the girl.
    “Is she your sister?”
    He looked up at me in surprise and he stared into my eyes with a searching look. “No.” He spoke slowly, frowning.
    “Your niece?”
    “No.”
    “Cousin?”
    “She’s not related to me.” He ushered me towards the door. “I met her through volunteering.”
    “Oh , okay.” It figured that Luke was a do-gooder. He was literally better than me in every way possible. I suppose it had to with our DNA, his parents must have both been good stock, while I had one parent that was likely related to Satan himself.
    “Let’s make sure Lexi is okay.” Luke’s voice was firm and I followed him out of the room, stopping to look back at the bed before I walked out. Shelby looked so tiny and frail lying there. I felt my heart skip a beat as I stared at her peaceful face , sleeping. Life was so unfair sometimes. Such a small child should be running around and having fun—not sleeping in a hospital room. I wanted to ask Luke her story. For some reason I was drawn to this little girl.
    “Everything okay , Lexi?” Luke grinned at Lexi and ruffled her hair. “Did you tell Anna I’m okay?”
    “Yes.” She rolled her eyes. “She, like me, was ecstatic to hear the good news. But she will kill you if you ever put us through that again.” She wiped her eyes. “I didn’t know I could cry that much.”
    “But I didn’t put you through anything.” He laughed easi ly and I wanted to punch him for laughing like everything was okay. Didn’t he realize what he had put Lexi through?
    My phone started ringing again and I groaned as I saw my dad’s name on the screen again. “I am coming , Dad. Luke is okay. We are just—”
    “ —Bryce, you need to come downstairs and meet me in the lobby.”
    “Lexi and I will be there in a minute.”
    “Come alone, Bryce.” His voice caught and my heart skipped a beat. I’d never heard my father sound this serious and emotional before.
    “What’s up dad?” I sighed into the phone, annoyed. I saw Lexi and Luke exchange a glance and look at me as I talked and I rolled my eyes to indicate my annoyance at my dad ’s call.
    “It’s your mother.”
    “What about her?”
    “She’s not well.” He paused and took a deep breath.
    “What do you mean?” The blood drained from my face. “What’s wrong with her?”
    Lexi clasped her hand to her mouth and looked at me with wide eyes.
    “Come down, Bryce. Please.”
    I hung up the phone and looked at Lexi with bleak eyes. I felt as if my body had just caught on fire. “My dad