Change

Bursting through the hospital doors, I follow as closely behind Liam, well, as much as I can anyways.

“May, which room?” Liam huffs as he stops abruptly at the desk with the seemingly familiar nurse.

“2244.” She says, “Liam,” Her tone stopping him once again in his tracks. “He has been through a lot, and is very tired right now.”

“Right.” He sighs looking over at me nodding in the direction we needed to go.

“Everything is ok then?” I ask as the nurse nods, while I rest my hand on his back. “Breathe.” I whisper to him as he exhales slowly.

+++++++++++++++++

“This really was not how I wanted our first date to go.” He says breaking the silence as we walk down the long hall and into the pediatric wing. “I was thinking it would have ended better than this.”

Stopping short, “How do you believe it could have ended better, Liam?”

“Well first, we would have gotten to actually eat our food, instead of just ordering it.” He began as he turns around to look at me. “And we would get ice cream or something, which reminds me, Henry wants to go on an ice cream date, with the two of us. When he is feeling up to it of course.”

“I would like that.” I say as I begin walking again.

Liam grabs my hand, stopping me once again. “I, um, I’m not done telling about our first date.” He smiles, tangling our fingers together.

“Oh, ok, go on.” I smile as I look down at our hands.

“Alright.” He smiles. “And if time allows, as in your curfew set by your uncle-“

“I have a curfew?” I question, I did not know about this.

“I have had an earful from Charlie about you.” He laughs, “But I am going to finish now Reina.” I nod as he continues. “And if time allows, I would take you to my favorite place, I suppose it can be yours too since you have been there. If you like it that is.” He rambles on with his beautiful blue eyes. “We could stargaze in the back of my truck, as the radio plays. I’m getting pretty cheesy, Reina.”

“Keep going.” I state after he pauses and runs his hand through his messy dark hair as he looks down at me.

“And right before the bugs start to bother us, and we call it a night.”

“They are pretty pesky.” I smile stopping him briefly.

“Right,” He smiles as I can tell he wants to keep going even though I keep stopping him. “Pesky.” He states as he leans down and kisses my forehead, “And before we call it a night, I would remind you how beautiful you are.”

His eyes were bright as he looked softly into my brown eyes. Liam Everton truly was something.

“And last but not least,” He whispers, “I would kiss you.” He says pressing his lips to my forehead once again. “Over, “ next a kiss on my nose, “and over again.” And both my cheeks as I start to smile as butterflies come and go throughout my body. “Until I have finally kissed you good night.” He says pulling away to look at me.

“Mhmm,” I hum as he smiles, waiting for my supposed good night kiss. “But aren’t you forgetting something?”

Shrugging his shoulders, “I don’t think I’m ready to say good night just yet.” He smirks as he pulls me towards our final destination. Henry’s room, knocking as we open the door slowly.
Liam walks in, smile dropping from his face as his brother lies before him tubs all over and around him.

“Henry.” Liam says softly as he slowly lets my hand fall from his as he walks over to his brother. “Are you ok bud? Where is mom?” He asks taking a seat on the edge of the hospital bed as I stand back, leaning against the wall as the two talk.

“When I said it was a bad day earlier,” Henry said slowly. “I may have lied, was worse.” Liam sighs as Henry smiles at him. “Did I ruin your date?”

Liam slowly looks behind him to me, “Not exactly.”

“What? Is she here?” He says excitedly. “Where is she? The waiting room?” He sits up and grabs onto Liam’s shirt. “Go get her! I really want to meet her!”

Liam starts to laugh as he pries Henry’s small hands off of his shirt. “Ok, ok, calm down.” He says through laughs, “Reina,” He smiled as he looks over in my direction, “Would you come over here please?” Resting on the wall, I stand up straight and make my way over to his hospital bed.

“Hi.” I smile at Henry as I stop and stand next to Liam, as both their eyes were on me.

Maybe it was his tiny, pale size, or his glasses, but Liam and Henry looked nothing alike. “Hi.” He said shyly, eyes still on me.

I lied, they had one thing in common; they had the same beautiful eyes. They were just hidden behind his glasses.

“You are right,” He whispers to Liam, “She is beautiful.” My head snaps over to Liam, catching his eyes still on me as he smirks. “You are beautiful.” Henry said to me.

“I can’t lie.” Liam whispered to me as he takes my hand once again.

“He’s not supposed to anyways.” Henry adds as the door opens again and a doctor walks in.

“Liam,” He stated, standing in the doorway, “If you don’t mind, would you come with me, please?”

Liam looks at me and then over to Henry as he shrugs his shoulders, both immensely confused. “Yeah, sure.” He says dropping my hand and standing up.

“She can stay with me.” Henry says reassuringly as Liam stares at the both of us. He was acting like such an adult. I look over at Henry once the door clicks closed. “I’m even more confused than you are.” He said, “The doctors have never wanted to talk to him and they have had my mom with them fore a while. Which I am guessing isn’t very good news.” Taking a seat down on the bed. “So tell me about yourself.” He says going from one thing to the next.

“Where should I start?” I ask.

“Anywhere, where you are from, your parents, your friends, your likes, your dislikes, anything Reina.” He smiles. “Go from there.”

“All my life I have lived in California, until now.” I started, “Sadly I am an only child, um, I don’t know if you want to really hear about my life.”

“It can’t be as bad as mine.” He said smugly as I look at him with sad eyes.

“Well both my parents died in a car accident two months ago, so that is why I am here in Iowa.” I stopped as Henry stared at me. “I love the game of soccer, that is how I met my best friend Clemmy.” I smiled at the sound of her name; I really did miss her. “I enjoy reading.” Henry begins to smile at my enjoyment in books. “And I guess I despise coconut.” I stated lastly, “I think that is about it from what you are asking.”

“You like to read?” Henry says sitting up straighter untangling his oxygen tubes along the way. “I love to!”

“What do you like to read?” I ask settling onto the bed.

“Right now I have been reading comics, but I read whatever is in my mom’s library at home also.” He said, “Comics match my age more than the sophistication of the other books I read.”

I begin to laugh, “You are very mature for your age.”

“Reading is the only thing I do.” He said, “I don’t get to participate in a lot of things like Liam does. I live through the stories and the adventures that I read, while sitting inside as everyone gets to live their own adventures.” He looks at me sadly, for the first time.

Taking his hand, “Some day soon, I am sure you will get to live your own adventure.” I smile as his cold thin hand grasps onto mine.

“I hope so because I don’t want to be thin, cold, pale, and hurting forever.” He laughs, “I want to play sports, I want to run, I want to rock climb. I want to do anything and everything without joint and bone pain.”

“One day you will, but right now. I would love to know more about you.” I smiled as he perks up a bit.

“I don’t really get to meet new people, so this is nice.” He smiled. “I’m only ten, but I love to read, like I said before.” He smiled. “At a college level, might I add; I only have my mom and my brother. They are my best friends. Liam does everything he can with me to keep me happy, but what I dislike most is that he of all people worries about me too much.”

“He loves you.” I stated.

“But he thinks I am going to die and some days I think I am going to, too and his pain scares me.” He said as his voice softened. “I remember what he went through almost two years ago when our dad died and I don’t think he will be able to take any more if anything were to happen to me.”

“I don’t really think he can help it.” I said. “He worried about me before he even really knew me.”

“That is what makes him a great person.”

“He truly is something.” I laughed. “He has been a while, should we be worried.”

“He will be back.” He smiled, “But to calm your nerves, I will order ice cream for the two of us.”

“You truly are something as well, Henry.” I laughed once again causing a smile to break across his face.

“I like to think so.” He smirks as he pushes the call button for the nurses.”

+++++++++++++++++

“That ice cream really hit the spot.” Henry said lying back into his mound of pillows with his comic book in hand.

“You’ve got that right.” I smile fixing my skirt. “You look tired, you should rest, Henry.” He nods his head in agreement just as the door clicks open once again and Liam walks in with his mother.

“Reina,” Liam whispers taking my hand and helping me onto my feet again, “It is getting late. I should be getting you home soon.”

“Sounds good.” I smile. “It was very nice meeting you, Henry.”

“Good night Reina,” Liam’s mother whispers taking a seat on Henry’s bed. “I hope to see you again soon. I have heard a lot about you.”

“Good night Mrs. Everton.” I smiled as Liam kissed his mother’s cheek and then his brother’s

“I will see you two in the morning.” He said as he leads the two of us out of the room.

+++++++++++++++++

“Is everything ok?” I ask as Liam pulls into the driveway to drop me off. “You have been pretty quiet since we left.”

He stares out the windshield in his own world as his hands clench the steering wheel until his hands turn white.

“Liam?” I ask once again.

“What?” He finally says as he turns to look at me.

“It has been a long day for you,” I say quietly. “Maybe I will just see you later?”

“Can I tell you something?” He says eyes fully on me.

“Of course.”