By Heather Knight
It's tough being me. When Mum woke me up this morning I pretended not to hear her at the beginning, like I do every day. Then, I begged for a few extra minutes and I smiled happily when she left my room. I snuggled against my warm pillow and tried to go back to my dream. What had it been about? I had already forgotten, but I knew it had been something good because I still retained this fuzzy feeling I have most mornings. Except on the days when I have a nightmare, then I am covered in a cold sweat from head to toe and willing to leave my bed.
When Mum came back, I knew I had to get up or I'd be in trouble. She is mostly peaceful but you wouldn't want to incur her wrath. Or else. When she starts screaming she can be one scary lady.
I put on my new slippers and listened for my brother. Every morning, Marcus and I have this race for the bathroom. It's of the essence to get there before him because his showers are the longest on the planet. When he gets out, the walls are dripping wet and the mirror is covered in steam.
We have two bathrooms at home, but Mum refuses to share hers with us. She says it's the only way to keep it clean. According to her, ours looks like a pigsty and one pigsty per home is enough. Her words, not mine. But I have to admit she has a point.
And that's when I first noticed something was wrong. When I put on my slippers, I mean. My left leg felt as if it was made of jelly, the only way I could walk was by dragging it behind me, which I did. I thought it was weird and a bit scary, but put it down to me having slept in an awkward position or something.
Of course Marcus beat me to the bathroom, so I decided to have breakfast first instead.
'Do you want some toast?' Mum asked me.
'Yes, please. Two pieces.'
'Jam?'
'Do we have honey?'
'There's a bit left.'
I didn't say anything about my leg. I would wait and see, maybe it was just a temporary thing. No need to worry Mum unnecessarily. Ever since Dad died, both Marcus and I have tried to protect her from all kinds of unpleasantness. It's as if the mother children roles had been reversed. I'm not saying she's a bad mother, just that she's not all there, her heart is somewhere else. The truth is, she's become quite self-involved. She worries more about her own feelings of sadness than she does about us.
After wolfing down my toast and drinking a glass of cold milk (at least my appetite has remained intact), I got up and left the kitchen. Mum didn't notice my limping as she was washing up and humming to herself.
Getting into the bathtub was difficult, but I managed to have my shower and get dressed. I tried to distract myself by singing some of my favourite songs. Singing is a passion of mine, I wish Mum would let me take classes, but she says we don't have enough money right now. All the same, I'll try to convince her again next course.
At quarter to nine, Mum was waiting in the hall, ready to drive us to school.
'What's wrong with your leg, Iris?' she asked me.
'Nothing. My rucksack is very heavy today.'
Marcus looked at me, opened his mouth to speak, thought better of it, and stared at the floor, as if his sneakers held some kind of secret he was trying to decipher.
I praised God for giving me such a gullible mother.
In the playground, I sat on a bench while my friends kicked a ball. I wanted to play but the truth was I just couldn't. Marcus saw me and came to sit beside me. He must have noticed something was seriously wrong, because he usually avoids me at school. He tells his friends I'm the bane of his existence. And he uses every opportunity at his disposal to make jokes about me and say mean things to me. Still, I think deep down he loves me. Or at least I hope so.
'What's really wrong with you, sis?'
I love his calling me sis, mainly because he never does.
'I can hardly move my leg.'
'Have you fallen or something?'
'Not that I can remember.'
'You should have told Mum,' he said, his eyes clouded with concern.
'I don't want to worry her.'
'We can't keep on protecting Mum forever, you know. She's the grown up. If you don't tell her, I will. You have to go to the doctor's.'
'Let's wait till tomorrow, please. Then, if I'm not better, I'll tell her.'
'Deal,' he said and then he did something that astonished me. He gave me a kiss.
Marcus is thirteen, two years older than me. He's tall and thin and always gets the best marks in his class. He's also very good at playing the guitar, which is something he learnt from Dad.
Even though I've never told him, I'm really proud of him. I hope he's proud of me as well, but I suspect he sees me more as a nuisance, something he has to put up with.
| Author Notes |
The real title of this book is 'Because I Found You In A Cabbage Patch', but there was not enough space for it.
The story is loosely based on my daughter's fight with leukemia, but it's a novel. |
By Heather Knight
Before in Because I Found You In A Cabbage Patch: Iris started feeling unwell, but didn't tell her Mum not to worry her.
Last night I read in bed till eleven. I'm in the middle of the second Harry Potter book and would have stayed up longer, but Mum made me turn off my light.
'It's a school day tomorrow,' Mum said kissing my forehead.
When I grow up, I want to be a writer like J.K. Rowling. It must be wonderful to be able to invent stories that make lots of people happy. I wonder what you have to study to become a writer. I'll ask Mum in the morning.
It took me quite a while to fall asleep. I tossed and turned for a long half hour at least. My leg hadn't got any better and by the time school finished, I was really tired. The truth was, I was worried sick.
This morning when I woke up, I didn't ask Mum to let me stay in bed a bit longer. I was eager to see if I could walk properly. I put on my slippers and stood up but had to sit down again immediately. Both my legs were feeling weak now.
'Mum!' I shouted, fear taking over.
'What's wrong, sweetie?' she asked.
'I'm not feeling well.'
She touched my cheek and winced.
'You are burning up. Lie down again. I'll call the doctor's and ask for an appointment.'
Just then Marcus walked into the room.
'She was already sick yesterday. Her leg hurts. You should tell the doctor that.'
'I will. Do you think you can take the bus to school today, Marcus?'
'Of course.'
Mum called the doctor's office and got an appointment for eleven thirty. Then she brought me breakfast in bed and some Tylenol to bring my temperature down. Even though I was feeling lousy I enjoyed the attention.
I balanced the tray on my legs and ate slowly. After finishing my toast, I lay back on my pillow and watched Mum as she busied herself picking my clothes from the floor. For once, she didn't tell me off and it made me feel somewhat guilty. I enjoyed looking at her, I always do. My Mum is very pretty, but a bit plump. She looks like a teddy bear you can cuddle when you are feeling sad. I would never tell her this because she's always obsessing about her weight.
At eleven, Mum told me to get dressed. I hadn't even realized I had fallen asleep again and her voice made me wake up with a start.
At the doctor's office, I read my Harry Potter and Mum looked around. Mum can never read when she's worried but I would read even in the middle of an earthquake. I love books so much...
There were only three more children, so I assumed we wouldn't have to wait much longer. And I was right.
'Iris Garcia,' a shrill voice said. The nurse calling my name was new or at least I had never seen her before. She was very young and, in her make up and elegant dress, looked totally out of place. I bet she wanted to be a model and was just doing this job to make a living in the meantime.
We walked into Dr Brown's office, Mum first, I behind. Limping.
'Long time no see, Iris. How are you?'
Dr Brown is a genuinely nice man. There aren't many like him. He's been my doctor ever since I was born and I feel comfortable in his presence.
He must be about to retire because he looks really old. His hair is white and his face is all wrinkled. That's why I can't understand when Mum and some of the neighbours speak about him and say he's handsome. Really classy, they say.
Mum says when I was a baby he once told her I was the most beautiful little girl he'd ever seen. He said that even though I was not a classical beauty, my face had a cuteness that made it extra special. I guess that's a big compliment.
We explained what was wrong and he typed away on his computer. He seemed to have got used to it. I remember when he first got a computer at the office, he was all flustered and complained about modern technology, saying he had been happy before, thank you very much.
'It's probably just the flu, but I want you to have a blood test just to be on the safe side.'
Whenever we go to the doctor's, Mum takes me to Burger King afterwards as a treat. Today, she asked me if I was up to it. I was about to say I'd rather go home, but I've never been able to resist a Whopper. So in the end, Mum drove us to the nearest burger joint. Fortunately it was early and the queue wasn't very long.
We ordered, and when our food was ready, sat down at one of the tables I like. The ones that have sofa-like seats on both sides. They are called booths, aren't they?
'Do you think it's just the flu, Mum?' I asked.
'Positive,' she mumbled, her mouth full. She was smiling but her eyes were sad. Maybe she was not so sure after all.
When we finished eating, she asked me if I wanted to go shopping for shoes as mine were looking pretty shabby.
'Not today, Mum. I'm too tired.'
'Let's go home then.'
Mum had asked for the day off to take me to the doctor's, so once home, she suggested we watch a film together.
I opened the cupboard and started rummaging through our DVDs. I came across Patch Adams and without knowing why I felt my stomach contract with fear. It didn't make any sense, it was just a DVD with a picture of a doctor with a red nose. He looked friendly and all.
In the end we watched Letters to Juliet. Both Mum and I love chick flicks. But this is one of my favourites, it's incredibly romantic. It's about this old lady who is trying to find the man she used to love a gazillion years before.
When the film was about to finish, we heard Marcus's key turn in the lock.
'Hi! What did the doctor say?' he asked. I found it endearing that he was worried about me.
'Nothing much. It's probably just the flu.'
'And the leg thing?'
Mum just shrugged her shoulders, pressed play on the remote and Marcus left the room. I wondered if she wasn't really worried or just pretending not to care.
By Heather Knight
In previous chapters: Iris felt unwell and her mum took her to the doctor.
The phone rang at 8.30 this morning. I wondered who it could be. People don't usually call so early on a Saturday morning.
I heard Mum groan and get up. By the time she got to the living room, it had stopped ringing. She was going back to her room, shuffling her feet along and yawning, when it started ringing again. Whoever it was, they were persistent, you had to give them that.
'Hello?' Mum said and after that she didn't speak any more. She just made assenting noises. A couple of minutes later, she hung up.
'Who was it, Mum?' I shouted from my room.
'It was Dr Brown, love. The results of your blood test are inconclusive and he wants us to go to Greendale Hospital later today.'
'But it's Saturday!'
Mum ignored me. She didn't even bother to answer. She just went to her room and I heard her opening drawers, looking for something to wear. Then, she went to the kitchen and turned on the kettle. Mum making tea meant just one thing: she was upset. In our family, like in many others, tea is believed to have the ability to cure almost everything. As if!
Marcus came into my room and asked me if I was okay.
'Peachy!' I said, filling the word with as much sarcasm as possible.
'Do you want me to go with you?'
I was taken aback by his generosity and also a bit worried. Did he think I was seriously ill or something?
'Nah! We'll be back in a couple of hours,' I said, trying to sound upbeat, even though I didn't totally believe it myself.
We took the bus because Mum said parking outside Greendale was very expensive. I wish she didn't speak about money so much.
She had to help me a couple of times when it got too difficult for me to walk, but , all in all, we managed. We didn't talk much during the trip. I know I didn't talk because I was scared, and I guess Mum didn't talk for the same reason.
We got to the hospital in less than an hour.
'Ready?' Mum said when we were outside.
'Ready,' I answered forcing a smile.
Greendale Hospital is a modern-looking building made of steel and glass. It's like a small version of the Shard and I've heard it was built by the same architect. I have to say I quite like it.
Inside it's all white and clinical, as if somebody scrubbed the walls on a regular basis. It smells of disinfectant and something else I cannot quite put my finger on.
We went to the ER as Dr Brown had instructed us to do. There, we were told to wait. After five minutes or so, my name was called and Mum and I followed the nurse into a small room. She told me she was going to need a blood sample.
'Another one?'
'Yes, darling. But I promise you it won't hurt.'
It did hurt. It always does. But I smiled through it all. After all, I'm a big girl now and I have responsibilities.
When Dad was sick, he made me promise I would look after Mum and that's a promise I always try to keep to the best of my abilities. I sometimes wonder if he told her to look after us or if he understood that was a given. I feel bad saying this, but Dad was always the better parent. I think Mum wasn't born to have children. Anyway...
Time passed and I kept on thinking. About Dad and Mum, how they were perfectly suited for each other. About this and that ... till a voice broke into my reverie. It was the nurse again.
'Can you please come with me, Mrs Garcia?
'Yes, of course.'
'What about me?'
'Just wait here a bit longer, Iris.'
Time ticked slowly by. I looked at the pictures on the walls and tried to read one of the magazines on the table in front of me, but I couldn't concentrate.
After what seemed like a million years, Mum came back. Her eyes were red and puffy. Not a good sign.
'What's wrong, Mum?'
'Nothing, dear. The doctor isn't sure whether you have mononucleosis or something else. They are going to do a bone marrow biopsy to make sure.'
I felt the questions piling in my brain. Their weight was like a physical pain.
'What's a bone marrow biopsy? What other thing might I have? When can we go home? Why...?'
'We'll have to stay overnight, Iris. I'm going to call Marcus and your Nana. Nana will have to go to our home so that your brother is not alone.'
After that, Mum and I continued talking without listening to each other. Both at the same time, our thoughts pouring randomly out of our mouths.
A while later, the nurse came back into the room and told us to follow her. We took a lift to the tenth floor and then walked down a deserted corridor that reminded me of a horror film I had watched once. One in which a horrible doctor kept lots of patients in a coma to do experiments on them.
'This is your room. Make yourself comfortable,' she said.
The room looked pretty for a hospital. The walls were light pink and there were pictures hanging from the ceiling (Weird, if you ask me). Pictures painted by previous patients, I guessed. There were two beds with colourful covers and a television on a shiny metal dresser.
'Which one is my bed? I asked.
'You can choose. You are alone in this room for the time being.'
I chose the one near the window to be able to look outside. The view of the city was awesome, people and cars looked really small from this high up. As small as I felt myself just then.
| Author Notes | The girl in the picture is the real Iris when she was a baby. |
By Heather Knight
Previously in Because I Found You In A Cabbage Patch: Iris's pediatrician was worried by her blood test results and told her mother to take her to hospital.
Once the nurse had left, Mum helped me out of my clothes and into the hospital nightgown. Then, she told me she had to go out to make some calls.
She went out into the corridor and closed the door behind her.
I knew she was going to call Nana. She always does when she's upset.
At first, I didn't move, but then I decided I wanted to hear what she was saying, so I tiptoed towards the door and opened it again silently.
I could hear Mum speaking, but it was difficult to make out what she was saying. Suddenly, however, a sentence floated towards me, a sentence that froze me on the spot.
'They think she might have leukemia.'
I went back to my bed, lay down and started crying.
How could life be so cruel? Leukemia had killed my Dad and now it was going to kill me?
After a while Mum came back.
'Iris? What's wrong?'
'I heard what you said. You said I have leukemia.'
'I said you might have it, love,' she whispered, patting me on the shoulder uncertainly, as if afraid of my reaction.
'Does that mean I'm going to die?' I asked her after a while.
'No, of course not.'
'But Dad...'
'Dad's leukemia was different, sweetie.'
And then we both started crying. I think I cried myself to sleep because I don't remember anything else about yesterday. I must have slept a million hours.
This morning two nurses came to take me down to the OR, as they call it in American films. Mum asked if she could come with us.
'No, you'll have to wait here, Mrs Garcia.'
Her face was so sad that it made my heart break a little. It's in moments like this that I realize Mum doesn't have the strength to carry any amount of drama on her shoulders. She counted on Dad to support her and now he's gone.
'See you in a while, Mum,' I said, forcing myself to smile.
The operating theatre was a most interesting place. It was full of machines and futuristic-looking equipment. Despite my sadness, I couldn't help being curious.
'Hello, Iris!'
I looked around and saw Dr Brown.
'You're here!'
'Of course. You know you're my favourite patient.'
I smiled up at him gratefully. Even if it was not true, it was nice to hear him say that.
Two nurses weighed me to see how much anesthetic I needed and then I was told to lie on my tummy.
'So what happens now?' I asked.
'First we inject you with anesthetic so that you cannot feel the pain.'
'And then?'
'Then we extract some cells from your bone marrow to see what's wrong with you.'
I can't say I liked the sound of that, but there was nothing I could do.
I got a first injection and then we waited for a while. I heard the doctors say it was not enough. So they gave me another one. And then a third one.
'You're a tough cookie, Iris. You should be asleep by now,' Dr Brown said. 'We have given you enough anesthetic to put a horse to sleep.
I smiled despite myself and then laughed. I was going to beat this thing. Looking at me, everybody in the OR started laughing as well.
In the end, they had to do the biopsy with me fully awake. Fortunately, it didn't hurt much.
An hour later, I was taken back to Mum.
'So?' she asked looking at Dr Brown.
'We've already injected her a first dose of chemo.'
Mum sat down.
'She has leukemia, then?'
'She does. But remember ALL is curable. She'll be back to school in no time.'
'What's ALL?' I asked.
'Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.'
'Sounds grand.'
'There's a slight logistic problem though. We don't have an oncology department here, so we'll have to transfer you to Great Hunsford Hospital.'
'When?'
'Tomorrow. But Dr Ingram is about to open a Children's Cancer wing here, so as soon as it's ready you'll be back. Dr Ingram is one of the best in the field and she's a personal friend of mine. I've already told her about you.'
| Author Notes |
The picture shows the real Iris in Stratford just before she became ill.
In the video below you can see what she looks like now: |
By Heather Knight
The story so far: After being diagnosed with leukemia, Iris was told she had to stay in hospital. Now she's being transferred to a bigger and better hospital.
The trip to Great Whatever Hospital was the scariest in my life so far. Mum and I were transferred there in an ambulance and I sincerely doubt the driver had a driver's licence. The siren was on all the time and he sped like a maniac, while Mum held on to her seat for dear life. I was lying on a stretcher and I promise it moved all around the back of the vehicle, just like the baby seat in the Matilda film.
I wondered what the hurry was, it wasn't as if I was dying or anything. We got there in less than half an hour and when I got off, I was glad there was a wheelchair waiting for me.
'You look pale, Tiny,' Mum said.
'I wonder why...'
She smiled at me knowingly.
'Yeah, I feel like throwing up myself.'
The hospital was a beautiful castle-like building surrounded by manicured lawns. There were flower beds and fountains everywhere. It looked really posh. More like a fancy hotel than a hospital.
We were taken to a small room with a French window that opened onto a balcony.
'Dr. Ingram will come to see you as soon as she can,' a little plump nurse with a childish face and a squeaky voice told us.
While we waited, Mum called Marcus and I heard her tell him about our trip on the ambulance.
'I was scared for our life,' she said.
There was a knock on the door and Mum hung up hurriedly. A very thin woman walked in. She was wearing a green skirt with a beige blouse. They looked expensive. On top she had a white coat and in her hand she held a chart that I assumed contained my medical history.
'Hello, Iris,' she said.
'Hello,' I answered in a small voice. I didn't know why, but I found this stranger intimidating. Maybe because she looked so elegant, not a hair out of place. Besides, she was old, not as old as Dr Brown, but almost.
'I hope you and I will become friends as I'm going to be your doctor for the next few months. I see here it's your birthday today.'
'Oh!' both Mum and I looked at each other. We had completely forgotten, what with all the drama.
Dr Ingram seemed taken aback by our reaction.
'Did I get it wrong?' she asked.
'No. We ... we just forgot.'
'Then, happy birthday! I will bring you a little something tomorrow. Do you still like dolls or are you too old for that?'
'I love dolls,' I answered wondering what kind of doll she was referring to, but too shy to ask.
After that, she started talking to Mum. She explained the treatment to her, which drugs I would be given, how long it would last, how long I would have to stay in hospital... She also told Mum our life was about to change big time. It was all too scientific for me and after a while my attention wandered and I started daydreaming. It was only when I heard the word operation that I started listening again.
'Why an operation?'
'You need a Hickman line.'
'What's that?'
'It's something that will stop us from hurting you. We can use it both to give you medication and to get blood.'
'So when am I having this operation?
'The sooner the better. I will talk to the surgeon later.'
After she had left, Mum and I decided to go out to the balcony to look at the view. It was magnificent. So green and so lush. I could see a gardener in the distance deadheading some rose bushes.
A little girl came out of the room next to ours and said hello to us.
'Hi. I'm Paula. What's your name?'
'Iris.'
'Are you new, Iris? I'd never seen you before.'
'Yes. I've arrived today.'
'What's wrong with you?'
'I have ALL.'
'Ah, so you are one of the lucky ones,' she said with a smile. 'You'll get cured.'
'What about you?'
'I have something called neuroblastoma. I think I'll probably die.'
I was shocked, but she didn't seem to mind. She just said it matter-of-factly. As if it was something she had learned in a geography class.
Mum looked away to hide her tears.
'Do you want to play?' Paula asked me. 'The balcony is the only fun place in this hospital. There is no common room or anything.'
Just then, a tired-looking man came out of Paula's room. He hadn't shaved in quite a few days and his shirt needed ironing. Despite the dark circles under his blue eyes, he was very handsome.
'Who are you bothering now, Paula?' he asked.
'She's not bothering us,' Mum answered with a smile.
'I'm glad to hear that, she's a lovely girl but she doesn't understand what boundaries are.'
'What are boundaries, Daddy?' Paula asked, an innocent smile on her face. Then she winked at me.
Paula's Dad and my mum sat on a bench in the balcony and I followed Paula into her room. She told me she had lots of games and she was not lying.
'So how old are you?' she asked me.
'Eleven, and you?'
'Eight. Do you have any brothers or sisters?'
'Just one. His name is Marcus. What about you?'
'No. It's just me and Dad. My Mum left when I was a baby. I don't miss her much because I can't remember her, but I wish Dad had a girlfriend. I don't want him to be all alone when I'm gone.'
I didn't know what to say, so I said nothing. After a while, Paula kept on talking as if she had never stopped.
'Maybe your Mum will do. Is she single?'
By Heather Knight
This is Iris's story. She's a little girl who's just found out she has leukemia. The book is based on my daughter's real life experiences.
I played with Paula for two hours or more and then went back to my room, not without promising her we would play again the next day.
When I got there, there were lots of grown ups I had never seen before talking to Mum.
'Look, Iris. These are my workmates. They've come to visit you and they've brought you presents.'
I smiled shyly and they smiled back. There were three men. One of them looked very young, but he was so thin that I was afraid to shake his hand in case I broke it. After they left, Mum told me he had diabetes.
There were also two young women, each of them holding an enormous parcel.
'Here you are,' said one of them.
'Can I open it?'
'Of course, it's yours.'
I tore the paper and wowed. They had bought me an adorable Bambi doll.
'Oh! How cute!' Mum gushed speaking for both of us.
'Do you want to see what there is in the other parcel?'
'Yes' I whispered, still self-conscious in front of so many strangers.
The second parcel contained something soft. I tore at the paper and looked at its contents. It was a gorgeous pink dress from my favourite shop.
'Thanks so much! I'll wear it tomorrow.'
Mum seemed really happy to have her colleagues to talk to and I was glad they had come.
'Mum, can I show my presents to Paula?'
'Of course, darling.'
Paula said the dress was too posh, but she loved the Bambi doll and I told her she could borrow it whenever she wanted.
When I went back to my room, our visitors had left and Mum was sitting on a chair looking at the wall. Just staring. I wondered what she was thinking about.
At seven o'clock my dinner was brought on a tray. Noodle soup and fish. An apple for dessert. I was not very hungry, but I ate it all not to upset Mum.
After that, I didn't know what to do, as I hadn't brought any books.
'Mum, next time you go home you have to bring me a couple of Harry Potter books. The ones I have on my night-table.'
'I have Pollyanna here if you want.'
'No, thanks.' I couldn't help but smiling. I hate Pollyanna, but Mum reads it and rereads it whenever there is a family crisis. I wonder how she can stomach that book, it's so awfully corny!
Just then, there was a knock on the door. Mum opened it and looked at the bearded man outside.
'Good evening! I'm Dr Square. I'll be operating on your daughter tomorrow. I've come to get an idea of her volume.'
He walked into the room, looked me up and down and left without saying goodbye.
Mum and I burst out laughing. Hysterically.
'What a horrible man!'
'What was that all about? What did he mean by 'my volume'?'
'I guess he wanted to know how heavy you are to see the amount of anesthetic he'll be needing.'
'And he knows that just by looking at me?'
'I guess.' Mum answered thoughtfully.
And then we started laughing again.
After a while, Mum said we'd better go to sleep. There was a blue sofa next to my bed for her to lie on and even though it didn't seem very comfortable she didn't complain.
'What is Paula's father's name?' I asked.
'Josh. Why?'
'No reason. I'm just curious. What did you two talk about for two hours?'
'Lots of things, but mainly you girls.'
'Do you like him?'
'He seems nice,' she said with a yawn.
I stared at the ceiling for a while after that, and then I guess I fell asleep, because I can't remember anything else.
The next morning at around eight, the plump nurse with the squeaky voice came into my room and told me I wouldn't be getting any breakfast as she had to take me down for surgery in half an hour.
'What's your name?' I asked her.
'Molly,' she said, smiling widely. She seems like a truly nice person. I don't know why but I felt like getting to know her better.
'Do you like your job?'
'Most of the time,' she answered. 'I don't like it when you guys feel poorly.'
'Do you have children?'
'No, not yet. But I would like to have at least two in the future.'
'Do you have a boyfriend?'
'Yes. Next time he comes to pick me up I'll introduce you to him. I bet you'll like him.'
She could have got angry because I was asking her so many questions, but she didn't. She just answered and kept on smiling.
A while later, Dr Ingram walked into the room with a parcel in her hand.
'Don't think I forgot about your birthday. Here. This is for you,' she said.
I opened it as quickly as I could (which was kind of a shame as the wrapping paper was beautiful). Inside there was a Barbie in a white coat.
'Cool! I love it!'
'Do you still play with Barbies then?'
'Yes, well, not as much as when I was little, but I still do. I'll have to show it to Paula later, I bet she'll love it.'
'Well, let's take you down to theatre then. I've just talked to Dr Square and they are ready for you.'
I told Dr Ingram about Dr Square's visit the night before.
'Just ignore him,' she said. 'Surgeons live in a world of their own.'
Molly went out for a moment and returned with a wheelchair.
'I can walk,' I said.
'I know, but this is just how we do things around here. Hop on, lady. And don't say we don't treat you like royalty.'
Mum walked with us till we got to the elevator.
'See you soon, princess,' she said.
This time the anesthetic knocked me out completely. I only remember a nurse putting a transparent mask on my face and telling me to count backwards.
When I woke up, I noticed a bandage on my chest covering the Hickman line.
'Don't touch it,' a nurse said as I lifted my hand towards it.
'Sorry.'
'How are you feeling?'
'Okay, I guess,' I said, but the truth was I was a bit groggy, which was normal under the circumstances.
'We'll take you up to your room in an hour or so,' I heard somebody say as I drifted off to sleep again.
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