Chapter 11 #2
She scrambles to the edge of the bed and hops down, her sock-covered feet running across the room before she crashes into me, wrapping her arms tight around my legs. Tilting her head back, she beams up at me, curls bouncing.
“Nurse Claire said you’ve been really sad lately,” she says in one breath. “She said you didn’t want me to be sad, too, so you were waiting until you were happy again before you came back. Are you happy again?
My throat tightens. This girl is far too kind, too wise for everything she’s been through in her eight years. Shifting the crayons to my other hand, I tuck the coloring book under my arm and crouch to her level, pulling her close.
“I am much happier now, and I’ve missed you so much. How are you feeling?” I say, brushing a curl off her cheek.
We pull apart, her small hand slipping from mine as we wander back to the bed.
I lift her easily, setting her down among the tangle of blankets and plush toys until she wiggles herself into a spot she’s comfortable with.
I climb up too, tucking my dress beneath me as I sit cross-legged across from her.
The rolling table squeaks as I pull it between us.
“Better,” she says proudly, chin tilted high as she reaches for the coloring book. “No more yucky medicine, and Mom says I might get to go home soon.”
“No way.” I smile. “Does that mean we get to throw you a party?”
“Yes!” She bounces. “I want to be Elsa for my party.”
“That’s the best idea ever.”
She flips through the coloring book, tongue peeking from the corner of her mouth in concentration until she lands on a page of Olaf with Elsa. “You color Olaf. You always make him look the bestest.”
I press my hand to my chest. “Of course. How could I say no to that?” I take a crayon from the box and grin. “Then what do you think about breaking out of here and going to scare Nurse Sally?”
Charlie giggles, the sound bright with excitement, and something in my chest eases.
Seeing her with this much life and happiness is everything I didn’t know I needed.
A reminder that life can still be beautiful, even when it’s been so cruel.
That there are people out here still fighting for it.
She’s always been brave, fierce in a way that humbles everyone around her.
Even on the worst days, when her parents couldn’t fight back the tears, and their smiles trembled in front of her, she would squeeze her teddy a little tighter, straighten her little shoulders, and whisper, “It’s okay, guys.
I’m gonna fight like a superhero, just you watch.
” Emotion clogs my throat as my gaze drifts over her room.
All the arts and crafts we’ve created, the knitted blankets and stuffed toys that line the window ledge.
Each piece tells a story, and now she’s going home.
She’s fought harder than most adults I know, and she’s finally won.
We color and chat about all the things on Charlie’s to-do list when she gets home—swimming at the lake, eating her favorite cupcakes from Sunlit Espresso, seeing her friends, and finally sleeping in her new big girl bed.
Her voice lifts with every word, and she wiggles in excitement when she talks about watching her big sister play volleyball.
She hums softly to a tune that only she can hear as she colors, switching between purple and pink crayons and leaving the blues and greens to me, always the same way.
A small smile tugs at my lips. My mind drifts back to the last six months.
To the endless days I spent in my own head, moving through life on autopilot, pretending to function while my heart was silently breaking over a man.
It’s ridiculous, really. To be so caught up in someone that I forgot how to live.
How to laugh with my girls. How to be me.
A slow breath slips out of me. Watching Charlie hum her way through a world that tried to break her causes the shame sitting inside me to twist into something else… something that feels like clarity.
“Can we go scare Nurse Sally now?” Charlie asks, eyes wide with mischief.
I bite back a laugh, pretending to think it over.
“Hmm, I think we can… but we have to be super quiet.” I lean in, lowering my voice to a whisper.
“We’ll duck down low so she can’t see us coming.
Then, when we get around the corner, I’ll lift you, and you’ll give her the best boo. Sound like a plan?”
“Yes, yes, yes!” She giggles, already wiggling off the bed.
Her energy vibrates through the air as I crouch low, taking her small hand in mine. She squeals softly as we tiptoe down the hall toward the nurses’ station. Every nurse we pass gets a grin from Charlie and an exaggerated shh from me. My heart lifts watching her have so much fun like this.
“Okay, okay,” I whisper, peeking around the wall.
Sally is at her desk, sorting through paperwork, completely unaware. A grin tugs at my lips. I spot Mom across the hall watching us, shaking her head with that half smile that says, You’re a ratbag, but I love you. I bring my finger to my mouth, begging her to stay quiet.
“Ready?” I whisper, squeezing Charlie’s hand.
She nods furiously, curls bouncing as I slip my hands under her arms and lift her.
“Now.”
“Boo!” Charlie yells, her voice echoing off the walls.
Sally jumps back, clutching her paperwork to her chest with a startled laugh. “Ah! You little monsters!”
We burst into a fit of giggles, and Charlie kicks her legs as I set her on top of the desk.
“Gotcha,” I say through my laughter.
“Nurse Sally, you were so scared, weren’t you?” Charlie beams, her eyes wide with pride.
“I sure was, sweetie.” Sally touches her hair dramatically. “I think I have some new gray hairs because you scared me that well.”
Charlie giggles, delighted with herself.
“Nurse Claire, did we scare you, too?” she calls when she spots Mom nearby.
“You sure did, my little troublemaker,” Mom says, scooping her up for a quick hug before setting her down again. “How about you walk back to your room with Nurse Sally here, and Madison will come back to see you before she leaves?”
“Okay! But we should do this every day, Madi,” she says, her smile stretching wide.
I chuckle, shaking my head. “Maybe not every day, but I’m sure we can think of something fun next time I’m here.”
Nurse Sally picks Charlie up, and they head back down the hall toward her room. When I turn around, Mom’s standing there with that soft, all-knowing smile on her face.
“What?” I ask, narrowing my eyes.
“I just haven’t seen you this happy in a long time,” she says, giving me that look, the one that sees too much.
“Yeah, well… Hunter and I talked. Things seem to be looking up, and seeing Charlie again just—” I shrug. “It reminds you that life’s too short, you know?”
“Mhm.” Her hum carries that I told you so edge I know too well.
“Yeah, yeah. And before you get all in your head, no—Hunter and I are just staying friends.”
Her eyes glint. “Well, that’s a shame, isn’t it?”
“Oh my god, you’re impossible,” I groan, brushing past her. “I’m going to see some of the other kids before I say bye to Charlie, and then I’m heading out.”
“Sweetheart,” she calls after me, and I glance back.
“It’s really nice to see you smile again,” she says softly.
I take off, feeling lighter than I have in months, though a flutter of nerves twists in my stomach.
Because I know that look she just gave me.
Mom’s happy that I’m finally coming out of my haze, but she’s never been one to leave things alone.
And if I had to guess, whatever’s floating around that head of hers probably involves Hunter…
and a not-so-subtle plan to push us back together.