pillows up and settled him back against them. Still holding his hand she turned to Steven as she spoke. “Ricky, this is Dr. O’Reily.”
Steven moved further up on the bed and held out his hand. “You can call me Doc like Rachel does if you want.” The small hand was placed in his larger one. “I just want to ask you a few questions, is that okay?” The child nodded with huge eyes. “Do you hurt anywhere Ricky? Or is it just a droopy feeling?”
The small eyes darted around the room, stopping on Rachel a few times before he looked back at Steven. “Sometimes my arms don’t like to move.” He looked up at Rachel and then back to Steven. “My legs too. Last night I watched a whole movie, with Marie.” He smiled at Rachel.
Rachel ruffled his hair. “This is probably why your body wants to sleep today.”
“It didn’t want sleep so Marie played with me.”
Steven watched in silence. There were bruises on the boys’ one arm his eyes appeared sunken. “Well Ricky, I’d like you to come visit me at work.”
The eyes moved over him again with suspicion. “At a hos... pital?”
Steven grinned. “Yep, I want to see if I can find out why your arms don’t like to move and why your body wants to sleep when you want to run around.” He glanced at Rachel and then back to the child. “Would that be okay with you?”
The boy hesitated. “I want to go to the park.”
Steven nodded and rested his hand on the boy’s leg for a moment. “We’ll see what we can do about that. I’m going to say good night now and I’ll see you in the next few days okay?”
The child smiled at the thought of playing at the park. “Okay. Nite.”
Steven looked at Rachel for a moment her expression hard to read. “I’ll be down stairs when you’re ready to go.” She nodded.
*
Steven wandered back down through the halls until he found the sitting room again. Marie was on the couch flipping through a magazine. She gave him a quiet smile as he sat down. Opening the folder his brain began to process the various test results that had been run so far. Hemoglobin was low, when, six months ago? Right after the he got sick? He’d run those again. Better check platelets...
“Can you help him?”
He glanced up at the hesitant words to see the young girl looking at him with hopeful eyes. “I’m going to try.”
She nodded. “Good, he’s pretty cool to hang out with. He makes me laugh.”
And you haven’t had a lot of laughter in your life have you? Steven grinned. “I’ll see if I can get him up and running and then you’ll wonder why you thought he was so cool.”
She grinned. “Ya, he’d be a pain, but it would be okay after seeing him so sick.” She played with the book in her lap. “So, let me know if I can help or something.”
He smiled. “I will thanks.”
Marie studied him for a minute. “So are you like Rach’s boyfriend or something?” She blushed as she said it.
Steven shrugged. “Or something.”
“She’s really great isn’t she? I hope I can be like her someday, she’s not afraid of anything.” She looked down and flipped the pages of the book through her fingers. “I’m afraid of everything. They want me to try public school this fall but I can’t breathe every time I think about it. It would be kind of cool you know being with people my age, but I can hardly talk to people I don’t know...”
“You’re doing fine.” He smirked when her head popped up.
She blushed. “Well, this is different. I mean you’re old and a doctor not some kid.”
Steven gave her an over exaggerated frown. “I’ll reserve comment on that.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean you were old old, just not young. Like, like me. You know?”
“I know. So, you sit up with Ricky sometimes?”
She nodded and slumped back again. “Yeah, Connie has some long nights sometimes with Haley. She’s teething, well sometimes she just wants to play all night, so I’ll sit in with Ricky if he’s have a bad night, or Rachel will, but she has to
Steven moved further up on the bed and held out his hand. “You can call me Doc like Rachel does if you want.” The small hand was placed in his larger one. “I just want to ask you a few questions, is that okay?” The child nodded with huge eyes. “Do you hurt anywhere Ricky? Or is it just a droopy feeling?”
The small eyes darted around the room, stopping on Rachel a few times before he looked back at Steven. “Sometimes my arms don’t like to move.” He looked up at Rachel and then back to Steven. “My legs too. Last night I watched a whole movie, with Marie.” He smiled at Rachel.
Rachel ruffled his hair. “This is probably why your body wants to sleep today.”
“It didn’t want sleep so Marie played with me.”
Steven watched in silence. There were bruises on the boys’ one arm his eyes appeared sunken. “Well Ricky, I’d like you to come visit me at work.”
The eyes moved over him again with suspicion. “At a hos... pital?”
Steven grinned. “Yep, I want to see if I can find out why your arms don’t like to move and why your body wants to sleep when you want to run around.” He glanced at Rachel and then back to the child. “Would that be okay with you?”
The boy hesitated. “I want to go to the park.”
Steven nodded and rested his hand on the boy’s leg for a moment. “We’ll see what we can do about that. I’m going to say good night now and I’ll see you in the next few days okay?”
The child smiled at the thought of playing at the park. “Okay. Nite.”
Steven looked at Rachel for a moment her expression hard to read. “I’ll be down stairs when you’re ready to go.” She nodded.
*
Steven wandered back down through the halls until he found the sitting room again. Marie was on the couch flipping through a magazine. She gave him a quiet smile as he sat down. Opening the folder his brain began to process the various test results that had been run so far. Hemoglobin was low, when, six months ago? Right after the he got sick? He’d run those again. Better check platelets...
“Can you help him?”
He glanced up at the hesitant words to see the young girl looking at him with hopeful eyes. “I’m going to try.”
She nodded. “Good, he’s pretty cool to hang out with. He makes me laugh.”
And you haven’t had a lot of laughter in your life have you? Steven grinned. “I’ll see if I can get him up and running and then you’ll wonder why you thought he was so cool.”
She grinned. “Ya, he’d be a pain, but it would be okay after seeing him so sick.” She played with the book in her lap. “So, let me know if I can help or something.”
He smiled. “I will thanks.”
Marie studied him for a minute. “So are you like Rach’s boyfriend or something?” She blushed as she said it.
Steven shrugged. “Or something.”
“She’s really great isn’t she? I hope I can be like her someday, she’s not afraid of anything.” She looked down and flipped the pages of the book through her fingers. “I’m afraid of everything. They want me to try public school this fall but I can’t breathe every time I think about it. It would be kind of cool you know being with people my age, but I can hardly talk to people I don’t know...”
“You’re doing fine.” He smirked when her head popped up.
She blushed. “Well, this is different. I mean you’re old and a doctor not some kid.”
Steven gave her an over exaggerated frown. “I’ll reserve comment on that.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean you were old old, just not young. Like, like me. You know?”
“I know. So, you sit up with Ricky sometimes?”
She nodded and slumped back again. “Yeah, Connie has some long nights sometimes with Haley. She’s teething, well sometimes she just wants to play all night, so I’ll sit in with Ricky if he’s have a bad night, or Rachel will, but she has to
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