It was a typical day in California.
Bessie's mom, Hilary Higgenbottom, was in the kitchen with Ben, Bessie's younger brother, making breakfast when Bessie came staggering downstairs.
Her face was extremely pale and she had dark circles under her eyes. She was very lethargic and she could barely stay awake.
Concerned about her daughter, Hilary walked over towards Bessie and felt her forehead.
She was very hot and the rest of her body was as well.
"You feeling okay sweetheart?" Hilary asked Bessie, who remained silent and motionless.
"You want to go back to bed?" Hilary asked Bessie who nodded her head.
Hilary carried Bessie back up to her room and then tucked her back into her bed. She had Ben sit at the end of her bed and watch her to see if she was okay.
He obeyed and watched Bessie as she slept. Everything was fine until Bessie began to twitch uncontrollably. It looked as if she was having a horrible nightmare and she couldn't wake-up.
Ben made Happy stay with Bessie and watch her as he ran downstairs and told Hilary about what was happening.
"Bessie, oh no." Hilary said as she ran upstairs and into Bessie's room where Bessie was convulsing uncontrollably on her bed.
When Hilary saw her, she immediately called 911 and the ambulance came out and took her to the hospital.
Ten minuets after Bessie left in the ambulance to go to the hospital, Penny, Gwen and Portia came running into the café to see what was going on.
"What is going on? What is happening?" Penny asked Ben who sat in the middle of the floor, hugging Happy as he cried his heart out.
"Bessie was having a seizure and I called 911. I am so worried that she is going to die."
"Don't worry, she won't die, trust me." Gwen said as she put her arm around Ben who gave her a hug back.
Penny smiled and gave Ben a hug to comfort him, since he was in a traumatic situation.
Soon, Hilary gave Ben a call on the family phone and told him that the doctors and nurses are trying to make Bessie stable buts are having a rough time doing so. Ben tried to smile and keep strong, but when Hilary told him the news about his only sister, he couldn't help but cry his heart out.
"What happened with Bessie?" Penny asked Ben after he hung up the phone.
Ben tried to choke back tears and then said, "The doctors and nurses are struggling to keep Bessie stable, but they aren't sure if they are going to be able to keep trying much longer. It is up to God now."
Ben cried his heart out as he ran up to his sister's room to think things over.
Penny looked at Gwen and Portia and then said, "I think that we should try to help cheer Ben up. At the most it won't work, but we should at least make the effort. Bessie is our friend and it would be stupid of us not to help to him in his time of need. Common let's go."
So Penny, Gwen and Portia went upstairs and tried to comfort Ben, who was too sad to talk at that moment.
"Ben, let us in. We just want to help cheer you up." Penny said to Ben who told them to go away between tears.
"There is nothing that will make me happy ever again. Bessie is going to die and somehow I feel like I did something to cause it. Whatever I did, I am so sorry. I don't know if I can ever forgive myself."
"Ben, let us in. We will try our best to help you ease your burdens." Gwen said, trying her best to cheer Ben up.
Ben opened the door and then let the three girls in and then sat down sobbing on Bessie's bed.
"This was where she was having seizures before they took her to the hospital. This is where I saw my only sister begin to dye in front of me. I don't know if I can handle this."
"Listen Ben, don't worry. We are here for you and we understand what you are going through. We all have something happen in our lives that make us sad. That is just part of being human. So really, we all know what you are going through. Please try to understand."
"I'll try to understand. I just don't know what you can do to make me happy again. I would do anything to make my sister better again. But I am only seven years old and don't know much, except for the fact that my sister is in the hospital right now, on death's bed and I can't stop crying."
"Listen, we are going to give you the best time of your life. We are going to take you to the mall and take you shopping. We'll even give you as much ice cream as you want."
Suddenly, Portia's phone rang. She answered the phone and found out that it was Hilary. "Hello Mrs. H, what's up?"
"I was wondering what was going on. Ben wasn't answering the phone. What is he doing?"
"Sitting on Bessie's bed, sobbing into her pillow. Did you want to talk to him?"
"Could I? Thank you honey."
Portia handed the phone to Ben, who accepted it and then said hello between tears.
"Hi mom. What do you want to talk to me about? How Is Bessie, is she doing okay?"
"That is what I wanted to talk to you about. The doctors and nurses finally got her stable and they have a nurse constantly coming in and out to check on her. She is very nice and takes care of Bessie very well."
"Is Bessie all right? Can I talk to her?"
"I'm sorry honey, but she is hooked up to a respirator and cannot talk right now, but I will tell you that you were thinking of her."
"When can I come up and see her mama?"
"Later sweetie. I promise that you can visit her soon. I know how important she is to you and I won't ever let you go without seeing her, okay? Now give the phone back to Portia dear."
Ben gave the phone back to Portia and then tried to stop crying.
"Hello Mrs. H. What can I do to help you?"
"Just try to cheer Ben up, okay? Do whatever you can but just try to cheer him up. He is really concerned about Bessie and if I were him, I would be the same way."
"He told me that he would only be happy if he could see Bessie in person."
"But I am not sure if the doctors will let him see her. She is in pretty bad shape right now. She wasn't even breathing properly when she came in."
"I will try my best to make him happy Mrs. Higgenbottom.
I want so baldly for Ben to be happy, but right now, I am not sure what to do. I will try to figure something out."
"Thank you honey. Talk to you later."
"Talk to you later."
Portia hung up the phone and then put it back into her pocket.
"So what did she say?" Gwen said as she gave Penny a serious look.
"Bessie isn't doing very well. I am not sure if Ben will ever be happy if he doesn't see Bessie. But he can't go in there and talk with her. She isn't doing very well at all."
"Maybe your mom can take a picture of her and bring it down here to Ben." Penny said, trying to act smart.
"That is a great idea. Let me go call mom and I'll be right back."
Portia ran out of the room and then called her mom.
Mrs. Gibbons answered the phone and then said hello.
"Hello sweetie, how are you?"
"Fine mama. I have a favor to ask of you."
"What is it dear?"
"Can you take your camera up to the hospital, take a picture of Bessie and then bring it here so Ben can see her. He cannot go up and see her and he said that he would never be happy again if he didn't see her."
"I think that that can be arranged. How would you like to go with me? Then when I bring you back, you can tell Ben all about her."
"That sounds great. When should I expect you to be here to pick me up?"
"Well, I am in my car right now, driving towards your direction away from Starbucks. I will be there in ten minuets."
"Great, see you later mama."
"See you baby."
Portia hung up the phone and then went back into the room and then told Gwen and Penny the news.
Ben was in the bathroom, throwing up because he was so sad.
"Mom said that she will pick me up in ten minuets."
"Why are you going?" Gwen asked Portia, who said, "Mom said that I should go and see Bessie myself, so I can tell Ben how she is. She said that I can take a picture to give Ben. Hopefully that will make him happy."
"I don't think he knows about what we are doing for him." Penny said.
"Good, let's leave it that way. I want this to be a surprise."
Suddenly, Mrs. Gibbons honked her horn in the driveway. Portia told Gwen and Penny goodbye and then ran outside to get into the car.
Soon, she and her mother were out of sight, on their way to the hospital.
"Do you think things will go well?" Penny asked Gwen who shrugged her shoulders and then said, "Let's keep positive thoughts, that is all we can do right now."
Meanwhile, at the hospital, Portia and Mrs. Gibbons walked into the hospital and asked the receptionist where Bessie was. Once they found her room, they walked in and saw Bessie on her bed, a respirator on her face and an IV in her arm.
Hilary was sitting in a chair beside her bed, holding her small, limp hand.
"Hi Hilary. Portia wanted to take a picture of Bessie for Ben to see, you know, since he cannot see her in person, he could at least see her in a picture. I brought my camera."
"Just don't take too many pictures. I don't know how she will react to the camera flashes." Hilary said.
Mrs. Gibbons took out her camera and quickly took a picture of Bessie, who didn't even flinch a muscle.
"Man, she really is out of it." Portia said, feeling kind of sorry for poor Bessie, who didn't even know who she was, not to mention what she was doing in a hospital with a respirator on her face and two IVs in her arms.
"She looks pale. I hope she gets better soon." Mrs. Gibbons said.
"Me too, me too." Hilary said, holding Bessie's cold, limp hand.
"Well, we had better get going. I have a meeting in thirty minuets so I have to drop Portia back at your house with the rest of the girls and Ben. See you later Hilary."
"See you. Tell Ben I love him Portia."
"I will Mrs. H, bye."
Soon Bessie and Hilary were alone again.
Back at the Higgenbottom's house, Ben had passed out on Bessie's bed and Gwen and Penny were playing go fish with a small deck of cards Penny kept in her Girl Scout backpack.
"Hey guys, I am back. I have the picture for Ben. If you want to look before I give it to Ben, then you may."
"I want to see, I want to see." Penny said as she grabbed the picture from Portia's hands.
Penny's happy attitude instantly turned into a sad, dismal one when she saw the picture of Bessie.
"She doesn't look too good Portia. See Gwen, she's really sick."
"Her hands felt really cold and she looked even paler in person." Portia said sadly.
"I'll give it to Ben now. I know he'll want to see it. Ben, here is a picture of Bessie. Portia took it today."
Penny handed the picture to Ben, who began to cry when he saw it.
"What was it like in her room, Portia? Please tell me what it was like."
"She is sick Ben, very sick. But if we all keep positive attitudes and thoughts and say lots of prayers, she'll pull out of it and come home."
"You really think so? Thank you for the picture Portia."
Ben got up and gave Portia a hug.
"Let's all go and get some fresh air. We can take a taxi to the ice cream shop and pick up some ice cream. I have ten dollars that I was holding on to, but we can use it to get us all some ice cream. Let's go." Gwen said as she pointed towards the door.
So, Ben, Portia, Gwen and Penny all went and got an ice cream cone, afterwards, they all went to the park and fed the ducks.
Afterwards, they went to the playground and played on the slide and swing set. They went swimming in Gwen's
Soon, it was getting late and everyone went back to the café. When they got there, Portia, Gwen and Penny pulled out the trundle bed and fell asleep. Ben slept on the couch next to Happy, who continued to kick him in the side all night.
The next day, Penny, Gwen and Portia went to the recreation center for their weekly meeting and Mrs. Gibbons spreaded around the bad news.
"Bessie is in the hospital. She is very sick and probably won't be out for a while. Let's earn the Help a Friend badge and the Charity badge and make some special things for Bessie, then this afternoon we will take them to her. Let's get some ideas on what we are going to make. Let's take five minuets and write down as many ideas as we can and then we will choose which three things to make."
Five minuets later, everyone was finished writing and soon everyone was helping make a bright colored card that everyone decorated and signed.
After the card, they all used their troop funds and bought some flowers.
Then they all rehearsed a song that they made up that they would all sing to Bessie in the hospital.
Soon, it was time to go and everyone got into Mrs. Gibbon's van and drove to the hospital. Due to the hospital's rules, no more than three people were allowed in a patient's room at one time. So Portia and Mrs. Gibbons went in instead and delivered the flowers and card.
After the flowers and card were delivered, Portia and Mrs. Gibbons along with the rest of the girls all went home.
The next day was a rough one.
The doctors were still trying to figure out what was making Bessie have seizures and they weren't going to stop until they did find out what was going on.
Meanwhile, Bessie's condition was slowly starting to deteriorate and everyone didn't know what to do.
At this point, all they could do was pray and watch her die, hoping God could save her.
The same day, Bessie had another seizure and the doctors caught it. They took another MRI and found a small tumor in the left side of her brain. The doctor immediately prepped her for surgery to remove the tumor.
During the surgery, Hilary was really sweating it in the lobby. She didn't know what was going on and it scared her to even think that this tumor could be malignant.
All she could do was pray and leave this in God's hands.
Once the surgery was over and Bessie was in her room, the doctor had a conversation with Hilary and told her that the tumor was not malignant.
Hilary breathed a sigh of relief. She was so relieved that her little girl wasn't going to die.
After everything was settled down, Hilary sat down in a chair next to Bessie's bed and breathed another sigh of relief as she watched her daughter breath on her own without a respirator.
She looked at her face and noticed that some of the color was coming back into her face.
Her prayers were answered! Bessie wasn't going to die.
She quickly dialed Ben up to tell him the news.
He was so happy that his sister was getting better that he jumped for joy.
Portia's mom said that she would pick him up and take him to see Bessie later on after lunch. Ben was so excited that he almost fainted.
He couldn't wait until he could see his sister and give her a great big hug and tell her how much he loved and missed her.
Soon, after lunch, Mrs. Gibbons picked up Ben and took him to the hospital to see Bessie.
When he got there, Bessie was asleep in her bed and Hilary was sitting beside her, holding her hand.
"Hi Bessie, I love you." Ben said as he reached out to touch Bessie's hand.
Bessie slowly opened her eyes and gave Ben a small smile. "Hi Ben." She said in a muffled tone of voice.
Ben was so happy to see his sister talking and alert that he began to cry.
"Oh, I am so happy that you are getting better Bessie. I am so glad that I got to see you again after all these days."
"Me too Ben. I love you." Bessie said in a weak, low-tone of voice.
Later on, Hilary told Ben that what caused Bessie's seizures was a small tumor that was taken out during surgery. She also told them that they had to shave Bessie's head in order to do the surgery, but that it would grow back sooner or later.
Ben smiled and said that he didn't care if Bessie was bald, as long as she was alive, that was all that mattered to him.
Three days later, Bessie was discharged from the hospital and was sent home to rest.
All of the girls in her troop came over and sang their song that they had practiced all last week.
Bessie loved the song and thanked them all for all that they had done for her. She didn't know what she would do if it weren't for them.
END