The room was empty. And dim. And too clean.

I curled into a tight ball in the corner, huddling against the cold walls and tile. I was afraid. I wanted to go home. This was a bad place. These were bad people. I didn't know what to do. They were adults, too, and seemed to think what they were doing was right.

Maybe they were more doctors. I'd seen lots of doctors ever since I'd gotten sick. I never understood what they were doing, but Mommy always said they would make me feel better.

"Don't worry sweetheart, they're going to help you. The nice men are going to make you feel all better. Then we can go home and you can play with your new dollhouse from grandma, okay sweetie?"

I pictured the bright little house, with its peaked roofs and windows that opened and fish tank with real water in it. It was the best birthday present I'd ever received. I was positive that turning four was the best thing that would ever happen to me.

But where was Mommy now? And Daddy? I'd been in this room for a long, long time and they hadn't come to see me. Only doctors. Because I had…leo..leokeemia…That's what they told Mommy. That's what they told me. I was sick. I needed doctors.

I didn't like what they did to me. Usually it was something they called 'taking samples'. I didn't know what a sample was, only that it meant they were going to poke me with something, or wipe something down my throat, or fasten something tight on my arm, or some other unpleasant thing that generally led to my discomfort. I'd tell them it hurt, and they would murmur a quick sorry and promise it would be over in a minute, then leave the room once they had what they needed.

They never said anything mean and they didn't hit me. I was still afraid of them. They were strange, not like the other doctors.

I wondered where I was. All I could remember was going to sleep in a room at the hospital and waking up on the floor in this strange place. This wasn't like any of the other rooms I'd been in. There was no furniture, no bed, no soft blanket and no toys. The doctors wouldn't answer my questions.

"Where's Mommy?"

Where's Daddy?"

"Where am I?"

"Who are you?"

"Can I go home?"

"What are you doing?"

That last one told me that these were not nice people – at the other hospitals, the doctors had always answered my questions. They were always very nice about it. None of that here.

My stomach rumbled. I curled up tighter to hold in the sound. I got to eat once a day, if they remembered. Sometimes they forgot. They had never forgotten at any of the other hospitals.

I shivered. The room wasn't very warm. I wished I could have a blanket. Something comforting in this strange place. The room wasn't that large, but it felt cavernous to me. I wished Mommy and Daddy would come and get me. I didn't feel sick anymore. Maybe I could go home now. Maybe they made the…leokeemia go away.

The door opened, letting in bright white light from the other side. I scooted back away from it. As much as I disliked the darkness of my chamber, I had come to fear the opening of the door. That meant the doctors were coming back. That meant they wanted more…samples, that was the word. And samples hurt.

Usually only one person came in. Sometimes it was a woman, but more often it was a man. They were always wearing a white lab coat that brushed the floor when they leaned down and smelled like the cleaner Mommy used in the bathroom. This time there were three of them, two men and a woman in the doorway.

"There she is," said the woman, looking at me. "How are you doing, sweetie?"

"I wanna go home," I said sadly.

"I know you do," the lady said, not unkindly. "I know you do." I knew by now that she was teasing me. They weren't going to take me home. They were just telling me that.

"We're ready," said someone from outside the chamber. I cringed. I did not like the sounds I heard. I did not trust the strangers standing in the doorway.

"Let's get this over with, I have a meeting in twenty minutes," said one of the men.

"Come here, sweetheart, we won't hurt you." The doctor in the front did not tell very convincing lies. I pulled back away from him, eyes wide, as he moved towards me. "Come on, girl, I promise."

"No, that's what you said last time!" I burbled as I tried to keep away from his fingers. "You lied! You lied! Leave me alone!" I didn't want to leave the safety of the room. They were going to do something to me, I just knew it. "I want my mommy! Where is she?"

"She's not coming back," said the man, inching closer. "She doesn't love you anymore."

I choked back a sob. He was lying to me again, and his lies hurt bad. My mom was somewhere, and she would never let them do stuff to me.

Unless…maybe…maybe my mom really didn't love me anymore…maybe that's why she didn't come.

But that couldn't be. Even when the house was falling apart, even when they couldn't pay all the bills, and even when Daddy needed his pills and Mommy wanted the drink that made her crazy…they still loved me.

So where were they?

The man snatched me. I tried to bite him and kick him but my arms and legs were pinned. He had his arm over my mouth so I couldn't scream as I was unwillingly removed from the safety of the dark chamber.