I sighed and listened to the doctor explain more about Lily's condition, but the only thing I wanted to do at that moment was to go back to her room. So I tried my best to pretend I knew what the doctor was talking about, and nodded when appropriate.
"Can I see her now?" I asked once he stopped talking. I was anxious, no doubt about it, and I wasn't going to hide it.
"Of course," the doctor smiled and led me towards her room as we walked along side each other. "Lily will be alright, but I think she better not have too many visitors for now – we've got to keep her isolated and under watch for a couple of days." I nodded my head, and prepared myself for the sight I was about to see.
Lily was laying there like she had been when I called for a doctor, but now she had fallen asleep again, and had a life support tube running up her nose. There was a metal clip on the end of Lily's left index finger to keep track or her heart rate, and a second IV was running down her arm.
In another attempt not to wake Lily up, I tiptoed up to the table across the room and picked up another magazine to read while I was waiting. Unknowingly, I read an article about brain tumours – though, instead of actually reading it, I was scanning and constantly looking over to Lily to see if she was okay.
Without Lily to talk to I found myself worrying, what happens when Lily starts getting treatments? By then will Lily find the courage she needs to tell Oliver and Miley? I sighed, and cleared my mind by taking a short walk up and down the hall outside of Lily's hospital room.
"Mr. Stewart?" I heard a nurse come up behind me as I walked down the corridor again. Without looking behind me I stopped and allowed her to catch up. "Are you alright? Do you need anything?" I shook my head, and turned around to face the nurse – who now I could identify as Lily's day nurse, Ms. Jaccobs. "Is Lily alright? I heard she had a few doctors visit her just about an hour ago."
"Lily's white blood cell count is down," I whispered to the nurse. She placed her hand on my shoulder, and I looked down at the ground. "She had an infection and now they're isolating her for a couple days to keep a good eye on her."
The nurse nodded like she understood, "Lily will be fine." She reassured me, "She's a strong one." I nodded. She reassured me, "She's a strong one." I nodded.
"I should get back to the room," I said after some silence. "Just to make sure Lily's not awake."
The nurse nodded letting me go, and turned around to walk away, "I'll be back with Lily's dinner if you want to wake her up for me." She smiled, and disappeared around the corner.
When I walked back into Lily's room she was still asleep, and I really didn't want to wake up someone that looked so innocent. But I knew that if I didn't, then the nurse would do it anyway, and I might as well give Lily sometime to fully wake up before she has to eat.
I walked quietly over to Lily's bed, and sat down on the edge where Lily's legs were not lying. "Lily?" I shook her gently, but she didn't stir. "Lily? Come on, you have to wake up now." This time, I got a mumble, and Lily attempted to turn to her other side before getting caught in her IV. "Dinners coming your way, don't you want dinner?"
Lily turned back to me, and opened one eye with her eyebrow raised. Her face was still sleepy, but she could still give a heck of a look. "Have you ever tried the food around here Mr. S?" She asked, yawning. "They might as well give me Blake's plastic food."
I managed a laugh, and shook my head, "I've never been admitted to the hospital." I told her, getting her to sit up while I did. "But by the sounds of your medical records I would think you were used to the food by now."
"Nah," Lily shrugged her shoulders, and pulled the table that was attached to the side of her bed, over her knees. "When I was little I always got my parents to get me food from the restaurant across the street." I laughed, and peeked out of the window at the McDonalds across the street. Lily shrugged, "I used to like the taste of their chicken nuggets when I was sick – but the thought of it now makes me want to throw up."
I nodded my head, knowing that feeling. "Do you want me to get you anything from somewhere else?"
Lily shrugged her shoulders again, and leaned her head on the wall behind her. "I'm not really that hungry," she told me. "I think I'll just eat the dinner roll and juice they give me."