Gabby's eyes suddenly shot open, and she looked around the room. Nobody was there. At first, she didn't remember where she was until she was more alert, then the pain in her hip came back and she noticed the IV taped down on the back of her right hand. She grimaced, not in pain but in sadness as the wholeness of the situation at hand washed over her. She wondered if they knew what she had yet. All Gabby knew was that her blood counts were low and that they needed some of her bone marrow to check. She was smart enough to know that they were looking for cancer...she just didn't believe that she had it.

Sitting up in bed, Gabby waited until a slight dizziness passed before she crawled to the end of the bed, as both the bed-rails were raised. She took hold of her IV stand, wheeling it to the door. She peeked out, looking up and down the hallway for her parents, not seeing them. That's when she saw a lonely nurse at the nurse's station, and went to her.

The nurse, looking in her mid-thirties with reddish-brown hair and freckles, bustled about her work in an upbeat manner which caused Gabby to smile. The nurse hummed a tune, making Gabby laughed. That's when the nurse finally saw her small form behind the desk and peaked over, smiling.

"Well, hi there Gabrielle," the nurse said sweetly, but her knowing Gabby's name caught Gabby off guard for a moment.

"You know me?" Gabby asked shyly.

"Well, of course I do," the nurse replied. "I'm Jill, and I'm your nurse during the days. What can I do for you?"

Gabby wondered if Jill meant one day or more than one day, but was too afraid to ask. "Do you know where my mom went to?"

Jill smiled. "You were still sleeping when your father came in. After a while, I told them that they could go and grab a coffee and I'd keep an eye on you. They told me good luck," she said suspiciously, "because they say your somewhat of a troublemaker and like to pull pranks."

Gabby, as bad as she was feeling, tried to act innocent, but a small smile tugged at the corners of her lip.

"So I see," Jill said knowingly, giving her a sly smile. "Well, when I told them I could handle you, they left in good faith. They should be back soon. But...you don't look like a troublemaker much to me."

"Oh, you'd be surprised," Gabby murmured.

"Hmm?"

"Nothing," Gabby said too quickly. She went behind the desk and climbed into a chair, trying not to tangle herself in the mass of IV tubing. "Do they know what's wrong with me, yet?"

Gabby watched Jill's expression turn from happy-go-lucky to apprehension. Gabby could tell that Jill knew, but wasn't at liberty to say. But if Jill knew, she didn't say that much. "The doctor was in to see your parent's earlier. When they come back, I'm sure they'll tell you what the doctor told them. And your doctor, Dr. Maloy, will be back to see you around five."

Gabby found that suspicious. Usually, you were lucky if your doctor dropped in on you once a day, let alone twice. This information startled her, but she did well to hide it.

As if sensing her mood, Jill smiled. "I happen to know, on good authority, that in the activity room, there's a movie playing and some games and arts and crafts going on. I also know that there are some kids in there your age. Would you like me to take you down there?"

Gabby wanted to. She knew it would take her mind off of what was going on. But she looked down the hall, as if worried about her parents coming back and freaking out because she wasn't in her room.

"I'll be coming right back to my desk," Jill said knowingly. "I'll even check your room when I come back, and as soon as I see them, I'll let them know where you are."

Gabby thought about it for a moment. Smiling, she said, "promise?"

Jill smiled back. "Promise."

CSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSI

The activity room seemed too chaotic for Gabby. She was used to older kids, and didn't know what she'd been thinking when she said she wanted to be around kids "her own age." She was never around kids her own age. Heck, the kids in her class were three- and even four-years older than she was, and she got along with them famously. Why she thought she'd get along with actual nine-year-old's, she'd never know.

Deciding to just take it easy, she decided to go to the corner of the room and read a book, but all the books on that shelf were for babies...books she learned to read when she was still in diapers. She sighed, and went across the room to the older kids section. The books there were still kind of boring, but she decided on a book about the solar system, and was soon engrossed in it. She'd have to tell her parents that if she did have to stay, then they would have to bring her some of her books. She couldn't stand it even a day here if she didn't have good or even decent reading material.

"What're you doing in my spot, shrimp? This isn't the babies section!"

Gabby looked up from the book momentarily. There stood a tall boy of about thirteen, with shaggy blond hair and blue eyes. He would've been cute if his attitude wasn't so horrible. To Gabby, he acted much younger than he looked. "I didn't see a name on this chair." She looked back down at the book, but suddenly wasn't interested. However, she was interested in standing her ground, as her mother always taught her to do.

"Well, everyone knows it's mine, and now you know, too." Gabby shook her head and a moment later, the boy snatched the book away from her. Gabby looked up, trying to bite her tongue from saying something she shouldn't.

"I was reading that," she said through gritted teeth.

"Oh, boo-hoo," the boy said in a whining voice. "You're such a baby, I bet you can't even read."

"I bet I can read you under a table," Gabby shot back. "I bet you're in a lower grade than I am."

"How could I be?" he taunted. "You're a baby. What are you...eight?"

"Nine," Gabby replied defensively. "Are you thirteen, 'cause you sure as heck don't act like it?"

He paused for a moment. "I am."

"What grade?" Gabby asked, trying to be as patient as she possibly could.

He grinned. "Sixth."

"Well, I'm not in a higher grade than you," Gabby replied, waiting as he smiled, which she knew he would. "I'm in the same grade as you."

He frowned quickly. "Liar."

"Am I?"

"Prove it!"

By now, they were standing toe to toe, only Gabby came up in height to about his chest. She was ready to punch him when she felt hands grab her around her waist and lift her up.

They were her father's.

"Dad, let me go," she snarled. "If I do hit him, he deserves it."

"Oh really?" Gil asked her. "And what for?"

"He called me a baby, he said I couldn't read, and he doesn't believe that I'm in the sixth grade," Gabby said as she struggled to free herself from her father's grasp.

The boy on the ground was grinning profusely.

"Well, I'll settle this quickly," Gil said as he surveyed their bookshelf with it's shabby array of a book collection. He turned his attention back on the boy. "I'll keep her away, but just so you know...she can read, she's been reading since she was one, and she just started the sixth grade but by next year, she'll probably be in the eighth grade."

Gabby watched in satisfaction as the boy frowned. Then her father carried her from the activity room.

Back in the safety of her hospital room, Gabby was relieved when her father placed her back in her hospital bed. She was tired. "Thanks daddy."

"Don't thank me, young lady," Gil said in a tone that he rarely used with her. "I don't like being involved in your little nit-picky fights. You should've let it go, and I shouldn't have gotten involved, but there were more pressing issues at hand, and that's the only reason that I told him the truth and didn't wait for more arguments to ensue. Otherwise, I wouldn't have said a word and just carried you out of there." Gabby watched as her father sat down, looking haggard. It was then that she realized that her mother wasn't with him. "Where's mommy?"

Gil rubbed his face, feeling worn-out and the day wasn't nearly over yet. "She had to go home and get ready for work. She called Ecklie, but he wouldn't let you mother take a sick day, so she went in, maybe just to show him she was serious about quitting if he didn't give her a break. Anyway, she'll be back in the morning, right after her shift ends."

Gabby frowned, then squirmed in her bed, trying to get comfortable. "So...when do I get to go home?"

Gabby watched as her father's face turned listless to worried. He sighed, shaking his head and taking her hand. He rubbed it gently, not able to look her in the eyes. "Gabby...you don't get to go home yet, sweetie."

Fear seized Gabby. "Why not?" She looked at his face, only for a moment but she swore she saw tears gathering in his eyes.

And that was when her father confirmed what her heart already knew. "You have leukemia, Gabby. You're going to be here for a while."