Chapter 13. The wish tree at the hospital!
(Picture of wish tree in childrens art work at hospital.)
So... It's a rainy day..! But! I'm at the children's ward of the hospital and there's a wish tree and I get to help make a wish come true!
"Narrie," Mom just laughed and told me, "Wouldn't it be so cool to make your own furry character and dress up?"
I thought about Stephanie, the old lady who ALWAYS dresses up...
Except for Halloween! That's when she wears the most boring costume in the whole world and when I asked last year, "Who are you supposed to be?"
She laughed and answered, "A zombie!" And then she pulled her hat off and revealed sparkly pink hair and hush hush told me, "But I'm in disguise!"
So lets start over. My name is Narrie, or should I go by Trish? Because after Momma Laurie kept telling me about my step grandparents, I really, really want to be a part of Grammy Trish.
I mean, I want them both to be a part of me, and... And my cousin Anita thinks it's kinda cool to go by Trish so..!
Anyways, So here I am, and guess what?
There are a lot of cool characters who go to children's hospitals. Like furries! I mean, furries am I right? I mean, I could NOT do that dressing up in a hot suit in the summertime thing but..! (It's June.)
"Hey." I asked this really cool looking furry with big ears and an expression that was SO INVITING!, "So those neck air conditioners, they. You know... Do they work in the hot suits?"
"A bit."
"Cool."
Yup! I was so BRAVE!!! I wanna be a furry. Maybe, just maybe I will be. Probably I won't though. Or maybe I just want to volunteer here more..!
"MOM!" I exclaimed, "Is this where you found the make a wish thing?"
"Yeah. It's in the lobby." Momma Kate looked out the window at the front entrance and told me, "That's one reason why the town is like it is."
What? She is making sense but... "How?"
"Well... The community center? You know Terry? He channeled all that sad energy into trying to help his community."
I have heard her talk about, "Terry" before but... "Who?"
"The old guy who made us this ring."
(Picture of ring on Momma Kate's finger.)
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"And your earrings."
Okay... I know who that is now, what I mean is this town is small, and there's this guy who... Well he doesn't frown, but he doesn't smile either, and I remember coming into the jewelry shop all excited to look really pretty for my parents wedding and...
Anyways! My earrings are just really small hoops with three birthstones set in and if I ever get my own sibling I'll get a new pair and they'll be 4 birth stones in them and...
"So does that mean I'm getting a sibling?"
"Honey! You're more scatter brained than I!"
We walked... I, was...
"Okay..." I was just thinking, this is a hospital right? Mommas told me I might get a real sibling of my own right? Maybe, sometime... Yeah, "But I would be a REALLY GOOD big sister!"
"I know. " Mom took me into the lobby and pointed to he tree by the receptionist.
"So Narrie..." Nurse Suzy asked, "You wanna pick one?"
"My own make a wish?"
"Yeah!!!"
Suzy is really cool! Why? Basically, I only see them like once a month but she always brings these amazing pastry delights!
I mean, even Momma Kate likes them!
"So Suzy..." I smiled at the person who might help me find and EASY wish because Mandy says she has a clear head on her shoulders and asked, "What kind would you pick?"
"Oh! Here's a little one." Suzy picked up a card apple, "This one wants a teddy bear hand delivered by a friend. Oh! And he's only 8 years old too!"
I looked... I thought, WOW! This does sound easy! So I took the card from Nurse Suzy, took a breath and asked Mom, "So.. What do you think?"
Momma Kate just came around the counter and asked me a simple question, "Do you think you can be a friend?"
I... Looked at her, at Momma Kate, and puckered my lips in a NO*(t really?... But she just continued to smile at me like she did NOT take the hint!
"Narrie." Mom smiled at me like everything is going to work out and asked, "Do you think you could do it with an assistant?"
Suzy smiled. "I think that would be great. And Narrie, maybe after you'll get the confidence to pick out your own soon?"
I... Looked at Momma Kate. She's going to... My heart is pumping I can hardly breath and... "Why???"
"What?" She snapped at me,"Well, if you don't wanna help me then don't."
She picked up the card to read it and I wonder... How did she go from the nervous wreck who I wasn't really embarrassed about my friends seeing as much as I kept worrying that her fake smile would turn into a frown the moment we turned and before we got home she'd start crying...
To...
Some sort of SUPERMOM who seems to think that together we can do anything!
Huh?
(picture of Momma Kate reading the wish card while she's really wondering what I'm going to do!)
"I mean like..." I stayed nervous myself and... Smiled at the person who always helps me up and I really hope that she understands me when because my own mind is going in a tailspin... What I mean is that somewhere along the line I got confused! "What?"
"Should we go to a special place or just the gift shop?" Mom shook her head and asked me, "Oh Narrie, what do you think he would like?"
"Let me see that!" I took the apple card from her hands and... "Charles likes dinosaurs."
"Well! How about we check the gift shop and then," Mom smiled at me as she led me down the hall and added, "if they don't have one we'll get to the mall?"
"The mall? Why?" Then I just remembered..! "OH! They have one of those Build-A-Plushkin stations and we can build him a custom dinosaur plush!"
"Sweetheart." Momma Lauri, the voice of boring reason to the rescue... "How about we get a bear today, because I think that Charles just really wants in a visitor." Then she pointed to the top of the apple and... "Today, there's dates. See. And we don't know how long he's gotta stay for."
"What do you mean?" I was like... He's dying???
"I mean," Mom yawned down the hallway, "They try and get kids in and out. So they put their best doctors on the case."
"Like a mystery?" I really like those doctor mystery shows.
"Yeah."