did her best to understand. Dr. Wall monitored her x-rays personally and kept her and her mother informed. Radiation was being streamed into her chest to shrink the tumor so he could operate to remove it. Dr. Wall explained that reducing its size before surgery would give Shelly the best chance of remission.
Although Kristen continued to struggle through the pain, she and Shelly had become inseparable. Together they laughed and counted the times the bulb over Kristen’s bed needed to be replaced—each one was a big event for them. It was now up to six. “Let’s see if we can get it up to ten,” Shelly said. But there was no response. Kristen had fallen asleep again, something that happened a lot after the treatments. Shelly decided to be adventurous. She got out of bed and peeked into the hall. She saw a ten-year-old boy walking the corridor with an IV stand. His eyes
met hers, and she pulled back.
“Hi, I’m Chucky.”
Shelly peered back around the door jamb, then stepped outside her room.
“What is that?” Shelly pointed at the portable IV stand.
“Supposed to kill off the bad stuff, but it just makes me want to
pee a lot.”
She giggled. “I’m Shelly. Do you have cancer, too?”
“I got here a while ago. I have to fight it myself, but my family stays with me a lot.” That sounded familiar to Shelly. Dr. Wall must be taking care of Chucky.
As they talked, the floor nurse spotted them.
“Keep walking, Mr. Chucky, and Miss White, back to your bed.”
Doris Powers ran a tough ward. No one snuck out of their room without her knowing it.
“I’m in 1648,” Chucky said as he made his way back down the hall. “Come visit if they ever let you walk around.” He smiled at Doris.
“You better not let me catch you wandering these halls again without my permission, Mr. Chucky. Now shoo!”
Doris followed Shelly into her room. She fluffed her pillow, then sat on the edge of Kristen’s bed. Shelly watched her dab Kristen’s forehead with a damp washcloth.
By now, the radiation was taking a toll on Shelly. Her hair had begun to fall out in clumps. Shelly’s mom took Dr. Wall’s advice