The Boy by Callie Catherine Brice (books for 6 year olds to read themselves .txt) 📕

He opens his eyes to the white ceiling he wakes up to every morning. He hears the beep, beep, beep, of his heart monitor and feels the IV push the medicine through his veins.
There is nothing like waking up to the sound of death. He thinks to himself.
He quietly sits up and waits for the nurse to bring his breakfast at 8:36am.
Every morning it’s the same time. She is always eleven minutes late.
He has become close to the nurse. To him it seems more of a forced relationship than anything. Seeing her every morning and every night, being in her hands because he cant take care of himself.
But that’s okay, it will be over soon.
The boy knows that when he dies others will be in grief. Although, for him, leaving this dreadful place is just what he wants. The dreams he had are dead now, he can not forsake them because he is locked up and will be until he dies. He has accepted this, and he is patiently waiting.
“Good morning!” The nurse stumbles through the door with the boy’s tray of food in one hand and her purse in the other.
“Mornin’ Brenda.”
“Sorry I’m late. Those dreadful kids. Charlie thinks when I say to brush his teeth it means to stick his tooth brush up his butt! Oh, I can’t wait till those boys grow up and hopefully get out of the house. I don’t care if its jail!”
“They are only six years old Brenda, they will learn soon.” The boy says.
“Yes, well you just wait till you have kids of your own, and you wont be saying that.”
Brenda set the tray down onto the boys lap and checked the IV, heart monitor, and his vitals as he ate.
“Did you sleep well?” She asks the boy while she listens to his lungs.
“Well, you know…”
Brenda stood up and walked towards the window.
“Lets get some light in here.” She pulled the curtains open letting in a huge stream of sunlight.
“Uhg.” The boy said closing his eyes and turning his head away from the window.
“It looks like you got some flowers. Lets see whom from.”
“No one important.” The boy says biting off of his bagel.
Brenda looks at him and rolls her eyes. She pulls out the note stuck in the huge bouquet and unfolds it.
“Its from your aunt and uncle.” She looks at the boy hoping for a response, but he sips on his juice and spreads some more cream cheese.
“They are in Paris right now Brenda.” The boy looks at her with a blank face.
Brenda looks down, puts the note back in the flowers, and sits by the boy.
“Trust me, you will get to travel some day.” She says
“I don’t just want to travel Brenda, I want to travel the entire world. I want to see the different cultures, taste the different food, hear the different languages, and learn about the different religions. Just look at me now, the second I graduated high school I was going to take off. I’ve been saving up all my money, but instead this happens to me.
They sent me pictures, ya know. They sent me pictures of them on top of the Eiffel tower. I could be with them.”
“You will be out of here soon, I promise. Stop thinking about it okay? Just cheer up. You are looking healthier and healthier everyday. Now, remember your parents are coming from the states so be excited to see them this time, please.”
“Uhg. My parents.”
“You love them, and you know it. Your sisters are coming too, I think.”
“Yeah right, they haven’t seen me in months.” He takes one more bite before she takes the tray from his lap “I will be back later today and please please, for me, be good to your parents.” She grabs her purse and walks out of the door waving to him goodbye.
The boy looks out the window and see’s the streets of London. He can hear the rain trickling on the building. The boy thinks about the world, and all the different weather he could be experiencing. He closes his eyes and falls asleep to the relaxing pitter-patter of the rain.
His parents come in the room and look at him sleeping, he seems so peaceful and so quiet. His mother drops a tear and kisses his cheek. His sister cries silently with regret of not visiting as much as she could of. His father, holding the boys new born baby sister, looks at his son with love in his eyes. The family walks out of the room as the doctors and nurses clean out what the boy called home for 15 months.

Publication Date: 07-10-2011

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