British Black Sheep - Lauren Smith Page 0,36

their coats.

With her heart pounding, she followed him. What was she going to do? Say yes? Risk her book deal with his mother? Risk her job? But how did she say no to someone whose very touch set her on fire?

8

The Children’s Hospital was quiet and the stale clinical smell in the air made Alec nervous. The last time he’d been in a place like this was when they’d rushed his grandfather here in an ambulance, even though everyone knew it had been far too late. Everyone but him. That last shred of hope had been reinforced by a battalion of denial, which had made the end even harder to accept.

Someone had hung some Christmas decorations in the wing to try to make things cheerier, but there was very little that they could do to make the children feel better.

Alec’s mother and Brie walked ahead of him, while he carried a large wicker basket full of brightly colored packages of homemade frosted cookies.

His mother met the charge nurse at the nurse’s station and obtained a list of rooms of all the patients staying in the children’s oncology wing who’d had parents agree to allow this special visit ahead of time and signed waivers allowing visitors.

“There are twelve children we can visit that aren’t in the ICU. The nurse thought that getting some treats will cheer them up,” Julia said. Her throat caught as she looked at Brie and Alec. He knew how much this hurt her, yet she put herself through it every year.

“If you’d like, I’ll handle the list.” Brie took the paper from his mother and collected a package of cookies. “Samuel Atkins, age fourteen.” She walked to the first room and knocked on the door. Someone told her to come in and she entered, Alec and Julia following behind.

Samuel sat in his hospital bed, a handheld video game in his hands.

“Hi Samuel, my name is Brie. This is Alec and Julia.” Brie gestured toward in their direction. “I hope you don’t mind us visiting. We made some cookies if you’d like some.”

Samuel looked both embarrassed and excited, but after a moment the boy relaxed and set the videogame aside.

He accepted the package Brie handed him. “I like cookies. What kind are they?”

“Sugar cookies. You’ll be bouncing off the ceiling all night,” Brie teased. His face split into a grin

“That would be pretty funny.” Samuel tested one of the cookies with a tentative bite and Brie pointed at his game.

“What are you playing?”

“Nighthawk. It’s a spy game set in ancient times.”

“How ancient?” Brie asked.

“The 1980s.”

“Okay, now I want to smack him,” muttered Alec, but only loud enough for Brie and Julia to hear.

“Cool, sounds like fun,” Brie said to drown him out. They talked for another ten minutes before Alec and Julia helped pass out the rest of the cookies to the other patients.

At first, it wasn’t easy for Alec to hand out cookies to the children. But the more time he spent around them, talked with them, tried to cheer them up, the more he realized that it felt good to be here. Soon, he was teasing the children and getting them to laugh while they ate their sugary treats.

Brie caught up to him while he was making his last stop to a girl named Trina, aged eight, according to the list. Trina was a tiny thing with big blue eyes, but her features were gaunt and her skin a worrisome gray color. Her mother was sitting in a chair at the girl’s bedside reading a book to her.

“Hi,” Alec said quietly when Trina’s mother looked up from the bed. “We have some Christmas cookies for her if she would like some.” Alec held out the red cellophane wrapped package.

“Thank you. She would love them,” the mother said. Her face was bright with a cheery smile, but Alec could see the worry and weariness behind it. He couldn’t imagine having to care for a child with cancer. To watch a young life go through so much pain, and possibly death…it was unbearable.

Brie sat with the girl and asked if she could finish reading the book.

“Thanks, I could actually use a minute,” the mom admitted. She stepped into the hall and Julia went with her, putting an arm around the woman’s shoulders. Alec was certain Julia would know what to do to help the exhausted woman. He certainly didn’t.

Alec sat down beside Brie in the second chair and watched her read to Trina. The girl listened with rapt