Say Goodbye (Romantic Suspense #25) by Karen Rose

            The supply closet was very well stocked. “We have everything a hospital has and, in some cases, more,” Innes said. “Your patient will be undergoing chemotherapy next week. You’ll be transporting her to and from treatments. Your supervising nurse will show you where.”

            “Miss Sinclair mentioned that the child is terminal when I had my interview. Is this correct?”

            Innes frowned. “Did she explicitly say that?”

            Liza had to think. “No. She asked if I could deal if the child was terminal. I assumed.”

            “That’s good,” Innes said, clearly relieved. “Brooklyn is not terminal, but her leukemia is advanced. She’s responding well to treatments, so we continue to hope.”

            “That’s good,” Liza said, relieved for the child’s sake.

            “You don’t speak to her about her mother or their home,” Innes said. They’d turned a corner and were approaching a set of double doors over which was a sign that read PEDIATRICS. “Don’t ask her questions about anything personal. Her mother has privacy concerns. Am I clear?”

            “Yes, ma’am,” Liza said. “I understand.”

            “See that you do. Her mother’s travel schedule is busy. She isn’t here often and Brooklyn gets lonely. Please accommodate her play requests whenever she makes them. Your supervisor is Nurse Williams. Come. I’ll introduce you.”

            Liza entered the pediatrics ward, immediately charmed with the colors. Most of the rooms were empty, but all were very nice. This was not a normal hospital. Every room was a suite. Nurse Innes stopped at the third room from the end.

            An older woman sat in a reclining chair, a book in her hand. She stood as soon as Liza and Nurse Innes entered.

            “Good morning! You must be the new nursing assistant. I’m Nurse Williams.”

            “My name is Liza.” She turned her gaze to the bed, where a tiny little girl sat up, a tray of oatmeal in front of her. The child was bald and did not smile. Until she saw Liza’s glasses.

            “Oh wow!” she exclaimed. “I like your glasses. I’m Brooklyn. Hi, Liza.”

            Liza looked to Nurse Williams. “May I?” she asked, gesturing to the chair next to the bed.

            “Of course.”

            Liza sat next to the little girl and stuck out her hand. “It is very nice to meet you, Brooklyn.”

            Brooklyn smiled, showing a missing front tooth. Liza’s heart cracked. She didn’t bother telling herself not to get attached, because of course she would. She was already on her way.

            “I hear you have treatments starting up soon, so let’s get some play in beforehand. What would you like to do? We can read, play a game, watch a movie, whatever you’d like.”

            Brooklyn’s eyes widened in surprise that Liza had been so up front about her treatments. Then the little girl’s smile grew. “You’ll play with me? And read to me?”

            “Absolutely.”

            “Can you do voices?”

            “You mean when I read to you?” Liza asked. “I’ll do my best.”

            “Then I want you to read to me first. I have a Harry Potter book. And then we’ll play with my dolls. And then Play-Doh. And . . .” She gasped. “Did you BeDazzle your glasses?”

            Liza chuckled. “No. But if there’s a BeDazzle kit anywhere in this hospital, we can BeDazzle some of your stuff and make you the sparkliest girl here.” She looked over her shoulder to Nurse Innes. “Do we? Have a BeDazzle kit, I mean.”

            Nurse Innes smiled. “I’ll send someone out for one.”

            “Yay!” Brooklyn cried, clapping her hands.

            Yay indeed, Liza thought. If I’m only here for a short time, I’m going to make sure I use it to help this little girl have some fun. “I’ll have to do chores in between play, like changing your bedding and stuff like that. But let’s start this morning right. Where is your book?”