Ryan's Crossing Read Online Free PDF Page B

game?”
    “Uncle Pe-er says it your turn now.”
    “Okay, sweetie.” Amber looked at Ryan.
    “If nothing’s going on the next couple of days,” said Ryan, “I think I’ll head into Portland and look around.”
    Amber looked at him steadily then nodded her head. He felt like she was seeing through him. Maybe we’re more alike than I’m ready to admit.
    “You play Candyland?” said Taylor, looking at Ryan.
    He looked into her big blue eyes. “Only if I can be the green man.”
    She smiled back at him. “Am-er like the boo man. I be lell-lo, okay?”

Chapter 7
    “ALL RIGHT,” SAID NICOLE. “I’LL take it from here.”
    Brittney looked at the nurse who was taking over the night shift in the oncology unit at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital. “It seems like I’m forgetting something.”
    “We’ve got it, Britt. Go enjoy your family. We’ll see you next week.”
    “Okay. I’m going to say bye to Grace first.”
    Brittney looked in the window before tying the fibrous isolation gown around her slim waist and putting on the gloves. The gentle five-year-old lay quietly in bed, cartoons flickering across her television screen. It didn’t seem like that long ago when a vibrant girl with long blonde curls had come bouncing onto the ward.
    After tying the mask strings around her long, dark hair that was pulled back into a ponytail, Brittney opened the door and stepped inside. “Hey, Gracie.”
    A smile appeared on the little girl’s face. “Hi, B. Is it time for you to leave?”
    Brittney walked over to the bed. “Yes. Nicole is here and will be in to see you in a little bit.” She watched the child breathe.
    “Will you bring me a picture of you all dressed up for the wedding?”
    “If you want.” Brittney straightened out a couple lines running from the fragile child to the machines keeping tabs on her vitals. “But you have to promise me you’ll be really good while I’m gone and do everything Nicole asks you to do.”
    “Okay.”
    Brittney glanced up at the monitor. Her O2 sats are lower than they were this morning. Brittney’s training reminded her that low oxygen saturation or O2 sats, as it was commonly called, affected the ability of the oxygen to get into the red blood cells. Over time, Grace’s heart and other organs would be weakened.
    “I’ll be back to work next Tuesday.”
    “I’ll miss you, B.”
    Brittney tried to swallow the lump in her throat, gently touching the child’s shoulder. “I’ll miss you, too, Gracie.”
    She walked out, cast off her isolation gear and went back to the nurse’s station. “Nicole.”
    Nicole looked up from checking her watch. “Yeah, Britt.”
    “Her O2 sats are down a bit from this morning.”
    “Okay. I’ll keep an eye on her.”
    “Nicole.” Brittney paused.
    “I got her, Britt.” Nicole walked over and placed an understanding hand on Brittney’s arm. “I’ll call you if she heads downhill. Promise.”
    Brittney fought the tears striving to roll down her cheeks. “Thanks.” She cleared her throat and said, “I’ll see you next week.”
    In the locker room she struggled to maintain her composure. As she traded her scrubs for jeans and a sweatshirt, her mind circled around Gracie’s latest test results. Stage IV. Results indicate non-Hodgkin lymphoma has spread in patient’s abdomen to include the intestines, colon, and spleen. Further tests show evidence of cancer cells in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid.
    Oh, Daddy. Brittney sat down on the bench, covering her face with her hands as she prayed. Father, I know you are the Great Physician. If I could save any child, it would be Gracie. But more than her healing, I want Your best. Father, help me accept whatever that is, whatever that looks like. And cover Gracie with Your love while I’m gone. Please, Daddy, do not let her die alone.
    She sat for a few minutes before grabbing her purse and heading to the elevators. She needed a hot bath and a good night’s sleep before she