The Order of the Trees Read Online Free PDF

shuffled some papers, looked down. “Visiting hours are over at 7:00 P.M . Please sign out a few minutes before that. She’s in room 316. Take the elevator up, and turn right. It’ll be the fourth room on the left.” She paused and looked at her clock. “You’d better hurry.”
    Phillip looked at his watch. 6:45 P.M . He tore down the hall, his feet clapping against the tile floor. He pushed the elevator button three times.
    â€œCome on!” Phillip wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. He tapped his foot. What if she was asleep? Busy with family? He gulped, straightened his hair in the reflection of the gold metal elevator door.
    Bing! The door opened and Phillip sailed through the hall, past people in wheelchairs, and busy nurses and doctors walking as fast as he was. He got to 316 and the door was partially closed. He peered inside, tightening his stomach around the butterflies. Inside Cedar lay stretched out on thehospital bed, with an IV stuck in her arm, dripping mysterious fluid. She was looking at her parents, who had their seats pulled up around her bed. He stood there for a moment and she turned her head, as if she knew he was there. She waved him in.
    â€œPhillip!” Sara said, jumping up, “Well, I didn’t expect you. How nice of you to come!” She looked between them quickly. Kevin offered his hand for Phillip to shake.
    â€œHow is she?” he asked.
    â€œShe is doing quite fine, and can speak for herself,” Cedar said, a smirk blooming across her face.
    Phillip smiled for the first time in hours, and Sara offered him a seat. Cedar stared at Phillip for a moment, and his smile quickly retreated as he noticed how pale she was. You could almost see her blue blood vessels under the skin. Her eyes were red and deeply shaded underneath. She looked as though she’d been awake for days. Despite this she said, “Phillip, I’m not dead yet, so don’t look at me like I am!”
    He nodded and looked away quickly, unsure what to do with himself. Sara picked up on this and said, “Kevin, why don’t we go down to the cafeteriaand get some coffee. Kids, do you want anything? Ice cream?”
    Cedar stared at Phillip while she said, “No Mom, we’re fine.” Phillip nodded in agreement and Kevin and Sara disappeared out the door.
    â€œHow are you really?”
    â€œI’m OK, it’s just that I don’t feel like myself, and these people keep giving me medications that have nasty chemicals in them and they overpower me. I feel like an alien in my own body.”
    â€œWhat do they think it is?”
    â€œThey have no idea. They are going to do a bunch of scary tests on me tomorrow. Needles, X-rays, CAT scans, the works, just awful. I don’t want to be here.”
    Phillip looked out the window onto the dark parking lot. He knew he just had to come right out and say it.
    â€œWhat is it, Phillip? Did Miranda and Sam do something today?” Her face crinkled up with concern.
    â€œNo, no. It’s just that I think I know why you are sick. And I don’t think it has anything to do with all this.” He gestured to all the medical equipment around them.
    Cedar’s eyes opened wider. The light seemed to shine out of them again.
    â€œLook at this.”
    He handed her the crinkled-up local paper, folded open to the development article. “I went to our spot today, Cedar. There is orange tape everywhere, on Magdelin, Rose, and even … Stella. Forty-two trees. Scheduled to be knocked down any day now for that new development. I mean, you were born there, right? That is your place, your family. Maybe in some weird way, your life depends on that forest.”
    Cedar’s eyes filled with water, and her hand reached for Phillip’s. “Of course,” she said quietly, “of course.” She looked up at Phillip. “If Stella dies…”
    Phillip strained to keep