Chapter Six

Haley

“Haley, good morning!” Ms. Nichols says. She’s the volunteer coordinator in the children’s wing at the The Wyatt Health & Rehabilitation Center, and she’s like five-two with blue-gray curly hair. All the kids here call her Nana.

“Good morning,” I say, handing her a bagel. “I stopped at Lou’s for you.”

She puts a hand on her chest. “Oh dear, you are a sweet thing. You didn’t have to do that. Thank you. I’m sure I will be hungry!” I smile, but I know she won’t eat it. She’ll end up giving it to one of the inpatient kids as a treat.

This is one of my favorite places in Culler. I know that’s weird, but I started volunteering here freshman year. I’d recently joined the Belles and I was required to volunteer somewhere, like all newbies are. I never stopped.

“What is going on today?” I ask.

My main role is working with Ms. Nichols, who is in charge of organizing some events and programs for the kids. Other volunteer groups or people, or us regulars, will come in and do something.

She pushes her glasses on her pointy nose. “Yes, dearie me, we have some games going on this morning, and they have a tournament on those Xboxes.”

I grin. “Great.”

I like being here for the same reason I like the Belles. It’s fun to help out and plan things, but with so many other people around in the Belles, I end up more doing what they say. Here, I get to make a plan of activities and stick to it. I get to help with homework and give them positivity. I love the kids here, doing programs with them and getting to know them. Abby thinks it has to be hard and emotional, like she could never do it (her words), and sometimes it is, but it’s rewarding.

I grab the room list to see what new patients have joined us. I see one of my favorites on the list, even though I’d never admit I had a favorite, and know I’m going to start there.

Ms. Nichols calls my name. “Oh, there’s a service volunteer coming in today, Haley, and I’d love if you could show him the ropes. You know how these mandatory volunteers are,” she says.

“Yes, ma’am. I’ll be in to 4203.”

She chuckles. “You off to see Miss Gracie?”

I smile back. “You know it.”

When I turn the corner to start down the hall, the elevators open, and Jake Lexington steps out. My heart races at the sight of him. Why is he here? My mouth feels dry when I try to speak. He looks around and sighs heavily before he notices me noticing him.

“Jake?” My voice comes out a little squeakier than I mean for it to.

“Hey, Other Howell,” he mumbles. He runs a hand through his hair while he stands there, eyes taking it all in. He looks unsure and tired. I actually don’t know if I’ve ever seen him awake and about this early in the morning.

“Am I in the right place for community service?”

“This is your community service?” I ask.

He shrugs. “I got a call this morning to report here instead, so yeah. What are you doing here?”

“I volunteer. All the time. I’m going to work with you today.”

Jake looks relieved. “I don’t really know what I’m doing.”

“We’re hanging out with kids.”

His relief seems to fade quickly, because he starts frantically looking around the children’s wing. I can’t imagine what it must seem like to him. The walls are painted fun colors with bright pictures. Kids and parents filter in and out of elevators and around corners. Despite how much I like it, it’s still very much a hospital. A rehab center. A boy rolls by us in a wheelchair, talking to another kid walking with an IV.

“Let me take you to sign in.”

Jake nods, his eyes still on the boys who passed us. I bite my lip as I walk him down the hallway back toward Ms. Nichols. He’s so quiet that it’s eerie.

“I found your CS worker,” I say to Ms. Nichols, who turns with a big excited “ooh.” “This is Jake Lexington.”

“Good morning, ma’am.”

“Good morning, Jake Lexington. You were a surprise on my list this morning.”

“No one was more surprised than me, ma’am,” he says.

She chuckles, like he’s kidding, but he gives me this pleading look.

“You want some coffee?” I ask him. “I’ll get you some.”

“Please,” he says to me. I can’t save him, but I can get him coffee.

I leave him and Ms. Nichols to do their business for a few minutes. I also need to take a minute for myself to breathe because I’m going to be working side-by-side with Jake all day today. I hope he’s going to be able to handle this.

I hope I’m going to be able to handle this.

A few seconds later, he’s beside me, and I hand him the cup of coffee. He eyes it before he reaches for it and takes a slow sip.

“Perfect.”

“I know,” I say, and he looks at me for so long that it makes my legs start to feel wobbly. No time for that. “Okay, let’s go.”

“Lead the way.”

I guide him through one of the art common areas and toward the hallway. The common area has six kids sitting around doing some painting. He looks between them as a couple of them yell.

“I don’t really do kids.”

I laugh. “You sure? I think you’ll enjoy it. You’re definitely on their level.”

“Hey now,” he says, following me through the hallway. “But for real, what do I do?”

“Do you know what they do here?”

He gulps slowly. “I know it’s a rehab center. Jamie comes here. Not this floor.”

Right, of course he would. This is the only rehab center in Culler or the surrounding towns. “He’s outpatient. He probably comes for therapy, but this floor is for inpatient youth. Kids who have to stay overnight in the hospital for treatments or even some who are here on constant care.”

Jake is paler than usual, like he’s seen a ghost.

“You okay?” I ask him.

He nods. “It’s a lot to take in.”

“This will cheer you up,” I say to him as I open the door to room 4203.

As soon as I do, all I see is Gracie’s face smiling at me. “Miss Haley!”

“Hello, sweet girl,” I say to her. She rushes up to give me a hug and stares up at me with brown eyes. It melts my heart.

“I lost a tooth,” she says, smiling a crooked smile at me.

“Oh my goodness, you’re so grown up now. You better go get a job.”

She laughs and laughs, like I’m the funniest person in the world. “Do you like my scarf?” Gracie points to her head, where a rainbow sparkled scarf covers only a small amount of hair. Over the scarf she wears a tiara. She’s only six, but she has a lot of personality.

“It’s exactly what I think of when I think of you.”

She smiles again, and then she looks over my shoulder, finally noticing Jake. She holds out a hand to him. “I’m Princess Gracie Ann Lewis. Who are you?”

Jake steps forward, kneels, and takes her hand. “I’m Jake Lexington, milady.”

She giggles at his gestures. It sure does something to my heart, too. “You’re cute.”

“Not as cute as you,” he says. For a moment, it’s that familiar Jake from before the accident.

Gracie looks up at me, and she has that familiar look in her eye that girls get around Jake. “You may stand, sir,” she plays along, and Jake rises.

“Where’s your mom?” I ask.

“She’s out getting snacks.”

“Tell her that I will come by later and see y’all before I go home.”

“I’m here all week!” she yells and tosses herself back onto the bed. Then she sits up quickly. “Will you be back again?” she asks Jake.

“I will do my best,” he says.

Gracie laughs and looks at me. “I like him!” Me, too, I think. Me, too.

“Bye, Lady Grace,” I tease as Jake and I leave.

Outside her room, Jake gives me this look. “You’re good with her.”

“Oh, well, she’s secretly my favorite.”

“I can see why.”

“She’s been here as long as I have. There are some kids like that who you build relationships with, and others who come and go.”

Jake follows behind me, and I point out the major areas in the kids ward. There’s an art center, a couple of them actually, a music room, a theater, a pool area, and a gym. There are also the usual hospital things like X-ray machines and doctors’ offices. They do all sorts of therapy classes and rehab. Some kids also stay in the rooms on this floor if they’re post-op.

“So, what do I do all day when I’m volunteering?”

“You can sit in on therapy classes, do art, play games with the kids, or spend time with them. We do a lot of programs for them to keep them entertained. You can create one of your own.”

He laughs. “I doubt that.”

“I don’t know. You seem to have won over Gracie already.”

We stop walking and stand in the rec room. There’s a wall of TVs and game consoles on one side. Tons of kids playing in the tournament going on right now. Jake looks a little shell-shocked by all of it.

“Start here today; sit and hang out with them.”

I point toward one of the consoles. There’s one kid sitting alone, while the rest are playing the tournament. “Go sit next to him and play a game together.”

“That’s it?”

I nod. “For now.”

“What if he wants to talk to me or something?”

“Jacob.”

He lifts his hands in the air. “Fine. Fine.”

I stand behind him, far enough away but close enough to hear him ask Seth if he likes Halo. Seth shrugs. “I like whatever.”

“Cool, me, too,” Jake says.

He’ll be fine.