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“TAISHI, I'M SO SORRY!” I apologize for the dozenth time as I follow him down the hospital hallway. “Please don't be mad at me!”
Taishi ignores me and keeps walking. Ugh! He's so frustrating, he makes me want to scream.
“If I could go back, I'd pick you instead of Jophiel,” I tell him. “I would. I really would!” I'm telling the truth. If choosing Taishi could've spared me from his cold shoulder, I'd change my choice in a heartbeat.
Taishi stops walking and faces my direction. “Don't worry about it, Riley-san. I don't care as much as you think I do.”
“That's... harsh.” Tears waver in my eyes, fogging my vision. “It's nice to know you don't care about me.”
“I didn't mean it like that. I do care about you.” When a tear skips down my cheek, Taishi squashes it with his thumb. I don't know why I'm crying. Maybe my emotions are still raw after seeing my family? “I only meant that I won't be sulking about it for days. I would have liked to meet your family, though.”
“Really?” Taishi spins around and starts walking again. His strides are long, so it's a struggle to keep up with him.
“Of course,” Taishi replies as he halts in front of room 617. “I always like to see where my students come from.”
“Well, you didn't miss anything major,” I assure him. “Basically, I just cried a lot.”
“I'm sorry you were sad, Leigh.” When he glances back at me, his expression is softer than usual. I'm surprised that he's actually attempting empathy.
“Yeah...”
“Jophiel was kind to you, I hope?”
“Well... he wasn't bad,” I tell him. “He seemed like he was in a rush, though. He told me to wrap it up, but I wasn't really ready to go.”
“Jophiel's like that. He's very busy.”
My gaze drops to my sandaled toes. “Yeah. That's what he told me.”
“Still... he should have been kinder to you. I would have been kinder to you.” The tiniest of smiles passes over Taishi's lips. I think that's the second time he's smiled at me. Getting Taishi Nakamura to smile will be my afterlife's greatest success. “That's another reason why you should have chosen me instead of him.”
“I know, I know.” I roll my eyes at him. “Now... who's our next charge? We're in a hospital, so I'm guessing it's not going to be good.”
“You're right. It's not good.”
When we step into the room, my heart shatters right away. There's a bald black boy tucked into the hospital bed. He's skin and bones, his face is gaunt, and the whites of his eyes are yellow. He's currently watching the cartoon version of The Grinch.
“This is Isaiah Adams. He's six years old.”
“Six? Geez.” My teeth clench at the news. “What's wrong with him?”
“Leukemia.” Taishi walks to Isaiah's bedside and sweeps a hand across the little boy's forehead. “In case you're wondering, I just brushed away his pain.”
“That was nice of you.” When I glance at the window, I see snowflakes drifting by the pane. “Wait... is it Christmas right now?”
“Indeed,” Taishi stoically replies. “It's Christmas Eve in the year 1998.”
His answer makes me gasp. “1998? What?”
“Do you remember Tesla's lesson about time being an illusion?” Taishi swaggers across the room and stands near the window. “Your perception of the present is different from Isaiah's, and every period in history is occurring simultaneously. You can affect the past, the past can affect your future, and it's—”
“You know what?” I interrupt him with a groan. “Don't even try to explain it to me. I can't wrap my mind around it. I'll just accept that we're in 1998 and I won't ask any questions.”
“Fair enough.” As Taishi moves around the room, he checks the Christmas cards that are taped all over the walls. “Anyway, as you might have guessed, we're here to grant Isaiah's wish. It could very well be his final wish.”
“Gosh. That's... sad.”
“He's weak. Very weak,” Taishi reports. “His liver is failing. His kidneys are failing. It's really a matter of time before he—”
Taishi doesn't finish his thought. The hospital door opens, and a tall, thin black woman steps into the room.
“Is that his mom?” I ask. It's a useless question. A few seconds later, I get my answer from Isaiah.
“Hi, Mom,” the boy croaks.
“Hi, baby.” Isaiah's mom sits beside him and drags a hand along his forehead. “Ooo! You feel cold! That's unusual. Were you playing in the snow, boy? You must've been outside making snow angels, huh?”
Isaiah chuckles at his mom's question. “No!”
Taishi finally stops pacing and pauses beside me. “He's cold because I touched him,” he quietly explains. “And the mom's name is Ruth, in case you were wondering.”
Glancing at the television, Ruth asks, “Oh, are you watching The Grinch?”
Isaiah gives her a slow nod. “Yeah.”
“That used to be one of my favorites when I was a kid. That, and Frosty the Snowman. I didn't really care for Scrooge, though. There is nothing fun about that old man.” Ruth leans closer to her son's face. “Honey, is your tongue blue?”
“Probably,” Isaiah sticks out his tongue and tries to see it. “I was eating a blueberry candy cane.”
“Oh! Blueberry sounds good!” his mom exclaims. “I don't really care for the peppermint ones. They make my eyes water.”
Isaiah's sneer suggests he's not a huge fan of the flavor.
And they're both crazy, by the way. I love mint. Mint tea. Mint chocolate ice cream. Mint cookies. Mint is my thing.
Jophiel even smells like mint, and it kills me.
“I brought you a little gift,” Ruth says. “I'm bringing the rest of your presents tomorrow, but I thought I'd let you open one right now.”
Isaiah's big, brown eyes are brightened by the prospect of a gift. Both of his arms are tucked under a blanket, but he frees them to reach for the brightly colored package.
“I hope you like it,” Ruth says as her son's fingers obliterate the wrapping paper. “Your sister helped me pick it out.”
When Isaiah unwraps the stuffed panda, it's love at first sight. He hugs the bear and kisses its nose.
“Do you like it?” Ruth asks, even though the answer is obvious. Isaiah's arm is coiled around the bear's fuzzy body.
“Uh-huh. I like it a lot.”
“Good, baby. I'm glad.” Ruth leans down, brushing a kiss across his forehead. “I've got a lot more for you tomorrow. Are you excited?”
Resting his cheek against the panda bear, Isaiah softly replies, “Uh huh.”
“You don't sound too excited, though,” his mom notes. “Is there anything Mom can do to give you a little more Christmas spirit?” She lowers her voice and whispers, “If you want, I can sneak in some sugar cookies. May and I made them last night. They're frosted, and they're shaped like candy canes and Christmas trees.”
With a solemn shake of his head, Isaiah replies, “No thanks.”
“Are you sure? I even made them with those special sprinkles you like.”
“I'm sure.” Isaiah's answer is accompanied by a telling sigh. His sadness is obvious—not that I blame him. Who would want to be sick on Christmas?
“I love you, baby,” Ruth says. “You know that, right?”
“Yeah.” Isaiah sheepishly stares at his stuffed bear. Love seems to be an awkward topic for most boys, but his mom is expecting a reply, so he quietly mumbles, “I love you too.”
While Isaiah chats with his mom, I glance in Taishi's direction. His arms are crossed, his jaw is tight, and unless I'm mistaken, his eyes are glistening. Like me, he's finding this difficult to watch.
“What can I do to cheer you up, honey?” Ruth asks. “Is there anything I can do? Anything at all?”
“Well...” Isaiah takes a moment to chew on his lip. “I'd kind of like to meet Santa Claus.”
As soon as the words are out of his mouth, Taishi leans toward me and whispers, “And there you have it.”
My brow furrows at his cryptic words. “And there you have... what?”
“Our next mission, Riley-san.” He bows his head in the direction of the sad little boy. “We're going to find Santa Claus.”