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| A room of your own is better if you don't need one of these. |
Grace was sick. She was at the hospital so much, it was almost like she lived there. She celebrated birthdays there, she knew most of the nurses by name and her doctor knew her by sight. It wasn't the most cheerful place to be, but Grace always had her window to the outside world. When she had started to get bad, her parents had bought her a smart phone with a data plan. Grace didn't know enough people to text or call too often, but she used the hospital's WiFi religiously. She could go anywhere in the world and be safe in her bed, having all her important things monitored. It was nice to be able to go anywhere, see anything, but still. What was the point if she didn't have anyone to share it with?
Around the time her classmates were getting cars and starting to date boys, Grace started to put a form to her loneliness. She wanted a boyfriend. But who could she ask? She was barely in school and when she was there, everyone treated her like she was fragile, like an eggshell teetering on the edge of a table. At the hospital, everyone was too old and they saw her as a patient, not a teenage girl. Grace brooded over her phone. One night, when she couldn't sleep, Grace was flicking through her phone, her face lit up by the eerie light, when the door opened. That was odd.
"Hello?" Grace asked, putting her phone down. She clicked on the light.
"Oh," the boy said. He was wearing a hospital gown and had his hand on his IV stand. He was bald too. "Sorry. This isn't my room."
"It's okay. What's your name?"
"Mike. What's yours?"
"Grace."
"Nice to meet you." He walked closer, bringing his IV with him. "So, Grace, what are you in for?"
Grace laughed. "It's not a prison."
"Seems like it sometimes. Haven't you ever wanted to just get up and walk around?"
Grace shrugged. "I haven't done that in awhile."
"Walked?"
"I can get to the bathroom and back but..." Grace's throat closed. She had thought she'd gotten used to the litany of things she couldn't do, but this boy managed to remind her.
"I'm sorry! Hey, if you can't do the walking, I'll come here and see you. How about that?"
Grace smiled, blinking quickly. "That would be nice. It's nice to have a friend."
"Yeah," Mike agreed.
Over the next few weeks, Grace got to know a lot about Mike. He liked fast cars and action movies. He liked Top 40 hits and country. He also liked to write poetry. One night, he brought a few poems for Grace to read. They were about his family.
"How often does your family come to see you?" Grace asked.
Mike shrugged and looked away. "They're very busy people. Dad was training me to be in charge once he retired. Now..."
Grace put her hand on his hand. "You don't know this is going to kill you," she said quietly. "You might get better."
Mike shrugged and stood up. "I'd better head back to my room." He started heading to the door.
"Do you want the poems back?" Grace asked.
"I'll get them next time," Mike said without turning around.
Grace made sure to hide the poems after he left. Mike wasn't supposed to be out of bed at night and she didn't want to give him away. It was so nice to talk to someone else her age, even if he did get a little boring sometimes.
The next day, Grace's parents came to visit and brought her flowers and chocolate. "Happy Valentine's Day!" Grace's mom said, setting the gifts down and giving Grace a careful hug.
"Thanks," Grace said. "I forgot it was Valentine's Day."
"Well, we didn't," her dad said, sitting down. "And we brought a new game we found. Want to try it?"
Grace had enjoyed board games more and more since she'd been stuck in bed. Her parents tried to play at least one game with her every time they visited. "I should play with Mike sometime," Grace thought. "Yes!" she said. "What is it?"
Grace's mom settled in as her dad explained the rules of the game. It was competitive and one of those games where the rules were simple, but the gameplay could get complicated. Perfect. Grace settled in for a great Valentine's Day.
Later that night, Mike came back to visit her. Grace had kept some chocolates to share with him. "Hello," she said with a smile as he came in.
"Hi," Mike said, looking a little nervous, stopping right in front of her bed.
"Happy Valentine's Day," Grace said, holding out the chocolates. A few things happened at once. Mike leaned in and kissed her. Grace, startled, dropped the chocolates on the floor. She quickly kissed Mike back. Her first kiss and it was on Valentine's Day!
"You okay, honey?" a nurse asked, easing the door open. Their kiss ended suddenly. "Michael! Out of bed at this hour? And what would your girlfriend say about this?"
Girlfriend? "What?" Grace asked.
Michael looked angry. "We're fine, Nurse Killjoy. Go on your rounds."
"Oh no, young man. You're going back to bed if I have to drag you there myself."
Mike did not suffer himself to be dragged, so he stomped out of the room ahead of the nurse. He didn't look back.
Grace looked down at the chocolates on the floor and started to cry. This was the worst Valentine's Day she'd ever had.
A few weeks later, the doctor approached Grace and her parents about a new treatment. It had done well in testing. "We think it would be a good fit for Grace," the doctor said, "but since she's still a minor, it's up to you two what you want to do." Grace's dad nodded and her mom's lips went thin.
"What happens if it goes wrong?" Grace asked.
The doctor looked at her. "Well, you would need to stay in the hospital so we could observe you. It could give you more difficulty walking."
"How likely is that?"
"Not very."
Grace looked between her parents and her doctor. "Let's do it! I can handle another treatment."
Her parents took a few more days to come around, but eventually, they did agree. The treatment began to work and Grace felt better and she was able to walk further and further.
Eventually, a nurse would walk the hallways with her so Grace could get some more exercise. Grace saw Mike on one of their tours. She nearly fell over doing it, but she looked away from him and ignored him completely. As she turned the corner, the nurse still steadying her, Grace knew she would be going home soon and she'd never have to be stuck in the hospital again. She was coming out of her tower and into the world at last.
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