It’s cold in the room, Mommy. It’s cold and all I get to wear is a yucky-green smock that matches the yucky-green walls. All the walls are cold. The metal table is cold. The doctor’s fingers are cold as he holds my hand and tells me not to worry.
But I AM worried, mommy; I heard them say that I might not wake up and I’m scared. I don’t want to go away, mommy; I don’t want to leave you behind.
There’s a big clock on the wall, and it says it’s 3:15 in the afternoon. Ms. Loughlin just let class out for the day…Billy and Jeff are probably wrestling just outside the classroom, waiting for their daddies to pick them up so they can go home and eat dinner and do their homework and sleep.
I wish I was there, mommy…I wish I was anywhere but here.
I’m crying, mommy. I promised you I wouldn’t, but I’m crying and I can’t stop.
The doctors are going to give me the medicine now to make me sleep so I don’t feel anything, so you won’t have to worry about me hurting anymore. But mommy, they said they had to take Teddy from me…they had to give him to you…mommy, please, hold him, hold him, and promise me, mommy, promise me if I don’t wake up you’ll keep him for me: he’s going to miss me a lot, and he’ll need someone to hug.