RECAP:

                               "Oh no!" Chrissy cries and we all snap our heads to look at her.

                                 "What's wrong?" Harry asks worriedly, voicing all our thoughts.

                         "You, Uncle Lee, Lou, Ni, and Zaynie are not in the picture, daddy!" She cries, frowning.

                              "Don't worry, we'll fix that if it's okay with mommy." Harry says, smiling softly as he leans forwards on all fours. He kisses Chrissy, who was sitting on my lap, on her forehead, locking eyes with me. I smile softly and nod my head.

                                     "Mommy, can we?"

                                        "Yes baby." I smile and kiss her nose.

                                           ------------------------------------------------------------

               I was sleepily soundly on the night of fake Christmas Eve with Chrissy sleeping next to me. But what started soundly and relaxing definitely didn’t end that way at all.

              It all started like this on the horrid night.

             I felt a punch in my back and I mumbled, waking from my sleep, but still half asleep. Turning over, I yawned and threw my arm over my head.

            “Mommy?”

           I froze. It was the most pained voice I’ve ever heard. A sobbing pained voice. Please let this be a nightmare. I turn my head and see Chrissy looking frozen, with her head facing me. Tears were rolling down her cheeks with red, puffy, brown eyes showing pain that no eight year old should feel.

       “What’s wrong?” I squeak, afraid to know the unknown. The boys are gone, it’s just us. The night was wonderful, please don’t let this end.

          “I-it hurts t-too much, mommy.” She whimpered, her voice wavering and breaking, trying to stop herself from crying. She’s such a strong girl right now.

          “What hurts, darling?” I say frantically, sitting up.

           Abruptly, her eyes widen and I see the whites of her eyes before pain-filled agonized screams fill my whole apartment. I scream myself, surprised and scared. I look helplessly at Chrissy and scramble off the bed. The long scream stops and she’s crying her poor heart out.

        “I want to die, mommy.” She screamed in pain. I stared sadly at her as I rushed to put some boots on and my phone, wallet, and car and flat keys.

          “No sweetie, no you don’t.” I pleaded; finally stuffing everything in my jacket pockets and reach for Chrissy, who’s still frozen.

          “Chrissy you got to move baby, I’m begging you.” I pleaded, my arms underneath her stiff body to lift her up.

       “I can’t. Momma, I can’t move, I can’t move, my legs hurt.” She said, sounding dejected, lifeless, pained.

           “You can, just bend your legs.” I said, instructing her, tears filling my vision as I will her to move so I can rush her to the hospital.

       “They hurt too much. I’m going to die, mommy, I know it. Let me die.” She whimpered in pain.

     “Stop talking like that. I love you and I’m not going to let you die.” I said sternly and move Chrissy’s body, moving it was harder to do since she couldn't move her legs. When I do so, Chrissy screams telling me to stop. I keep apologizing, sobbing, but carry her anyway, rushing out of my flat and locking the door behind me. I flew down the steps with Chrissy crying and screaming in agony, people probably thinking I was slowly stabbing a knife into her heart and twisting it. I unlocked my car door and layed her down in the back seat, doing my best to quickly buckle her up, hustling. I quickly hop into the front seat and turn on the ignition, the sound not covering Chrissy’s cries of pain.

      I grabbed my phone while driving, dialing my dad, tears forming streams down my cheeks. My baby can’t die. Not yet.

        “Dad are you at the hospital, it’s an emergency. If you aren’t go there now.”

         “What’s wrong? What’s that racket?” My dad asked worriedly.

           “Chrissy, daddy, it’s Chrissy,” I sobbed, turning onto a road.

         “It’s okay sweetie, I’m already here. I’ll get everything ready, I love you.” My dad said

           “I love you too.” I said then hung up, running into a red light. I sat impatiently, tapping my finger on the wheel. “Come on….come on,” I muttered, urging the light to hurry up and turn green.

          Suddenly the car is quiet, too quiet. My cries grow louder and I look into the backseat, seeing Chrissy unconscious from the pain. “Come on baby, you can make it, stay with me,” I cried, deciding to heck with this red light.

          I pushed on the gas pedal, my car screeching forward.

          I don’t remember much, but horns blaring and flashes of headlights. I swerved to avoid getting hit as it halted and I kept driving, screaming it was emergency, even though they couldn’t hear me.

           “You can’t die, Chrissy, I need you, this world needs you in it or it would be gray and boring, no light.” I whispered, turning into the hospital parking lot. I got here quickly because I was speeding. I park into a parking spot near the front and thrust out my keys. Crying, I grab Chrissy in the back seat, propping her unconscious body on my hip as I slam the car door shut and lock it, running towards the hospital doors. Some people jump out of my way and give me sympathetic looks.

         I run into the hospital after the automatic doors opened for me when I feel Chrissy stir in my arms. She was out for too long.

             “DAD! HELP!” I hollered and a nurse started running up to me.

             “You must stop—“

             “DAD!” I screamed, ignoring the lady’s protests, sobbing. My dad comes running around the corner with his doctor coat on and blue scrub things on his feet. A couple nurses with a gurney are quick behind him. Chrissy clutches onto me as my dad waits to receive Chrissy and put her on the gurney.

           She looks up at me with empty brown eyes, saddened, “Where’s daddy?”

              My heart broke and I kissed her nose, giving her to my dad, “He’ll be here when you come back. I promise.” My dad looking at me confused, hurried off with Chrissy who started to scream in agony again, feeling like someone was tearing my heart apart. The nurse that tried to stop me earlier led me to the waiting room where parents with their kids and babies in the children’s ward were and some just parents, a lot of people looking at me sympathetically.

            I ignored their looks and sat down, crying softly, knowing Chrissy was in good hands, hoping she’ll survive this one. I unconsciously dial my mom’s number.

             “Mom?” I asked weakly.

             “Oh baby, I heard. Your father told me.” She said sweetly.

           “It’s was terrifying, horrid….how could God let that happen to an eight year old?” I asked, pained, wondering.

          “Honey, he does things for a reason. Everything happened for a reason. You two were destined to meet, for her to inspire you, to give you motivation, the fire to do something in the future or for her to lead you somewhere. God wouldn’t let someone be born on this earth without a purpose in life.” My mother said, her soothing voice calming me.

             I take a deep breath, “I love you mum.”

              “I love you too sweetheart. Want me to come?”

            “No, its okay,” I looked at the clock on the wall, “About three in the morning, go back to sleep.”

               “Alright, call me when you receive any news or text me. Bye darling.”

                  “Bye mum.” I hung up and immediately dialed Harry’s number. I wasn’t going to break my promise to Chrissy. I told my mother not to come because I knew that Harry would come because I was going to force him if needed and it might be awkward with her around.  The phone rang and went to voice mail where I hung up and called again and again, until he answers on the fifth call.

          “This better be important or better yet, who the heck is this, calling me in the morning……at three?” Harry groggily answered to the phone.

                 “Chrissy’s at the hospital and wants you. Come here now.”

          “What? What happened?” Harry’s urgent voice was heard through the phone, now sounding wide awake.

            “Cancer.” I said, my voice breaking.

             “I’ll be there as soon as I can.” Then the dial tone rang in my ear. I put my phone in my lap and waited.

             Harry wasn’t there till forever it seemed, but in reality he was there in fifteen to twenty minutes. I saw Harry rush in with pajamas like me, but in a big coat and fuzzy slippers with his car keys and phone in hand. He looked around and saw me, hurrying over to me.

              He sat on the couch beside me and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into his embrace. I accepted the hug openly, feeling better.

               “What happened?” He asked softly, rubbing my back. I pulled away, but he kept an arm wrapped around me, like life support. I sure needed it.

          “I was sleeping and—oh, Harry it was horrible. She was screaming in agony and crying, passed out, couldn’t move, I felt horrible. I even caused her pain to lift her. She was even wishing that she would die because of the pain. She’s only eight!” I cried, playing with Harry’s fingers in my lap. Tears started to fill my eyes again and Harry lightly moved his hand onto my head, “shh-ing” me as he gently pushed my head against his chest.

              Clutching onto Harry’s shirt, I started crying, not caring if we were getting strange looks, which we shouldn’t because this is an emergency children’s ward waiting room. I started to calm down, hiccupping as Harry rubbed the back of my head softly and my back. I stayed silent, leaning into Harry, feeling comforted. I feel a teardrop on my forehead and I look up to see Harry, who had a single teardrop slowly rolling down his cheek.

                      Slowly and gently, I reached up a tentative hand and wiped away his tear.

                        “Why are you crying?” I whispered.

                     He looked at me, his voice wavering like he was holding back tears, “She’s like my daughter right? No one deserves to feel that way; she’s an eight year old and doesn’t deserve the pain. I can just imagine how it all went.”

                   I knew it couldn’t be as bad as it actually was, but I wrapped my arms around Harry and hugged him tighter, knowing we both needed comfort. I guess Chrissy really did dig herself a little whole into everyone’s heart that she meets and leaves a mark. I love Chrissy.

                   She’s like my daughter.

                   She’s like my younger sister.

             A couple hours later, I was being shaken awake, me and Harry both. I opened my eyes and saw my father squatting in front of the couch. I quickly sit up out of Harry’s arms, making my dad chuckle. Meanwhile, Harry was stirring awake slower than I was.

              “Chrissy’s awake.” My dad smiled.

                 I widened my eyes, a tear slowly rolling my cheek, “S-She’s alive?”

                  My dad nodded, “She’s staying in the hospital till it becomes her time.”

              “Isn’t there a chance of survival from her cancer, Mr. Hunter?” Harry spoke up for the first time, sounding wide awake from the news of Chrissy being alive and awake.

           My dad looked sadly at Harry, “It’s a very low chance; we’re predicting death before Christmas. The tumor has spread too far in her brain. Tonight the tumor affected a couple nerves that had to do with the legs. She can’t walk for a while and she’ll keep weakening. I won’t be surprised if another episode happens.”

                     I looked at my dad with wide eyes, “You mean…”

                He looked to me, “I’m sorry honey, but the brain tumor is a nasty thing. If I could’ve stopped it as soon as she admitted, we would. But the tumor, like I said, it was spread too much and now is affecting about more than half of her brain. She’s on close watch in case something happens overnight. Now we’re predicting her death is before the end of this month.”

                I choked on air, more tears falling down my face and was embraced in a hug from my dad. After pulling away, I reach out a hand to a now silent, shocked Harry with a few stray tears falling down his cheeks. He interlocked his fingers into mine and I pulled him up, where we held onto each other’s waist like two parents who was depending each other on life support, needing help to walk and stand. We solemnly walked down the halls to Chrissy’s room behind my dad, arriving there shortly.

               Entering, Harry and I walked in. My dad and some nurses left us alone after telling us to click the red button on the remote by the bed for emergencies. I sat on the edge of the bed, seeing a pale, weak Chrissy. She didn’t look happy or joyful like she normally did. She had purple circles under her eyes and her brown eyes looked like the life had been sucked out of them.

                 Like she lost all hope in life.

               Harry approached her and her eyes didn’t light up like the other times, she didn’t smile. She watched Harry, transfixed, before Harry held open his arms and lifted Chrissy onto his lap on the bed where she broke down sobbing.

              “It hurt so much, daddy.” She sobbed, making my tears reappear. Harry kissed her forehead as I saw a single tear roll down his cheek again.

               “It’s okay now.” I lied, my voice shaky. Chrissy’s head looked out from above Harry’s arms.

            “No it isn’t. I know it.” She said sadly. I looked at Harry, who looked surprised, but kind of horrified that an eight year old didn’t have hope, that she knew it was the end of such a short life.

            “I love you, Chrissy.”I whispered, joining the two’s hug. Harry wrapped an arm around Chrissy and another around me, me doing the same, except wrapping an arm around Harry. Chrissy wrapped both arms around us and buried her head in between ours.

                 “I love you too, mommy and daddy.” She hiccupped.

                  “I love you also, Chrissy.” Harry whispered, squeezing us all tighter.