by Dash Hoffman
Liam tried to wipe at his face as he looked up at Joshua, but when he saw the emotion on Joshua’s face, he wept again.
Callie wrapped her arms around them both as well, and all three of them let go of the tension, fear, and pain they had been holding on to for so long. All the while, Emma slept on inside her room.
When they had gathered themselves again, they smiled and chuckled, wiping at their eyes. They let each other go and drew in deep breaths.
“So now what happens?” Liam’s voice wavered, though it was confident.
Joshua cleared his throat and rested his hands on his hips. “Well, we need to wait to see the results. See how it takes. We’re going to know as early as tomorrow just how well it’s done, so thankfully this won’t be a long wait. Now, I hate to pull doctor on you both, but you’ve both been through a lot, and Emma isn’t going to wake up tonight. She’s going to sleep until tomorrow, so I’m going to insist that you both go home and get some sleep. Come back in the morning, and we’ll see what kind of magic we’ve worked today.”
Liam and Callie shared a hesitant look and finally nodded. They both knew that Joshua was right. It was going to be another big day and they would need to be rested for themselves and for Emma.
Joshua bid them a good night, and they said the same to each other before leaving to go to their homes for a restful evening; their hearts lighter, and filled with great joy.
Callie arrived at the hospital in the morning with hope in her pounding heart. It seemed like it had been years since she’d ridden up in the elevator to drop books off the day she met Emma.
Everything seemed to go too slow; the traffic, the elevator, even her own feet as she walked swiftly through the hallway from Joshua’s office to the door of Emma’s room. When she went in, it was as if a new day had dawned for everyone who looked up at her.
“She’s doing much, much better.” Joshua greeted Callie with a broad grin.
She could see a stunning change in Emma, who was sitting up in bed, and looked better than she had in weeks.
“That’s incredible news!” Callie felt as if fireworks were going off inside her. She hugged Joshua tightly, and then Liam hugged her. Finally she got to sit by Emma, after giving her a big hug and a kiss on the cheek.
“One of the best things is that she’s not in pain right now. It’s different with kids than it is for adults fighting cancer; adults have to deal with it in their own headspace, but kids… well, I’ve seen them sobbing from pain and then half an hour later they’re giggling, and they’ve completely forgotten all about it. They don’t sit and stew in the mental trauma of it; they’re too interested in being curious, playing, and having fun. They’re so brave. Emma… you’ve handled this whole thing like a champ.” Joshua looked pointedly at the girl.
“She’s handled it a lot better than I have.” Her father admitted honestly with a chagrined laugh.
“Now, don’t say that.” Joshua set a hand on Liam’s shoulder. “You’ve had to take this at a different angle than she has. You’re the parent. You’ve had a lot more of the responsibility. We’ve all had to handle it differently, but we’re here now, and it’s such a great place to be.”
“It is. Thank you so much for all that you’ve done, Dr. J.” Liam grinned at him.
Joshua gave him an earnest look. “It’s truly been my honor to care for her, and now I can’t wait to celebrate!”
“Speaking of celebration,” Callie grinned at them both, “I brought a bunch of things for our Neverland visit to the park. I wasn’t sure what was happening in here, so I left them in Josh’s office. I hope that’s okay.”
Joshua nodded. “Definitely!”
“We’ll need to put it all together.” She laughed softly.
“I want to help!” Emma piped up excitedly.
“You need to rest a bit more.” Joshua intoned gently.
“You couldn’t anyway.” Callie winked at her. “I’ve got surprises in there for you and you can’t see them until we go to the park.”
Emma laughed resignedly. “Okay, fine, but I can’t wait to go!”
“I have some time now, so we can get started on it.” Joshua looked to Liam. “Are you coming with us?”
Liam nodded. “Yeah, I think I will. I’ll catch up with you both in a few minutes. I just want to spend a little more time here with her.”
“Very good!” Joshua smiled, and then after a wave to Emma, left with Callie for his office. He was surprised when they walked in. His chairs and the couch in his office were covered in bags.
“I may have gone a little overboard.” Callie blushed happily.
“I think it’s totally appropriate.” Joshua laughed. “Let me just clean this table off.”
In the corner of his office stood a table covered in pages and books. It was easy to see that he had been studying and researching at great length. He had it cleared away in no time, and they emptied the bags there.
Callie’s heart thrummed as they began to organize everything she’d brought.
“I can’t even remember the last time I was this excited!” She admitted to him. “Do you really think she’s going to be able to beat the cancer?”
Joshua nodded. “I do. This treatment has got a tremendous success rate in the trials, and she’s the ideal candidate for it. She’s at the right stage in her illness. She’s the right age in her life for it to have the best results; it’s ideally suited for her. I’ll tell you,” he shook his head and laughed, “I almost can’t believe that it came along when it did. It’s perfect. It’s like… like a miracle. Like magic. I just can’t even really wrap my head around it. Just when I thought it was all lost, this came up and now I can fix it. I mean, I can really fix it! She’s not even going to have a cold by the time that I’m done with this! Even just since last night she has improved with flying colors!”
They both beamed as they worked, and Callie couldn’t remember the last time she had been that happy. It looked to her as she watched Joshua pasting and stapling this and that, that he felt the same way.
Callie’s thoughts drifted back over the weeks that had passed, and she gave her head a shake. “You know, I have to say, I just can’t believe the change in Liam since this treatment came up. It’s like he’s become another person altogether!”
Joshua tilted his head a little to one side. “Well… he is a different person, if you think about it. He’s been in a place no parent should ever be, and he’s been there alone this whole time. This change has thrown the gates open and set him free. There’s no equal for that. It’s no wonder we saw so much joy and happiness in him; it’s been gone a long time, but now it’s back, and it’s only going to get better.”
“I’m so glad.” Callie’s grin spread over her whole face. “It’s good to see him so happy, and to see her healing.”
Liam joined them a short while later, talking and laughing as he helped them put things together. When they were done, Joshua held his hands out wide.
“Well? How do I look? Do I look like a pirate?” He was decked out in a black trifold hat atop his head, with a patch over one eye, a fake moustache on his upper lip, and he wore a pair of black and white striped pants. A plastic sword hung from his makeshift belt.
Callie laughed at him. “You look perfect! Do I look like a convincing Lost Boy?”
He nodded at her. “You do! If you looked any more lost you’d be in Neverland yourself!”
Callie wore a funny old hat and a pair of big brown trousers held up by suspenders, along with a button up shirt underneath.
“All right, my turn.” Liam called out, and they laughed to see him. “I chose to be the Indian. Emma keeps telling me all about some Indian boy in Neverland… Turtle Dove, I think. She goes on about what a great friend he is and how I’m so much like him. She said he and I are both honorable, kind, and clever.”
He chuckled and a sheepish look came over him for a moment. “Anyway, I thought I’d be the Indian because of that. I feel a bit silly doing this,�
�� Liam laughed, “but you know what, I can’t remember the last time I did anything silly. I’m long overdue!”
Liam wore a soft, brown leather shirt and pant set, and he even clipped a few feathers into his hair. He shook his head and gave Callie and Joshua a somewhat trite look.
“I’d never have thought that I’d be wearing anything like this, but… it’s for a special day. A very special day. It’s a dream come true kind of day.” He laughed again, filled with pure joy.
“Well,” Callie pulled her costume off, “as soon as Emma’s well enough, we’re going to have the best time playing Neverland with her, and that will be the most unbelievable thing yet.”
Joshua organized his pirate outfit on the table. “I’ll be honest, at the rate I’m seeing the change in her, I think it’ll be tomorrow, as long as we take it really easy on her. She’ll have to go in a wheelchair, but if she keeps getting better, I don’t see why we can’t try it.”
“I can’t wait!” Liam chuckled, setting his things next to theirs.
When Callie arrived the next day, she was overjoyed to find Liam in his Indian costume, and Emma sitting up in bed talking animatedly to him.
“Hello! Look at you, Liam! That’s encouraging! Are we going to be able to go?”
Emma looked like she might jumped right out of her bed. “We are going! Dr. J is doing the last of his rounds, and then he’s going to get his costume and we can all go!”
“Goodness!” Callie laughed. “I guess we’d better get into ours!”
Callie helped Emma into her Lost Boy costume, and put her own on as well. A short while later, Joshua joined them, and Emma burst out laughing.
“You’re a great pirate!” She told her doctor.
He hoisted his plastic sword in the air. “All right you scurvy dogs! Let’s get going!”
“Well, my little Lost Boy, shall we go on an adventure?” Liam stepped away from her bed as Joshua pushed a wheelchair to the side of it.
“Yes! To the Neverland, and to adventure!” Emma cheered. She didn’t mind at all that she needed to go in a wheelchair, especially since Joshua had made it part of the game by adding a pirates flag to it.
“Oh I’m so excited to see the Peter Pan statue!” She beamed, her face pressed almost against the window of the car, watching everything that she could see as they passed by the city.
She turned to Callie. “Do you think we’ll see Peter? He hasn’t been back to the Neverland yet. Maybe he’s in Kensington Gardens! Oh I do so want to meet him!”
Callie gave her a knowing smile. “He might very well be! We’ll have to keep a look out for him! He does love games, and this will be a good one! Pirates and Indians and Lost Boys! It’s one of his favorites!”
Liam cleared his throat and gave Callie a curious look, bordering on sheepish. “I’m not entirely certain that I’ll know how to play along. It’s been such a long time.” He trailed off helplessly.
“You know, that’s the fun of playing, we never really forget. It comes back to us right away, because it doesn’t leave us. Playing and make believe is always there, just under the surface somewhere. You’ll see. Without even realizing it, you’ll discover your own Neverland as soon as you make up your mind to play.” Callie promised.
Liam nodded gratefully. “I’ll take your word for it.”
They arrived at Kensington Gardens, and soon enough, Emma was settled into her wheelchair. She wore a funny old hat, and she was dressed in brown trousers with a button up shirt like Callie wore.
The old cross and bones rippled in the breeze behind her as her father pushed her along the path. Callie held a pretty box of pink frosted cupcakes, while Joshua carried a decorated cardboard treasure chest. All of them admired the fine, sunny, warm London day.
“It’s wonderful that we’ve got such good weather!” Callie let it soak into her, and she felt like she might even be shining brighter than the sun from the inside out.
“It’s a gift.” Liam agreed.
Emma breathed in deeply, reveling in every bit of it. “Gosh, it’s been so long since I was outside! Look at this day! It’s beautiful! I love this so much! I love everything about it!”
The motley group of them made their way, and as they did, they drew curious looks from other people; some were grownups who blinked and stared, but most of them were children with wide eyes, upon whose faces big smiles grew, because they could see the game and the fun, and the make believe that was real.
A few of them began to trail along with Emma and her troupe, and then a few more tagged along with them.
They passed ponds along the pretty tree-lined route, and stopped to admire a few flower beds. At last they came to a statue of Peter Pan.
Emma gasped as she stared up at it, and she clapped her hands together. “Just look at that!” She squealed with delight.
Just then, a bold lad just a bit older than Emma, approached her.
“Are you unwell?” He asked, tipping his head curiously.
“I was, but I’m on the mend now. I’ll be just as strong and healthy as you soon!” She gave him a shy smile.
“Are you playing a game?” The boy asked, eyeing her interestedly. “I love games!”
Emma brightened enthusiastically. “We are! We’re playing Neverland! Daddy is the Indian Turtle Dove, Dr. J is a pirate, and Callie and I are Lost Boys! Would you like to play with us? There’s always room for more!”
The boy didn’t hesitate a moment. “That’s my favorite game! I’ll get my mates. Be right back!” He lit off and began hollering and waving his arms at a group of children not far away. The other children that had followed them there came closer and called to Emma.
“We want to play too! Can we? Can we play with you?”
Emma giggled with ecstasy. “Yes! Come and play!”
Liam sniffed and blinked back happy tears as he watched them all weaving in and out around her, talking and laughing; the game already begun.
While the children were choosing sides; pirates, Indians, or Lost Boys, Emma gazed up at the statue of Peter Pan before her.
“So much of it is there. Look, Tinkerbell!” She pointed happily. “But… that’s not what his pipes look like. That’s a horn. That’s not right at all, but I don’t mind. I do love it, anyway.” She shared a smile with Callie, and Callie leaned down to kiss her cheek.
A minute later, the bold boy who had first approached them returned with a group of children with him, and they all separated into pirates, Lost Boys, and Indians. Callie paused them long enough to pass out pink frosted cupcakes while Dr. J skillfully hid the treasure chest of the Sea Swan. Once the cupcakes were devoured, each group took to hunting the other groups, and the treasure.
The boy went along with Emma, and she was happy for it. “You want to be a Lost Boy?” She asked him, elated.
His laugh sounded like a bell, and he gave her a wink. “I’m always a Lost Boy.”
They went around the trees and bushes, hiding and jumping out at one another. Every time they caught sight of each other, they bit thumbs at one another, and continued to chase.
Liam was astonished to see that the other children took Emma’s situation into bearing, making room for her wheelchair in their play, knowing without having to be told or discuss it, that it was good form to slow their running so that their speed matched her speed in wheels.
They were gracious in not catching her as often, and in letting her catch them when they could have easily escaped, because that was good form; the best form, and it was all part of the fun of the adventure.
Sometimes the Indians banded with the Lost Boys, and sometimes they sided with the pirates, but all of them had a terrific adventure, playing in the pretend Neverwoods of Kensington Gardens.
Even more surprising to Liam, was that without ever realizing it, he too became totally lost in play and fun, for the first time in a very long time.
At long last Emma and Callie discovered the treasure chest tucked far beneath a fat bush. Emma cried out j
oyously, and Callie pulled it from the bush for her, setting it on her lap.
She almost glowed as she lifted the lid of the treasure chest, and she gasped at what was inside.
There were two treasures; one was a small plastic gold-colored sword, just the right size for a child, and the other was a lovely, painted, wooden, music box.
Emma lifted the music box out and opened the lid. There inside was a sparkling mermaid who turned in a circle as pretty music played.
“Oh, look! It’s the treasure! It’s exactly the treasure!” She nearly cried, she was so thrilled, but then she looked up at the children who had gathered around her to see it; curious about what was in the chest.
“But how do we decide who gets what?” She asked in concern, knowing that it should be fair amongst them.
The bold boy planted his hands on his hips and lifted his chin. “Finders keepers! That’s the rule! If you find it, you keep it! It’s yours for good!”
Emma’s thoughts clouded for a moment, and she thought of Chance telling her the exact same thing.
“Well no matter if the treasure is found, because the pirates are coming!” The boy cried out, “Let’s hide behind that hedge, and when they come past, we’ll ambush them!”
A cocky laugh sounded from him, and he threw back his head and crowed. “Oh the cleverness of me!”
With that, he led the children away again, including Emma who brandished her new sword at any pirate that dared to get near her.
They all played a long while, but late in the day Emma grew tired, and Joshua said that it was time to take her back to the hospital.
The other children came to tell her goodbye, and asked her to come back and play with them again soon. When they had all gone but the boy, Emma handed the sword to him.
“This should be yours, so that you can battle the pirates properly next time. That sword won’t miss its mark in battle.” She told him with a smile.
He accepted her gift with a bow and gave her a wink. “It’s just what I needed.” He waved then and took off, disappearing in the trees and bushes, giving a great crow as he went.
Callie, Liam, and Joshua helped Emma into the car, and she fell asleep with the music box in her hands before they had even gotten to the end of the street.
