Love Like Sky

by Leslie C. Youngblood

  I stared into the doctor’s eyes. “I’ve been eating apples. My blood is real, real red. I saw it myself today when I fell off my bike. It didn’t look like sick blood. I want to give Peaches some of my blood. ’Cause I’m her big sister, you can take some of my good blood out and put it in with her blood.”

  “Hmm,” Dr. Harris said, nodding. “A blood trans-fusion.”

  “Yes! Like on Grey’s Anatomy. That way the men…men…”

  “Meningitis,” Dr. Harris said.

  “Yes. That way it will leave her body. I haven’t been sick in two years, not out of school once. Not even a cold. My grandma Sugar says I’m healthier than an ox.”

  Dr. Harris stood up and pulled me to my feet. “Well, you know your stuff. You’re a smart girl.”

  “Was the smartest in our class,” Kevin added.

  “Is that possible, Doctor?” I asked. “Can we do it today?”

  “What if I told you we can make her well without it, and because you love her so much that will make all the difference?”

  “She’s top in her field,” the nurse added.

  “Would you believe me?” Dr. Harris asked.

  “I guess so…yeah,” I said. “But Peaches can’t stay here much longer. She likes to jump around and watch me dance.”

  “That transfusion is something I’ll keep in mind. But filling her with a lot of vitamins and antibiotics will make her well, too.”

  I frowned. “If she’s in ICU, whatever you’re doing hasn’t been working.”

  “You’re right. Not as well as we hoped. That meningitis is a stubborn illness, but your little sister is strong and now we have a backup plan with the transfusion, right?”

  “Right,” I said.

  “Now why don’t you let me get back to your sister, and as soon as we can, we’ll move her to her regular room. You’ll be able to visit her then.”

  “Dr. Harris. Could she see her sister just for a second, please? It would mean so much to…her…us.” Then Tangie just stopped talking. Her eyes were glassy like when I’d dropped the picture of Morgan. I really wanted to hug her, but we’d never done that before and I was scared she’d push me away.

  “LaVerne,” Dr. Harris called to the nurse. “Take her as close as you can.” Then she turned to me. “Just so you’ll know she’s there and being cared for.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Kevin and Tangie sat in the waiting room while the nurse walked me down the corridor.

  When she got to room 403A, she stopped.

  “She’s in there?” I said. I’d never felt so far away from Peaches in my life.

  “Yes. Step closer.”

  I peeped my head in, and there was Peaches. Mama and Daddy were back in her room, but on opposite ends, like those spikes Daddy used to hold down our tent in the backyard. Cotton-ball-white walls surrounded them.

  “She’s tough for such a little girl,” the nurse said.

  “Maybe she got energy stored up, too,” I said.

  “Most little girls do.”

  Though I focused, I couldn’t see Peaches clearly, but it felt good to be closer to her than I’d been in days. Since I could only see the top of the bed, it looked like it was levitating. Peaches floated in the middle of the room. All the strange equipment with tadpole lines and zigzag graphs surrounded her. An IV going into her arm kept her from floating away.

  There was some sort of cap on her head, maybe to keep her hair from getting in her eyes. I couldn’t remember Peaches ever lying on her back. She always slept on her stomach or curled up like a caterpillar. I didn’t think the nurse could do anything about that, so I bit my tongue. I hated that there were no windows in the room for her to look out when she woke up, and that her ceiling was plain white. If there was ever a room that needed stars twinkling above it, it was a room for a sick little girl, trying to come back home.

  I felt the nurse’s hand on my back and knew that was my signal to leave. I closed my eyes tight and concentrated really hard, hoping Peaches and I could be like those twins in my old class, Carol and Caroline, who said they could tell when the other was near and what the other twin felt.

  “I’m so sorry I left you alone, Peaches. I’m not gonna leave you alone anymore. I won’t ignore you when you say you’re sick again, promise.” I said it in a whisper, like I was talking more to myself than my little sister. “Just like sky, Peaches. Just like sky.” I concentrated even harder, but I didn’t feel a thing. Maybe those twins were fibbing after all.

  “We need to get going now.”

  “Okay,” I said. I made up my mind that I wouldn’t ever tell Mama I didn’t feel good just to get out of doing chores. Maybe that was bad luck and would make me sick for real. I’d just never want Peaches to have to miss me so much. I waved to her, and butterflies fluttered in my stomach. Maybe it didn’t matter if those twins really felt something or not. As long as they believed they did.

  The nurse walked me back to the waiting room and left.

  “Feel a little better?” Tangie asked.

  “A little. Think they would let me help Peaches if she needed it?”

  “It won’t come to that, Georgie.”

  “They got blood banks anyways,” Kevin said. “She’ll be good.”

  Tangie nodded. “You can wait here with me, Georgie, and we can take you home. Valerie should be here in a few.” She raised her eyebrows. “You’re cutting it close if you don’t want your mom and dad to see you.”

  “I know. I don’t want to give them anything else to argue about. Do you have to tell them I came to the hospital today?” I asked Tangie.

  “If you promise to go straight to your friend’s house, I’ll ask the nurse and doctor not to say anything. It’ll be another one of our secrets, okay?”

  The feeling of wanting to hug her hit me again, but I was scared I’d cry and get back on her annoying list.

  Meanwhile, Kevin pointed to the elevator. “We should get going, Nikki is probably mad.”

  Tangie’s eyes widened. “You didn’t mention that Nikki was with you. Why didn’t she come up with you two?”

  “She didn’t want to leave her precious bike,” I said.

  “Well, if I were her, I’d be bored out of my mind by now. Kevin’s right. You two need to hurry back down there.”

  Tangie’s phone buzzed, so I waved good-bye.

  “We better go before Nikki tries to ride all three bikes home,” Kevin said.

  “Georgie,” Tangie called to me, taking the phone away from her ear.

  I stopped and took a few steps back to her.

  “I’m proud of you for trying to help your sister.”

  “Thank you. It didn’t work, though,” I said. My head dropped, and I spoke to my sandals. “I thought the doctor would talk Mama into letting me give Peaches a transfusion and she’d come home soon.”

  “But you tried. I would’ve done anything to save Morgan. That’s what big sisters do, Georgie. We don’t always succeed in helping out little sisters, but we try.”

  Then her arms were around my shoulders, and she pulled me close to her. It was the type of hug that lasted for a while, where you could feel the other person’s heart beating. And just when I thought she’d let me go, she embraced me a little tighter, like she was hugging someone she actually liked.

  “Tangie…I…” But before I could finish she’d gotten back on the phone like it never happened.

  * * *

  Kevin navigated the hospital halls like Sweet Apple. Without looking up, he remembered how we got to the nurse’s station.

  The change was rattling in my pocket. “Wait. Nikki’s soda.”

  “Good catch,” he said.

  Once we got to the soda machine, I did a Tammy and couldn’t decide what to get. I grabbed a Coke and a Sprite. “This should do it. Let’s go.”

  Kevin’s jeans had huge pockets on the legs, so he put a soda in each pocket for me. “We got about two hours before it gets dark. We should be good.”

 
“Are you gonna get in trouble for not coming back home right away?” I asked him.

  “Only ’cause I’m not getting her no cigarettes. I’ve stayed out overnight before, and she didn’t say a thing.”

  “Whoa.”

  “It’ll be different when I go live with my dad.”

  “When you going?”

  “Not sure yet.”

  “Maybe I can come visit?”

  “That’ll be cool.”

  “I mean…if my mama brings me. If we both had cell phones, we could text and stuff.”

  “Might get one for my next birthday.”

  “Well, my mom would have to approve your number,” I said, and dropped my head a bit.

  “That just means she’s looking out. No problem.”

  I was glad that Nikki wasn’t with us at that moment. If she heard us talking, she might not only think that Kevin Jenkins liked me, but that I might like him, too.

  We stopped talking and raced across the parking garage. I saw the dental clinic. I hadn’t realized how cold I’d been inside the hospital until I was back outside in the heat.

  “I hope Tammy covered for us,” I said.

  “I’m sure she did.”

  “Oh, are you still going to get the cigarettes from the neighbors?”

  “Nope. She was expecting me back from the store a long time ago. By now she’s asleep, or…”

  “Or what?”

  “Just asleep is all.”

  When we reached the walkway door, minutes later, Kevin opened it. I was right on his heels.

  “Nikki! Sorry it took so long but—” I wiped my arm across my face and blinked my eyes real hard hoping it would change what I saw.

  Empty stairs.

  I ran down them to check out the area.

  One bike.

  Two bikes.

  No Nikki.

  I ran back up the stairs.

  “Nikki! Nikki! Where are you?” I called.

  “Let me check if she’s out front,” Kevin said. “Wait here.” He jogged through the parking garage and disappeared around the corner, then reappeared a few minutes later.

  “You didn’t see her?” I asked. My voice was higher than I expected.

  “Nah. Guess she got tired of waiting and rode home,” he said.

  “She wouldn’t remember the way. Plus, we’re supposed to be together. What if her mama sees her without me?”

  “You’re right. It was her idea for Tammy to stay and cover.”

  “That’s what I was thinking. Anyway, she hates being grounded more than me. No mall. No phone.”

  “Guess she got bored like Tangie said. There’s a park not too far from here. We should go there.”

  “Let’s wait for a minute. It makes sense for her to come back here, right? This is where we left her.”

  “You’re right. Let’s give her a few more minutes,” Kevin said.

  We walked back to our bikes and sat on the steps. Kevin took the soda bottles out of his pockets. “Here you go,” he said.

  “Want one?” I asked.

  He reached for the Sprite. “Thanks.” It fizzed over a little before he took a big gulp. “Ahhh. Just like in the commercials. Thanks, Nikki. I needed that.”

  We laughed. After waiting another minute, I opened the second one, hoping Nikki would come along any second and fuss me out for drinking it.

  Fifteen minutes later, we’d finished our sodas but still no Nikki.

  “We better go look for her now,” I said.

  “I got an idea.”

  “What?”

  “You stay here. I’ll check the park. I’ll go around once. I’m sure she’ll be there.”

  “What if she isn’t?”

  “Deal with that if we have to.”

  We stood up at the same time. Kevin grabbed his bike, and I opened the door that led out to the parking garage. He rolled the bike onto the pavement.

  “Be back in a sec.” Kevin jumped on his bike and pedaled away.

  After about ten minutes, I carried my bike up the stairs and straddled it in front of the entrance, ready to head home as soon as I saw Kevin’s silver bike or a flash of Nikki’s neon pink. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t sit there another second just waiting.

  Another five. Nothing. There were cars honking and a few people walking around.

  I bowed my head. “Dear God, I’m so sorry for not being a better big sister. Please keep making Peaches better and don’t let her fall out of Your hands.” I opened my eyes quickly and looked around, then continued. “And, if it’s not too much trouble, can you help us find Nikki before them streetlights catch us? If not, we’re going to be in a whole heap of trouble. But you already know that since you know everything. Amen.”

  No sooner had I said that than I spotted at least one of the two bikes—the silver one, not the pink.

  “What are we gonna do?” I shouted, still searching behind Kevin.

  “Gotta wait it out,” Kevin said. “Only other thing is if she got mad and went home.”

  “Streetlights will be on soon,” I pointed out.

  “She could be sitting on Tammy’s steps right now, waiting. We should circle around, check the park again, then get back.”

  “Got it,” I said, and we sped off.

  I thought about all the time I’d known Nikki. She once ripped my homework in two when I wouldn’t let her copy it. And she’s the one who started “Kept Back” Kevin Jenkins. She won’t fess up to it now, but she called him cute at first. When she thought he liked me, that’s when she gave him that stupid name. But the longer we rode, those thoughts left my mind, and all I could think about was how Nikki kept my emergency sleepover drawer in her room neat and sometimes put new pajamas in there when she and her mom went shopping. And who else would practice with me so we both could make the step team, but give it up when I wasn’t good enough? I needed to find her—ASAP. And, just my luck, my cell was useless, because Nikki’s mama had taken hers away.

  After about fifteen minutes of riding, Kevin and I were on a busy residential area that had sidewalks barely wide enough for both our bikes. I couldn’t imagine that Nikki would have gone so far without a break. I was hoping to find her taking a rest, expecting us to catch up. I eyeballed everything I could to spot her. Another ten minutes of cars, bumpy sidewalks, but no Nikki. My legs felt like rubber bands, but stopping was out of the question.

  One of our gym substitutes told us he was training for a big bike race called the Tour de France. That’s what I felt like before Kevin said, “We’re about five minutes from Tammy’s.”

  “Yeah, I know where we are now,” I said.

  “Go straight to Tammy’s?”

  “Yup.”

  “Got it.”

  When we got to Tammy’s street, I’d lost two barrettes and my shirt was clinging to my back. I pumped my knees higher, like a racer sprinting to the finish. We had about fifteen minutes before the streetlights came on. I felt like I was going a million miles an hour. My knee still hurt from the fall earlier, but I didn’t care. Either I was riding much faster than Kevin, or he’d slowed down. In the distance, I could make out two people sitting on Tammy’s porch.

  “Thank goodness!” I shouted.

  I left Kevin in the dust and pulled up to Tammy’s gate just as the lights flicked on. When I stopped, a cramp crippled my leg. I bit my lip to keep from hollering. My legs went wobbly and my arms felt as weak as noodles.

  “Where have y’all been, Georgie?” Tammy said. All I could do was stare at Crystal, Jevon’s—Nikki’s brother’s—girlfriend.

  “Jevon is out looking for you now,” Crystal said. I nearly turned to stone. I was hoping that Nikki was in the house.

  A few inches taller than me, Crystal was probably about the same age as Nikki’s brother, seventeen. She wore her hair in diagonal cuts, flips, and bright colors, like tie-dye.

  “Hellooo?” Crystal said.

  Tammy jumped in. “Georgie, I told Jevon since you missed your old street you we
nt riding.” Standing next to Crystal, Tammy said those words so convincingly that, for a second, I even believed her.

  My heart was a conga drum. I was sure each beat could be heard for blocks. “Like Tammy said. Just riding.”

  “Fine. Then where’s Nikki? Jevon came down here to get you two. We were going to the movies, but your mom said she needed him to watch you and Nikki this evening. So where is she? Well?” Crystal studied Kevin’s old Converses but didn’t say anything to him.

  I kept peering around, expecting Nikki to yell “Gotcha!” But when I met Crystal’s eyes, her lips twisted to the side, and she folded her arms across her chest, as she tapped her foot.

  “Uhhh,” I got out.

  “Psst. Kids. You two have messed up our plans. Hellooo? Where is she?”

  “Is Nikki’s brother driving?” Kevin asked.

  “No, he was going to take me to the movies in his go-kart. What do you think?” Crystal said. “Why do you need to know that? And who are you anyways?”

  “I’m Kevin…Kevin Jenkins.”

  Nikki and I agreed on one thing at least: I didn’t like Crystal like that either.

  Crystal rolled her eyes at him, but they landed on me.

  “We don’t know where she is,” I said.

  “What?” Crystal said. Before she could say anything else, a van with a Your Mary Kay Representative sign on it rolled up in front of Tammy’s house, and Jevon jumped out. He was a tall kid and wore an Atlanta Braves baseball cap and OutKast ATLiens T-shirt.

  “We got a problem!” Crystal said.

  “Other than I gotta babysit?” Jevon scanned the porch. “I know Nikki is going to have big-time problems unless she pops up from behind that bush or something right now.”

  “They don’t know where she is, Jay,” Crystal said.

  Jevon reared back a bit, then turned to me. “Georgie, what’s up? Where’s my sister?”

  I made some odd popping sounds before I spoke. “I don’t know.”

  He chuckled. “Okay, cool. I get that you two are best friends, right?” I nodded. “You keep each other secrets and all that girly stuff. But unless you want Nikki to get in more trouble than she’s ever even imagined, you best tell me where she’s at.”