Dr. Applebom was reading a magazine while keeping an eye on Simon. He didn’t do anything when Simon talked, or glanced away from the poster except push a button next to him; then he continued reading. Simon had been good for the past two hours, not a sound or glimpse leaked. Out of the corner of his eye, Simon could see Jamie sitting next to him the whole time.

A melodic ring issued from a baby blue telephone, and the Doctor stood up to go answer it. “But we’re in the middle of a session,” he spoke into the phone, “Yes… yes I understand. Ok.” He hung up the phone, and pulled the lever again to make the bed go back to a horizontal position. After shutting off the machine, he unleashed the bonds holding down Simon. Simon quickly sat up, smiled at Jamie, and then glared at the Doctor.

“It’s shame our time together got interrupted,” Dr. Applebom said, “But I’m afraid your mother wants you right away. She says your sister is dying.”





<><><><><><><><><><><>


“What just happened?” Jamie asked anxiously as Simon rushed up the steps of the hospital, and threw open the giant doors.

“I’ll explain everything later, but right now all I’m concerned about is that Cambria is dying,” Simon replied as he pushed the buttons on the elevator, and the doors closed in front of him.

“Why is she dying, what’s wrong with her?” Jamie asked.

“She appeared with an abnormally slow heartbeat, and her heart has only slowed down more and more each day. It must be getting close to stopping now.”

Jamie thought about this for a moment and then stated, “My cousin had the same thing.”

“Did she die from it?”

“No,” said Jamie with a smile, “She’s all better now.”

Simon looked at Jamie with amazement, “You’re not telling me that… you know how to save Cambria? Are you?”

“Maybe… I’ll be back as soon as I can.” And in an instant Simon was alone as the elevator doors opened at one of the top floors. As he stepped out of the elevator, he was instantly embraced by his mother who it seemed had been crying.

“Oh, Simon, I’m so happy you’re here! They say by the end of tonight she’ll be dead. Oh she never had a chance.”

“Mom!” Simon said, “Jamie thinks he might be able to save Cambria.”

All the hysteria wiped off Mrs. Button’s face, and she turned serious on Simon, “Please, Simon, this really isn’t the time for all this Jamie nonsense! I understand I cut you and Dr. Applebom’s session short so he wasn’t able to get rid of Jamie, but as soon as this is all over,” she paused for a second, “… then we’ll make you another appointment at Dr. Applebom’s.”

Simon’s eyes widened, “No, no way am I going back there. Mom, he tortured me!”

“Now I’m sure it wasn’t that bad, Dr. Applebom’s only trying to help you.”

Simon groaned impatiently, “Can I see Cambria?”

“She’s being treated right now by a special doctor, we’ll be able to see her in about an hour.”

After about twenty minutes in the waiting room, Simon’s mother had fallen asleep. Simon was just sitting and staring into space, until he was interrupted by Jamie’s voice talking rapidly into his ear, “Ok, well this could be more difficult than I thought it would be, but we still might be able to save her. My cousin was treated by this medicine, which you obviously don’t have, so you have to make it. I’ll read you off the ingredients, and you can tell them to a professional who hopefully can recreate it.”

Simon grabbed a piece of paper and asked Jamie to read off the ingredients as he wrote them down. Writing down the ingredients took some time since it contained many large words that Simon had to constantly ask to spell. When they finished, Jamie said he had to leave because his mom was calling him for dinner. Simon looked around the almost empty waiting room and wondered how he could find someone to actually listen to him. A doctor walked into the room with a young intern following, writing down everything the doctor spoke as he walked into the room, and then quickly left through another door. Without thinking of what he was going to do too much, Simon walked through the door and approached the doctor in a long hallway. “Sorry, can I take a minute of your time?” Simon asked, trying to be as mature as possible.

The doctor smiled down at him, “I’m sorry, I don’t have a minute to spare.” After seeing the disappointment on Simon’s face he added, “But maybe you can take some of his time.” He took the clipboard from the young intern, pushed him toward Simon, and then walked away.

The intern looked slightly confused, but smiled reassuringly at Simon, and asked, “What can I do for you?”

“Well,” Simon began, searching for the right way to phrase it, “My sister, Cambria, she’s in the hospital right now, and she’s gunna die tonight if nothing’s done, and I think I can help her, but I need your help.” The words stumbled out of him in a disoriented manner.

“Of, course, I’d love to help you and your sister,” the intern replied, not believing he’d actually help at all, but merely doing his duty to entertain this child.

Simon could hear the disbelief in his voice, but he continued, believing it to be his only hope, “Well I have a list of ingredients that we would need to make the medicine. Will you help me find them?”

“Sure,” the intern replied in a playful tone. Simon took out the piece of paper and began to read off a number of complicated scientific words, many of which he struggled to pronounce. The intern suddenly became serious, “Where did you get that list?”

“Uhm… it doesn’t matter,” Simon replied hesitantly, “Either way it’ll help Cambria.”

This time the intern seemed intrigued and curious that such a young boy had come into possession of a list that he seemed intent would cure his sister. “I’ll make a deal with you little man, if I get all these ingredients and make this medicine, will you tell me where you found that list of ingredients?”

Simon grinned, “Yes, of course!”

“Ok, I’ll go see what I can do.” The intern left Simon and walked in the direction the doctor had left. Simon walked back to the waiting room and sat down next to his mother who was still fast asleep in one of the chairs.