Daisies For Jamie

• Grace Dunkeld, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2016

Yep. Today’s the day. My super fabulous, ultra-awesome and wickedly unique best friend, Jamie has finally been cleared of bone cancer. Her body has accepted her new bone marrow and everything is looking good. I stood in front of the mirror admiring my gorgeous wavy brown hair, which was perched on top of my head in a messy bun, the cute freckles that dot my nose and cheeks and my shimmering hazel eyes before I began my journey to the hospital.
On my way I practiced what I was going to say. Finally I had it all planned out in my head. Simple. I gripped the daisies I had bought for her. Daisies were Jamie’s favourite. Then I walked into the hospital, not knowing what awaited me...
I strode to Jamie’s room. It was on the kids’ floor, a colourful floor with colourful rooms. Almost jogging I made my way to room 11B, a carrot orange dorm-like bedroom.
I burst through the door. All her belongings were gone; once I looked at the bed it hit me. Her body lie still and lifeless on the bed, nobody knew. Her pale skin now a ghostly white, her strawberry-blonde hair splattered over the mattress, her eyes staring into space. It took all the courage I had to step forward and close her eyelids, lay her straight on the bed, organize her hair and finally I lay her hands on her chest and slipped the daisies into them. She looked peaceful, happy even. I realized big fat tears were streaming down my cheeks; I pulled the sheet over her head and ran to the bathroom.
Once in the toilet, I locked myself in a cubical. Half an hour later I had recovered enough to unlock the cubical door and walked out only to see my ghastly face in the mirror. My eyes red and puffy, my freckles seem to have faded into my skin and my hair was just plain ugly. I pulled out my phone and punched in my mum’s phone number “Hello…Mum…nope…yes…really dead…ok…please come quick… mmmmmm front entrance…ok…yep…bye” I sobbed into my phone.
When I arrived home I headed straight to our granite coloured couch, which on this occasion felt like stone. What a coincidence, right. Once again I started bawling my eyes out. (All this from someone who rarely cries.) Within seconds both of my parents had me in a warm embrace. After what felt like 2 hours of hugging they drew back. Imagining how hideous I looked, I stood and darted toward my bedroom, leapt from point blank onto my bed, cried, moaned, sobbed and screamed for 80 minutes. Once I’d finished my tantrum I felt absolutely stupid and exhausted. Without the energy to cry I curled up in my bed, dozed off and dreamt of daisies for Jamie.