Sophie~

I stare at the nurse, not really paying attention to what she says. A support group? What? I don't know what she's talking about. My mind wanders to another place. Why is there ice in Greenland, and plants in Iceland? I wonder for no apparent reason. While I'm thinking about that, I hear the words meet with other kids, and instantly begin to listen. "It might be nice for you to meet with some other patients while you are here. I know that you won't be here at the hospital for much longer, but maybe you could help cheer some of the other kids up? Would you like that?" The nurse says. I nod my head vigorously. It's been killing me to not have anyone to talk to. I think the nurses avoid my room because of my endless chatter. Oh well. At least I'm still restricted to the bed.

The nurse leaves. Ugh. Another hour of no talking. Maybe I need a robot who can speak to me. Or a talking parrot who sits on my shoulder all day long. Well, where would I get money for a robot? I wonder. And, what would the parrot do when I had a seizure? I wouldn't want to hurt it. Oh, my life is rough. That was sarcasm. I'm actually very lucky. I've heard about some other patients who have it much worse than I do. There's one girl who has to remember to breathe! Another one can barely even go outside because she's so sensitive to sunlight. Or so I've heard. That's one good thing about being so talkative; you can find out everything that you need to know.

I notice that one of the nurses had left a few sheets of paper on my nightstand. I grope around in my pocket for something to write with, and finally come up with two broken crayons and a pencil stub. Better than nothing, I think. Grabbing the papers, which I hope aren't important, I begin to sketch a picture of a sun and moon, like my earrings. The sun is smiling, but the moon is sad and hidden by clouds. The sun is sort of how I picture myself, bright and happy, bringing joy to those who need it. Maybe I can bring it to the support group. I think, remembering how the nurse said I might be able to cheer the other kids up. I can be the sun in a sky full of clouds.

[Sorry for not posting- I don't know when the first time we'll meet is. Can we have the first meething of characters soon? Is it going to be a "therapy" group (a meeting held in a sort of board room) or else a few children meeting each other one at a time?]

I got to learn who the other kids are today that we're going to be meeting. I didn't know of some of their illnesses, so I did some research on them. Some of the kids live in the hospital full-time while others are primarily outpatients, like me. Most of them are quite a bit younger. 

There are three elementary school age girls, two middle school aged girls, one middle school aged boy, and one high school aged girl. I like putting them into the categories like that- it's easy to remember and I can keep track of everyone. Besides, it makes an order. Orders are wonderful when they can be followed.

It's a shame they won't tell me more about them besides name, ages, and conditions. I know nothing of their likes, dislikes, or their personalities. I don't know why they want me there. I don't know how to help. But that's what I want to do.

I'm going to pack some books. I'm not very good at reading aloud- I go too fast, mumble stuff up, stutter, all fun things. But if I try hard, maybe they can understand. I mean, talking and reading have the same issue- so I'll either talk and give everyone's ears a workout or just not speak at all! A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is coming along with me. It's good for making people laugh, and we all need a little laughter in our lives, especially for people who live in the hospital. The hospital is like the airport- it's no place for laughter. If they don't like Douglas Adams, I'll put in a Diana Wynne Jones book as well. Which one? Hmm, it's a hard decesion. Better be both the Chrestomanci books- they each have two stories inside, so we can pick from four different stories. Surely there will be something good for everyone.

And perhaps some games- well, I play video games, but never multiplayer. Hmm. I guess I could bring my computer. I'll bring a Pokemon game on the DS emulator and we can play a Pokemon game together. And if they don't want to, we can watch Youtube videos. Or listen to music! Or.... I don't know what they want us to do. I don't know what they'll like. Will they like acting? Or singing? Or dancing or drawing? I don't know. I'll just have to charge forward and try to do my best.

So this is my promise to all of you. I'm a nobody, but I'm going to do my best to make life a better place for all of you. Because no one deserves to live life tied to a hospital. If I can't take you out into the world, I'm going to bring the world in for you. 

Ruby, I really don't know what St. Has in mind, but I'm going to start the meeting anyway. 

Luke~

Thank goodness it's summer. School is just one more challenge that I don't need right now. Pushing through the glass hospital doors, I run forward. 

"Hello Luke! You're here early this morning!" Nurse Hadley exclaims as she sees me. She was waiting for me though. She knew I'd be here early. Maybe she's been watching my habbits more closely than I thought. I don't particularly like to be watched.

"Come on, remember the meeting room?" She asks, walking briskly down a first-floor hallway. Yes. I remember. I slammed into a door someone had opened suddenly, and then learned that Nina, who had been in the meeting room, had slammed herself against the wall. Not exactly fond memories. 

"Wait here," she commands, opening a door and gently pushing me through, "there's someone else visiting who I should meet." With that, she disappears into the bustling hospital again. Leaving me in a dark room. Fumbling around for the light switch, I trip over something. A chair maybe. Before I can pick it up, someone knocks on the already partially-open door.

"Hello?" A voice asks. I don't answer.

"Someone in there?" It's times like these that I want to answer. I can feel the words on the tip of my tongue, they start to break free, but I hold them back. It's habbit, now, not to talk. I've always been very quiet, so I doubt anyone misses the sound of my voice.  

If you guys don't mind, could I please join this RP? 

Name: Josie Brooker

Age: 9

Appearance: Light blond ponytail, pale skin, soft gray eyes. She is short and very skinny, and her clothes always hang loosely. She normally wears jeans and cute, colorful t-shirts.

Personality: Honest, talkative, and sometimes brash. However, she works best in small groups, and is also gets very shy around adults she doesn't know.

Other: Her best friend, Becca, moved to another state last year. She really wants to find a new best friend, but she also doesn't want to betray Becca. She doesn't live in the hospital, but she does go in often for testing.

Condition: Crohn's Disease

I have a classmate who has Crohn's, and he was out of school for almost half the school year in fifth grade. 

Sure, OtR. You can join.

Jasmine~

Support group?

I know what that is. I've done it before. I remember. It was near the time I first met Luke, and Nina, and I almost died...

No. I do not think about that because it will never happen again.

But why are they calling it a support group? Last time it was simply a gathering of people who wanted to come. Parents, patients, friends. Just in a big room, milling around. Why do they have to change the name, make it more complicated than it really is?

"Luke's coming," says the doctor, and all my doubts seem to whistle out of my mind. They don't, of course. They're still there. They might come back. But I'm not thinking of them, at least for now.

"Who else?" My voice is soft and cracked from disuse. I almost forgot what it sounds like, what it feels like, to speak. It's different. The doctor, for some reason, can always tell what's running through my mind, and answers it so I don't have to speak. Voicing your thoughts, feeling the need to express them, feeling that no one else would be able to figure out what is running through your mind, is a strange feeling. It almost seems more independent.

I don't really like it. 

Now I know why I stay silent.

"Well, the nurses told me a lot of names," says the doctor, "but I only know a few."

Of course. I forgot. The doctor is actually my doctor; he stays with me. The nurses are the ones who know everyone; the doctor is like me. Not really out and about. He even sleeps here, in the hospital, in a room connected to mine. "It's okay," he told me once. "I'm not married or anything. No one's waiting for me except you. So why leave?"

Even remembering, I stare at him. He knows some of them, because a few is not none.

"There's a boy named Oliver, and a girl who can't come in contact with ultraviolet light-- like the sun. Luke, of course. A girl named Eleanor-- she recently had surgery, but I can't for the life of me remember for what."

Any others? My mind screams to voice it, but I don't want to. Talking is strange. And it is, literally, dangerous. I cannot forget my in, out.

"I'm sorry, Jasmine. That's all I can remember. But, hey, at least you'll get a chance to meet people, then. Bit of a surprise."

Right. Surprises.

Yippee.

Josie~

Today I'm supposed to go for my monthly checkup at the hospital. I think it's pointless. If there is no known cure, why should I keep going to the hospital? I don't even think I need to go every month. Maybe every three months. That would be OK. Besides, the visits are really boring, and I have to miss class. Missing class is something that happens a lot, and it really isn't fair. My teacher expects me to do homework while I'm out. How can I, if I'm writhing in pain? It's annoying, really, the way she is constantly expecting me to get all my assingments done on time. Can't she understand that I CAN'T?

My dad and I enter the hospital waiting room. I scan the chairs. There are three people sitting in a row: An old man, with a middle age woman sitting on either side of him.

Nurse Langley steps into the room and says cheerfully, "Josie, the doctor can see you now. Why don't you come with me."

I sigh and get up from my chair. Dad follows. We walk along a hallway and up a flight of stairs. We turn left along another hall, and through an open door I see a group of kids my age, sitting in chairs, quiet, waiting.

"Who are they?" I ask.

"Oh, that's just a support group gathering for some of the kids who frequent or live in the hospital. Hang on...Josie, how about after the doctor gives you your new prescription, you can join them?"

"I would let you do that, Josie, but you do have to go to school."

"Um..." as if I actually have a choice. I do need to go. But if I have an excuse not to...even a boring excuse...even an embarrassing one (Hey, Ms. Stein, I was at a hospital support group)...I'll take it.

"Please, Dad?"

He sighs. "Alright, fine. But don't blame me this time if your teacher gets mad." 

After the checkup, Nurse Langley leads Dad and me back to the support group room. THe door is now closed.

"Looks like it's already started. That's OK. You can just drop in. I'll introduce you. Addressing my dad, Nurse Langley says, "Do you want to come with her?"

"No, that's alright. Josie will be fine. Call me when it's over, OK, sweetie? I'll pick you up and bring you back to school."

"Fine."

I turn, and Nurse Langley leads me into the room. 

Sophie~

I skip to the support group door, leaving my nurse in the dust. "Sophie, slow down. You have to be patient. Some of the kids there might not want to take things as fast as you do." I slow down reluctantly. I want to be there now! Finally, we make it to the door. Before I step inside, the nurse grabs my shoulder. "Sophie. Some of these kids might not like talking as much as you. Some can't even talk. I just want you to be gentle, okay?" I nod, very excited about meeting new kids. Flinging open the door, I say, "Sophie Patel is in the house!" and sit down in the nearest chair. I'm the third one here, which surprises me. I begged, literally begged, my nurse to let my go early. So, here I am. Now, I must wait for the others. 

Kids trickle in. An pale girl with purple eyes, a teenager with a radiant smile, a boy with glasses and a bunch of books. One patient sits in the chair to my right, and while we wait for everyone to get here, I do the one thing I'm good at. Talk.

"Hello!" I whisper to the person beside me, maybe a little too loudly. Everyone is so quiet! "My name is Sophie Patel, and I have POTS. Who are you?" The kid looks sort of shy, but that's okay. I'll talk enough for the both of us.

The kid is about to say something, but gets interrupted by the arrival of a new girl. Can we get started? I wonder. I'm pretty sure that's the last person. I pat the empty seat to my left, motioning for her to sit there. She does, and the nurse claps her hands. "Well, I think we can get started, guys!" Yes! I think. "Why don't we introduce ourselves.?"

Without waiting for permission, I begin to speak. "Hello, Everyone! My name is Sophie Patel, I'm seven years old, and I have POTS. I love everyone here already." Some of them give me strange looks, but I don't care. I wait for someone else to speak up, and finally someone does. One by one, my potential new friends introduce themselves.  

Ernestine~

I love Sophie from the moment she introduces herself. She's not ashamed that she's in the hospital. She's not worried of what we'll think of her. If I could see where she is, I would turn around and smile. It's harder to pinpoint someone's location in a group of people. When it comes to be my turn to introduce myself, I don't try to stand up as I don't yet know the layout of the room. I do know that I'm in the front row where Nurse Mara lead me earlier, so I turn around slightly. I can feel their eyes on my bandages.

"Hi. I'm Ernestine. I'm here because the doctors want to make me see. If the surgeries work, I can't wait to know what all of you look like!" 

Luke~

"I can't wait to see what you all look like!" Ernestine says with sincere enthusiasm. I shut my eyes and try to feel her world of darkness. Suddenly, refusing to talk seems ridiculous. There are people who actually cannot talk, cannot see, cannot hear. So when the nurse turns towards me, I stand up. It's difficult. Everyone is looking at me. I want to shrink, to run, and not stutter out my name in front of everyone. I open my mouth, but I can't. I can't. Jasmine looks at me strangely. 

"M-m-m I—." Four months is a long, long time. I've always stuttered, but my vocal cords have been still for so long...suddenly, I have an idea. Looking directly at the nurse, I begin making signs with my hands. Clumsy signs. I think I mess up at least 4 times, but if she does know sign language, then she will understand. Long story, but it's difficult for me to talk now. I stutter badly, and I kind of haven't said anything for a long time. My name is Luke, and I don't live in the hospital, but I've been visiting a friend whose older sister taught me sign language because she was deaf* for a long time. 

Everyone stares at me. I close my eyes, my face burning. I don't want to do this. But I brought this upon myself. If only my parents cared to see what I mess I've become. The nurse in the front looks confused. I sit down quickly, looking at my shoes. Silence is so much easier. Looking up, I realize that everyone is still staring. But, slowly, someone lifts their hands, and begins signing back...

*Sorry Indigo. I know that wasn't exactly true, but it's a new RP!

Sorry all. I'm too dramatic and confusing. Be confuzzled for life. But hey, we all make mistakes, right? So, which one of you knows sign language?  

Earnestine

Luke (I changed his eyes to blue)

Sorry guys! I'm here!

Lacey~

I've only been in the hospital for about a week and I'm already extremely bored. My dad brough tme my phone, books and DSi when he's visited, and that's about all I've had to do. While I'm flipping through channels on the TV, hoping to find something to watch, the Nurse Sara comes in with my daily painkiller medication. She smiles, then says, 

"I heard that a support group for kids here in the hospital is meeting in a few minutes. Are you interested?" A support group? Sounds like fun.

"Sure. Would I be allowed to go, or is it only for kids staying here permanetely?" I ask. 

"You could go. I think most of the kids here in the hospital are going to be there. I've heard lots of the nurses talking about it." Sara hands me my pills and watches me swallow them with a gulp from my blue water bottle on the table beside my bed. 

"Where is it?" 

"I have an extra minute, I'll take you there." Sara suggests. After I put my phone, DS, a couple of books into my purse, she helps me into my wheelchair, and pushes me to the door of the room where the support group meets. She knocks, then wheels me inside. There's several other kids in there. One of them is introducing herself right now. 

"Hello, everyone! My name is Sophie Patel, I'm seven years old and have POTS. I love everyone here already." She announces. I smile, then start to introduce myself. 

"H-hi, I'm Lacey, am 15 and have LCPD. I can't wait to get to know you guys!" After I finish, another girl pipes up. 

"HIi. I'm Ernestine. I'm here because the doctors want to make me see. If the surgeries work, I can't wait to know what you all look like!" A boy nex to Ernestine stands up, and tries to talk. He stutters, then stops and starts to sign. He messes up several times, but I can understand a little bit of what he's trying to say. I take a deep breath, and start to sign back. 

~~~

@Rose Bud- I know some sign language, so I guess Lacey does too.  

Top, Please!

Sophie~

After my introduction, I try to sit still while the other kids introduce themselves. One girl has LCPD, which I think is some kind of hip or leg disease. Another is here for surgeries on her eyes, which could fix her eyes so she can see! I'm really happy for her. After that, a boy stands up and tries to speak. He opens his mouth, closes it, makes a few stuttery sounds, then stops trying to talk. He makes a few motions with his hands; sign language. The second girl to introduce herself, Lacey, takes a deep breath and begins to sign back. I stare at their ever-moving hands, wondering how in the world they can understand each other. It's amazing to me. I try to copy some of their gestures with my own hands, but fail miserably. When my parents come to get me tomorrow, I will have to ask to go to the library so I can get a book on sign language. Then, a horrible thought hits me. What if I can't go to the support group once I leave? I want to learn about all these kids. I want to be friends with everyone in this room. There is a nurse in the room, so I raise my hand. "Yes, Sophie?" she asks. I hope I didn't interrupt anyone. "I can still come here, right? Even though I'm going home tomorrow?" She smiles, and immediately those nervous butterflies in my stomach fly away. "Of course. We will never turn down anyone who wants to come and give support." Oh, thank goodness. I have a new mission, then. I am going to get to know every kid who ever goes here. 

Jasmine~

My turn comes.

So far, the doctor has been going "oh!" or "I thought it might be something like that!" at every kids' turn. I don't really care; he can speak if he wants to. I just find it rather alien that one would want to voice thoughts that don't really need to be projected.

"This is Jasmine," says the doctor, gesturing to me. Unsure of what to do, I wave. "She's ten and has Odine's Curse, which is a disease that makes the diseased need to conctiously remember to breathe."

In, out, I think to myself, and nod the affirmative.

Other people go. Luke has to sign. I know how he feels. Not everyone has a doctor like mine.

A boy named Oliver has Schizophrenia, and the doctor whispers, "To put it simply, it's a brain disorder in which people interpret reality abnormally. Like, say, hallucinations."

I nod. I can't relate, but at least I can understand. Some people here can't say that much. 

__

Sorry! Just a very quick thing to keep this going.

I'm sorry for neglecting this. I've been very, very busy. Have we given up on this RP, or would we like to keep going?