Leaning over, I kissed her cheek. When I pulled back, I rolled to face her on the bed. “I’ve missed you,Poppymin.”
Smiling, she whispered back, “I’ve missed you too.”
“We’ve got a lot to do when you get out of this place,” I told her, watching the excitement flare in her eyes.
“Yes,” she answered. Her lips rubbed together and she asked, “How long until the first bloom?”
My heart tore when I knew what she was thinking. She was trying to assess how much time she had left. And if she would make it. If she would live to see her few remaining wishes come true.
“They think about a week, if that.”
This time, there was no masking the utter happiness radiating from her wide smile. She closed her eyes. “I can make it that long,” she stated confidently, and held my hand just that little bit tighter.
“You’ll last longer,” I promised and watched as Poppy nodded.
“To one thousand boy-kisses,” she agreed.
Stroking my hand down her cheek, I said, “Then I’ll draw them out.”
“Yes,” Poppy smiled. “For infinity.”
* * *
Poppy was discharged from hospital a week later. The true extent of how much the infection had affected her had become apparent after a few days. Poppy couldn’t walk. She’d lost all strength in her legs. Her doctor informed us that if her cancer had been cured, over time she would have recovered that strength. But, as things were, she would never walk again.
Poppy was in a wheelchair. And, being Poppy, she didn’t it let affect her one bit. “As long as I can still go outside and feel the sun on my face, I’ll be happy,” she said when her doctor had told her the bad news. She looked up at me and added, “As long as I can still hold Rune’s hand, I really don’t care if I ever walk again.”
And just like that, she melted me where I stood.
Clutching the new photos in my hand, I ran across the grass between our two houses to Poppy’s window. As I climbed through, I saw she was asleep on her bed.
She had been brought home just that day. She was tired, but I had to show her this. It was my surprise. My welcome home.
One of her wishes come true.
As I entered the room, Poppy’s eyes blinked open and a smile graced her lips. “The bed was cold without you,” she said and ran her hand over the side where I usually lay.
“I had to get something for you,” I said, sitting down on the bed. Leaning over, I kissed her lips. I kissed her deeply, smiling as her cheeks flushed in the aftermath. Leaning over, Poppy took a blank paper heart from her jar and scribbled something down.
I stared at the almost-full jar as she dropped the heart inside.
We were nearly there.
Turning back, Poppy shifted to a sitting position. “What’s in your hand?” she asked, excitement in her voice.
“Photos,” I announced, and watched as her face lit with happiness.
“My favorite gift,” she said, and I knew that she meant every word. “Your magical captured moments.”
I handed over the envelope; Poppy opened it. She gasped when her eyes fell on the subject. She searched through every photo with excitement, then turned to me with hopeful eyes. “First bloom?”
I smiled back and nodded. Poppy placed her hand over her mouth and her eyes shone with happiness. “When were these taken?”
“A few days ago,” I replied and watched her hand drop and her lips curve into a smile.
“Rune,” she whispered and reached for my hand. She brought it to my face. “That means…”
I stood up.