Melody was right. She was good at applying a bandage, or in this case, toilet paper. She practically mummified her doll before Anna pretended to break her ankle so Mel could fix it, which she did with such enthusiasm and excitement that Anna laughed harder than she had in ages.
Melody giggled a lot, always showing off her missing teeth — which weren’t due to bad brushing habits, but would soon grow back, as Anna reassured her repeatedly. Afterward, she listened attentively as Anna showed her how to secure the bandage sothat it wouldn’t slide down her leg. She was also incredibly interested in how many nasty injuries Anna had seen.
Manywas the answer, even though she only told Melody about the things a child’s stomach could handle.
“You’re doing great,” she praised Mel as she wrapped the bandage around her ankle for the third time, this time tightening it so it wouldn’t come undone. “I bet you’ll be a fantastic doctor.”
“Yes.” She nodded firmly. “And if I’m really, really good, then I can make cancer go away and no more moms will ever have to die.”
Anna’s heart clenched in her chest as she nodded and sank to the carpeted floor. “Maybe. If you try hard. But unfortunately, it’s really difficult to cure cancer. Many people have tried.” Hesitantly, she tucked a strand of hair that had escaped Melody’s braid behind her ears. “You know, my mother died too.”
“Really?” Her lower lip trembled and her eyes widened. “You also don’t have a mommy anymore?”
“Yep. But it’s been a while.”
“Oh.” She swallowed several times before putting her arms around Anna’s neck and pulling her close. “Maybe Lu can take care of you too?”
Anna smiled and stroked Melody’s back. “That’s sweet. But I’m an adult. I have my own apartment. You have Lu, and I’ve always had my brothers. Who are the reasons I became a doctor.”
“Why?”
“Because I spent half my childhood patching them up. They’re hockey players too, you know? They came home injured all the time. And I enjoyed making them feel better.”
She felt Melody nod before she pulled away. “I’d like to have brothers too,” she said seriously. “But Lu won’t give me one.”
Anna’s mouth twitched. “That’s not very nice of him.”
Melody sighed dramatically. “I know! He always says I’m enough of a pain.” She giggled. “But he’s joking. I’m not a pain at all.” She jumped up, scattering copious amounts of toilet paper scraps around the room. “My braid came undone, Anna.” She held out a hair tie. “Can you fix it?”
“Sure.”
“Can you braid?”
“Not very well, no.”
“Oh.” Her shoulders sagged, but then she nodded. “I guess that’s okay. Lu always braids my hair. He does thebestbraids. Better than Mom did. Everyone at my kindergarten is always jealous.” She nodded proudly.
Anna smiled broadly, knelt, and gathered Melody’s hair. ThisLuwas becoming more and more of a surprise.
“How do you feel about pasta, Melody? I’m getting hungry.”
“Me too. I loooove pasta. Lu always lets me break the spaghetti.”
“Well, let’s see what kind of sauce we can find downstairs, shall we? And maybe ice cream for dessert?”
Melody’s eyes lit up. “Yes! But we don’t have any ice cream. Lu says it’s bad for the body.”
Yes, but Anna knew it was good for the soul. “We’ll go buy ice cream,” she decided because two girls who had lost their mothers deserved a little ice cream! “That’ll be our secret.”
Melody grinned. “Okay. I’m good at keeping secrets. I didn’t tell Lu that it was Uncle Austin who crushed the plant by the front door, not the mailman.”
Anna laughed. “Very good! And afterward, if it’s not too late, we can watch a movie. What’s your favorite movie?”
“Moana!” she said as if shot from a gun.
Anna took a dramatic breath. “IloveMoana!”
“Really? Aunt Hazel says watching Disney movies makes her sick, and Lu always falls asleep.”
