I have occasionally run into a kid who cries because I’m the only person they’ve ever talked to who’s supportive, and where I can, I follow up and make sure they’re getting the support they need.
I strum the first couple of notes, and he’s already humming along.
Stilling my hand on the guitar, I continue the instruction, “Now you know there’s another kind of good musical instrument we are using here today.”
“What is that?”
“Our voice. Our vocal cords. They’re an instrument just like any other. Only this instrument is attached to the human.” Turning to Troublemaker Thomas, I ask, “Do you want to sing harmony with me?”
“I don’t know what that means.”
“I can show you if you’d like.”
“Okay.”
“First, I need you to come sit next to me. Or, you know, roll next to me. You do you.”
Smirking, Thomas complies.
“Can you sing the song for me?” I ask.
Thomas begins to sing the song, and while his voice isn’t strong, it’s mostly in tune.
“Excellent. Now sing that line again, and I’m going to sing it with the harmony so you can hear what that sounds like.”
“Oh God, okay,” he says, a little nervous.
When he sings it for the second time, his voice is a little stronger, and I can tell he’ll have a nice bass voice when he’s a little older. I sing the harmony, and together we sound really nice. The other kids clap, and I ask him, “Do you think you can try and sing the harmony, or do you want me to keep singing the harmony?”
“I can’t hit all the notes in the song, but I think I can hit the notes in the harmony.”
“Perfect.”
We switch, and I start out on the melody, cueing Thomas in on the harmony, then Gracie on the tambourine, and finally, Joshua on the triangle.
I stop at the end of the first verse, and everyone’s eyes are wide.
“Look at y’all, a hospital full of musicians. How amazing is that?”
They all look a little proud of themselves, and even the fourteen-year-old seems genuinely impressed.
“Hold up. You all got a free Mackenzie Nash concert and didn’t invite me?” Kinley asks, walking in as she pulls off her scrub hat.
Scrubs aren’t always the most flattering, but damn, she looks hot. She catches my look and raises her brow. Oh right. There are kids around.
She gives Cassie a careful hug, and I stand slowly but surely.
“Everything okay?”
She nods. “Everything went beautifully. The babies were tired of waiting, I guess. We had to do a C-section because of their positioning, but we already kind of knew that, so all is well, and both momma and babies are healthy. Bonus, Joni, Lucy’s wife, made it in on time to see the birth.”
“Oh, honey. That’s amazing,” I say, putting my arm around her and kissing her temple.
A chorus of ooOOOooohs goes up around the room, and I roll my eyes.
“I just taught you how to sing like the professionals do, and this is how you treat me?”
They laugh.
