“I’m going to play a few songs, and then we’ll go back to your room and hang out there.” Annie leaned down and whispered, “I have a surprise for you.” Peyton clapped her tiny hands together with delight, and the clear tube attached to her arm swung slightly. Annie swallowed her sadness and kept a smile on her face. “Who wants to hear a few songs?” At their cheers, she sang a quick little nursery rhyme to get them in the mood. By the third one, every single kid in the ward was smiling, even the ten-year-old girl who scowled at her when she first showed up and strummed the childish song.

“Can you play something from the radio?” the girl asked.

“I can. What’s your name?”

“Zoey, but you can call me Zee,” she said.

Annie smiled even though her heart broke. The navy-blue beanie hat that rested just below her brow emphasized the translucent half-moons under her solemn brown eyes. “That’s a lovely name. Any requests?”

“What about anything by Bristol Baines?”

Annie thought about it and grabbed her capo. “Do you like the song ‘Let Love Through’?” She adjusted it on the neck of her guitar and strummed a few seconds before she liked the sound. “Want to sing it with me?” Zee nodded. Who didn’t know Bristol Baines? She was all over the pop chart, and while her music was too poppy for Annie’s tastes, she liked the bones of her songs. Since Zoey had agreed to sing with her, Annie decided to keep the song true to form. “Everyone, Zee is going to sing with me. And if you know the song, feel free to jump in and sing it with us.”

Annie looked up when Sarah and a woman slipped into the room. Annie barely gave the woman standing next to Sarah a second glance. Wearing coveralls and a mask, she was completely unidentifiable, but she gave off powerful energy. She assumed it was a parent of one of the children and waved to both before she started playing. It was a faster song, and Annie liked the challenge of the playing the different notes. It was one that Bristol played on the piano, but Annie had learned it on her guitar.

She smiled when Zoey slowly, quietly joined in. By the end of the song, they were both belting out the lyrics. The entire room applauded when they were done. Annie walked over and fist-bumped Zoey. “That was amazing. Had Bristol heard that, she would have been super impressed.”

“We have time for one more song, Annie,” Sarah said.

“One more song. Got it.” She pretended to think hard. “This is a tough one. Is there one that we all want to sing? Maybe ‘You Are My Sunshine’ or something like that?”

“‘Party in the U.S.A.,’” one of the tiny patients yelled, and everyone else cheered.