She didn’t have the ability to cheer, as the drop stole what little breath she had, but her arms went up and out, to either side of my shoulders, fingers spreading to feel the wind, the sun-warmed air.

I smiled, letting the swoop dash all of the other thoughts and feelings from my mind, vicariously enjoying the experience of flying for the first time. Of flying at all.

⊙

“Juan?” I asked.

Juan was younger than the other kids had been. Eight, if I had to guess, but he wasn’t well, so that might have screwed up my estimation. He was thin at the arm and wrist, and puffy around the face.

“The first time I came to the hospital, one of the nurses wore that costume,” Juan said. “He was a guy though.”

“How does it look on me?” I asked.

“I think it looks really nice,” he said. “You’re very pretty.”

“Thank you,” I said. “That’s sweet.”

“Some of the others were saying a lady superhero was going around taking people flying.”

“Yeah,” I said. “That’s the plan. Your mom and dad said you might enjoy it, and you should be well enough.”

“They had to go to work,” Juan said.

“That’s what I heard.”

“They always have to go. Even when I have bad days. And there’s nothing on television. There’s only three channels and they’re real boring.”

“Yeah,” I said.

“I really hate hospitals,” he said.

I took a deep breath. His words echoed my feelings, which only magnified the feelings.

Yeah. I really hated hospitals too.

“It’s getting dark,” I said. “But if you want to try flying, maybe that’d be a bit of a break from the boring stuff, and a break from the hospital.”

“Thank you,” Juan said. “But flying sounds like it’s very tiring.”

“It can be,” I said. “I can go slow if you like, or we can do something else. We could talk.”

He nodded at that last bit, then started looking around. I pulled up a nearby chair, and sat down next to his bed.

“I got a lot of books,” Juan said. He deposited a stack of kids’ books and comics on the edge of the bed, between me and him. “Uh, before. I said I didn’t want to be stuck here and be bored, my mom went and came back with books and comics, and then they both left.”

“That was nice of them,” I said. I picked up one of the books.

“My eyes are tired today,” he said. “The letters are blurry.”

“Do you want me to read some out loud?” I asked.

That got me a firm nod, and the first smile I’d seen out of him.

“Good Simon to start, then?” I asked. Another nod.