"Please just tell me what it is, doctor. I should know what I am up against," Ammie said to Dr. Bankole who signed heavily as he stared at the test result he was holding.
Dr. Bankole had been Ammie's family doctor, and he felt down knowing how much the news would affect the family.
"You shouldn't be here alone; I thought mom was coming with you, and it's important either mom or dad join us here," Dr. Bankole replied.
"This must be something very serious, if you can't tell me," Ammie replied and sighed heavily. She put a call across to her mom and explained everything Dr. Bankole said.
"I will just put a call across to him; I am very busy right now. Is that okay?" Mrs. Parker replied.
"No, mom. You have to be here," Ammie replied, and the call ended after her mom agreed to come.
"She will be here soon," Ammie said to Dr. Bankole, who left his office to attend to other patients while waiting for Mrs. Parker.
Ammie happens to be the only child in Parker's family. She is tall, beautiful, intelligent, and famous for being very confident. Ammie would be sixteen in nine months, but she started falling ill repeatedly about a year ago.
It all started when she slumped at school during a debate competition and was rushed to the hospital. The doctors did their job and found nothing wrong with Ammie after some tests were carried out on her. She was prescribed some medication and advised to rest well, and Ammie recovered very well.
It happened repeatedly again, and Dr. Bankole has been working effortlessly to figure out what could be wrong with Ammie.
"She's not here yet," Dr. Bankole asked about thirty minutes later when he returned to his office.
"Yes, she's not here yet, but she texted some minutes ago that she was nearby," Ammie replied.
"Oh, okay, let's hope she will be here soon. My shift ends in an hour," he replied.
"Am I dying?" Ammie stuttered.
"No, you are not dying. It's just important that an older person is around," Dr. Bankole replied.
They were still having the conversation when Mrs. Parker walked in, and there was fright written all over her face.
"Doctor, you scared me. Is anything wrong with Ammie?" Mrs. Parker asked after exchanging pleasantries.
"Sorry about that; we have a serious issue at hand that requires your attention. Please have your seat," Dr. Bankole replied.
"I told you about running a comprehensive test on Ammie since the regular tests weren't showing anything. I did and was surprised to know that the cause of Ammie's frequent slumping is leukemia," Dr. Bankole broke the news.
"Leuk what?" Ammie screamed, and Mrs. Parker was short of words.
"Am I dying, mom? Your daughter is dying. God!" Ammie continued crying, and her mom was moved to tears.
"Please calm down. It's in its early stages, and we can still tackle this if we invite a specialist," Dr. Bankole advised, and Mrs. Parker agreed.
She was ready to spend every dime she had on Ammie just to recover. Dr. Bankole swung into action immediately, and Ammie started getting treatment to combat her health complications.
With each passing month, Ammie's condition worsened, and it made everyone around her sad. The once-happy, lovely, and charming Ammie barely interacted with anyone; she spent most of her days indoors because she had grown very weak.
"Mom, I am sorry. I didn't wish for this," Ammie said during breakfast a few days before her 18th birthday.
"Don't apologize for anything; we are in this together. I am always here for you, and we will fight this through," Mrs. Parker assured Ammie.
Later that evening, Ammie decided to take a stroll in the neighborhood. She started feeling tired after some minutes and decided to rest in the garden.
Immediately, she sat on one of the long benches in the garden. Ammie thought it would be best to lay on the grass, and she did. She couldn't help but admire the beautiful view of the trees and flowers that surrounded the garden.
"Hello, Ammie, it's been a while. Please, can I have some cookies?" A faint voice asked.
Ammie raised her head and looked around because there was no one except her in the garden. She lay on the grass again, and the voice repeated the same words.
She quickly stood, and while getting rid of the dirt on her trousers, Ammie noticed a small flying creature.
The little creature had tiny wings, and it had this sparkle that was barely visible because of the daytime light.
Ammie bent to examine it, and she heard the voice again asking for cookies. She became terrified as she thought that it could be the creature speaking to her.
"Don't be frightened; it is Nana. It's been over a decade," the creature said.
"Nana, my fairy godmother. Is that you?" Ammie stuttered.
"Yes, your heart calls, and I couldn't resist," Nana replied.
"I miss you," Ammie replied as she poked the creature with a finger.
Ammie and Nana met when she was just four years old. Then, Ammie and her parents lived in the province. Little Ammie was playing around in the garden when she noticed a small creature struggling to fly. It was injured and couldn't use its wings.
Despite being a kid, Ammie picked up the creature and cared for it. She kept it in a safe place and always gave the creature a cookie and milk. Although this creature doesn't eat them, Ammie would always take out the previous day's cookies and replace them with a new one.
She did it for weeks until the creature could fly again. They became friends, and when Ammie told her parents about it, they felt she was a kid and must have taken a butterfly for something else.
On Ammie's eighth birthday, the creature vanished and never returned.
"Where have you been?" Ammie asked.
"I had to go; you were saying too much about me, and your parents were becoming too suspicious. No one except you must know about my existence," Nana replied.
"Good to see you again," Ammie replied, and at that moment, she forgot everything that was happening to her.
"How are you doing, Ammie? Your heart is troubled," Nana asked.
"I am alright," Ammie stuttered, and immediately tears welled up in her eyes.
"Don't sell a dog to me. I see more than you can imagine," Nana replied.
Ammie couldn't help but burst into tears. She hates being seen as a weakling, and it's not her thing to ask for help.
"I am sick; I have leukemia. It started a few years ago, and it has worsened," Ammie replied.
"I don't know what leukemia is, but I can tell that you are sick. Do you remember that day you found me?" Nana asked.
"Not really, but I still have lots of good memories of you," Ammie replied.
"I became weak as a result of healing someone with a life-threatening illness. Whenever we do that, we lose lots of power, and some of us don't survive it, but I did because of your kind and innocent heart." Nana paused and circled Ammie several times.
She finally stopped and fell to the ground as she whispered, "Goodbye". Ammie immediately carried Nana in her palm, and she remembered when she found Nana.
"Please don't go; I will take care of you. Nana!" Ammie stuttered as she stared at the little creature in her hand.
Ammie stood to rush home when she noticed the fairy gradually turning into sparkling light, and the wind blew them into the air.
Ammie knew it was over, and she felt sad. Nana's showing up just to be gone forever made her feel terrible, but on the other hand, she didn't feel any pain in her body.
She tried running and didn't feel exhausted. Ammie immediately figured out that Nana had healed her, and she broke into tears while still running.
Ammie insisted on going for a medical checkup, and it was revealed that her leukemia had disappeared, but she never revealed how it happened.