Song Chaser (Chasers) by Kandi Steiner Read Free Book Online

big, ugly monster. He lives on top of a mountain in Gum Drop Valley, and he never comes down for anything. Except…” I pause, the kids now leaning in close and eating up every word. “To steal candy from the little girls and boys.”
    They all gasp and Mariah moves to lie down on her stomach, kicking her legs up behind her. “What does he look like?”
    “He’s got reptile skin and big, slimy eyeballs. And he stands over eight feet tall!”
    “Whoa! That’s taller than my mom!” someone yells. Everyone giggles and Mariah looks annoyed at the distraction.
    “So what happened?”
    Mariah has been in our Pediatric Intensive Care Unit for a while now with severe burns from being trapped in the backseat of a bad car accident. Her mom was driving and they were struck by a truck driver who had fallen asleep. It happened right outside of the city, and she was brought to the Emergency Room and eventually moved up here. I was assigned to her, along with the doctor I shadow, when she first came in. I’ve never had any patient get me attached the way she has.
    She’s feisty and full of life – two things I admire.
    I scoot my chair a little closer and look around like I’m telling them a big secret, “Well, it’s pretty scary. Are you sure you guys can handle it? I don’t want to get in trouble for giving you nightmares.”
    “We can handle it!”
    “We’re tough!”
    I laugh again, but honestly they’re telling the truth. These kids are stronger than anyone I know, stronger than me , that’s for damn sure.
    “Okay,” I say, getting up and backing up to the corner of the room. “One night, the Candy Thief snuck into the window of a little boy’s room. He knew the little boy had just gone Trick-or-Treating, and he was on a mission to steal all his candy. But, the little boy woke up. So, the Candy Thief knew he had to get rid of the little boy so he wouldn’t tell his parents.”
    “Oh my gosh! What did he do?!” A little girl squeals from behind Mariah.
    “Did he kidnap him?!” Someone else yells. Everyone gasps and I keep backing up to the far corner, turning to grab a prop from the drawer for the finale.
    “Worse.”
    “Worse?!” They all chime together.
    I pause for dramatic effect, then turn suddenly and race toward them with the flashlight illuminating the bottom of my face. “He tickled him to death!”
    They all squeal and laugh wildly as I chase them around the room, tickling them senseless when I finally catch them. I save Mariah for last and after making her laugh so hard she has tears in her eyes, I rough up the hair on her head and grab my clipboard.
    “Alright you munchkins, I’m heading out for the day. Don’t cause too much trouble while I’m gone.”
    “Aw, can’t you stay?” Mariah asks me softly as all the other kids go back to playing.
    I kneel down and tuck her messy hair behind her ear, “Not today, Mariah. I’ve got a date tonight.”
    “A date?!” her eyes grow wide. “I thought I was your girlfriend!”
    I laugh and pull her in for a hug, “No way! You’re a princess, and I’m not a prince, so we can’t be together.”
    As I pull back, her head is sunk down and she’s eying the floor, kicking her little feet. It breaks my heart and makes me want to laugh at the same time.
    “I ’ll tell you what. I’ll go on this date tonight, and you and I can have our own date next week. A date for a frog and a princess. How’s that?”
    Her eyes light up and she throws her little arms around me, practically strangling me. “Okay! We can have a picnic!”
    I laugh, “Sounds perfect.”
    I file the last bit of paperwork I have and then head to my apartment, pulling out my phone to text Kellee that I’ll be at her place in two hours. I’ve tried to hang out with her all week, but she’s been distant. She agreed to our date for tonight, but when I got her number from Sal and tried calling her to meet up before tonight, she d eclined every time and made some lame excuse