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"I am feeling better, thank you."

"I'm glad." The warmth in her tone seems genuine. "Did Uncle Mario make you sad?"

"Oh, it wasn't…" Approaching her bed, I stop a few feet away and wrap one arm around myself while the other remains down, toying with the hem of my shirt. "A little bit, I suppose. Yeah."

Illyana nods knowingly. "He makes lots of people sad. I just ignore him when I can. He's like the bully from my books."

My eyes widen slightly. "You think Mario is a bully?"

"Mmhmm. In my book there's this stinky man who always yells and gets angry and throws things, and he smells really bad and he kicked a dog. He's just like Uncle Mario, although Mandy says Uncle Mario is just tired and has a lot of work to do, but I don't think that's fair at all."

I step closer to the bed. "Who is Mandy?"

"You met her in the garden," Illyana replies as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. "She takes care of me."

The woman with black hair who chased after Illyana. That must be who she means. "I'm sorry, I didn't know her name."

"That's okay, silly." Illyana grins at me. "Are you here because you fell in the garden?"

I take another step closer and nod. "Yes. The doctors here are helping me just like they're helping you."

Illyana nods. "I have a nice doctor. He gives me stickers and candy every time he comes to see me. Look!" She turns suddenly and grabs something from the table next to her, then she holds it toward me with a proud smile. A couple of colorful candy wrappers fall from the cover of her book and land on the sheets, revealing several animal stickers covering a fantasy book with soft edges and the shadow of age along the cover.

"Is that your book that has the bully?"

Illyana nods eagerly. "It's about a man who turns into a squirrel and he has to find his way back by making friends with all the other little animals in the forest, but not all of them like the squirrel because squirrels steal people's food sometimes. So he has to show them that he's a good squirrel. He makes friends with a rabbit and a crow and a turtle but not the snake because the snake is the bully."

"Like Uncle Mario."

"Yes!" She seems utterly delighted at my comparison. "But I can tell you a secret." Illyana leans closer to the edge of the bed, so I walk forward until my knees bump the end of the bed.

"Tell me," I whisper.

"The man actually likes being a squirrel more than he likes being a man so he stays!" She nods solemnly. "I've read it before, you see."

"Ah, of course." It's impossible not to smile. Illyana's completely at ease around me, which might be because she's so used to strangers and doctors coming to talk to her, but her comfortable smile pulls at an ache deep in my gut. It's so faint that it might just be sympathetic nerves.

"Illyana, I've actually come to talk to you because I… I need you to come with me."

"Really?" She blinks up at me. "Where?"

"Away from here. I actually have some people here who want to help you, but we just want to make sure you're okay with it first."

She frowns ever so slightly. "Is it time for me to get my kidney?"

There's such open innocence in her eyes as she gazes up at me, absently rubbing at her cheek where the oxygen line irritates slightly. Lying to her would be awful, but if it helps me get her out of here without complaint, then maybe it's worth it.

"Yes. We're going to take you to get your kidney."

"About time!" Illyana groans and slumps back against her pillows. "I've been waiting ages. I thought I was going to be old by the time you were ready."

"I can't imagine how long you've waited," I reply. "But you don't have to wait much longer."

"Can I bring my book?" She holds it against her chest, clearly unwilling to part with it.

"Yes, you can bring your book."

"Awesome."