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“Can you step into the hallway for a second?”
The hallway was full of teenagers!
Boys in rented suits with crooked ties. Girls in long dresses with sneakers peeking out from underneath.
They were holding pizza boxes, foil pans, a stack of plastic cups, and Mylar balloons in soft pink and silver. One girl, Megan, clutched a pitcher of lemonade against her chest as if it were something holy.
A small Bluetooth speaker hung from Daryl’s wrist.
“Mrs. Linda,” Megan said, stepping forward. “We talked to Dr. Patel. She said it was okay. We wanted to bring prom to Carol.”
I covered my mouth. I couldn’t speak!
The hallway was full of teenagers!
“You did all this?” I finally managed.
“For weeks,” Daryl said quietly. “We’ve been planning it for weeks.”
I tried to thank them, but my voice cracked. Jenny squeezed my shoulder and motioned them toward Carol’s door.
“Go on, sweethearts. She has no idea.”
I followed them in.
When Carol looked up and saw her friends crowded into the doorway in their prom clothes, she let out a sound I’ll never forget! Half a sob, half a laugh, all disbelief!
“We’ve been planning it for weeks.”
“You guys,” my daughter whispered, bursting into tears.
Megan climbed onto the bed and helped Carol into the sparkly top she’d brought, sliding it right over her hospital gown.
Someone hit play on the speaker, and the room filled with the song my daughter had been singing in the car since February. I watched her laugh. Really laugh! Eyes closed, head tilted back, the way she used to laugh before any of this started.
She bit into a slice of pizza and made a face because the cheese was cold, and the kids howled.
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