Read to Me - Chapter 1

The day is slowly winding down, the sun dipping low in the sky, its orange rays painting the sky with brilliant hues of pink, red, and purple. Blake was settling down for a long read in the library. She just finished reading a couple stories to the children. All of them had fallen asleep by the end of the second story and were now snoozing peacefully in the play area. Now, all she had to do was watch over the sleeping children and wait for their parents to come pick them up.

Most of the parents wander into the library and hour or so later, late in the afternoon; some make a point to not wake their son or daughter, opting to carry them home. The rest wake them up for a hug before leading them by the hand towards the exit.

By the time the sun was setting, Blake had finished her book. She set it down on the side table, before getting up and stretching. She did a once over of the play area to make sure no children were left behind. She released a relieved sigh when she found none.

Taking a quick glance at her watch, Blake notices that it is a little past closing time for the library. Taking all the necessary steps to close the library, Blake checks for lingering patrons, locks all the doors, shuts off lights, sets the building alarm and put up the 'closed' sign.

After her final checks, Blake made her way for the employee exit, which came out on the side of the building, close to the parking lot. Her dark purple motorcycle was resting in the closest employee-only parking spot, barely 20 feet from the door.

Out of the corner of her eye, Blake spots a woman leaning against an SUV. She recognizes the woman. She is one of the mothers who always drops off her daughter for Blake's story time. She is a friendly woman who always wears a smile and always has something uplifting to say. Rather than heading to her bike, Blake moved towards the SUV, intent on checking if the woman needs help.

As she approaches, the woman pushes off the car to greet Blake, a relieved smile working its way across her face once she is close enough to talk.

"Ms. Belladonna, I'm glad I was able to catch you …" Blake smiled in return before correcting the woman.

"Please, call me Blake." The older woman's smile widened further.

"Blake, I was hoping I could talk to you for a few minutes? If you're not too busy." Blake nodded her consent. The woman beamed in response.

"Excellent! As you may or may not know, I work in a local clinic. A Hospice Clinic to be precise … Do you know what a Hospice Clinic is?" Blake took a moment to think, before shaking her head in the negative.

"Essentially we are a specialized care clinic. We provide palliative care rather than curative care, meaning we focus on making sure the patients are as comfortable as possible rather than try to treat their condition." Blake furrowed her brows at that, she opened her mouth to voice her confusion, but the woman answered her before she could ask.

"Our patients are terminal." Blake's open mouth was shut in an instant. "They usually only have a few months left to live, and we try to make their passing as comfortable and pain free as possible." Blake nodded in understanding, and signaling the woman to continue.

"Our patient's often have a wide range of needs, from needing a specific kind of mattress, to certain religious needs. No matter what they need to be comfortable and content, we do our utmost to meet their needs. This is where you come in-" Blake cocked her head at that.

"A patient of ours has requested someone to read to them. Some of us at the clinic have tried to, but we are unable to spin a tale like you can. I was wondering if you would be willing to come down to the clinic to read to this patient?"

Blake hesitated. The clinic didn't sound like a nice place. Its sounded like a place sick people went to die. Images of a dark and dirty prison-like building flashed through Blake's mind, the sounds of coughing patients and the stench of death and suffering filling the air in her imagination. Just as Blake was about to politely reject the offer, the woman spoke up once more.

"I know it would mean the world to this patient. Please, Blake." The look of pleading on the woman's face broke Blake's resolve. Before she had time to second-guess her decision Blake responded.

"Okay."

End of Chapter 1