chapter twenty seven

As we walked into Isla's hospital room, I couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness wash over me. It was hard to see my cousin lying in the hospital bed, clearly in pain. But I knew that we were here to help her forget about that pain, even if just for a little while. Max and I had planned this girls' night out for days, hoping to provide a much-needed distraction for Isla. Max had brought a variety of snacks, while I had picked out a movie that I knew we would all enjoy. As we settled in, I could see Isla's eyes light up with excitement. For a few hours, we forgot about the hospital room and the IVs, and the pain. We laughed at the silly scenes in the movie and munched on chips and popcorn. Isla even forgot about her nausea and ate more than we had seen her eat in weeks. As the night wore on, I knew that we couldn't make Isla's pain disappear entirely. But for a little while, we had given her a break from it. And at that moment, that was all that mattered.

I sat down next to