The Gift

This is a short story I am working on for my English 226 class. If anyone has anytime to read and give suggestions that would be great. I have to revise and make it portfolio worthy. Thanks!

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"Hey mommy! Guess what I did today?" the little boy said attacking his mother as she walked in the huge wooden front door.

"What Johnny?" she said trying to hang on to the heavy bag of groceries and close the front door of the house with her hip.

"Do you really wanna know? Do ya, do ya?"

"Yes Johnny, please tell me," the mother said as she put down the groceries and pulled up a chair, to devote full attention to the story. "Ok, let me hear it."

The little boy took a long, loud, drawn out breath in anticipation for his tale, "Ok, so me and Stevie were down by the park riding bikes and we saw these kids there and they had a ramp and I wanted to try so I rode to the top of this biiiiiiiig hill and then I started pedaling as fast as I could towards the ramp I was going faster than lightning and BOOM," Johnny took off arms outstretched, running through the house, the dirt jumping off of his clothes. "I hit the ramp and I was so high in the air I was flying like superman and then I was like woooooooaah I am so high in the air and then I hit the ground and I stayed on my bike I didn’t fall off mommy and then I was the coolest kid in the park the coolest kid in the park all day."

"Johnny you know that your father and I don’t want you doing things like that. It is dangerous and you could get seriously hurt. Don’t do that again. Do you hear me?"

"Yes mommy, but I was the coolest kid in the park, and Stevie’s mom let’s him do stuff like that. I was flying Mommy. I was like Superman."

"Well I am not Stevie’s mother and I don’t care if you were flying. You could get hurt. Now go upstairs and get cleaned up. We need to get to the hospital."

Johnny tip toed as slowly as he could up the creaking stairs, hoping that if he was quiet his mom would forget about him and he wouldn’t have to go to the hospital. The last time he had been in a hospital was to visit with his older brother. Johnny was familiar with the puppy wall paper, pee smell, and beeping sounds of the machines in his brother’s room at the hospital. His brother’s kidneys had stopped working and he was always in the hospital. Johnny remembered how scary his brother looked at his last visit. He was pale, skinny, and his eyes were dark.

Johnny loved his big brother, Matt. Johnny missed hanging out with Matt. Before Matt got sick he was teaching Johnny how to play baseball. They spent hours tossing and batting the ball around. Matt always took Johnny to the arcade and to the movies instead of spending time with his own friends.

"Are you about ready Johnny?" Johnny’s mom yelled from downstairs.

"Almost!"

Johnny pulled his favorite tee shirt over his curly blond locks, the shirt his brother had bought for him last year. It was blue and in white lettering said, "World’s Greatest Brother". Matt had a matching one. They wore it every time they went out together.

Johnny walked even slower down the stairs. He was worried about how his brother was going to look. In the car, Johnny, tapped his feet against the plastic floor mat, and chewed at his fingernails.

"Mom? Is Matt any better? I miss him."

"Well, he is going to be. The doctor is going to make him better."

Johnny and his mom were greeted as they entered the sliding doors of the hospital. Johnny stomach dropped as he recognized the face of Matt’s doctor. Johnny always thought he looked scary. His dark, bushy mustache and dark, bushy eye brows reminded Johnny of Captain Hook. Johnny always had to check to make sure that he didn’t have a hook for a hand.

"Johnny, are you nervous?" the doctor asked.

"Yeah."

"Doctor, we haven’t asked him yet. Matt wanted to be with us when we asked him." Johnny’s mother said.

"Ok, let’s hurry then."

The three took off in almost a run down the hall. Johnny hated the mural on the wall. He always thought the smiles on the people’s faces were making fun of him. As they arrived at room, 226, Johnny stopped.

"Mom, I’m scared."

"Johnny, it’s just your brother."

There was something about his mom’s voice that made him even more scared, but he assured himself, he was just visiting Matt, and walked in.

"Hey buddy," Matt said reaching out a trembling hand. Johnny slapped it and gave his brother a hug. "Hop up here we gotta ask ya something." Johnny climbed up onto the bed and laid his head on Matt’s shoulder.

"Johnny, your brother is really sick. But the doctor knows how he can fix Matt. But we need to ask you for a big favor. The doctor wants to take one of your kidneys and put it in Matt. The doctor thinks this will make Matt better." Johnny’s mom said.

"I’ll do it!"

"Johnny you won’t be able to play like you usually do. Once you give your brother your kidney, you will have to be careful, because if you injure yourself you could hurt your kidney and that wouldn’t be good." Johnny’s mom said.

"I still want to do it!"

"Johnny you don’t have to. Don’t think that you have to. Do you understand that you won’t be able to play around anymore?" Matt said.

Johnny turned, sat up in the bed, and faced his brother. "I want to Matt. I want you to be better again. I miss you Matt. I love you." Johnny said.

"Well let’s get you ready for some tests then Johnny. You are a brave little boy." The doctor said. Johnny hopped off his brother’s bed and followed the doctor out of the room.

"Thanks. I get it from my brother."