Mariana took the small plastic cup of apple juice from Nurse Sarah and set it on the rolling bedside tray.

Lily wrapped both hands around the yellow straw and drank half of it in three quick pulls.

“Slow down, sweet pea,” Mariana said.

Her thumb traced the clear tape holding the IV line to the back of Lily’s right wrist.

Across the small pediatric room, seven-year-old Noah pressed a red crayon against a thick drawing pad.

The child life volunteer had dropped off the coloring supplies twenty minutes earlier, but Noah had drawn nothing except dark red circles over and over in the middle of the page.

He didn’t look up when the door clicked open.