Writing Class

-The Following Day-

Finn rang Miranda a few hours after class ended, with everything all worked out. The conversation was short, with Finn telling her the time to meet him at the hospital and that she can choose whatever books she wants to read to the kids. They figured that it would be best to just do all the reading at the same time. Well, Finn figured it and Miranda didn’t protest. The conversation was completely awkward and Miranda just wanted it to end.

She’d rather be on the phone having an uncomfortable conversation with Finn, than standing in the hospital submerged in silence. They arrived much at the same time, much to Miranda’s disappointment, and have been waiting for the nurse to get off the phone. She was about to print up the sheet with the kids’ rooms they were to visit when the phone rang. She’s been on it for five minutes now, and not a word has passed between the two students.

Miranda glances at Finn, who is making origami from the pamphlets on the counter, and frowns in annoyance. She wishes she had something to concentrate on, you can only pretend to examine the counter for so long. She’s dreading doing this with him, so far he’s shown no interest in asking questions, he hasn’t really said anything to anyone. The only thing he did was shake the nurse’s hand.

“I’m sorry about that,” the nurse apologizes when she hangs the phone up and quickly prints up the list. Miranda almost breathes a sigh of relief when the woman hands her the paper. They go through a quick discussion about the kids, what they’re here for, how excited they are, and at what time they need to be finished at.

Miranda half expected the nurse to show them to the first room, but she didn’t. She just sent them on their way. At least the three kids are all on the same floor. Miranda points needlessly at the open doorway belonging to the first kid. Eight year old Cassie Bergin who has been admitted for four months now with a serious liver disease. Everything that could be done was done, and now she’s waiting for a liver donor for a transplant.

Miranda walks in the room, with Finn trailing in behind her, and smiles warmly at the small girl laying in bed. She has dark brown hair, cut to her chin, with sparkling green eyes. For someone so sick, she doesn’t look it. The way children can handle illness is amazing.

“Hi, you must be Cassie. I’m Miranda, and this is Finn. Is it okay if we read to you for a bit?” Miranda asks in greeting. The girl beams up from the bundle of blankets she’s immersed in and nods her head almost shyly. Miranda sits down in one of the chairs pulled up next to the bed and roots through her satchel to grab the books she brought.

“Hey sweetie,” Finn greets softly, and he immediately begins fawning over the small girl. Miranda stares in shock as he so effortlessly lulls the small girl from her shell. Soon, Finn has her talking excitedly about everything. Miranda watches in amazement and adoration. She’s never seen Finn like this and she imagines for the first time what an amazing father he’ll be.

Lots of hugs later, for her and Finn, Miranda lets Cassie choose which book she wants to be read. Miranda brought \'The Giving Tree\', \'Stellaluna\', and \'The Little Prince\'. Cassie decided upon \'Stellaluna\', saying that bats are her favorite in the world.

“Can Fin read it?” she asks hopefully.

Finn grins boldly at Miranda, “Guess I’m the preferred storyteller.”

Miranda would be annoyed, but she would prefer his reading as well. She loves to hear him read. It’s one of the perks of class. She hands the book over to Finn and sits back, ready to enjoy one of her favorite stories as a kid.

“‘In a warm and sultry forest far, far away, there once lived a mother fruit bat and her new baby. Oh, how Mother Bat loves her soft tiny baby. ‘I’ll name you Stellaluna,’ she crooned. Each night Mother Bat would carry Stellaluna clutched to her breast as she flew out to search for food….’”

Throughout the entire story, Miranda is silent. She’s completely at ease with just watching and listening to Finn. He’s not paying her even one iota of attention, so she has no worry of him catching her. Every part of him is focused on Cassie. He’s perfect at reading to children, he doesn’t read too fast or slow, and it’s complete with different voices for all the different characters. He let her pull at his hair even and Miranda couldn’t help the twang of jealously.

---

Miranda pushes her hair back while she and Finn say goodbye to the last child. Bradley, eleven years old, broken leg. Just like the last two kids, Finn made a great impression. On the kids and on Miranda. She’s figuring out that it’s going to be hard to keep a cool exterior with him now. After seeing him like that, it’ll be hard to do anything but smile at him.

They sign out with the nurse, pleased that their assignment is over and both wishing that they could get more assignments like that one. While walking towards the exit, Finn darts into the Gift Shop and Miranda stands still wondering whether or not she should keep going. She decides that it would be far too rude and she just doesn’t have it in her. She finds Finn among the \'Disney\' figurines and walks up next to him.

“What are you doing?”

Finn glances at Miranda and picks up two different figurines of the beast from \'Beauty and the Beast\', weighing each one in his hands, “He’s my nieces favorite.”

Miranda can’t help but smile widely at his answer. She looks through stuffed animals, while Finn decides between the two figurines. She grabs the cutest stuffed animal that she’s ever seen, a grinning armadillo.

“You want it?” Finn asks from behind her, making her jump in surprise.

“What? No…just looking,” she answers quickly. He looks at her for a moment and then grabs the animal from her hands, taking it with him to the counter.

“Finn! I don’t want it, you don’t need to buy it for me,” she insists, catching up to him at the register.

The woman at the register looks at Finn questionably, wondering if he still wants to buy it or not.

“Ignore her, she’s angry and stubborn,” he tells the woman while wearing a charming smile. He next compliments her on her flowery dress and blue eyes. Miranda scoffs at his blatant flirting and crosses her arms across her chest, but doesn’t protest again. She watches the woman ring up the armadillo and the two figurines that Finn couldn’t pick between.

Once he pays the woman, giving her one last smile, he strolls from the small store without giving Miranda a second look. She stomps after him, finding her ability to be annoyed with him once again.

She catches up to him outside, the sun shining too bright for her eyes to take, making her squint. She walks behind him, contemplating what to say to him. He stops next to her car and waits for her to make her move.

“You didn’t have to buy that,” Miranda says, not knowing what else to say.

“Maybe I wanted too, you think that could be possible?” Finn asks sarcastically, while pulling the armadillo from the plastic bag hanging on his arm. He rips the tag off and hands it to Miranda.

“Thanks,” Miranda hates how stiff she sounded and is content with just staring at the plush animal. She suddenly grins broadly as she remembers their conversation during \'Spinal Tap\' when Finn referred to the armadillo quote in the movie.

“What?”

Miranda glances up at Finn, shaking her head, “Nothing.”

They lapse into silence, with Miranda studying the stuffed animal and Finn studying her.

“As much as I enjoy these little silences we have, when are you going to talk to me?” Finn asks abruptly.

Miranda looks up with a crafted ‘whatever do you mean’ expression.

“That won’t work. Answer me.”

Miranda sighs in frustration, “I don’t know. What does it matter? I’m past it and willing to ignore the fact that anything happened.”

“Really? You are? Cause I’m not,” Finn answers in a voice that says the information is obvious.

“Well…your girlfriend might not like that,” Miranda says bitterly.

Finn laughs outright, “There is no girlfriend. Which is what I would have told you if you had let me.”

Miranda doesn’t say anything, waiting for him to further explain.

“The girl who called…we used to be together. True. We haven’t been in a while. She has some problems and I’m finished with her all together. I would have told you this too, if you hadn’t run off. Both times.”

At Miranda’s look of embarrassment, he furthers, “You aren’t the kind of girl someone cheats with.”

Miranda frowns in confusion, not knowing whether she should take that as an insult or not, “Explain that, cause I’m not gathering what you mean.”

“You’re the type that guys will free themselves up for first, knowing that you won’t do the cheating scheme.”

Miranda doesn’t have a response to that, slightly flattered at his compliment. She wishes she had let him explain the message the first time he tried, she never would have made a fool of herself. No wonder why he was as aloof as he was, he knew the whole time that she overreacted.

“I’m sorry…” Miranda trails off, not knowing what else to say, clutching the armadillo to her chest. Finn brings his hand up to rub her arm reassuringly and smiles widely.

“I have to get home,” he says, gesturing for her to get in her car. She nods her head and climbs in after unlocking the door. Rolling the window down, Miranda says her goodbye.

“I’ll see you in class,” Finn says. He leans down and kisses her forehead through the open window, before walking towards his own vehicle.

He turns around and throws out, “His name’s Derek.”

Miranda can’t help laughing, realizing that he knows what the armadillo reminded her of.

---

AN: This is shorter than I meant it to be. But oh well. The books mentioned: Stellaluna by Janell Cannon, The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. If anyone hasn\'t read Little Prince, read it. The book is brilliant and can be enjoyed on so many different levels. The other two are good too, especially Giving Tree, but Prince is by far the superior. Review and say what you think. Thank you to all who have, I love it all.