Lizzie sleeping

Twelve year old Lizzie Mayhew lay sleeping in the hospital. She'd been sleeping for a long time. Everyone was worried. The doctor's said the prognosis was not good. Nana May sat by Lizzie's bed and held her hand. It felt cold and damp so Nana May rubbed it gently between her own weathered palm.
'Lizzie?' she whispered, leaning in. 'Lizzie my love?'
Lizzie kept sleeping.
'Listen Lizzie, I know you can hear me, everyone else is thinking the worst but I know you're coming back. We just need more time. I need to find a way to stall them. Lizzie, I don't want to alarm you but they're thinking of pulling the plug...'
She took a deep breath and carried on fiercely, determined.
'But I won't let them do that. I won't let it come to that. Trust me. Just please Lizzie, hurry up in there okay? Hurry up and come back. Don't pretend any of it is real. It's not. It may seem so but it is not where you belong. Here is where you belong. With us. Here, in 1979.'

Mrs Mayhew silently watched Nana May from the entrance of the hospital bedroom. Her hand holding the frame and her small oval face peering round, framed with wispy bits of white blonde hair.
Poor dear... she thought and she felt her eyes begin to glisten. She's losing it too. We're all losing it... She stepped forward and into Nana May's view. Nana May looked up. She smiled sympathetically.
'Don't worry Anna, Lizzie is coming back.'
Mrs Mayhew pressed her lips together and forced a smile back. She nodded quietly and moved towards her mother-in-law and rested her arm on her shoulder. She looked down at Lizzie sleeping.
'You hear that Lizzie?' her voice broke ever so slightly. 'Nana May says you're coming back to us. Is that so?' She stroked her daughters hair and then wiped away at the edges of her partly opened mouth with her thumb.
'How's Henry? Amy?' asked Nana.
'He's gone back to work. He didn't really want to but we were driving each other insane with him being in the house all day. Amy's at school.' Anna's eyes never left her daughter's face, as if staring at her for long enough might break this awful spell. Nana watched her.
'Such a sleeping beauty...' she muttered. 'What we need here is a prince...'
Mrs Mayhew sighed. Silly woman, she thought. Always away with the fairies.
'No, Nana,' she corrected 'What we need now is a miracle.'

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Amy Mayhew sat by a tree near the school fence in her lunch break cautiously eyeing up her sandwich with a frown on her face. She peeled back the brown bread to reveal an unappetising sight. She hated cheese and tomato sandwiches. The tomato made the bread pink and soggy. Obviously with every thing going on, her mother had momentarily forgotten that. Sighing she wrapped them back up and walked towards the nearby bin. So much for lunch. She sat back down despondently and picked at the buckle on her shoe.

A ball flew overhead and past the metal bars and footsteps thundered over towards her. A small dirt cloud blew in her face as their owner skidded to a halt.
'Awww, man!' came a whiny, exasperated voice. Amy looked up. There stood Robert Bird from class 5G. Or Birdy as he was often called by his peers. Noticing her, Birdy quickly blushed and looked down at his feet awkwardly.
'Oh...H-hi A-amy,' he stammered, 'How's your sister?'
'Still sleeping,' came Amy's quiet reply.
'Do you think she'll wake up soon?' Birdy asked tentatively, looking up with difficulty, his head to one side, squinting like he was staring at the sun.
'Dunno,' Amy breathed 'Nana says so but no one else seems very positive.'
'Oh....'
Amy looked at him and then behind her.
'Need help fetching your ball back?' she asked
'Nah it's okay.'
'You sure? The fence is pretty high.'
'I can climb it,' he puffed
'Not saying you can't...'

'Right then.' and he made for the fence. Though struggle as he might he failed to hoist himself up and over it. Impatient calls quickly followed him from across the field.
'Come on Birdy! What's takin' ya so long?'
Amy looked at him expectantly. She raised her eyebrows.
'Pity yer can't fly Bobby Bird!' came another shout followed by distinguishable laughter.
'Do you need a lift up?' said Amy, willing to compromise. Birdy smiled embarrassed. 'Yeah, that'd be good thanks.'
With some effort Amy helped assist Birdy over the fence and he raced off in the direction of the ball. He soon came back with it.
'Throw it over!' said Amy. The ball landed in the dirt beside her and she kicked it with some force back towards the boys who, forgetting Birdy, quickly began to reimmerse themselves in the game.
'Could've said thanks,' grumbled Birdy, watching them through the bars.
'How are we going to get you back over again?' asked Amy