Kelsey had always been the youngest. It was something that she'd long since gotten used to. The tagging along behind the older kids, the need to be babysat all the time...it was a part of her age. People like Bobby, Will and Ana had probably always seen her as an annoyance or just the little girl who was...well...just there. She'd wondered during that first week if any of them would even come to see her. Did they even care that she was sick? Sure, all of the adults who knew her well enough would come to see her. But would anybody else? Apparently, though, they would. It did make her feel a bit better. A bit less miserable, confined to that hospital bed. Lying there alone was enough to drive her to tears. Having other people around made it more bearable.
She saw the big pile of presents being brought in and set on the table by her bed. They really hadn't needed to get her anything. It wasn't as if she could make much use of the stuff anyway, being so sick that some days moving was an absolute chore. As it was, just sitting up and smiling made her feel a little dizzy. Not to mention the sick feeling to her stomach. Still, she endured it. She didn't want to tell her parents that she wasn't feeling well and have everyone who'd come to visit turn around and leave. She didn't want to be by herself in that room so soon. So, despite the lightness in her head and the nausea creeping in more and more by the second, she stayed sitting up and smiled.
"Hi, Bobby," she managed to say when he'd walked close enough to the bed. Her voice sounded a little bit groggy, but she was hoping that he wouldn't notice. "Long time no see, huh?" After that she started coughing. It shook her body a little more violently than she'd been hoping and it made the sites where the IVs were in her arm and hand very sore. "...sorry. Try not to get too close. It's a little cold, so I don't want to get you sick."