Heal the sick, Cure the lame.

It was dark when Grace finally walked back into work. The nightshift was on. She went and took over the nurse on duty at her usual station, 'convincing' her to accept it.

Grace decided to use her newfound power to grant people's wishes. Her first port of call was Braden Avery, a boy who had been fighting leukaemia for so long that he had missed high school entirely. Now at 18, Grace knew, he had pretty much given up on life, refusing treatment now that his parents could not **** it upon him. Grace decided that she would give him a new lease on life.

"Hi Braden" said Grace merrily "how are you doing today?"

"You know me nurse, can't complain about anything but the food." Said Braden smiling. He looked like hell. Pale, wan, bald, sunken eyes, thin from being unable to keep his food down. He actually looked worse than usual, which was saying something.

"What if I told you I could grant you one wish? Like a genie or something..." said Grace.

"You're going to do a strip-tease nurse?" asked Braden jokingly.

"I'm serious" said Grace "I can make you well again. I can get rid of the leukemia and everything. No more chemo or radiation. You'd be able to live a normal life."

"You're serious aren't you?" said Braden shocked

"Totally"

"One wish?"

"Yes"

"Would it cure anything…"

"What do you mean?"

"Anything, not just Leukaemia?"

"I guess so, but you …"

"Then I wish that Danielle Warner in room 17 could walk again, that her spine was totally healed"

"WHAT?! What about you?" said Grace shocked that Braden would give up the chance to live for that whiny bitch Danielle Warner.

"Nurse, I've accepted my ****. I've had enough of the pain and the humiliation and ... I just want it to be over and now that the doctors can't legally treat me it soon will be. Danielle still has a life to look forward to, but without your wish it'll be in a chair. If you can cure someone let it be her. I'd rather die knowing I'd helped her walk than live knowing that I'd sacrificed her happiness."

Grace was dumbfounded, but she realized that the reason that she had chosen Braden first was for the same reason that he had chosen to 'give up his chance at life' for someone else. Braden was a good guy, and after her experience with Jake she wanted to be around people like him. She put her hand in her pocket and gripped the bone tight. Braden's leukaemia disappeared. Even though he was ready to die Grace hoped he would forgive her 'ignoring his wishes'. Maybe if she did as he had asked he'd be more likely to.

"O.k." she said. "I'll help Danielle for you. I promise." As she walked toward the girl's room she realized that if she was going to take her self appointed task of using the bone for good she would have to help those she didn't like as well as those she did.

"What the hell do you want?" asked Danielle as Grace walked in.

Grace's anger flared. She took a deep breath and reminded herself that she had kind of promised Braden that she would help this girl.

"Braden has asked me to come and help you…" she said.

"What? Cancer boy? What the hell can you do you me?" said Danielle.

Breath Grace told herself "Look I offered Braden the chance to have his cancer cured and he said that he would rather I cure your paraplegia."

"What an idiot!" said Danielle "First for believing such a line of crap and second for giving it away. There is no way that I would give up the chance to walk to save his life, even it were possible, and especially not the other way around."

Grace gritted her teeth. This bitch didn't deserve to live, let alone walk. But she'd promised. Screw that! Make her a quadriplegic instead! Teach her a real lesson!

NO she screamed mentally I'm not going to let my anger turn me into someone like Jake who uses power to hurt and control people.

She gripped the bone tight and wished that Danielle's spine were healed perfectly and that she could walk and feel below the waist again.

Danielle gasped.

"Oh my God!" she said "I can feel my legs. I can MOVE my legs. Are YOU doing this?"

"Yes" said Grace smugly. The shock on the little bitch's face was priceless.

Danielle threw off her sheet and tried to stand. She was a little wobbly but she managed to walk over to Grace and put her arms around her. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you." She said.

Grace was taken aback at how good it felt to have this girl's appreciation. This girl who had made her and the other nurses lives hell since the moment she had arrived. Somehow the way this girl turned from whiny, selfish bitch to blubbering thankful little girl made what she had done worthwhile. Still there was one more thing that would make it even better.

"The person you really should thank is Braden. He's the one who convinced me to help you."

"Oh God!" said Danielle "You're right! Oh God! Oh God! He sacrificed himself! He gave up a chance to live so I could walk. Oh God! How am I supposed to repay him for that?"

Grace decided not to correct Danielle.

"The truth is" said Grace "That he gave up his chance to live because he feels like he doesn't have anything to live for. He's spent the last four years in a hospital bed with only chemo, radiation and invasive procedures to look forward to. His friends no longer visit and his parents, while they have beggared themselves to keep him alive can't even look at what he has become and he knows it. Really, as far as he's concerned he didn't give up much."

Danielle looked shell-struck. Suddenly a look of determination came across her face.

"Show me where his room is Nurse." She said "Then make sure we are left alone. I'm going to give Braden a reason to live."