This is my second one-shot, and I'm not so sure If i'm that good at them, so tell me what you think!

Life's Too Short . . .

    Fluffing pillows, changing IV’s, and talking to weary-eyed patients was all in a days’s work for Chelsea.  So, when she got a break to sit down, she did just that.  She paced around the waiting room a little, before settling in a seat next to a little girl, working on a puzzle, or at least attempting to.   Chelsea watched the little girl, with a hockey helmet on her head, intently as she tried to fit a few pieces together, but they just didn’t seem to fit.
    “Hi, I’m Chelsea, what’s your name?”, she asked in a caring voice.  The little girl rose her head and spoke quietly.
    “My name’s Lucy, I broked my head.”.  The little girl couldn’t have been older than 3, but was attempting to place together a 1000 piece puzzle.
    “Do you need some help with that?”, offered Chelsea.  Lucy shook her head in agreement and got back to work.  It was times like this when Chelsea loved volunteering here.  Every once in a while, she got a patient, like little Lucy, that made each tiring day better, and then there were others that made it more difficult than it already is. 

    They both jumped up when a mob of people came rushing in through the large blue doors.  Camera bulbs flashed as a family frantically tried to break free from the group.  There were three boys, and their parents.   The security guards lead the mob of reports out, and down to the lobby. 
    “Chelsea, can you come here for a minute?”, asked the head nurse.  Chelsea put down her puzzle pieces and walked over.
    “Will you please show the Jonas family, here, to room 152?”. 
    “Yes, right this way.”  Chelsea recognized the two oldest sons.  The were 2/3 of the Jonas Brothers, but the middle on was missing.  She had heard of them, but wasn’t really a fan. 
    They reached the room, and Chelsea walked in far enough to see the patient.  The middle one was lying in a bed, with a rap on his head.  She left the family alone, and went back to helping Lucy. 

    The family left right before visiting hours were over.  Chelsea’s shift was almost over too, but decided to go around all the rooms one last time. Since most of the patients were either kids, or older people, most were asleep, including Lucy.  The other Jonas boy, on the other hand, was wide awake.

    “Do you need anything?”, asked Chelsea, as she peered in the door.
    “Well, now that yo-“, his words stopped as he leaned his head back and stuck his tongue out, with his eyes closed; playing dead.  “ I think I need CPR”, he coughed. 
    “Nice try, but your not the first to pull that one.”  He rose his head up in disappointment, then they both laughed at the attempt.  Chelsea sat in the chair, next to his bed.
    “So, what are you in here for?”, she asked.  He was close to her age, so she figured it was safe to ask. 
    “Well . . . I was doing a show around here, and while on stage, I sort of . . . fell.  It’s nothing major, just a small fracture, but I’ll have to miss a few tour dates.”, he seemed mad, at himself.  Chelsea could tell that he loved what he was doing, just as she did.  They introduced themselves and  talked for an hour or so, about random things: movies, music, cereal, play-doh.  Anything they could think of. 

    The next day, Chelsea reported for duty at her usual time, 12 o’clock.  She walked up to the recovery floor and smiled at the sight in the waiting room.  Lucy was back at work at her puzzle, but with a new helper.  Joe was sitting in the same chair Chelsea sat in the day before.   Lucy had added some stickers to her helmet, and some to Joe’s bandages as well.  Chelsea just laughed to herself as she walked over the nurse’s station to check in.  When she was done, she walked over to the two, still working hard on the puzzle.
   
    “ Hey guys, how’s the puzzle going?”, she asked.  Joe looked at her, a bit surprised.
    “You know my friend, Lucy?”.  The little girl smiled and tugged on Joe’s shirt.
    “That’s Chelsea!  She helpeded me with the puzzle yesterday.”, she said in her improper speech.  She was so cute, with brown hair and bright green eyes.  Chelsea had become quite fond of the little girl, she’d rather much have her as a little sister, than her annoying little brothers sometimes.  Chelsea joined in their quest to finish the picture of a horse.  Lucy mumbled on about many things, Joe and Chelsea just sat and laughed, looking at each other occasionally with a grin.  The three of them spent the whole day working, Chelsea taking a break now and then to actually do her job.  Joe was great with Lucy, and Chelsea loved that. 

    They kept up with the same routine for two weeks, but one day, when Chelsea walked in through the doors, she only saw one person working on the puzzle.  Joe and Chelsea had become very close, and they really bonded with Lucy.  Chelsea walked over to Joe, who was sitting there just staring at the pieces in front of him.  Chelsea noticed a tear fall from his brown eyes, making emotions run through her body. 
    “What’s wrong?  Where’s Lucy?”, she asked frantically. Joe just shook his head.  He couldn’t bring himself to form words, but he didn’t need to.  Chelsea knew what had happened.  Chelsea began to cry, harder and harder.  Joe stood up and took her in his arms.  They loved that little girl, and were both heart broken.  They two stared at the unfinished puzzle in front of them, and then at one another.  They both took that day to finish it, for Lucy’s sake. 

    Joe was released the day of Lucy’s funeral.  Chelsea and he sat in the back of the church, waiting for the end of the service, so they could talk to Lucy’s mom.  When that time came, the two worked towards that weeping woman and handed her a wrapped frame.  She took off the paper to reveal a puzzle.  The image of a horse staring back at her, then she noticed the back.  Engraved into the wood of the frame said:

To our little buddy.  We will never forget you.   Love, Chelsea and Joe. 

    That night, Joe also returned to the stage, to have a new friend watching from the wings.  Chelsea sat through the show, but it still couldn’t break her grieving, and she didn’t expect it to.  Joe just put on a brave face for the audience.  Kevin and Nick could sense that something was off, so they decided to do something a little special.  Nick pulled out his acoustic guitar and nodded over to Kevin.  They began to sing, and Joe caught on.  Tears formed in his eyes again as he stepped up to the microphone.

    He had a hard time with it, but he made it through the song, barely.  He then ran off stage, and over to Chelsea. 

    “I need to do something before it’s too late.  Lucy taught me that’s life’s to short, so I need to do everything I can now, to make what I want of it.”   Chelsea started to tear up too, but Joe gently took his hand and wiped them away.   He leaned in, and kissed her, just as he wanted to when he first saw her.  He didn’t want to loose her, but then realized he never would.  He didn’t loose Lucy either.  She was in his heart, where she would stay forever, and now, Chelsea was there too.  Building puzzles forever.

That was amazing!!! i loved it!! poor lucy that was so sad!! i know what its like to loose someone and it hurts a lot! i really loved it!!

-courtney

Bump, and I can't add you to it!  It's a one shot and has nothing to do with Nick. lol