Fix Me

Fix Me

By EL George, author of Goodbye Unicorns

"Why can't you fix me, Mommy? You always do. You're the only one who fixes me."

"Hush."

Hush was the word from my favorite bedtime song. It was the one where Mommy promised to give me the world and never, ever let anyone hurt me. But Mockingbirds did sing. I'd heard them. And I was too young for a diamond ring anyway. All I wanted was for her to fix me … again.

This time was different. This time, Mommy didn't bring me to the doctors where they'd give me stickers and take my blood. This time, she said I wasn't sick enough. Mommy looked sad. She wanted me to fix her. I knew there was only one way to do that so I forced out a cough.

She smiled.

"Can you fix me, Mommy?"

"Yes. I'm the only one."

She pulled out the blue stuff that tasted like the car wash. I wanted to throw up but smiled anyway. Anything to make Mommy happy.

***

Fix Me is the story of a little girl named Josephine who only has one wish:

To be normal like the other kids and not have to repeat another year of school for too many medical absences. But to get there, it will take making her mother—a sufferer of caregiver fabricated syndrome—healthy again. Josephine after all, is the only one who can pull it off – if time doesn't run out for her first…