Eve's Fight
Chapter One: Surprise Visit
Fran sat in her's and Max's room, looking out the window while holding a picture of her youngest of five kids. Everyone was now out of the house. Niles and C.C had moved out just a year ago and all the children were married, including Niles's and C.C's daughter, Diane. All that was left in the house now, was Max and Fran. Even Jonah and Eve had gotten married and moved away.
"This just isn't right. I miss you Eve. I want you to come back home somedays, but then other days, I know you are married now and have your own life to live." Fran says, talking to the picture that was taken of her and Eve at Coney Island right before Eve got married. They had just gotten off of a roller coaster and both of them were standing in front of the sign and they had their arms around each other's shoulders, while holding up peace signs and giving their best smile. Fran just burst into tears all over again when Max opened the door and seen her.
"Fran, honey? Are you okay? Alright, stupid question. I can clearly see that you are not okay. Anything I can do to help?" Max asks sitting beside her and noticing the picture in her hands, and seeing how happy they looked.
"She's only been gone for three weeks Max, and it still seems like yesterday. I keep playing it over and over in my head how happy she looked going down that isle. I remember the last conversation we had before she walked out that front door. I could see the tears in her eyes, the tears of pain and happiness together. She asked me if I could fix her broken heart and I told her, not this time. I love all five of my kids, but Eve and I, we always went everywhere together. When Jonah and Eve came along, Maggie was married, Brighton was dating, and Gracie was getting ready to go to collage. They didn't need me anymore. Hell, at least you and Jonah had each other and went to ball games and such. Eve and I, it was always just the two of us." Fran replies, starting to cry again.
"Sweetheart, what if I told you that I have a surprise for you down in the dining room. You are gonna love this surprise too. Come on. Go take a look at it, for me." Max says, getting up from the bed and holding his hand out to Fran. It takes her a second or two of debating, but she finally takes his hand and they go to the dining room. Fran opens the door with her head down so she can't see who's standing there.
"Hi Ma!" Eve says as soon as she sees her mom come in with her dad. Fran just runs to her and grabs her in a hug and picks her up. They both are crying and Max gives them their moment.
"Not that I'm complaining but what are you doing here?" Fran asks as they sit and have a cup of coffee.
"Well Todd thought it was high time I came to see you. He told me he could see that we were indeed upset the day I left, but we were trying to hide it. He said that since I'm off of work today and he's going away on business, that I should drop by and visit. How are things going here? I almost hate to ask with everyone being gone and such." Eve tells her. Fran just looks at her coffee cup before answering.
"I wish I could tell you everything's fine. It may sound selfish of me but honey, ever since you have been gone, I have been a wreck. I don't hardly eat, I can't sleep, all day long my mind is on you, and to be honest, I really want you to come back home." Fran replies, sighing and taking another drink.
"I can't Mom. We have been through this a hundred times on the phone. I'm a married woman now, and I'm working, and have my own home and my own life now. I will always treasure the times we had when I was growing up, but those days are over. You always told me that as long as I was happy, you would be happy for me. Where is the woman now that told me that?" Eve tells her, trying to be as nice as possible, yet point blank at the same time. Eve starts to get up to get some more coffee and a snack when her mom lightly touches her arm and stops her.
"I'm so sorry baby. I should never have said that. I just miss you and oh, I don't know what's wrong with me. I guess I just miss my baby girl." Fran says, trying to give her best smile.
"Ma. It's okay. I know you miss me. Hell, I miss you too and there's not a day that goes by that I don't want to tell Todd, hey pack your stuff, we're going home. If I'm gonna stand on my own two feet, and use the tools that you and daddy taught me for life, then I have to stay where I am. Ya know what, let's change the subject. I'm gonna get all soft on ya." Eve says, starting to laugh.
"No we wouldn't want that would we?" Fran replies, and they both just about die laughing.
Chapter Two
The Long Kept Secret
Fran is no longer feeling depressed about her and Max being the only two left in the house anymore, especially when everyone in the family comes for a big family dinner one night. Morty and Sylvia are there, Nadine and Barry and their kids, and grandkids. Val and Fred are there with their daughter and new grandbaby, Maggie and Micheal are there with their son, Brighton is there with his wife Celena, and their little boy, and Gracie and her husband are there with their daughter. Everyone's waiting on Jonah and Eve to show up with their families when there's a knock at the door.
"Niles! Get in here old man. How are you?" Max says, opening the door and seeing his lifelong best friend standing there.
"While on the way over here, I realized you may want these two as well. I met them on the freeway. They all took a cab to get here and the cab's tire blew, so here they are with us." Niles tells Max as they all pile inside. Jonah walks in with his wife Amber and behind him is, Eve and Todd.
"Where's C.C and Diane and her husband at?" Fran asks, coming into the living room and seeing the rest of the crowd standing there, putting jackets in the closet.
"They are still getting stuff from the car. I think they are getting potato salad and cole slaw." Niles tells her, hugging her. They all go in the dining room and try to seat everyone which proves to be almost impossible. They have to use the kitchen as well as the dining room in order for everyone to have a spot. As the dinner goes on, no one really seems to notice that Eve isn't herself. Fran does though. Fran breaks the noise from everyone's conversations and asks her if she's okay.
"Yeah Mom. I'm fine. I promise. Just ain't been feeling too good lately is all." Eve responds. She gets up to go into the bathroom and stops for a second to regain her balance. Fran notices but doesn't say anything because she knows her daughter all too well. If Eve wants her to know anything, she will tell her eventually. Not ten minutes after Eve leaves the room, Fran's phone is going off indicating that she has a text message. She sees it's from Eve and goes into the living room where she is.
"What's up honey? Your message said 911 come alone." Fran says, sitting beside her.
"The reason I said I wasn't coming back home was because, I didn't want you to have to take care of me. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow and it's with Doctor Reynolds. They found some things in my blood test results and, she thinks I may have Uterine Cancer. Don't freak out on me mom. It's not a definate for sure thing. She just wants me to come in tomorrow for a transvaginal ultra sound and all that good crap. She told me, expect the best, but be prepared for the worst. Mama, I don't want this getting to everyone. I mean, yes you can tell Daddy, but only after everyone leaves tonight. Todd knows and he's sticking by me no matter what. I need ya Ma. Will you be there tomorrow with me?" Eve tells her. Fran is just in shock at what she just heard.
"Yes, yes of course. You should know better than to ask me a question like that. Have I ever left your side before?" Fran replies.
"No." Eve says, coughing.
"There ya go. You go ahead to the bathroom, text if ya need me, and I'll go back in the dining room and put on a brave face." Fran tells her as they both get up and hug one another.
The next morning, things go as planned. Fran is picking Eve up at her apartment while Todd is at work. Eve is sitting outside petting a stray cat when Fran shows up. They talk in the car on the way to Eve's appointment and Fran can see she's scared and in pain. They pull up to the hospital and Eve just sits there for a few minutes and wipes a tear away.
"You know I hate these kind of doctor visits. They hurt me and I dread each and every one of them I get. Well, here goes." Eve says, climbing out of the car. While they are waiting to see Doctor Reynolds, Fran is reading a magazine and Eve is looking through a Doctor Seuss book.
"That one used to be your favorite." Fran tells her. Eve's looking at The Cat In The Hat and she just smiles. About that time, Doctor Reynolds walks in. She has Eve to change into a gown and Fran has to give her motherly support once again.
"Ya doing okay Eve?" Doctor Reynolds asks, doing her papsmear. Eve is holding back her screams and Fran is trying to talk to her and keep her mind on something else.
"Not really. Oh please tell me you're almost done." Eve pleads.
"Just about. After this, I'm gonna do the ultra sound and that won't be as bad as this here. Try to relax and don't tense up." Doctor Reynolds tells her. Eve can't hold it back any longer and a few tears start to fall. Doctor Reynolds finally finishes with the pap and then does the ultra sound. Next, all they can do is wait for the results. Eve gets dressed and then sits there with her head on her mom's shoulder and cries from all the pain she's in.
"Mom I have to be honest. I've been feeling like there was something wrong for quite some time. I've been to six other doctors before Doctor Reynolds. They all said different things. One said I wasn't eating enough spinach, another said I'm eating too much spinach, one said it was all in my head, another said I'm crazy, well he was right. I never said anything because I didn't want you to be worried all the time, and I've not had a proper diagnosis yet. So, I didn't think there was really any reason to say anything until I knew for sure." Eve explains. Fran just sits there and takes it all in and tells her that everything will be okay when Doctor Reynolds comes back in.
"I'm so sorry honey. You do have Uterine Cancer. All the results were the same." Doctor Reynolds says, sitting down to face Eve and Fran to explain everything the best she can.
"I knew it. I knew there was something wrong with me. I kept telling all those facocta doctors that I didn't feel right. They kept telling me I was either not eating enough spinach or eating too much of it, or telling me I'm too young and too thin to have any kind of problems like this. Then another one tells me I'm crazy. Well it's like I just told Mom, he was right. I guess you can be crazy and still have Uterine Cancer huh? I could just feel it in my bones that something was wrong. Well, I guess I better say I felt it in my uterus. Now what?" Eve replies almost losing it.
"You're gonna have surgery right away, I'm gonna get you started on Chemo, and then, we are going to sue the doctors for medical malpractice, and sue the insurance companies for not caring enough for their patients when they need help the most." Doctor Reynolds explains.
"Beg your pardon?" Eve asks.
"It's the perfect thing to do Eve. If we are gonna get anywhere on this, hit them where it hurts the most. In their pocket books." Fran finally adds to the conversation. Eve agrees to everything and Doctor Reynolds sits up a hysterectomy for the very next day, and goes ahead and puts her in a room upstairs.
Chapter Three
More Like Love Story
The next afternoon, Eve is just waking up surgery and she sees Doctor Reynolds standing by her bed. Fran of course is there too, along with Max.
"Hi." Doctor Reynolds says, checking everything.
"Hey. So what do you think? Love story or Terms of endearment?" Eve asks her.
"Beg your pardon?" Doctor Reynolds asks, confused.
"I know what she's talking about. We watched both of those movies when she was ten." Fran explains to the doctor.
"Well in Terms of endearment, she was able to fight and hold on for many years. Where as Love story, she went caput in three months. I don't think I can sue anyone. I'm not that kind of person to do that." Eve tells her.
"It's not going to be easy or fun, but someone has to get the word out on women's health issues and sucky insurance companies and doctors that just don't care." Doctor Reynolds says, going to the other side of Eve's bed and sitting next to her.
"Oh, I don't think I can do this." Eve tells everyone.
"I know, but it's the only card we have to play." Doctor Reynolds says, as Eve lays her hand across her stomach.
"I'm not talking about the law suit on the doctors and insurance companies. That I can do. I'm talking about the Chemo. Doctor Reynolds, I don't feel well. Give me that." Eve replies, while the doctor is telling her hang on and she gets a bin for her. Eve sits up and she's sick so bad that Fran is almost freaking out.
"Here ya go. And yes you can do this and I'm gonna be right there with ya every step of the way." The doctor tells her, while handing her a towel for her mouth and her cup of water.
Later that same day, Eve is trying to sleep and her phone keeps going off. Fran answers it and finds that Todd has been trying to call. She talks to him for awhile and Max is sitting with Eve watching her like something's gonna happen to her if he leaves her. Fran ends her conversation with Todd and goes back to where Eve is.
"My God Max, look at her. She doesn't look good at all. I wish there was something I could do for her. Niles said that he and C.C would drop by tomorrow. They wanted to give her enough time to get some rest before they came by." Fran tells him.
"I know. She does not look like herself at all. God, I don't want to lose her. We don't even know what stage her cancer was in. Fran, why did she not ever say anything?" Max replies.
"She never said anything about this because she didn't want us to worry just in case if it was nothing serious. She said she wanted to be for sure what the problem was before letting any of us know. I respect that. I just wish there was something that could be done. Doctor Reynolds said she thinks that it was no more than stage two. I hope she's right." Fran says, sitting down by the window and falling asleep. Max sits in a nearby chair and he himself tries to get some sleep. Doctor Reynolds comes back in and sees them all asleep, but she goes to Fran and wakes her up. Fran looks up to see an upset doctor.
"What is it Doctor Reynolds?" Fran asks, fearing the worst.
"There's no easy way to say it. Her cancer is a stage four. There are only four stages. We caught it too late. Fran, I wish there was something I could do or something I could say to make this easier, but I'm afraid all I can do, is just be there as a friend and help her any way that I can." The doctor tells her. Fran just looks over at Eve and whispers her name before crying again.
Later that night, before Doctor Reynolds goes home, she is in Eve's room talking to her about the trial and when the first hearing is. Eve is reading up on some things when the doctor gets in her room.
"Hey, guess what I found out. If we win this trial, we could get over ten million dollars in the settlement. If anything should happen to me before it's all said and done, I want the proceeds to go to the national cancer awareness foundation and make it to where, women will get the life saving tests that they need. And, I also want you to continue research for answers and cures." Eve says with a smile.
That's a powerful message there girl. Hey, I'm getting ready to head home for the night. Do you need anything before I go? Something to drink, eat, read, or anything at all?" Doctor Reynolds asks.
"Just answer one question for me. What is your first name?" Eve replies, trying to move to get comfortable.
"It's Andrea. People call me Andy for short. I'll see you tomorrow at your mom and dad's when you get out of here. Get some rest. We have a lot of work ahead of us before the trial begins next week." Andy says, getting up to head out. Before she even gets to the door, Eve slowly gets up and goes after her.
"What are you doing? Back in bed." Andy lightly scolds. Eve gets up to her and hugs her and whispers, "Thank You Andy." in her ear. Andy gets her back to bed and finally gets out of there.
Chapter Four
Trial Preparation
Eve and Andy are walking into the kitchen with two big boxes when Fran asks if there's anything she can do to help. Todd and Maxwell get back from the theater and when they see Andy's car, they start to freak out.
"What's Andy doing here? Oh God. You don't think that something happened to Eve and she had to come over do ya?" Todd says. They rush into the kitchen and see that everything's okay.
"Here they are. Every peice of paper, every note, and every file from each and every doctor I went to that said there was nothing wrong with me." Eve says, pulling folders out of one of the boxes and sitting them on the table.
"That seems like a good a place as any to start." Andy replies.
"Let's eat first." Eve tells her, as she pulls out chinese food boxes and then finds the fortune cookies.
"Are you hungry? We got a lot of work to do." Andy says, looking at her funny.
"Hey, where we come from, we don't do anything on an empty stomach." Fran adds to the conversation.
"Alright then. Let's dig in." Andy says, going over to the cabinet and pulling plates down for all of them.
"Hey Mom, let's do the fortune cookies first. It'll be fun. We can start our own business and call it cancer cookies." Eve tells her with a goofy grin on her face before they all start laughing.
"I can't believe you two are eating desert first. That's something I never heard of." Andy says, coming back to the table.
"Hey when you're as sick as she is, you never know what's going to happen. You start with your desert before the meal. Let's see what this thing says. Oh, it says, your daughter has Uterine Cancer. Where the hell were you six months ago." Fran says, throwing the paper to the side and smiling.
"Oh come on Fran. It doesn't say that." Andy replies.
"Come on Andy, you do yours. Please, for me. Make something up, just for fun." Eve begs with her. Fran is already eating her noodles when Andy says, "You will be glowing with a multitude of friends. Sure she's gonna be glowing after six rounds of radiation." Fran stops eating and Eve just looks at her with a hurt look on her face.
"Andy that was really mean." Eve tells her, looking like she's gonna cry any minute.
"Oh God Eve. You're so right. I'm so so sorry. I should not have said that." Andy replies, feeling really bad for what she just said. Eve and Fran just start giggling.
"Honey, I'm kidding." Eve tells her, sounding just like her mom. They all look at each other and just laugh and have fun while they prepare. Andy tells Eve that she will have to go on the stand and give her side of everything. Eve says she's not sure if she can get up in front of everyone like that, but when Fran assures her that she will be right there with her, she's fine then.
Two weeks later, the trial is underway. Eve is on the stand and Andy and Fran, and even Max, Niles, C.C, and all of Eve's family is there supporting her.
"I have stage four Uterine Cancer, which wouldn't be that bad except, there are only four stages. That makes my survival rate pretty much suck." Eve tells the court.
"Do you think the doctors were rude and not professional? And how many have you seen for your condition?" The attorney asks.
"Six. Six counting Doctor Reynolds who finally, finally gave me a proper diagnosis. With the other doctors, I think they were just doing what they are trained to do. No doctor is trained to look at a woman and say she has cancer. You have to have the transvaginal ultra sound. A papsmear is only good for cervical cancer. If you have a problem north of the cervix, forget it. You're out of luck. Do I have to answer all of these questions? I mean, I will, I'm happy to I really am. I would just like to say something is all." Eve tells the attorney. Then the other trial party starts in on her and the judge.
"I understand. We ask the questions, they answer them. Mrs. Mitchell, do you have anything you would like to say to the court?" Her attorney says.
"Yes I do. Everytime a woman goes to her doctor with a problem, they are looking for answers from that doctor. If at your yearly visit, they look at you and tell you there's nothing wrong with you, you really want to believe them. Don't. Get a second opinion until your search is over. If another doctor confirms that everything is okay and you're fine, great. If not, make them listen and make them give you the proper tests that you need. They can do it, they are trained to do it. The problem is, a lot of times the insurance companies will not pay for them though. If they did, it would have saved my life and I wouldn't be getting ready to leave my family. There is a cure. Early detection equals survival. Thank You." Eve tells everyone, bringing a tear to every eye in the courtroom.
Chapter Five
Saying Goodbye
After two long months of court dates and hearings, Andy is finally on the stand. Eve starts not feeling well again, but she tries to ignore it long enough for the trial to be over for the day. Fran is right behind her and she knows something's wrong. While Andy is still talking to some people in the courtroom, Eve goes on out with her mom to sit and wait. Eve has her head down looking almost like she's asleep. Fran is on her phone with Max and telling him that Eve's not feeling right again.
"Is she okay?" Max asks, getting ready to head home from the theater with Todd again.
"I don't know honey. I'm gonna have Andy take a look when she comes out of the courtroom. She's still in there talking to a friend of hers that she hasn't seen for awhile. I will let you know how things are going. I love you." Fran tells him. Max says he loves her too and just before Fran goes back to Eve, she has to hit the restroom, so she misses everything.
"Oh Eve, my testimony went badly but not too bad. We still have a shot. Don't worry." Andy says, sitting next to Eve on the bench.
"Andy, I think you have to take me back to the hospital." Eve replies in almost a whisper, as she lays her head on Andy's shoulder. Andy gets her phone and says, "It's okay." as she calls for an ambulance.
In the ambulance, Fran is freaking out seeing how bad Eve looks. She can't even find any words of comfort. Eve and Andy are talking like best friends at this point.
"Andy, we're not doing so good are we?" Eve asks.
"It's going to be okay. We're not doing that bad. As soon as I get you back to the hospital, I'm gonna get you started on Chemo, and you're going to get better." Andy says, giving Eve her best smile to let her know she's there for her.
"How long?" Fran asks her, knowing that time is running out.
"More like, Love story. Eve, I'm so sorry honey." Andy says, almost crying.
"Shh. Friendship means never having to say you're sorry. It's not your fault." Eve replies, trying to smile. As soon as the ambulance gets to the hospital, Fran is calling Max and telling him to get everyone there as soon as possible.
"Sweetheart, what happened? Is Eve gone?" Max asks, starting to worry and lose it.
"No. Not yet. Andy has her hooked up to all kinds of stuff. She has an IV and she's doing a round of Chemo right now. Max, just get here. She's slipping away and everyone needs to be here. This is the final stretch for our baby girl. Max, she's only 22. Just hurry and get here. Make some calls to the rest of the kids. Just them, Ma and Daddy, Niles, C.C, Diane, and Val." Fran pleads with him. Max tells her he's on his way and he'll start making the calls. Andy is sitting with Eve who keeps getting sicker and sicker by the minute. It only takes a half an hour before everyone shows up. They are all in with Eve and talking to Fran, asking her if she is going to need anything.
"She leaves us, and I'm going right behind her." Fran tells Andy.
"Fran, you can't think like that. Your other kids may be grown, but what about the kids they have, or the kids they are going to have after them? Your family still needs you. Don't fall apart on me here Fran." Andy replies. Everyone steps out for a few minutes and while in the hallway, they hear a monitor going off and Fran going nuts.
"Andy! Andy, Max! Get in here! I think she's gone." Fran screams. She just stays right by Eve's bed and as soon as Andy and Max get in the room, Fran lays across Eve like she's protecting her.
"Fran, let me see honey. Let me check some things out. I have a crash cart coming. We're gonna try to get her back." Andy says, trying to pull Fran off of her. They get the crash cart and after five attempts, another doctor gets ready to call it.
"No. I will. She was my patient and my friend. I'll do it. Time of death, 7:38 PM." Andy says, breaking down into tears and grabbing Fran to hug and comfort each other. The whole family is a mess and Fran just sits and holds her hand, talking to her.
"I remember the night you and Jonah were born. It was our anniversary, and I tried to get Niles and C.C together. Well before they actually did get together as a couple, I followed C.C in the elevator to talk to her. I suddenly went into labor. It was such a mess. C.C was freaking out, I was in pain and yelling at her. Then, we talked about Niles and if she would be a good wife for him. I said no, but Niles did think so, and then once we got out of the elevator and went to the hospital, I was pushed through the doors yelling for my epidural. Grandma Yetta was at the snack machine thinking she was in Vegas. Then the most crazy part of all was when Niles and C.C got married in my room while I was trying to have the two of you. Once everyone cleared out, it was just me and your father. He kept telling me to push, I told him don't tell me what to do, I would scream, he would yell, and Andy was doing everything she could to keep me calm and get things rolling along. So, ya see? Andy has known you all of your life, and it really hurt her when you left us. She's watched you grow up baby. She was there when you were born, and when you took your first breath, and now, when you took your last one too. Eve, I'm really gonna miss you honey. You and your brother, are the two best things I ever done with my life. Goodbye baby. I love you so much. Don't forget about me up there." Fran tells her, as she gently lays her hand across her stomach, covers her up, and walks out in the hall to head back home.
Chapter Six
Rebuilding Our Lives
It's been three months after Eve's funeral and things are back to normal. Fran of course shut herself off from everyone and stayed locked up in the bedroom or out on the patio outside of Max's office. Max has finally started opening up and talking to everyone again. Maggie and Grace have gotten really close since Eve's death. Brighton and Jonah go everywhere together. They go to parks and museums, and down to the theater with Max every once in awhile. Niles and C.C do the best they can with getting Diane to bounce back to her old self. Val keeps looking at old pictures of when Eve and Jonah were first born and how many times they would be out at her house in the country, playing on tire swings, swimming in the pond, or hiking in the woods together. Sylvia got really depressed to a point where her and Morty almost divorced, but they hung in there together and finally made it through. Max is looking high and low one day when he finds Fran sitting outside, just looking out over the busy town.
"I can't believe how much of a hurry everyone is in. It's like they don't seem to want to take the time to smell the roses or appreciate the little things in life. How could the world just keep right on going like she was never here?" Fran says, not even looking up at Max.
"That's something I can't answer honey. There's just no reason that I can come up with as to why she got sick or why she had to leave us like that. I have an idea. Why don't we go to the rainbow room tonight and have a celebration of her life. Just the two of us. Instead of being angry, we need to be happy that we had the chance to know her and have her in our lives, and be happy that she is no longer in pain and she's not suffering anymore. Oh, before I forget, this came in the mail today." Max tells her, sitting down and handling her a package. Fran opens it and she just about faints.
"Oh my God. Maxwell, Eve won." She says, looking at a check for over ten million dollars, just like Eve had told Andy they could win. Max looks at it and he says, "Way to go angel baby." Fran reads the enclosed note that came with the check. It says, "This check is to go for the national cancer awareness foundation. Eve Katherine Fine Sheffield Mitchell, announced to the insurance board of directors that if she won the settlement, she wanted to insure that women were no longer ignored or looked at as just a statistic in the medical community. She only asked that this money be used to get the right medical equipment and life saving tests that women so desperately need in order to survive. To the parents of Eve Mitchell, we were so touched by your daughters stubborn drive to get the job done and get the word out on insurance companies and doctors that don't seem to care about their patients. We were very impressed that a woman her age would have that much knowledge about cancer and tests, and doctors and such. You should be proud of her because even though she was as sick as she was, she went down fighting and wasn't about to give up. Your's Truly, Larry Duff. President of the New York Insurance company." After Fran reads the note, she agrees to Max's offer of going and celebrating Eve's life and her success. Fran knows that it's time to move on and she decides to continue her daughter's work along side Andy, who promised to continue researching for cures and getting the laws in women's health care to change.
The End