Okay so this idea has been trapped in my head for quite some time now and I finally decided to write it down.
Sadly, I own nothing of Madam Secretary and am only borrowing their characters.
It was a Thursday afternoon and Stevie found herself sitting in her doctor's office. She looked around the office the small office. Although it was small, her doctor had done a good job at decorating it to not only look bigger, but to help her patients feel more at ease. Personal touches of family members and vacation photos lined the ocean blue walls and the chair she was sitting in wasn't as uncomfortable as she was expecting. She had almost started to relax until she was startled from her daze by the jiggle of the door handle. Her doctor entered missing the signature smile that Stevie had come to be familiar with since becoming her patient. Since growing out of her pediatrician and going to college, she was glad to have gotten a doctor that she had felt comfortable around. Dr. Blythe had been nothing but friendly, honest, and patient with Stevie since she started seeing her about a year and a half ago; but today that friendly face was replaced with one that Stevie couldn't seem to read.
She had started feeling sick about a month ago. It was like a flu that she just couldn't get rid of. It started with a sore throat that just never seemed to want to go away despite the over-the-counter meds she had taken. Then exhaustion and fatigue seemed to creep up on her so much so that she barely had the energy to study. She had chalked up both symptoms to the stress of her final exams and her staying up too late trying to prepare. That is until about a week ago when one moment she was getting out of bed in the morning, and the next she had woken up on her bedroom floor. Waking up with no knowledge of what happened while she was unconscious or what caused it, freaked her out. She had called her doctor the same day and Dr. Blythe was able to fit Stevie in on the same day. Dr. Blythe had ordered a ton of blood tests and had called Stevie just this morning, asking her to come into her office to discuss them. So there she sat, looking at her doctor, and knowing without her friendly doctor having to speak, that something was really wrong.
"I'm sorry to tell you this Stevie," Dr. Blythe started, looking up from the report on her desk. "But you have Leukemia," she finished. Stevie took a moment to absorb what she was being told. She blinked a few time and only looked up at the sound of her doctor's voice.
"Stevie did you hear me?" she heard her doctor say with concern.
She nodded her head and finally met her doctor's eyes. The doctor's eyes looked sad and she suddenly looked older than she ever had. She wondered what her eyes looked like during that moment. Did they look sad or scared; maybe confused. Her mind was racing in so many directions she couldn't focus on any particular question.
"Um…" Stevie started. "What do we do now?" she stated. She needed a plan. She needed to know there was something she could work towards to fix this. To fix her.
"Firstly," her doctor began, "although your test results indicate Leukemia; it doesn't show us what type of Leukemia, or how far it has progressed." Dr. Blythe's eyes met her own to make sure she was comprehending the information. She continued, "And since I'm not an oncologist, I've contacted a few doctors who would be willing to take you on as a patient," Dr. Blythe stated, passing Stevie a few business cards.
"One of these doctors is local and near to the university; but I've also given you the names of two doctors who are in the D.C. Metro area where you've told me your family is located."
Stevie nodded as she fiddled with the business cards in her lap.
"Stevie. The most important advice I can give you now is to go home and tell your family. It will be tough, but their support is going to be crucial during your treatment and recovery," she said.
Stevie again found herself nodding her head, not knowing anything else to do or say.
"Thank you Dr. Blythe," she stated getting up from the comfortable chair. "I will be sure to contact one of these doctors," she said as she shook the woman's hand. She could feel the remorse from the woman's handshake and suddenly wanted to be anywhere but there. With a small smile, Stevie turned her back and walked quickly out of the office.
She found herself in her dorm room slowing folding clothes and placing them into her suitcase as she thought about everything. She looked around the room and smiled to herself. She loved this room. It was filled with pictures of her family and friends, as well as some momentos from the fun things she had done while at the university. Her suitcase was almost packed and she wondered if she should pack up more. She was initially supposed to go home that night anyway as she had finished her finals and had a two weeks break before the next semester started.
I don't think I'm going to be returning next semester, she thought as she zipped her suitcase closed. If she didn't pack it up now, she'd probably just end up having to return, probably with her family, to finish it.
The thought of her family made a small sob come out of her mouth and she pushed it down before her tears came uncontrollably. She wouldn't cry; not yet anyway. A McCord doesn't show weakness, she thought to herself. She would cry later when she was sure that her roommate wouldn't come barging in and interrupted her. She worked for the next few hours putting away her belongings into the few boxes she had on hand and placed the boxes into her closet. There was no way she would get everything today and her family would have to help her with the large stuff anyway so she would just leave the boxes there, glad that she could at least box up most of her belongings so that it wouldn't be too big of a chore to do later. With that she grabbed her suitcase and purse and said goodbye to her dorm room.
The train into the city took forever and she was glad to finally be back home as she was completely exhausted. She said a small hello to the security detail outside of her home and stepped through the iron gates. She grabbed her keys but stopped before unlocking the door. She took a few deep breaths. One part of her was glad of the late hour as she hoped the household would be asleep so that she wouldn't have to face them now. She knew she needed to tell them, that it wasn't something that she could put off long. But if she saw their faces now, she didn't know if she would be able to stop herself from breaking down into hysterics. The other part of her wanted to do just that. She wanted to have her mom hug her and tell her that everything would be alright while she cried into her shoulder. She couldn't wait any longer to see what awaited her and she turned to key in the lock and pushed open the door.
She hadn't been to this house many times since her mom became Secretary of State, but it still felt like home. She felt comfortable here and she didn't realize how much she missed it. She was greeted with darkness with the exception a dim light in the office and realized that everyone was indeed asleep. Of course they would be, she thought. It's nearly 1:00 in the morning and it's still a weekday tomorrow.
She shook her head at her stupid thought that they'd all still be awake and quietly made her way up the stairs. She closed her bedroom door behind her and took another breath and she leaned against the door. Her room was sparse compared to her dorm room. The white walls were barren and it was definitely a lot neater and more organized than her dorm. Her bedspread matched the walls but the many pillows on her bed featured different patterns and colors which livened up the room. Her eyes moved to the very large bookcase that was filled to the brim with all of her favorites. She hadn't wanted to transport her books with her to the dorm, so she would grab a handful whenever she visited and would take them back with her. When she finished those she would get by at the library. She had always had a love for books. Her bookcase stood against the wall near to the large bay window and window seat below it. She loved the window seat and it had been her favorite place to read when she visited. The seat was perfect and comfortable and overlooked a small park that was plentiful with trees. Moving across her room, she puller her pajamas from her suitcase and headed to the bathroom.
She had showered until the hot water had run cold and had cried almost the entire time. She was careful to quiet her sobs so as not to wake the household and now that she was laying in bed, she could honestly say that she felt a little more focused after releasing her tears. She had cried for everything. For the sadness that she felt and that her family would feel; for the stress that it would put on her family; for the frustration for causing her to break from college; and for the pain that she would undoubtedly suffer during treatment.
With a little more clear head, she rolled over and let her exhaustion finally take her to sleep.
I have a general idea of where I want this story to go for the next few chapters but I am fully accepting of any ideas that you guys may have on where this story goes in the long run. Reviews are greatly appreciative and they are truly one of the things that makes me want to write more chapters. Good and bad comments are welcome regarding anything.
Thanks.