Emma's Danger

BY: Angela Stoker

Chapter 1: What's Wrong?

Kim and Ron Stoppable had already been married quite a few years. They had twins- a boy and a girl. The children's names were Adrian Christopher Stoppable and Emma Rose Stoppable.

Now, the twins were happy and healthy ten year olds. They went to the local private intermediate school, Middleton Prep. They rode with their father Ron in the morning when he was going to work at the local zoo.

One morning, Emma came downstairs, found Kim, and said, "Mommy, I don't feel well." Emma had been very tired lately, and she felt nauseous much of the time.

"What's wrong sweetie?" asked Kim curiously. Emma told her mother was going on. when Emma was done, Kim said "Why don't you say home from school today?" Emma did as she was told and went back to bed. Meanwhile, Kim was on the phone calling her mother to ask if she would come and watch Emma while she was at work. Kim dialed the number, waited for her mother to answer. When her mother answered the phone, Kim said in the receiver, "Hi Mom. Emma doesn't feel well so I'm letting her stay home from school today.

Kim's mother, Anna Possible, then said, " OK Kimmie. Do you want me to watch her while you and Ronald are at work?" Kim replied to her mother, "You always did know what I was going to say before I said it. Could you do that for me until Ron and Adrian get home?" Anna said, "Sure honey. I'll be there shortly." "Thanks Mom," Kim said. "I'll go tell Emma. 'Bye." Kim hung up the phone and went to her daughter's bedroom door, opened it and said, "Emma, Nana is coming over to watch you while I go to work." Emma sleepily said back, "OK Mommy. Good night. Have a good day at work."

"OK sweetie. I will. Good night." Kim waited downstairs for Anna. When she came in the door, Kim ran to her and hugged her. After telling her mother the usual information, Kim left for work. While in the car, driving to the loal lawfirm where she worked, she called Adrian and Emma's pediatrician. When the secretary picked up, Kim said, "Hello. What is the nearest opening for Dr. Wilson?" Susie, the receptionist, said. "The nearest opening is at 2:30 this afternoon. Who is this and can you be here at that time?" Kim replied kindly with, "This is Kim Stoppable, I'm calling to make an appointment for my daughter Emma Rose Stoppable. She isn't feeling very well. I'll be at work, but I'll get my husband Ron Stoppable to bring her down with her brother. Her brother Adrian Christopher Stoppable is due for a check-up. Please sign Emma up for testing and Adrian for a check-up. Thank you. 'Bye" Kim went to her boss once she arrived at work at work, and asked if she could be let off at 2:00 to go get Emma. He gave her permission. At 1:45, Kim got her things together and at 2:00 she went home to get Emma. She had called Ron and told him he didn't have to come home earlier to get Emma. At 2:15 they were off to the doctor.

Chapter 2: At the Doctor

At 2:25 they arrived at the doctor's office. Kim said, "Go sit down, sweetie, and I'll sign you in." "OK Mommy," said Emma. Emma went to sit down, and soon, Kim sat down beside her. Emma said, slightly worried, "Mommy, I'm scared. What if I'm very sick, and I have to go to the hospital?!" Emma started to cry. "Emma, sweetheart, it's going to be OK! Adrian, Daddy, and I are all gonna be with you if you are if you are really sick. I guarantee that you are not that sick! Calm down please. Me and Daddy and Adrian all love you." She put Emma in her lap and kissed her.

Soon the nurse came in and said, "Emma Stoppable? Please follow me." Emma was very scared, so Kim carried her. The doctor asked Kim where Adrian was. she said, "I wasn't thinking when I scheduled that. He is still at school. I didn't want to take him out." The doctor said that was fine and he took Emma into an examining room and did some blood tests. He said the results would be back at five o' clock, so Kim gave the doctor her number. They soon left the doctor and headed home.

"Mommy, what do you think is wrong with me?" Emma asked. "Stop worrying darling, it's going to be OK. We can discuss this with Daddy and Adrian." Kim replied. When they arrived home, Ron and Adrian were waiting in the kitchen. When they saw Kim, thinking she had an answer, they asked, in almost one voice, "What did they say?"

Chapter 3: Discussing the Problem

Kim said, ""Ron, honey, I gave them our number because the test results won't be back until five o' clock. Ron got up and knelt down to his now crying daughter, and said, "Everything will be OK princess. I promise." He then picked her up and carried her to the couch. Her brother hugged her and said, "You are my little sister and I'll always love you, no matter what. I love you Emma."

Just then, the telephone rang. Ron answered it. "Hello?" he said into the phone. "Hello, is this the father of Emma Stoppable?" asked the doctor. "Yes. Would you like to talk to my wife Kim? She's the one that brought Emma in earlier." The doctor said, "Yes. She might want to be the one to tell Emma the bad news." Ron handed the phone to Kim, and Kim said, "Hi, this is Kim Stoppable."

"Yes ma'am. I'm afraid I have bad news. You might prefer to come to the office tomorrow morning. Will 10 o' clockwork for you?" the doctor said. "Yes sir." replied Kim. She hung up the phone and turned to her family. Emma immediately said, "What did they say Mommy???!!!" Kim said, trying as not to scare her daughter, "They just want us to come in in the morning for more tests."

Emma was so scared that night, that she cried her self to sleep.

Chapter 4: Going in for MORE Testing

The next morning, Kim, Ron, Emma and Adrian all left for the doctor's office. Emma cried all the way there, so she was allowed to sit in Adrian's lap. When they got there, Ron carried her. A short while later, a nurse came in the room, and said, "Stoppable family?" They all stood up and folliowed the nurse to a testing room. Emma sat o the table and was prepped for testing. A few minues later, a doctor came in and did many blood and other tests on Emma. When the doctor finally left, Emma got down off the table and said quietly, "I wonder what would happen if something was really wrong with me. What would you guys do?"

Adrian, Kim and Ron all looked at their favorite little girl and said, "It's gonna be OK Emma. We will be here for you no matter what. We love you!" A minute later, the doctor came in and told everyone, "You all might want to sit down. I'm afraid I have bad news." Emma started shaking, so her father held her close. She was very scared. This is what she was hoping that the doctor would NOT say. The doctor continued, "Emma, you have leukemia, I'm very sorry. We might be able to cure it. It will take a lot of work though."

Ron sat Emma next to Adrian and both Kim and himself stood up enraged. Kim said, "You come in here, telling and innocent ten year old, that I might add has been scared out of her mind for almost a week, telling he she has cancer, and say you might be able to cure her?!" ron put his hand on Kim's shoulder and said, "Kim, let me handle it OK sweetie? You should be ashamed of yourself," he told the doctor. "Scaring an innocent little girl!! She is a mess!"

Adrian let go of his sister and said, "Would you all stop arguing? You're scaring her more!" Emma quietly got up and asked, " What is leukemia?" The doctor explained to them all, "Leukemia is simply when white blood cells, certain ones, grow uncontrollably.. Normal white blood cells protect the body from infection. It can also mess with your red blood cells and platelets. You're going to have to have alot of work done, be we'll get it in remission, which is when it stops producing defective cells, but it may come back, If it does, it could come back stronger or weaker that before. No one can ever tell." The doctor turned to Kim and Ron. "Can you all come in tomorrow so we can start her on chemo therapy?" Ron and Kim looked at each other and said, "Yes, we will be sure to do that."

"You can all go home and rest. We have a lot of work to do tomorrow." the doctor told them. They went home and they sat in the living room and watched television, and later, Kim and Ron tucked their children in to bed. Emma had mixed emotions. She didn't know whether to be excited because she finally knew what was wrong with her or scared out of her mind because she had a deadly disease.

Chapter 5- Can They Cure Her?

Emma awoke the next morning - the morning she was to go to the hospital for her first round of chemo therapy to fight off her newly diagnosed leukemia - feeling very weak. "Daddy!" she called down the hall.

Ron came running down the hallway, stopping at Emma's door. "Yes, Princess? What's the matter?"

"I am wide awake, but I am very weak. Will you please carry me to the kitchen?" Emma asked her father,

"Sure thing darling." Ron scooped up his favorite little girl in his arms and carried her to the kitchen,

"Hey there Sissy! Ho are you feeling today?" Adrian asked curiously.

"Hi. I'm pretty weak, but other than that, I am pretty good!" said Emma brightly. "May I have some breakfast Mommy?"

"Sure sweetheart, but only a small amount. When they gie you te chemo later, you may throw it up."

"Yes ma'am." Emma poured herself a bowl of cereal and ate it slowly, savoring every bite.

At the stroke of 9 o' clock, they were off to the children's Hospital in Denver, in Kim's care that her father had given her and her brothers fixed up when she was at the age of 17 years old. Emma didn't exactly know what chemo therapy was, so she was nervous. She held Adrian's hand the whole drive and all the way t the hospital room where she would be staying while they cured her. Everyone was nervous in fact! Adrian also did not know what chemotherapy was so he was holding her hand equally as tight as she was grasping his.

Soon, a nurse came in and stuck and IV in Emma's arm, and started her chemotherapy. The nurse told Emma, Adrian, Ron and Kim to just go to sleep, because the chemo drip was set to slow, so it would take at least two hours. Emma was so deep in sleep that she had to be carried out to the car when it was time to go home, and she woke up when they hit the driveway of their home in Middleton, Colorado.

She had to go to the doctor, to check the progress that the chemotherapy had made, the next day. When Emma awoke the next morning, she was nauseous.