Fearing Goodbye
Chapter 21
Momo watched the headlights of yet another car go past her house and into the night.
"I guess that one wasn't him either…" Momo sighed.
"You should go inside before it gets too cold," Rangiku said, shivering a little as she sat next to Momo on the doorsteps.
"No, I'm staying out here to wait for him," Momo said insistently, "I have to tell him the good news."
"How do you know that he'll come here tonight? Maybe he went to a place too far away for a one day trip and rented a room at an inn for the night, or maybe he decided that it was too late to stop by here and planned to come in the morning instead," Rangiku said.
"No, I'm certain that he'll come. He almost always visits to say goodnight, and when he doesn't he at least gives me a phone call," Momo replied.
"If you say so, but I'll have to go soon and I don't want you sitting out here all night," Rangiku said.
"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine," Momo assured her, "You can go home if you like, I'm perfectly fine on my own."
"Well if you say so…" Rangiku said, standing up to go to her car, "If you need anything else though, call me, okay?"
"Sure Rangiku, have a nice night," Momo said. Rangiku nodded and went off to her car, driving off into the night moments later.
Momo sighed. She had been waiting for Toushiro all evening, eager to tell him the good news. If there was a treatment out there, she would now almost certainly be able to afford it. Even if they couldn't find a treatment for her, they would at least be able to afford the best doctors possible so that she would at least live long enough to deliver her baby.
Momo reflexively put a hand over her belly at the thought of her and Toushiro's unborn child. She had to survive just a bit longer, for the sake of the baby. Her body was weak, but she was determined to go through with the pregnancy. Even if she didn't make it, she hoped that she would at least be able to give birth to the baby before she died. Hopefully she would now be able to afford treatments that could least extend her life long enough to deliver her child.
"Hey Momo, I-"
"Waaaaaaaaah!" Momo shouted throwing her arms up in the air and jumping in surprise at the sudden voice. She only then realized that Toushiro was standing right next to her.
"What was that about?" he asked. Momo took several deep breaths before responding.
"T-Toushiro, don't sneak up on me like that! You're going to give me a heart attack, and- hey, why are you smiling?" She said in indignation as Toushiro looked at her with a rare smile. He suddenly embraced her.
"Momo, I have wonderful news," he whispered, "I found a person who knows a way to treat you!" Momo stared at him in shock.
"Treat me? But… but all these years, no one has ever-"
"He can do it," Momo said, "I've scheduled an appointment with his colleague two days from now who will explain the types of procedures that could be used to cure you. You're going to live Momo. Both you and the baby are going to live." Momo stared at Toushiro in shock for a moment. Her face was at first frozen in place, but then tears began to flow from her eyes. She buried her head in Toushiro's shoulder and cried loudly.
"Momo, I said that there was a way to treat you! That's a good thing! Why are you crying?" Toushiro said in alarm. Momo sniffled and looked up at him with a smile.
"I'm just so happy," she said softly.
"You're weird," Toushiro said, rolling his eyes. Momo giggled a little bit.
"Well at least I don't sneak up on people and scare them. How did you get here without me noticing?" Momo said.
"I parked my car at my house and then walked over here. It was a nice night for it. Speaking of which, I should probably go back now," he said. Momo grabbed onto his arm before he could move though.
"Don't go Toushiro. I… I have good news too. I met a man today… he's an art dealer. He bought some of my paintings and he's going to buy more!" Momo said.
"That's great Momo, but if you need money for food and stuff, I can always-"
"Not for food! The treatment! Even if you found the treatment, it wouldn't do any good if we couldn't afford it! This guy paid me 25,000 Euros and there's more where that came from!" Momo said excitedly. Toushiro's eyes widened.
"Thousand? Are you sure he didn't just say 25 Euros?" he asked in disbelief.
"See for yourself," Momo said with a grin, pulling out a wad of purple bills. Toushiro shakily took one of them and looked at it. It was just as he had seen in pictures, a 500-Euro banknote.
"This means…" he said slowly, trailing off.
"We don't just have the treatment, we have a way to pay for it! And after my condition is cured, we'll have enough money to properly raise a family. Toushiro… I don't know how to express how happy I am right now!" Momo said, tears again flowing down her cheeks as she smiled.
"I do," Toushiro said. With that, he kissed her. He put his hands on the side of her head, stroking her hair as their lips lovingly met. When they separated, Momo looked deeply into Toushiro's eyes.
"Could you stay over here tonight? I… I really want to be with you…" she said.
"I suppose I could stay here for a while," Toushiro said.
"Thanks Toushiro. Are you fine sleeping in my bed?" Momo said.
"Sure," Toushiro replied.
Momo smiled and took Toushiro's hand, leading him inside the house. She didn't care about doing anything else that evening, she just wanted to be in Toushiro's loving embrace. When they arrived in her room, she quickly began pulling her clothes off. Once she was undressed, she quickly got under the blankets, waiting for Toushiro.
"Momo…" Toushiro said slowly.
"Don't worry Toushiro, I'm not planning on doing anything tonight, I'm just comfortable this way," Momo explained.
After a moment of thought, Toushiro nodded and stripped down to his boxers before getting into bed with her. Momo quickly cuddled up against him.
"I love you Toushiro," she said, giving him a kiss.
"I love you too, Momo," Toushiro replied, putting his arm around her and pulling her close. Momo smiled.
"I feel so safe and secure when I'm with you," she said, "I know that you'll take care of me and the baby. Thanks to you, I'm more hopeful than I've ever been before. I can barely even imagine going back to the way I was just last year."
"You've grown since then, Momo," Toushiro said, "I can tell that you're a much stronger woman now than then." Momo giggled a little bit at Toushiro's reference to her as a woman, not a girl.
"It's amazing, isn't it Toushiro?" Momo said, "I have a little person growing inside of me. In a few months, I'm going to give birth, and we'll be parents!"
"Yeah, that's normally how pregnancy works," Toushiro said wryly.
"Oh Toushiro, don't be like that!" Momo scolded, "Surely you must feel excited about this too?" Toushiro's immediate response was to put his hand on Momo's bare tummy, causing her to blush.
"Of course I do," he said, "I love you Momo, and the idea of you giving birth to our child is an exciting thought. I'm very worried of course, but the prospect of us living together as a family is a wonderful one. I know you'll be a wonderful mother, and hopefully I'll be a satisfactory father."
"Oh Toushiro," Momo giggled as Toushiro began rubbing her tummy, "You'll definitely be a wonderful father." She put her hand over Toushiro's so that their hands were both positioned over where the baby grew inside of her.
"I love you, Momo," Toushiro said.
"And I love you, Toushiro," Momo said, closing her eyes and resting her head against Toushiro. Soon, they were both fast asleep.
---
"I see… so you're Miss Hinamori then?" a man in a doctor's coat said, eyeing Momo and Toushiro from across his desk.
"Yes Dr. Bernard," Momo said, "Thank you for seeing me."
"My old colleague, Professor Morgan, spoke to you about the basics of the situation and procedure, correct?" Dr. Bernard asked.
"He explained it briefly, but if you could provide a more detailed description…" Toushiro said slowly.
"Of course," the doctor said, "Basically, Momo's heart is about 30% smaller than normal for a girl her age, and the right atrium – that is, the part of the heart that pumps oxygenated blood through the body – is particularly underdeveloped. The hearts muscles are weak and are prone to irregular heartbeat, or even slowing to a near stop at times. A defect in the interventricular septum reduces the efficiency of the already weak heart and several narrow arteries and valves make it even more difficult for the heart to pump blood. It's… a very grave condition."
"We know that, but what about the treatment?" Toushiro said insistently, "That Morgan guy said that you and him developed ways to treat this sort of thing."
"Indeed, we have crafted several experimental treatments for such individuals. They are revolutionary; most doctors wouldn't even be familiar with them, let alone be able to perform them. However, I am confident in my methodology, and there are three distinct procedures that could potentially help you," Bernard said.
"Well what are they?" Toushiro asked anxiously.
"First, let me ask you something," Bernard said, "I know that Momo here is pregnant. Do you plan to have the procedure done before she gives birth?"
"Yes," Momo and Toushiro said together.
"I see," Bernard said, "In that case, you should know that the procedure must be done as soon as possible. The further your pregnancy progresses, the more dangerous the procedure will become. I believe that I will be able to perform it so that both you and the fetus will emerge unharmed, but it will certainly be more risky than if it were done while you weren't pregnant. Ordinarily, I'd have to refuse to perform it on you until after the baby has been delivered, but give the circumstances, that's not really an option."
"How soon?" Momo asked.
"As soon as possible. Within a month, ideally. Every day that goes by, the danger to you and the fetus will increase," Bernard explained, "Now, it's possible that you'll need blood transfusions during the surgery, so we'll need a donor of the same blood-type as-"
"I'll do it," Toushiro said immediately, "Both Momo and I have type O-negative blood. I know it's one of the rarest types, and is the only type compatible with other O-negative individuals."
"That's very noble of you, but we already stockpile plenty of blood of all types," Bernard said, "Unfortunately, we don't have a matching donor whose heart we would be able to use."
"A heart transplant? I've already talked to doctors about that, they said that it wouldn't work with me," Momo said.
"That would be true under normal circumstances. It's not just your heart that needs replacing, it's several major arteries, veins, and valves. That's beyond the imagination of most doctors, and they wouldn't dare even try a heart transplant on someone like you. If they did, they would end up causing more harm than good. However, with my methodology, I believe I have a way to successfully transplant another heart with yours. By using a young heart and transplanting not only the heart itself, but the entire system of arteries around it, the process would be much more effective. Over time, the young heart would 'grow into' Momo's body in a way that a normal heart transplant wouldn't."
"But you said that you didn't have a donor," Momo said.
"Yes, unfortunately there are very few heart donors of the proper age and size that we are looking for. Younger people who die in accidents aren't as likely to have organs their organs donated. The only type of person whose heart would be able to work on you is someone who has a healthy heart around the same size as your defective heart. Eventually, that smaller heart would grow into a heart suitable for your body size, but if we tried implanting a heart from someone just a little older or bigger than you, your body wouldn't be able to handle it well," Bernard said with a sigh, "We did locate one donor who had a heart of the proper size and age, but she's brain-dead and on life support with another person expected to receive the heart, and unless something comes up, it's unlikely that we'll receive it."
"So there's nothing to do except wait and hope for dumb luck then?" Toushiro asked with a hint of anger.
"No, of course not! Didn't I say that I had three procedures that would work?" Bernard said, "Professor Morgan favored the transplant procedure, but I'm personally somewhat glad that it won't work out. That procedure is hideously difficult to perform, and requires that you be under anesthesia for a very long time. A somewhat simpler procedure involves injections to widen the arteries and increase the strength of the heart. The injections to the arteries will work by expanding them to allow more blood flow, and the injections to the heart will strengthen the muscles in several key areas. Think of them as a type of steroids for your heart as a crude metaphor. Eventually, the hope is that the heart will grow stronger and gain more resemblance to a normal heart. This would have a lower estimated success rate, but it would also be the safest procedure to perform."
"What about the other procedure?" Toushiro asked.
"Well, that one is a bit of a middle ground," Bernard said, "We would use surgery to artificially expand the arteries around the heart, and insert grafted muscle tissue into the heart to help it run stronger. It wouldn't be the same as a heart transplant, but we would have a bit more freedom with donor tissue, as we wouldn't need an entire heart, and it wouldn't need to be as immediate. We could also use synthetic materials to strengthen the heart's structure. This is the procedure that I would personally recommend. It has a lower chance of curing your condition in the long-term, but in the short-term it will be the most effective, and we can always try further procedures in the future."
Momo and Toushiro were silent for a minute, thinking over what had been said.
"What would we need to do to go through with one of these procedures?" Toushiro finally said.
"Well, there is a great deal of paperwork of course, and you'll need work out the payments, but hopefully that shouldn't take too long, at least not so long as to delay the procedure," Bernard said, "We'll need to schedule the time to go through with it too. I'll be the main person working on her, but I'll need to make sure several of my staff and colleagues will be present as well. Oh, and I'd like you to find a family member who will be able to make medical decisions for you while you're unable to do so yourself. According to the information, your mother is-"
"No!" Momo practically yelled, "No, I want nothing to do with her! She abandoned me because of my condition! I don't even want to look at a picture of her! I have no mother as far as I'm concerned!"
"Okay then, how about your aunt? According to your records you lived with her for some time," Bernard suggested.
"No, she has enough problems," Momo said, "She lost her husband, and she has to work multiple jobs to take care of her kids. She's already given me more than enough; I don't want to trouble her further. Besides, she lives too far away."
"You're going to have to choose somebody to fulfill the role…"
"I'll do it," Toushiro said.
"That's very generous of you, but it's usually preferred that such a person be a family member, spouse, or guardian. Since you don't occupy any such role, I can't let you serve as her medical representative at your age," Bernard said.
"Fine, then I'll enter into such a role!" Toushiro said firmly, "Momo, will you marry me?"
Momo stared at him in shock for a moment as his words sunk in.
"M-Marry you?" she asked quietly. Toushiro nodded.
"Yes. If we're married, I can legally make medical decisions for you, not to mention the fact that I'd be able to transfer funds to you that my parents have been blocking. There are plenty of other benefits too, but the most important is that it shows you how much I care about you," Toushiro said. Momo still looked a little dazed.
"Marriage…" she whispered, "We're… so young… and we can't afford a ceremony, can we?"
"We're old enough. I love you Momo, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I'm old enough to know that. As for a ceremony, as long as we're together, I don't care about an expensive ceremony. A marriage license doesn't require anything fancy to be granted, and I don't need a fancy wedding to confirm the fact that I love you. What do you say Momo?" Toushiro said, looking into her eyes. Her eyes glistened with tears of joy as she suddenly embraced him.
"Oh Toushiro… Yes! Yes I will marry you! I want to be with you for the rest of my life! I love you, Toushiro!" she said, giving him a loving kiss.
Thanks for reading. Thank you to nexuswarrior, Silent Star of Silent Night, AznVKai, KnowledgeandImagination, MercuryGoddess, Saara Cullen, DW64, Merciless Ruby, lovelyxpeach, MoonLightView, moonlight gabriel, ScienceAngel, Sonozaki-sama, divprince, AznInvasionGirl, and orangepumpkins for reviewing! Please review!