A Scent of a Woman
by Shaolin Kitten
Part 20
"Oh Kwai, I love it." Laura brought the bottle up to her nose and breathed in its fragrance. "How were you able to make this? You know Jasmine is my favorite." As Laura placed the bottle down to give her husband a hug, their now one year old son tried to grab for the bottle. "No, Peter that is not for you to play with."
As she pulled the bottle out of his reach, Peter immediately began kicking and screaming.
"Peter! That is not proper behavior." Kwai Chang frowned at his son.
Peter looked up at his father and started to suck on his fingers, still whimpering and trying to reach for the bottle. Laura marveled at how their son seemed to follow her husband's reprimands even more so than her's. She could not blame him though her illness had prevented her from getting close to her son the way she should have been. She was glad that Kwai Chang had proven to be a loving father and provider. Though Kwai Chang still had to work outside the home, he still had enough trust in her to take care of their son, regardless of her condition. On days when she was feeling poor, Ping Hai, Michael, and even Master Kwahn would come and help out whenever she needed assistance.
"Why don't you hold the bottle and let him sniff it?"
Laura removed the top and held it out for her son. Peter grabbed the bottle and tried to hold it himself but Laura kept a firm grip. He sniffed at the wonderful fragrance that was drifting from the container and he squealed with delight.
"I think he likes it, too," Laura said with a smile. Suddenly she doubled over from the pain in her chest. Kwai was quickly dropping to her side and grabbing her hand, feeling just how much pain his wife was in. It hurt him to see her like this. Each incident continued to remind them that her time was growing shorter.
"I will get you some tea."
"Thank you Kwai. I saw the doctor yesterday and he said that he was quite surprised at how long I've lasted. Apparently, whatever you are giving me seems to be prolonging my life. Mind you it's not curing it. Nothing can do that. The valve is in just too bad a shape, but the tea seems to help relieve some of the symptoms, at least for a while."
Kwai Chang Caine came in carrying a tray with the steaming cup of tea. He handed her the cup without saying a word. Being reminded that her life would be ending sooner than it should made him feel inadequate. He had tried all kinds of concoctions in hopes that what the doctor had told him had been wrong, but other tests that had been done had proven the doctor's original diagnosis. The kind of damage that had been done could only be fixed by surgery. Surgery of this type was still in the experimental stage and there just wasn't enough time for his wife to benefit. He hoped that, someday in the near future, no one else would have to suffer through what his wife was going through now.
During the solace of meditation, when his wife and son slept, Kwai Chang often cried out his rage and grief. Many times he would ask himself, why. It was not fair that his wife, his angel, the greatest love of his life would be leaving him alone. No, not alone. He had Peter. He was a part of her. All he would have to do to bring her back would be to look into the face of his son. He could see the potential, even now, of how he would grow. Red highlights could be seen within his soft dark curly hair. His mouth had her fullness and his features were more like hers than his. Only his eyes contained any hint that Peter was his son. He even seemed to have more of her temperament than his, yet there was something more hinted at deep down within his chi that whispered through the ages that here, too, was a Shaolin waiting to rise.
Many times in the course of a month, Kwai Chang tried to talk to his wife of Peter's potential. Each time she always managed to brush him off and change the subject. She would tell him there was plenty of time to decide Peter's future and that she trusted his judgement above all else. Kwai Chang however, felt that they had to make the time before it would be too late. He wanted her input. He wanted to know if what he was thinking would be right. But that time would never come. Kwai Chang was called away for several months. He reluctantly gathered his things and hoped that there would be someone to look after his wife and son. During that time, Laura's illness was at it's weakest. She seemed to rally and she insisted he go. She promised him that she would be fine, but made sure he promised to be back by their son's second birthday. When he returned, he found Laura was bedridden again. Ping Hai was with her. Peter was asleep in his room. Dropping his belongings, he knelt down on the floor by the bed. He could feel her chi was weak. No amount of tea would help her this time. It would only be a matter of weeks, a few months on the outside. Kwai Chang vowed never to leave her side again. She needed him and their son was going to need him more than ever.
End of Part 20