Author's Note: A big thanks to all those who've reviewed. It means so much to me. Sorry I'm taking so long with this. I had to do my taxes, and now we have band concerts and competitions and dance recitals coming up. But I'll try not to leave you hanging for too long. The usual thanks to Trish for proofreading. And as always, I appreciate any reviews and helpful comments.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, but I do own the rights to this story.
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The smell of freshly brewed coffee pulled Misty from a deep sleep to a pleasant state of drifting where the only sensations that mattered were the softness of a down-filled pillow, the comfortable support of a mattress, and the smooth, cool touch of fine cotton sheets. She started to roll onto her right side, but stopped abruptly as pain brought reality intruding on the peaceful contentment of moments before.
She opened her eyes and came fully awake, memory presenting her with an explanation for the pain. Surgery. She had come home from the hospital just yesterday after undergoing a lumpectomy and the removal of thirteen lymph nodes. It was hard to believe it was only a little over a week ago that Dr. Harris had called to inform her that the lump she had discovered was malignant. The information she'd had to absorb and the details she'd had to deal with since then had become the entire focus of her world.
She had been given choices regarding surgery and follow-up treatment. Dr. Harris had laid out all the options the day she and Ash had gone to see him. She could have a lumpectomy, which involved removal of the lump and a small amount of surrounding tissue, followed by radiation therapy. Or she could have a mastectomy, which meant the removal of her entire breast. No other treatment was necessary in this case, but this option came with its own set of choices as to breast reconstruction. She could have reconstruction done immediately, she could wait and have it done later, or if she wanted, she could opt not to have it done at all. And then there were different methods of reconstruction to consider.
It had all been so overwhelming - too much information with too little time to think about it. She had felt like she was caught up in a flood, being propelled along at breakneck speed by forces over which she had no control. But Ash had been strong for her. He had taken over and taken care of her when it seemed her own thinking capabilities had deserted her. He had been relentless in questioning the doctors, gathering statistics, organizing the information and making sure she understood all of it, and helping her weigh all the options.
Misty had taken several days to make her decision, often deciding on one course of action and being certain that it was the right choice, only to change her mind a couple of hours later. Ash hadn't pressured her, but he had encouraged her to have the mastectomy. He said he didn't care if she didn't have a breast, he just didn't want to lose her, and he felt a mastectomy would give her the best chance for survival. This was her feeling too, but, ultimately, after research on survival statistics showed no difference, she had chosen the lumpectomy. The removal of the lymph nodes was necessary to see if the cancer had spread.
And now the news was good. No cancer whatsoever was found in any of the lymph nodes. The pathologist had found that one of the margins surrounding the tumor wasn't completely clear, but she had been assured that this was just a few stray cells, and that an increase in the dosage of radiation was all that was needed to take care of it.
Sometime in the last few days she had come to terms with the dreaded C-word. She had avoided it at first, tiptoeing around it on the theory that if she didn't say it, it wasn't real. When she'd called Jessie and later, her sisters, she would only say that she'd found a lump and it was malignant. Now she could say it - 'I have breast cancer'. Yes, it was just semantics, but it had been a tough hurdle.
She had received an amazing amount of support from friends and family, not all of it just good wishes and prayers, although there had been plenty of those too. Delia Ketchum, Jessie, and Gary's wife Debra had taken care of the children, and had also handled meals and housework. And James and Gary had been there for Ash, as well, helping out at the gym so that he could spend his time with Misty, and also lending sympathetic ears when he needed to talk.
The frenetic pace had slowed down now. The radiation treatment wouldn't begin for several weeks, the time being necessary to allow Misty's surgical incisions to heal. She could finally relax, reflect, take a figurative breath, and take charge of her life once more.
She hadn't asked 'Why me?' although she very well could have. She had read all about the various factors believed to increase a woman's risk of breast cancer, and only a couple of them applied to her - she had waited till she was almost thirty to have her first child, and she was taking birth control pills. Or at least she had been up until the surgery. It seemed her cancer was the type that grows faster when exposed to estrogen, which put an immediate halt to that form of contraception. As for the other risk factors, she had no family history of the disease, she didn't start menstruating at an early age, she had no history of non-cancerous breast disease, and she was young. Well … relatively young. Statistics said that only 5% of breast cancer cases involved women under the age of 40, and she wouldn't be 40 until … today.
A wave of sadness rushed over Misty at the realization that today was her birthday. "Yay, me," she muttered, allowing herself a brief indulgence in self-pity. This was not how she had envisioned celebrating turning 40. Recovering from surgery was not enjoyable under any circumstances, and it definitely took the fun out of a birthday.
"Sammy! Let me in front!" A shouted whisper, if there is such a thing, came from the stairs.
"No way, Laurel! I'm going first!"
"Shhh! Quiet, you two! This is supposed to be a surprise!"
Misty grinned at the sound of her husband's voice, which was just as loud as the two children he was trying to quiet. Quickly, she closed her eyes and tried to relax her face into the natural pose of someone still asleep.
"Happy Birthday!!"
Misty opened her eyes and smiled as Sammy and Laurel came into the room, each carrying a gaily wrapped package. Ash followed them, one hand behind his back, his eyes twinkling at Misty. "What's all this?" She asked in feigned surprise as she used her left arm to raise herself to a sitting position.
"It's your birthday, Mommy!" Laurel shouted, pushing past Sammy and rushing over to the bed.
"It is?! I forgot all about it!"
Sammy snorted and rolled his eyes to show his mother he saw through her charade. He came to the side of the bed, kissed her cheek and placed his present beside her. "Happy Birthday, Mom."
Misty started to pick up the large square package, but realized it was too heavy for her in her current condition. She wasn't supposed to do any lifting with her right arm for quite a while. So she left the gift laying beside her and began ripping the paper to reveal a leather-bound set of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. "Oh, Sammy!" she exclaimed. "Thank you so much! It's my absolute favorite!"
"I know. That's what Dad said," Sammy replied with a grin.
She ran her fingers lovingly over the books, then gave her son a kiss and a hug.
"Open mine now, Mommy! Open mine!" Laurel set her package in her mother's hands.
This one was smaller than Sammy's package, but was still rather heavy, so Misty laid it in her lap and tore off the paper. Laurel's gift was a tabletop fountain set in a bowl full of tumbling stones, with places for small potted plants. "Laurel, I love it! I've been wanting one just like this. Thank you, sweetie!" She hugged the little girl and then kissed her forehead.
"Now you, Daddy!" Laurel grabbed Ash's hand and pulled him over to the bed.
Ash produced a beautiful bouquet of pink roses from behind his back. Presenting them to his wife, he said softly, "Happy Birthday, Sweetheart."
She accepted them, bringing them to her nose and inhaling the delicate fragrance. She looked up at her husband and said in an equally soft voice, "Thank you, Ash. They're lovely."
"You're welcome," he replied, then picked up the set of books on the bed and handed them to Sammy. "Set these on the dresser, Sammy, please?" He gave Laurel the box containing the fountain. "Put this over there too, Baby." He sat down on the side of the bed as the two children placed the gifts on the dresser. "Alright, now scram." He smiled at them with tenderness, jerking a thumb toward the bedroom door. "And shut the door on your way out."
The kids raced out of the room, laughing as they closed the door.
"And don't fight!!" Ash yelled. He turned back to Misty and grinned as he pulled a long, narrow black box from his shirt pocket. "You didn't think the flowers were all I got you, did you?"
She returned the grin, rather cheekily. "Well, maybe I was hoping for a little more." She took the box he held out to her, holding her breath as she opened it as slowly as she could. Laying on a bed of velvet was the most exquisite bracelet she had ever seen. Brilliant oval-cut sapphires alternating with round diamond solitaires were mounted in a magnificent platinum setting. "Oh, Ash!" she gasped. "I've never seen anything like it! It's ... well, it's just ... I can't even think of a word! It's so incredible! Thank you!"
Ash took the bracelet from the box and fastened it around her wrist, kissing the pulse on the inside of her wrist when he was done. Keeping her hand by his face, he looked into her eyes, his heart evident in his gaze. He leaned over and kissed her, keeping his lips on hers as he whispered, "I love you, Myst."
Caressing his cheek, she kissed him as well, and also whispered against his lips, "I love you, too, Ash."
He drew away and stared out the window for a minute, then turned back to her as he spoke. "Misty, I want to talk to you about something."
She drew her eyebrows together at the seriousness in his voice, but just said, "Alright."
Ash took a deep breath and took both her hands in his. "I want you to get a second opinion on your radiation treatment." He placed a finger against her lips as she started to speak. "Please, hear me out. I'm really concerned about this margin that isn't clear. What the doctors said about just increasing the amount of radiation doesn't fit with the things I've read about."
She looked knowingly at him. "You already have something in mind, don't you?"
"Yes," he acknowledged. "There's an interdisciplinary breast cancer clinic at University Hospital in Viridian City. Since they're a teaching hospital, they're on the leading edge of all the latest research and technology. You'd have a whole team of doctors making sure this is the right thing to do. I want you to go. Will you do this for me? Please?"
She sat unmoving for a few moments, then nodded her head. "Okay."
He smiled and got to his feet, giving her a quick kiss on top of her head. "I'll go make the appointment right now." He left the room, intent on his mission, leaving Misty staring out the window with the uneasy feeling that her troubles had only begun.
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To be continued ...