Jessie sat next to Rick on the couch when he had sat down after he had just gotten home...
" I know you are worried... Because you don't know what could be wrong... But what's important is we are both here to help her when she needs us and right now she's okay she's holding her own so, go and get some sleep I'm gonna be here in the morning before you leave for the hospital..." Jessie gave Rick a hug and left to head home
Rick finally went up to bed and slightly pulled up the blanket so Lesley was more comfortable while she turned into his arms in contentment and Rick didn't waste his time to draw her close to his side.
" I love you Lesley.." Rick whispered
Early the next morning Rick had gotten up to make something small for Lesley while she was still asleep and the girls were up getting ready for school..
Rick started to head up the stairs when the girls started to head down
" Girls please don't run in the house... Especially when I'm carrying something like this up the stairs... And I don't want either of you guys to wake up your mother…"
Rick had just started to slightly walk in when Lesley started to wake up where she started to open her eyes to Rick sitting by her side with a smile on his face
" Morning Les, how are you feelin... Any better today than you were yesterday?" Rick asked
" I'm alright... You really didn't have to go all out for me... Even though I love you for it and love you in general Rick."
" Sweetheart it is no trouble and I will stand by your side no matter what trouble comes where... Besides, you need to eat and start gaining weight again. You are too thin and you can't go through the day without having something in your system."
Lesley wrapped her arms around Rick while trying to hide from showing the guilt that she was keeping her medical situation from him.. and he knew she was upset because to have her clinging to him about to cry, it was a clear sign that he knew she really needed him and wanted to tell him but couldn't seem to find the words to tell him that she was sick and wasn't getting better
" You know I can stay home here with you Lesley, it's no problem... We haven't had much time since I was in Nevada with Jeff and you were looking over the house, the kids and the hospital by yourself..."
" It's alright I'm gonna be okay... You go and help the patients who need you... Jessie will be here with me and if it were that something was to come up I promise Jessie will be on that phone to call you right away... Rick please don't be so worried... I hate it when you get so worried about me." Lesley replied hoping to ease Rick's mind
" I will go on one condition, Lesley... And that is that you will call me every couple of hours or so... So that I know that you are okay." Rick insisted
" I think I can do that... Oh and Rick... I love you.." Lesley responded as he headed out for the car and Jessie had just pulled up..
Lesley couldn't wait to let her smile fade out when Rick closed the door behind him as she felt sick to her stomach again thankfully Jessie had just pulled up and had walked in just as Lesley made an attempt for the bathroom when she started throwing up.
" Jessie I don't know that I can take much more of this…" Lesley stated while trying to control the nausea and the coughing " I almost Jess-Jessie I almost came to telling him... I just don't think I can tell him Jessie…" Lesley started to cry
" Hey, you are gonna be fine... I have no reason to think otherwise Lesley and you wanna know why?" Jessie started and continued when Lesley nodded " Because you have made it through alot of other things you weren't supposed to have survived in the past. You can get through this Lesley if you believe you can…" Jessie gave Lesley a hug and helped her to go and lay down for alittle bit before Dr Richards was to arrive with the means to start Lesley's treatment
~~~
Rick had just checked in as Monica was ready to get a patient into surgery
" Rick, I've been looking for you, where have you been?!" Monica said
" Not now Monica I have had a really difficult morning and last night wasn't any better with Lesley's condition... I'm sorry but whatever it is will have to wait." Rick barked and walked off
Monica shook her head and headed to get her patient into the operating room
Jessie and Alice were talking for a few moments before Dr Richards had shown up to start Lesley's treatment while Rick was tied up at the hospital and the kids were in school for the day.
" How is Dr Webber... I've been back and forth with Heather so much that I haven't had the chance to do my job around here..." Alice asked
" Mrs Grant, Lesley will be alright. The hope is that with switching to a new treatment plan and a stronger Chemotherapy, it will slow and maybe stop the progression of the cancer and later we can hopefully determine that she can be heading for a full remission... The danger though is that it can and it will weaken her immune system enough that any infection and things like that it would be a major problem for her..." Jessie explained
" But Dr Webber will overcome it and she will get through this issue isn't she?" Alice asked
" I wish I could tell you that for sure but I can't... What I can say is that we need to make sure that anyone who comes in the house has to wash their hands very thoroughly and they cannot be coming in with any other possible colds or viruses after today..." Jessie replied when getting up to answer the door
" Jerry you met Mrs Grant, she's the housekeeper and nanny for the kids... Um Lesley is resting I had her lie down for alittle while before you were to be here she had a difficult morning with the vomiting."
" It's no problem Jessie... I'll just head up and get started with things... It was nice to see you again Mrs Grant.." Dr Richards replied and headed upstairs
Dr Richards knocked slightly on the door when Lesley started to feel like she was about to start throwing up again.. " Come in.. Jerry it's okay I'm glad you're here... So we can start the treatment…"
" Lesley, how are you feeling? Jessie said you had a rough morning to start."
" I've seen better days... Today is difficult and I was able to see that Rick may have started to gather that something isn't right because he didn't want to leave... Jerry I want to tell him... I want to... But it scares me to tell him when we've had so much ahead for us and the kids..." Lesley admitted trying to keep the coughing under control while Dr Richards was setting and starting Lesley IV port.
" It's not easy but I think it would be better for you... Lesley I do um for you to finally tell Rick.. because for him to know, he would be with you every step. That and because you will need all the support that you are gonna need after today. This new stuff can and will weaken your immune system to the point where I may have to admit you for the duration of your treatment… the hope is that I won't have to but it's very rare that a patient in your situation gets to avoid being admitted to the hospital."
" It's not easy Jerry to tell him that I only have a small number of months to live... How would you tell your family or spouse?" Lesley asked directly..
" Tell you the truth I would have trouble myself in telling those that I love... However as we had said before we still have a chance to slow the progression where you can be able to try to spend the time you want to have… and you still have a good chance at going into remission." Dr Richards answered
" Is Jessie waiting in the hall...?" Lesley asked
" Of course she is... I'll send for her in a moment... I want to make sure that you are settled right with this new stuff, it's not the same Chemo that you were on a few weeks ago, it's a stronger chemo then what we started before." Dr Richards replied..
" I wish I could have told Rick about this... I just I hate keeping it from him."
Dr. Richards made sure Lesley was able to handle the new treatment while Jessie sat with her through the few short hours and he reminded Jessie and Lesley that it was imperative that exposure to infections could be more dangerous so any contact with anyone had to be unfortunately limited for a while.
" He didn't want to go Jessie…. Rick wanted to stay with me. Oh Jessie, how could I do this to him after everything he's ever done for me? How could I keep lying to him.?"
" Lesley that man loves you more than you could ever realize… when you were in acoma after that accident 15 years ago, Rick was beyond himself he was scared that he was gonna lose you too thankfully you were only temporarily paralyzed but the fact was Lesley, you're his whole life not just partner or wife."
" Just like he's my whole life… and like you… you've stuck your neck out for me so many times and t-to-took me under your wing… you became like a mother to me…"
" You need to get some rest and later after the girls are home I'll have one of them help with maybe drawing you a bath if that's what you want so when Rick does get home you guys can relax for the night."
~~~
Rick had just gotten back from surgery when Lesley and Jessie decided to give him a call to just say hi
" This is Dr Webber..." Rick answered
" So is this... Hi hon, I thought maybe I could call in for alittle bit..." Lesley replied
" It's always nice when you call, you know that... How are you feeling... Everything is okay?" Rick asked
" I'm okay Rick... I'm hanging in there especially when Jessie is here with me... And Dr Richards came by to see and talk with me for alittle while about a patient I referred to him... he's talking to Jessie while I have a chance to call you..." Lesley replied hoping that Rick wasn't gonna be suspicious about what was really going on.
" Lesley, are you sure you're alright... I keep getting the feeling that you have something that you want to tell me but you keep stopping yourself as if you're afraid to come to me about it..." Rick tried again to get her to open up to him
" Rick, everything is okay... I will see you later tonight... Are you working late tonight?" Lesley asked
" Sadly yes but only an hour or so after 7 so don't you go waiting up for me you just rest okay..." Rick answered as he was paged back to CICU.
" I love you Rick you go and do what you need to... And just call me alittle later.." Lesley said before getting off the phone
Over the next couple of hours Lesley was able to get some sleep while finishing up the first day of her new treatment plan while Jessie was downstairs talking to Gail on the phone.
" I'm sorry I wasn't able to answer before Gail, the doctor was upstairs with Lesley before while I was in with her as well.. today was the first of the new but stronger treatment plan so it was abit hectic here at the house…"
" Jessie it was no problem I can certainly understand the situation that's going on... How is Lesley... Later I thought about maybe stopping by to just talk and that?" Gail responded
" So far she's okay but it's also alittle too early to say with that yet... sadly Gail... Jerry was clear on that with this new treatment plan... He doesn't want Lesley to be around many people... he was adamant about avoiding with infections and other possible exposures"' Jessie replied
" That I can certainly understand... And avoiding exposures to infections is important... I think Lesley has had enough of major problems with infections... Listen, let her know that Lee and I send our love and we both are praying for her..." Gail responded before having to go.
" Course I will Gail..." Jessie got off the phone.
Lesley was asleep still as both Jesslyn and Genesis got home and had brought a couple of friends to just hang for alittle bit
" Girls what is going on here with all of this noise? Your mother is upstairs asleep…" Jessie said
" We were gonna go upstairs and just hang out as well as study..."
" Girls we are gonna have a chat alittle later but right now you have chores and homework to get to and your friends are gonna stay down here they can not be going upstairs." Jessie said sternfully.
~~~
Rick went on to finish his rounds before going to call in to check on Lesley but was suddenly paged to emergency when a bus crash had occurred just moments before he went on the last of his rounds
" Rick, we're gonna have to operate." Monica said while helping out in emergency
" I know that Monica however, I have another emergency that I have to follow up on before I get out of the hospital for the night to go home to Lesley… She's been very sick lately and I have no idea what and why… I'm very worried about her."
