Chapter 17
A week later, Brady and Chloe set up married housing in a two-story penthouse. They had just returned from their honeymoon, a beautiful five- day trip that they had spent in Florida. Isabella had been a miracle worker to arrange the trip so quickly.
So one day, while sitting down together on the couch, one of the few pieces of furniture which Chloe and Brady had in their new home, the television set turned to an early morning cartoon, Chloe became dizzy. She held her hand to her head trying to calm the intensifying wave that was sweeping through her. Brady turned to her with a concerned look on his face.
"Chloe, what's wrong…" He said quietly, dreading what was coming.
Chloe looked up at him, about to say something when her body suddenly went limp. She fell backwards onto the couch where she began twitching.
"Oh my god!" Brady picked her up and ran out the door of the penthouse and drove her to the hospital. "Damn!" He yelled, stealing constant glances at his wife who was now completely unconscious in the seat beside him.
***
The doctor walked slowly out of the emergency room where Brady stood waiting anxiously for any news. He had not yet had a chance to call Craig for he was worried that the fear in his voice would have given him a heart attack.
"What's happened, is she alright?" He asked, looking anxiously at the doctor.
"Well, she has suffered quite a serious seizure. It has left her unconscious at the moment, and it is hard for her to breathe on her own. She will have to be put on a ventilator."
"A ventilator?" Brady repeated in shock. "As in life support?"
"That's exactly what it is, Mr. Black." The doctor nodded his head solemnly.
"Damn it! The doctors gave her two months! Two months! It's barely been two weeks!" He cried in anger, looking at the closed door behind the doctor. "Let me in to see her now!"
"I'm afraid we can't. She is in a very critical state. Yet we have found that the cancer is growing inside her bones, yet we don't know how much that will help us."
"Damn! Damn you and this damn hospital! Why can't you help her?" Brady said, running his hands through his hair and looking up at the ceiling. The doctor shook his head slowly, a saddened expression on his face.
"We would be as upset as you if we lost Chloe Wesley from our lives. She was a blessing to all of us." Then he turned and walked back into Chloe's room, closing the door with a soft click behind him.
Brady turned around and walked back down the hallways in an effort to pass the time. He looked at the telephone sitting on the front desk. He moved towards it quietly and picked it up, dialing Craig's number.
Craig was quite shocked when he heard the news and came straight over, yelling for a chance to see his daughter, but like Brady, he was turned down. Craig paced around the door, looking up every now and then at the angered features of his son-in-law. He too became quite angry, staying in the hospital until well past the visiting hours. The nurses urged them to leave, but was unsuccessful. The security did not even attempt it; this was a serious and sad time for everyone in the town. People in such a small town the likes of Salem didn't die every day. Especially when they had so much to live for.
Finally, at eleven o'clock, they let the two men in to see Chloe. She was awake and very pale, her hair strewn over the pillow in limp strands. She looked wearily at them as they entered, giving them a week smile. Brady sat down next to her and took her hand gently in his. Craig sat silently at the foot of the bed.
"Chloe honey, how are you feeling?" He asked softly, not knowing if he could contain the tears at the sight before him. His daughter had tubes in her arm and one in her neck, helping her breath. She was very pale and had dark circles forming under her eyes. Yet she kept her smile. That smile brightened all that was not right with the picture and made Craig want to cry even harder.
Brady watched her silently as she spoke.
"I am feeling pretty rotten daddy." She said honestly, her voice quiet and airy. "And it doesn't help that I have something stuck in my throat because it's very itchy. I guess I don't look to good either huh?" She said softly, trying to laugh but failing miserably as her giggles turned to coughs.
"Chloe, you are beautiful, no matter what." Brady broke in, looking at her lovingly. She looked so fragile in the white hospital gown they had put her in, leaned up against the white pillows and blankets.
Chloe smiled as best she could at the comment, but it hurt to smile. The seizure had left a serious, lasting affect on Chloe's body, and she felt next to paralyzed.
Craig smiled and nodded his head.
"We're going to get through this pumpkin." Then he turned to Brady. "I'm going to leave you here alone with her alright son? I need to finish up and article at home. Now you take care of him for me now won't you pumpkin?" He said, smiling at Chloe. Chloe nodded her head.
"I love you daddy." She grinned for a split second, after that having to return her grin to the small smile she had decided to keep on her face.
Craig stepped out of the room and down the hallway, out the doors and home.
***
At his house, he sat down quietly at his desk and continued with the follow up article he had decided to do on "The life and times of Sir Reginald Hemsby." He opened up the textbook he had sitting on his desk and resumed reading it.
"Sir Hemsby, upon receiving his degree in the human sciences and continuing on to be awarded his P.H.D, he started work at the first hospital of Salem in 1922, the town which he had discovered at the age of twenty-two."
'Wow, that was not too long ago…' Craig thought, stopping after the sentence. Then he continued on.
"He became one of the most well-known and most respected doctors in the city. Yet he wanted much more than to just be a good doctor. He wanted to find cures for the most serious illnesses that plagued the people of Salem. He set to work straight away, raising money for his research. He went through vast expenditures on equipment and tools to work through his studies. After years of research, the only thing he was able to share was that the rare strand of leukemia 'masilis corosivniallis', the patient, even in the worst state possible, can be sent into remission with a successful bone marrow transplant in which the marrow is matching his or her own. Yet he was still running tests when he mysteriously died one night while he conducted a study, his fellow researchers finding him dead the following morning. His grave was small, for most of the towns funds were dispensed on the in-depth studies of Sir Hemsby, no one wanting to donate any more than they already had. His body lies peacefully in the main cemetery of the town of Salem."
Craig sighed and turned back to his page that was half full of facts about the man. Then his eyes wandered curiously back to the textbook lying open on his desk. He focused in on the sentence that caught his eye.
"After years of research, the only thing he was able to share was that a rare strand of leukemia 'masilis corosivniallis', the patient, even in the worst state possible, can be sent into remission with a successful bone marrow transplant in which the marrow is matching his or her own."
He gasped. "Masilis corosivniallis, masilis corosivniallis…" He repeated the name again and again. Then it hit him all of a sudden, right between the eyes.
Masilis corosivniallis was the strand of leukemia that was threatening to pull his daughter out of his life forever.
*For anyone who has a P.H.D., I made the name 'masilis corosivniallis' up. Sorry if I confused you or if I just looked like an idiot who pretended to know what she was talking about.
A week later, Brady and Chloe set up married housing in a two-story penthouse. They had just returned from their honeymoon, a beautiful five- day trip that they had spent in Florida. Isabella had been a miracle worker to arrange the trip so quickly.
So one day, while sitting down together on the couch, one of the few pieces of furniture which Chloe and Brady had in their new home, the television set turned to an early morning cartoon, Chloe became dizzy. She held her hand to her head trying to calm the intensifying wave that was sweeping through her. Brady turned to her with a concerned look on his face.
"Chloe, what's wrong…" He said quietly, dreading what was coming.
Chloe looked up at him, about to say something when her body suddenly went limp. She fell backwards onto the couch where she began twitching.
"Oh my god!" Brady picked her up and ran out the door of the penthouse and drove her to the hospital. "Damn!" He yelled, stealing constant glances at his wife who was now completely unconscious in the seat beside him.
***
The doctor walked slowly out of the emergency room where Brady stood waiting anxiously for any news. He had not yet had a chance to call Craig for he was worried that the fear in his voice would have given him a heart attack.
"What's happened, is she alright?" He asked, looking anxiously at the doctor.
"Well, she has suffered quite a serious seizure. It has left her unconscious at the moment, and it is hard for her to breathe on her own. She will have to be put on a ventilator."
"A ventilator?" Brady repeated in shock. "As in life support?"
"That's exactly what it is, Mr. Black." The doctor nodded his head solemnly.
"Damn it! The doctors gave her two months! Two months! It's barely been two weeks!" He cried in anger, looking at the closed door behind the doctor. "Let me in to see her now!"
"I'm afraid we can't. She is in a very critical state. Yet we have found that the cancer is growing inside her bones, yet we don't know how much that will help us."
"Damn! Damn you and this damn hospital! Why can't you help her?" Brady said, running his hands through his hair and looking up at the ceiling. The doctor shook his head slowly, a saddened expression on his face.
"We would be as upset as you if we lost Chloe Wesley from our lives. She was a blessing to all of us." Then he turned and walked back into Chloe's room, closing the door with a soft click behind him.
Brady turned around and walked back down the hallways in an effort to pass the time. He looked at the telephone sitting on the front desk. He moved towards it quietly and picked it up, dialing Craig's number.
Craig was quite shocked when he heard the news and came straight over, yelling for a chance to see his daughter, but like Brady, he was turned down. Craig paced around the door, looking up every now and then at the angered features of his son-in-law. He too became quite angry, staying in the hospital until well past the visiting hours. The nurses urged them to leave, but was unsuccessful. The security did not even attempt it; this was a serious and sad time for everyone in the town. People in such a small town the likes of Salem didn't die every day. Especially when they had so much to live for.
Finally, at eleven o'clock, they let the two men in to see Chloe. She was awake and very pale, her hair strewn over the pillow in limp strands. She looked wearily at them as they entered, giving them a week smile. Brady sat down next to her and took her hand gently in his. Craig sat silently at the foot of the bed.
"Chloe honey, how are you feeling?" He asked softly, not knowing if he could contain the tears at the sight before him. His daughter had tubes in her arm and one in her neck, helping her breath. She was very pale and had dark circles forming under her eyes. Yet she kept her smile. That smile brightened all that was not right with the picture and made Craig want to cry even harder.
Brady watched her silently as she spoke.
"I am feeling pretty rotten daddy." She said honestly, her voice quiet and airy. "And it doesn't help that I have something stuck in my throat because it's very itchy. I guess I don't look to good either huh?" She said softly, trying to laugh but failing miserably as her giggles turned to coughs.
"Chloe, you are beautiful, no matter what." Brady broke in, looking at her lovingly. She looked so fragile in the white hospital gown they had put her in, leaned up against the white pillows and blankets.
Chloe smiled as best she could at the comment, but it hurt to smile. The seizure had left a serious, lasting affect on Chloe's body, and she felt next to paralyzed.
Craig smiled and nodded his head.
"We're going to get through this pumpkin." Then he turned to Brady. "I'm going to leave you here alone with her alright son? I need to finish up and article at home. Now you take care of him for me now won't you pumpkin?" He said, smiling at Chloe. Chloe nodded her head.
"I love you daddy." She grinned for a split second, after that having to return her grin to the small smile she had decided to keep on her face.
Craig stepped out of the room and down the hallway, out the doors and home.
***
At his house, he sat down quietly at his desk and continued with the follow up article he had decided to do on "The life and times of Sir Reginald Hemsby." He opened up the textbook he had sitting on his desk and resumed reading it.
"Sir Hemsby, upon receiving his degree in the human sciences and continuing on to be awarded his P.H.D, he started work at the first hospital of Salem in 1922, the town which he had discovered at the age of twenty-two."
'Wow, that was not too long ago…' Craig thought, stopping after the sentence. Then he continued on.
"He became one of the most well-known and most respected doctors in the city. Yet he wanted much more than to just be a good doctor. He wanted to find cures for the most serious illnesses that plagued the people of Salem. He set to work straight away, raising money for his research. He went through vast expenditures on equipment and tools to work through his studies. After years of research, the only thing he was able to share was that the rare strand of leukemia 'masilis corosivniallis', the patient, even in the worst state possible, can be sent into remission with a successful bone marrow transplant in which the marrow is matching his or her own. Yet he was still running tests when he mysteriously died one night while he conducted a study, his fellow researchers finding him dead the following morning. His grave was small, for most of the towns funds were dispensed on the in-depth studies of Sir Hemsby, no one wanting to donate any more than they already had. His body lies peacefully in the main cemetery of the town of Salem."
Craig sighed and turned back to his page that was half full of facts about the man. Then his eyes wandered curiously back to the textbook lying open on his desk. He focused in on the sentence that caught his eye.
"After years of research, the only thing he was able to share was that a rare strand of leukemia 'masilis corosivniallis', the patient, even in the worst state possible, can be sent into remission with a successful bone marrow transplant in which the marrow is matching his or her own."
He gasped. "Masilis corosivniallis, masilis corosivniallis…" He repeated the name again and again. Then it hit him all of a sudden, right between the eyes.
Masilis corosivniallis was the strand of leukemia that was threatening to pull his daughter out of his life forever.
*For anyone who has a P.H.D., I made the name 'masilis corosivniallis' up. Sorry if I confused you or if I just looked like an idiot who pretended to know what she was talking about.