Disclaimer: As much as I wish it, they still aren't mine.
Author: Catgurl83
Title: Shocking News
Feedback: Good or bad, all feedback is much appreciated.
Rating: G
Author's notes: Thanks for all of your reviews! I really appreciate all of your encouragement and suggestions.
Just so you all know, I fudged a bit with cannon and changed some things for the purposes of the story.
Thanks to Kimberly for beta reading this for me!
Happy holidays to everyone!!
************
"Ruthie had her transplant yesterday," Simon said softly.
"How is she?" she asked in concern.
"I don't know," he whispered. "I just can't go see her." He paused. "The doctors say that she isn't out of danger yet."
She took a deep breath. "It will be awhile before she is out of danger. There aren't any promises that something won't go wrong. There never are. But Simon, bone marrow transplants do work," she gave him a smile. "I'm living proof."
Simon met Deena's eyes. "Did it hurt?"
"The bone marrow transplant? I wasn't conscious so it didn't hurt me at all."
"What about when you woke up?"
"I really don't remember very much so I guess it couldn't have been too bad."
Simon nodded, relieved at the information.
They lapsed into silence, each caught up in their own emotions and thoughts.
Deena could remember the first time she heard that awful word, leukemia. She doubted that she'd ever forget. She had been eight-years-old, barely. She had had several bloody noses in one week, plus she had found a small knot near her ankle and had lacked energy to do much of anything besides sleep.
Her parents had taken her to the doctor and he had ordered several tests. He had spoken to her parents before speaking with her since she was so young.
A tear slipped down her cheek as she pictured her parents' expressions when they'd come to her room with her doctor to tell her. They had both been devastated and so worried, she had immediately known that something was wrong with her.
Her mother had sat down next to the bed and taken her hand. She had nearly whispered it, 'you're very sick Honey. It. it's. you have something called leukemia.'
With a small child's innocents she asked, 'leukemia, what is that? Am I going to be okay?'
Tears had fallen from both of her parents' eyes. 'I hope so, Baby,' her mother had whispered.
"It's just so scary," Simon whispered.
Deena swallowed back her memory. "It is."
Simon clenched his fists. "Why Ruthie?" he asked angrily. "Why does my baby sister have to have such a horrible disease? It just isn't fair."
Deena laid a hand on Simon's arm. "No it isn't."
"First you and now her. Why can't it be someone who deserves it?" he asked hoarsely.
It was almost a full minute before Deena answered him, her own voice hoarse with emotion. "I don't know. It is just one of those things. Leukemia doesn't choose people based on how good or bad they are. It just strikes randomly."
Silence once again engulfed them.
"What if she isn't okay, Deena?"
Deena turned on the pew so that she was facing Simon. Tears were falling from both of their eyes now. "If she dies, it will hurt but you'll be fine Simon. You're strong; you're whole family is. But I don't think that she is going to die Simon because Ruthie is strong too. She's fighting this disease and is going to continue to do so."
Simon nodded through his tears. "I hope you're right." He swallowed. "You have to be right."
"Simon? Are you alright?"
Simon and Deena both turned to see Chandler standing in the doorway looking concerned.
"Yeah, I'm going to be fine." Simon gave Deena a small smile, which she returned. He turned back to Chandler. "This is a friend of mine, Deena. Deena this is my father's associate pastor Chandler Hampton."
Chandler walked closer and Deena stood to shake his hand. "It is nice to meet you Reverend Hampton."
Chandler returned her greeting, studying Simon. The young man still looked pretty bad but he looked a lot better than he had the last time that he'd seen him.
"Thank you Deena," Simon told her quietly.
Deena leaned over and kissed his cheek, conscious of Reverend Hampton's eyes upon them. "Call me if you need to talk," she ordered Simon softly. She gave the older man a small smile as she walked out the door.
"Deena seems nice," Chandler commented.
"She is."
"You two seem close."
Simon was silent for several seconds as he debated what to tell Chandler. "Deena was my first serious girlfriend but then her family moved out of state. She had leukemia when she was a little girl."
"Her family moved back to town?"
Simon shook his head. "Just Deena. She starts college here next month."
"She must have really missed GlenOak." Or someone living in GlenOke, he added silently.
"Yeah," Simon agreed. Simon turned toward the door. "I've go to go."
"If you see Ruthie tell her that everyone is praying for her."
Simon froze. Could he do that? He swallowed hard, "I will."
***********
Matt stepped into the hospital waiting room and handed a Styrofoam cup filled with coffee to Mary. They were the only ones currently at the hospital. Lucy had left to register for her classes at the college and no one else had returned yet.
Mary wordlessly accepted the beverage and took a sip. The coffee wasn't good but it wasn't the worst that she had had either. Some of the airports that she frequented had horrible coffee.
Matt sat opposite his sister and slowly sipped his own coffee. "Have you spoken to Benjamin recently?"
Mary grinned. "I talked to him yesterday. He's coming to GlenOak tomorrow."
Matt returned his sister's grin. He had never before seen her as happy as she was with Benjamin. "How long is he going to be able to stay?"
"Only about a day and a half."
"Is he piloting or is he a passenger this time?" Matt asked curiously.
"He is piloting the plane." Her grin got even wider. "I can't wait for the rest of the family to meet him."
Matt remembered feeling the same way about Sarah.
Mary's smile wavered. "I just wish that Ruthie could meet him."
"She will be able to meet him, just not on this trip. The next time that he is able to come to California, Ruthie will meet him."
"I really hope that you are right."
The waiting room door opened and they both looked up. As Simon stepped into the room, he gave his brother and sister a small, hesitant smile.
Mary blinked incredulously. It had been so long since she had seen her younger brother smile that she had almost forgotten what his smile looked like. This was a welcome change from his now usual depressed, gloomy behavior.
Matt returned his brother's smile, in mild shock. What had happened to change Simon so drastically since that morning? What ever it had been, he was glad for it.
Simon stepped farther into the room. "How is she?"
"The same," Matt's voice was almost apologetic.
Simon hesitated, "can I see her?"
"Um, of course." Matt answered after several silent seconds. He stood. "I'll show you where the gowns, masks, and gloves are at."
Simon gave him a questioning look.
"Ruthie can't be exposed to any germs," Matt explained. "All visitors have to where a paper gown and mask along with gloves over their clothing and body."
Simon nodded his understanding. As Matt stepped out of the waiting room, Simon followed behind him slowly. He wanted to see Ruthie, yet at the same time, he didn't. He didn't know what to expect and that frightened him.
***********
Author's note: In the next chapter, Simon will visit Ruthie.
Author: Catgurl83
Title: Shocking News
Feedback: Good or bad, all feedback is much appreciated.
Rating: G
Author's notes: Thanks for all of your reviews! I really appreciate all of your encouragement and suggestions.
Just so you all know, I fudged a bit with cannon and changed some things for the purposes of the story.
Thanks to Kimberly for beta reading this for me!
Happy holidays to everyone!!
************
"Ruthie had her transplant yesterday," Simon said softly.
"How is she?" she asked in concern.
"I don't know," he whispered. "I just can't go see her." He paused. "The doctors say that she isn't out of danger yet."
She took a deep breath. "It will be awhile before she is out of danger. There aren't any promises that something won't go wrong. There never are. But Simon, bone marrow transplants do work," she gave him a smile. "I'm living proof."
Simon met Deena's eyes. "Did it hurt?"
"The bone marrow transplant? I wasn't conscious so it didn't hurt me at all."
"What about when you woke up?"
"I really don't remember very much so I guess it couldn't have been too bad."
Simon nodded, relieved at the information.
They lapsed into silence, each caught up in their own emotions and thoughts.
Deena could remember the first time she heard that awful word, leukemia. She doubted that she'd ever forget. She had been eight-years-old, barely. She had had several bloody noses in one week, plus she had found a small knot near her ankle and had lacked energy to do much of anything besides sleep.
Her parents had taken her to the doctor and he had ordered several tests. He had spoken to her parents before speaking with her since she was so young.
A tear slipped down her cheek as she pictured her parents' expressions when they'd come to her room with her doctor to tell her. They had both been devastated and so worried, she had immediately known that something was wrong with her.
Her mother had sat down next to the bed and taken her hand. She had nearly whispered it, 'you're very sick Honey. It. it's. you have something called leukemia.'
With a small child's innocents she asked, 'leukemia, what is that? Am I going to be okay?'
Tears had fallen from both of her parents' eyes. 'I hope so, Baby,' her mother had whispered.
"It's just so scary," Simon whispered.
Deena swallowed back her memory. "It is."
Simon clenched his fists. "Why Ruthie?" he asked angrily. "Why does my baby sister have to have such a horrible disease? It just isn't fair."
Deena laid a hand on Simon's arm. "No it isn't."
"First you and now her. Why can't it be someone who deserves it?" he asked hoarsely.
It was almost a full minute before Deena answered him, her own voice hoarse with emotion. "I don't know. It is just one of those things. Leukemia doesn't choose people based on how good or bad they are. It just strikes randomly."
Silence once again engulfed them.
"What if she isn't okay, Deena?"
Deena turned on the pew so that she was facing Simon. Tears were falling from both of their eyes now. "If she dies, it will hurt but you'll be fine Simon. You're strong; you're whole family is. But I don't think that she is going to die Simon because Ruthie is strong too. She's fighting this disease and is going to continue to do so."
Simon nodded through his tears. "I hope you're right." He swallowed. "You have to be right."
"Simon? Are you alright?"
Simon and Deena both turned to see Chandler standing in the doorway looking concerned.
"Yeah, I'm going to be fine." Simon gave Deena a small smile, which she returned. He turned back to Chandler. "This is a friend of mine, Deena. Deena this is my father's associate pastor Chandler Hampton."
Chandler walked closer and Deena stood to shake his hand. "It is nice to meet you Reverend Hampton."
Chandler returned her greeting, studying Simon. The young man still looked pretty bad but he looked a lot better than he had the last time that he'd seen him.
"Thank you Deena," Simon told her quietly.
Deena leaned over and kissed his cheek, conscious of Reverend Hampton's eyes upon them. "Call me if you need to talk," she ordered Simon softly. She gave the older man a small smile as she walked out the door.
"Deena seems nice," Chandler commented.
"She is."
"You two seem close."
Simon was silent for several seconds as he debated what to tell Chandler. "Deena was my first serious girlfriend but then her family moved out of state. She had leukemia when she was a little girl."
"Her family moved back to town?"
Simon shook his head. "Just Deena. She starts college here next month."
"She must have really missed GlenOak." Or someone living in GlenOke, he added silently.
"Yeah," Simon agreed. Simon turned toward the door. "I've go to go."
"If you see Ruthie tell her that everyone is praying for her."
Simon froze. Could he do that? He swallowed hard, "I will."
***********
Matt stepped into the hospital waiting room and handed a Styrofoam cup filled with coffee to Mary. They were the only ones currently at the hospital. Lucy had left to register for her classes at the college and no one else had returned yet.
Mary wordlessly accepted the beverage and took a sip. The coffee wasn't good but it wasn't the worst that she had had either. Some of the airports that she frequented had horrible coffee.
Matt sat opposite his sister and slowly sipped his own coffee. "Have you spoken to Benjamin recently?"
Mary grinned. "I talked to him yesterday. He's coming to GlenOak tomorrow."
Matt returned his sister's grin. He had never before seen her as happy as she was with Benjamin. "How long is he going to be able to stay?"
"Only about a day and a half."
"Is he piloting or is he a passenger this time?" Matt asked curiously.
"He is piloting the plane." Her grin got even wider. "I can't wait for the rest of the family to meet him."
Matt remembered feeling the same way about Sarah.
Mary's smile wavered. "I just wish that Ruthie could meet him."
"She will be able to meet him, just not on this trip. The next time that he is able to come to California, Ruthie will meet him."
"I really hope that you are right."
The waiting room door opened and they both looked up. As Simon stepped into the room, he gave his brother and sister a small, hesitant smile.
Mary blinked incredulously. It had been so long since she had seen her younger brother smile that she had almost forgotten what his smile looked like. This was a welcome change from his now usual depressed, gloomy behavior.
Matt returned his brother's smile, in mild shock. What had happened to change Simon so drastically since that morning? What ever it had been, he was glad for it.
Simon stepped farther into the room. "How is she?"
"The same," Matt's voice was almost apologetic.
Simon hesitated, "can I see her?"
"Um, of course." Matt answered after several silent seconds. He stood. "I'll show you where the gowns, masks, and gloves are at."
Simon gave him a questioning look.
"Ruthie can't be exposed to any germs," Matt explained. "All visitors have to where a paper gown and mask along with gloves over their clothing and body."
Simon nodded his understanding. As Matt stepped out of the waiting room, Simon followed behind him slowly. He wanted to see Ruthie, yet at the same time, he didn't. He didn't know what to expect and that frightened him.
***********
Author's note: In the next chapter, Simon will visit Ruthie.
