A/N: See Chapter 1 for Disclaimer. I also want to say I'm sorry that it's taken me considerably longer to complete this chapter as opposed to the others. I've been a little sick these past few days and I haven't felt my best, and it's slowed my writing down. I hope to have Midnight completed within the next few days. I make no promises, though, because like can be very unpredictable, but as I said, I do hope to have it completed soon. Much love to you all, and ((HUGS)) to everyone who needs one in these crazy times. Happy reading, and God bless.
Chapter 6: The Miracle Couple
Three days after Louise first checked into the Allied Health Services Center, she had some unexpected visitors. As it turned out, one of the nurses who worked there was dating Eddie Jones, the attorney who had fought in court to make sure Louise received her rightful inheritance from her Uncle Ward. That Wednesday, Eddie came to visit Louise, along with an exceedingly wealthy lady named Andrea Martin, as well as Dr. Michael Grayson, who was the head of the hospital and their chief of staff. All three of them were tall, and both Eddie and Andrea were middle-aged and good looking with reddish-brown hair, and Dr. Grayson was an older, heavyset, balding man with a little bit of silver hair still in the back of his head, who wore glasses. George was standing by Louise's hospital bed when they knocked on her door and came in.
"Mrs. Jefferson, you and I spoke over the phone the other day. I'm Eddie Jones, the late Mr. Martin's attorney," he informed Louise as he shook her hand.
"Oh, yes. I remember," Louise said pleasantly. "It's nice to finally meet you."
"Likewise, Mrs. Jefferson. And I'm assuming that this is your husband, Mr. Jefferson?" he said while turning his gaze to George.
"That's right," Louise confirmed.
He then shook hands with George and said, "Mr. Jefferson, how do you do?" George responded with a simple nod. "Mrs. Jefferson, Mr. Jefferson, I'd like to introduce you both to the hospital chief of staff, Dr. Grayson, and to Mr. Martin's youngest child, Andrea Martin." Everyone greeted each other and shook hands with each other then, and afterwards, Eddie said, "Mrs. Jefferson, I have a friend who works in this hospital, and she told me about you being admitted here. Forgive me; I know this is none of my business, but I was concerned about you and I did some investigating, and I found out about your cancer diagnosis and your pregnancy. And I'm just going to cut right to the chase, here. I'm here today with Dr. Grayson and Miss Martin because I really do believe that we can help you."
Intrigued, Louise asked, "Help me how?"
Dr. Grayson then turned to Eddie and Andrea and asked, "Will one of you please go and lock the door? We can't have anybody walking in here and overhearing this conversation by accident."
Eddie nodded and said, "I'll take care of it right now, doctor."
"Thank you," said Dr. Grayson, and then Eddie went and locked the door to Louise's hospital suite, and he returned to Louise's bedside with the others a few moments later. Once Eddie was back, Dr. Grayson turned his gaze to Louise and George and asked them, "Mrs. Jefferson, Mr. Jefferson, what if I told you that there is actually a cure for cancer, but that knowledge of that cure is being suppressed by some of the wealthiest, most powerful people in the world?"
George and Louise gave each other a puzzled glance for a second, and then George looked back at the doctor and asked, "What you tellin' us, doctor? Are you tellin' us that there actually is a cure for cancer out there?"
"That's precisely what I'm telling you," Dr. Grayson replied. "There's been a cure for this horrific disease for decades, a cure that isn't harsh on the body and poisonous like chemotherapy, but all knowledge of it has been and continues to be completely suppressed."
"But why? Why would anybody try to keep the cure for cancer suppressed? How could anybody be that cruel?" asked Louise.
"You have to understand, Mrs. Jefferson, that the people with the most wealth and power in this world are not normal people with a functioning conscience," responded Dr. Grayson. "They're cruel and vicious, right down to the core, and they have absolutely no empathy whatsoever for their fellow man. The only thing they care about is maintaining all the wealth and power they already have, and trying to get more, and that's it. Period. They literally do not care about anything or anyone else. Many of them would have their own children and their own grandchildren burned to death if it meant they could get their hands on more wealth and power. They are so completely and utterly consumed by their own greed that there's not a trace of humanity or compassion left in their souls anymore. The people in the highest positions of government throughout the world – and the people who are even wealthier and more powerful than they are, who are secretly and quietly pulling their strings behind the scenes – are people who know that thousands, millions of people are dying because of their decisions, and they could not care less. They're ruthless murderers and they know it, and even though they know they're killing so many people, they're able to sleep soundly at night."
"Dr. Grayson is right, Mrs. Jefferson," Andrea Martin chimed in. "These people are cold and cruel and ruthless, and they literally do not care if they do things that result in the deaths of millions of people. I know this because some of these very people are members of my own family. Several of my family members have actually been cured of cancer themselves or have exceedingly wealthy friends who have been cured. They were happy to receive the cure themselves, but if somebody started talking about it and spreading the news about it, they wouldn't hesitate to have them killed to continue keeping all knowledge of the cure suppressed. They don't care if suppressing it is killing people. They only care about themselves."
"But I don't understand. How could telling other people about this cure make them lose their wealth and power?" asked Louise.
"It's a lot like the oil industry, Mrs. Jefferson," said Eddie. "There actually have been people in recent years who have come up with an alternative to gasoline, but the oil companies keep all knowledge of it suppressed so they can continue to profit off of oil sales, regardless of how it pollutes the planet. The only thing the petroleum industry cares about is money and profit. Period. And it's the same way with the cancer cure. It's a special, extremely expensive medication called CS-171. And just like with oil alternatives, pharmaceutical companies all over the world keep all knowledge of CS-171 suppressed, because if word ever got out that there was a cure for cancer and the public got their hands on it and cancer eventually became eradicated, they would lose all the profits they make from all the various chemotherapy drugs they sell."
"The reason I'm here to see you with Eddie and Dr. Grayson today, Mrs. Jefferson, is because my family owes you a debt. My father and your Uncle Ward were very good friends with each other. Both my father and I have always considered your uncle to be a member of our family. We both loved him very much. My mother and my older siblings have always been a bunch of racist fools, but I adored your Uncle Ward as I was growing up. And I was so angry and disgusted when they all got together and tried to block your Uncle Ward and you from receiving your rightful inheritance. And when Eddie told me about your cancer diagnosis and your pregnancy, I just had to do something. As I said, Mrs. Jefferson, I know that my family owes you a debt. And I pay my debts. Forgive me for being blunt, but there's no way your inheritance would be enough to pay for the CS-171 treatments and for Akira, which is something Dr. Grayson will explain to you momentarily. So if you decide to go through with the treatments, I'll cover all costs of CS-171 and Akira. Consider it an official apology from my family to yours for the unfair way you and your Uncle Ward have been treated."
"Mr. and Mrs. Jefferson, there is a very special clinic connected to this hospital that even the vast majority of doctors and nurses here do not know exists. It takes up several floors underground, right below the ground floor of this hospital. Knowledge of its location and of its very existence is classified information that many high-ranking government officials are not even aware of," Dr. Grayson explained. "Mrs. Jefferson, if you agree, we can have you transferred to our special clinic and begin treating your cancer with CS-171 today. Furthermore, when your labor begins, we can take you back down to our underground clinic and give you medication called Akira, that Miss Martin was just talking about, that will make your labor and delivery entirely painless."
"There's a medication for that, too?" George asked incredulously.
"Oh, yes," Dr. Grayson confirmed. "It's an intravenous medication, like CS-171, and it's called Akira. And like CS-171, Akira, too, is being suppressed by people in high places. Just as it's more profitable for pharmaceutical companies to sell chemotherapy drugs and morphine, it's also more profitable for doctors and hospitals to perform C-sections. And women who get epidurals during childbirth are more likely to end up having a C-section. More C-sections means more money. It's all about the money. At the end of the day, everything is always about the money. Always."
"Well speaking of my pregnancy, is CS-171 safe for pregnant women?" Louise questioned.
"Oh, it's perfectly safe for pregnant women, Mrs. Jefferson," Dr. Grayson assured her. "As I said before, this cure has been around for decades, and there have been pregnant women with cancer who have taken this medication during their pregnancies and have gone on to deliver perfectly healthy babies. If we start administering the medication now, your baby won't be affected at all."
"I don't know what to think about all this," said Louise. "Quite frankly, it all sounds too good to be true."
Eddie nodded and said, "We understand your reservations, Mrs. Jefferson. Take some time and think it through. If you decide to receive the CS-171 treatments at our underground clinic, you can contact Dr. Grayson at any time."
"However, I cannot stress it enough how important it is that the two of you keep all knowledge of CS-171 and all knowledge of Akira to yourselves," Dr. Grayson warned. "If either one of you ever told another living soul about the conversation we've had here today, it wouldn't be long before you were killed, and possibly some of your loved ones as well, and that is not a joke or an exaggeration. I'm being dead serious."
After a pause, Andrea then told them, "We'll leave now and let you guys go on with your day; let you take some time to carefully consider what we've said."
"Mrs. Jefferson, it's been a pleasure to finally meet you," said Eddie as he shook Louise's hand again, and then they all shook hands with one another a second time and said goodbye.
As soon as Dr. Grayson, Andrea, and Eddie had all left, George looked at Louise and said, "I don't get it, Weezy. You've just been offered the cure for cancer. Why didn't you take it? Why didn't you say yes? We could start you on those treatments today."
"George, think about it. There are all kinds of crazy people in this world who do all kinds of crazy things for no logical reason. What if this whole thing is some kind of weird, crazy deception? I mean, it's not exactly easy to believe that I'm being served the cure for cancer and a completely painless birth on a silver platter. I am not letting just anybody come into this suite and take me away to some secret clinic and start putting something into my body that I've never even heard of, that could end up hurting our daughters. What if these people are lying to us? What if this whole thing is somebody's sick idea of a joke?"
"Oh, man," George sighed. "I didn't even think about that, Weezy, but you're right. I was just so excited when they started talkin' about curin' your cancer that I didn't think about anything else."
"I'm not saying that I definitely won't do it, George. But I am saying that I want to have these people thoroughly looked into before I do, especially Dr. Grayson. Your secretary often looks into the backgrounds of potential clients for Jefferson Cleaners before you sign a contract with them. Can't you ask her to look into Dr. Grayson and the others?"
"Of course I can, Weezy. That's a great idea. I'll call her right now and have her get started on it."
"Thank you, George," said Louise, and then George bent down and gave her a big kiss. And in the next moment, he picked up the phone at her bedside and began dialing.
George's secretary did a thorough background check on Dr. Grayson, Andrea Martin, and Eddie Jones, and she confirmed that all three of them were upstanding members of their community and that they didn't have anything shady in their backgrounds. Dr. Grayson was a very highly respected physician in the medical community, and Eddie Jones and Andrea Martin were well-liked and respected amongst their peers as well. So when Louise spoke with Dr. Grayson a second time that Friday morning, she told him that she still wanted to receive the CS-171 treatments, but that she didn't want to start them right away. Even though Dr. Grayson told her that it would not be wise to wait, Louise insisted that she wanted to wait until after she gave birth before starting the CS-171 treatments. Despite the fact that pregnant women had taken CS-171 without any problems in the past, Louise wanted to be extra cautious. She really did not feel comfortable with the idea of putting anything into her system that she didn't have to at the moment. But that Sunday afternoon, it was the good Lord, Himself, who changed her mind.
That Sunday, when Florence and their church's pastor came to visit Louise after church and they got to talking about the teachings from the pastor's sermon, both Louise and George were overwhelmed with the strongest feeling that they needed to start the CS-171 treatments immediately, and not try to wait until after Louise had given birth. After Florence and the pastor left and Louise and George were alone, they got to talking about it, and they knew it wasn't a coincidence that they both got that same overwhelming feeling at the exact same time. Louise knew that the Holy Spirit didn't always use feelings to communicate, but she also knew that there were times in life when He did choose to communicate to her through her own gut feelings, and she and George knew that this was one of those times. So when Dr. Grayson came back to see Louise at George's request the next day, they let him know that Louise had changed her mind and had decided to start receiving the CS-171 treatments, and he had her transferred to their underground clinic, and her treatments began that day.
The next several weeks flew by, and before everyone knew it, it was early March, and Louise was twenty weeks into her pregnancy. Louise, George, and all their loved ones easily noticed a big change in Louise since she first checked into the hospital. Although Lionel, Jenny, the Willises, and Florence weren't aware of the CS-171 treatments Louise was secretly receiving, it was obvious to them all that for some reason, her condition was vastly improving. And when Louise's OB/GYN, Dr. Marina James, told Louise and George that she was hearing two fetal heartbeats with her stethoscope, that really bolstered their faith and further convinced them that God was indeed with them and their babies and was watching over them.
"So Dr. James really heard two heartbeats?" Jenny asked with a smile later on that evening when she and Lionel were there to visit Louise.
"She sure did," George confirmed.
"Dr. James let us listen to their heartbeats, too," said Louise with a very contented smile as she and George put their hands on her growing pregnancy stomach. "Hearing their heartbeats today was one of the happiest moments of my life."
"Mine too, Weez," George said with a smile, and then he leaned in and gave Louise a big kiss. And as they were kissing, Louise suddenly gasped. "What is it, baby? Are you alright?" George asked.
"They're moving, George," Louise told him. "They're moving for the first time. I feel them."
"Both of them?" asked George.
"Uh huh," Louise said with a nod as tears of joy came to her eyes. "They're saying, 'Hi.'"
"Hi, girls," George said so happily while rubbing Louise's stomach, and a few moments later, Louise put her hands on top of his, and they "held" their unborn babies together.
"This reminds me so much of when we were expecting you, Lionel. I don't know why, but for some reason, I hated it when other people would put their hands on my stomach when I was pregnant with you. But when George would put his hands on my belly and talk to you and feel you kick and give me a belly rub, I absolutely loved it. I don't know why I couldn't stand the touch of other people on my belly then, but I so loved feeling George's touch on my stomach. And I think I love it even more now than I did then."
In that instant, Lionel and Jenny gazed at one another and gave each other a knowing smile, and then Jenny said, "I might end up being the same way myself in a few weeks, Mrs. Jefferson, when I'm as far into my pregnancy as you are into yours now."
George and Louise gave each other a shocked glance then, and in the following moment, they looked back over at Lionel and Jenny, and Louise asked them, "Are you two saying what I think you're saying?"
Jenny happily nodded and answered, "Yes, Mrs. Jefferson. The doctor says that I'm ten weeks pregnant. I'm due on the third of October."
George and Louise both shouted for joy, and they both hugged and kissed and loved on Lionel and Jenny and congratulated them over the next several moments.
"Oh, I can't believe it! I just can't believe it!" Louise cried out with a huge smile. "Oh George, we're so incredibly blessed. Jesus is letting us become parents again at our age, blessing us with these two miracle babies, and we're getting our first grandchild, too! This is amazing!"
"You're right, Weezy. It's incredible," said George with a mile-wide grin. "Listen, kids. Anytime, anytime at all that you two need anything, I want you to come to me. Understand?"
"Understood, Pop. Thanks," Lionel said softly as he gave his father another big hug. He then turned his gaze to Jenny and asked, "Hey Jenny, can I have a minute alone with Mom and Pop?"
"Of course. I'll be right outside," Jenny replied.
"Thanks, Jenny," Lionel told her, and then he gave her a big kiss before she walked out into the hallway.
"What is it, Lionel? Is everything alright?" asked a concerned Louise.
"Oh yeah, Mom. Everything is fine. I've just got a favor I need to ask of Pop. Pop, since you just said to come to you whenever Jenny and I need something, I figure now is a golden opportunity for me to talk to you about this."
"Of course, Lionel," George said happily as he slapped Lionel on the back. "What is it? What do you kids need?"
After a pause, Lionel looked in George's eyes and told him honestly, "We need you to stop making zebra jokes about Jenny. And we need you to agree to not make any zebra jokes about the baby. Those jokes you make all the time about Jenny being a zebra are really hurtful to her and to the Willises, Pop, and with Jenny being pregnant, I don't want you upsetting her or hurting her feelings by calling her or the baby a zebra."
"A perfectly reasonable request," said Louise as her eyes bore into her husband's.
George was silent for a couple of long moments, emotionally absorbing the impact of his son's words, and then he turned to Lionel and said, "I'm sorry, son. I know how I can be sometimes. I know that I've been actin' stupid, runnin' my big mouth my whole life, without really thinkin' about what I'm sayin' or how much my words might be hurtin' the people around me." In that moment, George locked his eyes with Louise's eyes, nonverbally acknowledging to both her and Lionel how much he regretted hurting Louise with his words throughout their marriage. "I know how bad I've been about talkin' garbage, sayin' stupid things that I don't really mean. It's like I've told Weezy before. I didn't even take myself seriously when I said those things half the time, so I never imagined that anybody else might take me seriously and be hurt by my words. But I know better now. You ain't gotta worry, son. I won't ever make any zebra jokes about Jenny again, and I won't ever joke about the baby bein' a zebra, either. You have my word."
Lionel smiled and said, "Thank you, Pop." And in the next moment, the father and son gave each other a big hug.
The next time Lionel and Jenny came to visit Louise in the hospital a couple of days later, George apologized to Jenny for all the times he'd made cracks about her being a zebra, and he assured her he would never do it again, and she graciously thanked him for his apology and forgave him. And from that point forward, over the next ten weeks, the two Jefferson couples really began to bond with each other on a much deeper level. Going through a pregnancy together brought them a lot closer than they already were.
Then one day in mid-May, when Louise was thirty weeks into her pregnancy, Dr. Grayson ordered some chest X-rays. He wanted to expose Louise to as few X-rays as possible with her being pregnant, of course, but it was necessary for them to know if the CS-171 treatments were effective in stopping and eradicating her cancer. Furthermore, with it being Louise's chest that was X-rayed and not her abdominal area, there was very little chance of the babies being exposed to any harmful amounts of radiation.
As Louise was sitting up on the examination table in one of the exam rooms of the special underground clinic that afternoon, clinging to George's hand for dear life, Dr. Grayson entered the room, carrying her X-rays. He then turned on the light of the white X-ray board on the wall and put up one of her previous X-rays on the left side.
"Mr. and Mrs. Jefferson, I know you've seen this X-ray before," Dr. Grayson said knowingly, and they both nodded.
"Yeah, that's one of Weezy's first X-rays from when she was diagnosed," said George.
Dr. Grayson then put up one of the new X-rays that he had taken of Louise's lungs that day on the right side of the white X-ray board beside the old one, and he turned to Louise and George and said to them with a triumphant smile, "Mr. and Mrs. Jefferson, this is Mrs. Jefferson's left lung today."
George and Louise both took a good, long look at the new X-ray for several long moments. "It's gone!" Louise gasped then in pure disbelief. "The tumor's completely gone! There's no trace of it!"
Dr. Grayson chuckled and said, "That's right! Mrs. Jefferson, as of today, both of your lungs look perfectly clear."
"Oh, George!" Louise cried out as George grabbed her and fervently hugged her and kissed her. "I can't believe it!" she gasped as George continued kissing her on her face and mouth over and over and over again. "I just can't believe it!"
"I can't believe it either, Weez," George gasped through his tears. "God is good."
"He certainly is! Thank You, Jesus. I never imagined we would get a miracle like this," said Louise.
"Your cancer gone. Twins at forty-six. You two are definitely my miracle couple," said Dr. Grayson with a big grin.
"Is it gone, Dr. Grayson? Is it really all gone?" Louise asked excitedly.
"All the cancer that can be seen with the naked eye is gone, yes. But there could still be some microscopic cancer cells that are still present. So just to be on the safe side, I'm going to continue with the CS-171 treatments over the next two months, and for two or three months after you've given birth as well. You have to understand that with cancer, you can never be too careful."
Louise nodded and said, "I'm not exactly thrilled about the prospect of exposing my babies to more medication, even medication that has proven to be safe for pregnant women, but I know you're right, Dr. Grayson. We can't ever be too careful."
George then put his arm around Louise's shoulders and said, "Me and Weezy'll do everything you tell us to, doctor. Right, Weez?"
"Right, George," Louise said with a smile, and in the next moment, George kissed her.
"Well, I'm glad you two said that, because there's one more thing I need you two to do for me," Dr. Grayson told them with a mischievous grin.
"What's that, Dr. Grayson?" asked George.
"I need you to pack your bags and go home. Mrs. Jefferson, as of tomorrow, I am officially kicking you out of here and sending you home."
"Are you serious?!" asked Louise with the biggest smile.
"Oh, yes. I'm completely serious, Mrs. Jefferson. The remaining CS-171 treatments can be administered on an outpatient basis. Both you and your babies are doing well. All three of you are in excellent shape. There's really no reason to keep you here any longer. And I figure you'll be much happier waiting for the arrival of your little ones from the comfort of your own home."
"You're so right, doctor," Louise agreed. "Oh, Dr. Grayson, thank you for everything. Thank you so much."
"Yeah, thanks so much for everything, Dr. Grayson. We'll never forget everything you've done for us," George said kindly after he and Louise shook hands with the older man.
"If you want to thank me, then thank me by taking good care of yourselves and staying healthy and strong for these twins of yours."
"We sure will, Dr. Grayson. Thank you," Louise told him with a smile.
"A nurse will be by shortly to take you back upstairs to your suite, Mrs. Jefferson," said Dr. Grayson.
"Thank you, doctor," said George.
"Sure thing. Have a good rest of the day, Mom and Dad," Dr. Grayson said pleasantly.
"We will, doctor. You, too," Louise said happily, and then Dr. Grayson walked out of the exam room, giving the miracle couple a few moments alone.
"Oh George, I can't believe it! I just can't believe it! When this whole thing started last Christmas, I really was convinced that I wasn't going to make it. That I'd never get the chance to see our babies grow up. That there wasn't any hope left for me. Now, there's tons of hope, and it feels so wonderful!"
George gave Louise a long, passionate kiss, and then he said, "You're gonna make it, baby. You are not only gonna survive; you are gonna thrive. I'm proud of you, sweetheart. I'm so proud of you for gettin' better. And I can't thank Jesus enough for makin' us, 'the miracle couple.'"
"I can't thank Jesus enough for it, either."
"I can't wait to get you home, Weezy."
"I can't wait, either. And I can't wait for our little girls and our grandbaby to get here."
After giving Louise another big kiss, George whispered in a low voice, "I love you, Weezy."
Louise then whispered, "I love you too, George." And in that moment, they both thanked God with all their hearts for all the miracles He had so generously blessed them with.