Frances was in a hospital room in Cedar Rapids, dressed in a cotton hospital gown, waiting for the doctor to walk in the room, so she could be examined and they could make a guess as to how far the cancer had spread. She was nervous, as she was by herself, but she knew Fred was waiting for her in the hospital sitting room, and she calmed herself a little.
"Hello, Mrs. Lay." A young man walked into the room. "My name is Dr. Calvin Sloan."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Sloan." Frances nodded and smiled a little.
"I know you're probably nervous about the examinations, but it'll be fine." He smiled. "Things will go smoothly, I'm sure….Just lay back on the cot, here, and we'll start, okay?"
"Yes sir." Frances laid down and unbuttoned part of the cotton gown. The doctor only worked by touch for a lot of his examinations, and never laid his eyes on another woman's body that wasn't his own wife's. He carefully placed his hands on her, and applied a slight pressure to certain places on her lower abdomen.
"I'm sorry if I'm making you uncomfortable…." He said. "If I'm causing you pain."
"A little, Dr. Sloan."
"Do you have a lot of pain lately?" He asked her.
"Yes….but I try not to think on it too much."
"Alright…" He said quietly and pressed a little on a space near her hips. "Do you have pain anywhere else?"
"Not much, no sir…"
"Okay…but some, yes?"
"Yes sir."
"Alright…." He said, writing things on a little clipboard. He completed other tests and examinations and wrote things down and started toward the door. "I'm going to call your husband in and we can discuss some treatment options, alright?"
"Yes sir." Frances said, now sitting up on the cot, and had just buttoned up her cotton gown. Fred had walked into the room a few minutes later and had sat down next to her while Dr. Sloan had explained things.
"I'm thinking the cancer is mainly in, of course, the ovaries…..and may have spread elsewhere…..we won't know for sure unless you undergo surgery which I think is the best idea…We can do the surgery here…..but if you'd like, I know of a few hospitals you can choose from that have a much higher success rate…..It's up to you, of course. One hospital here in Iowa nearly specializes with the surgery…."
"Where is it? What city?" Fred asked, an arm around his wife, and his other hand was placed on her knee. "I want the best for her…"
"Burr Oak, Iowa is where its located…..I guarantee she'll be in the best care. Recovery will take some time, of course…..They'll keep you as long as it's needed."
"We'll go then." Fred nodded his head, determinedly.
"I hate to send you here and there though."
"It's fine, Dr. Sloan." He said. "We'll go."
"I'll telephone them and let them know you're coming then….How soon can you leave?"
"We'll leave today….I'll bet we can make it there in a couple days…"
"Fred….." Frances started to say, but he spoke again.
"I've taken off work for two weeks…." He told her. "Don't worry,…we can do this."
"You're sure?" She whispered, her eyes darting slowly,….just looking at him.
"Yeah…." Fred whispered, gazing at her. "We're in this together. Remember?"
Frances leaned forward and hugged his neck. She then lifted her face to meet his, and a hand found his face. "I love you…." She whispered, and a tear trickled down her cheek, but he wiped it away and leaned in and kissed her.
(
"So, do you think Clay will ask you out again?" Charlene asked.
"I figure he will….Well, he sort of did last night….." Helen said, brushing her hair.
"What did you tell him?"
"I told him that I'd let him know…"
"How did the date go by the way?"
"Fine….It was fine, until he stole a kiss from me…..and even that was kind of…nice. Of course, it was my first real kiss. Of course I'd think of it that way."
"I remember my first kiss….with Owen Thompson….out behind the outhouse at school."
"Gee, how romantic…." Helen said sardonically.
"I was…13. He was just a couple months older…..He kissed me, I slapped him and yelled in his face."
Helen looked at Charlene and they both cracked up laughing.
"So…are you going to date him again?" Charlene asked when their laughter had stopped.
"Gee…I don't know." Helen blushed.
"Helen….I think you like him!" Charlene grinned.
"Shut up…." She laughed, turning her face away.
"You do!"
"Okay….Okay, MAYBE I'm falling for him…." Helen said. "I just don't want to get all wrapped up in having a boyfriend…..I have schoolwork to focus on. I want to graduate early."
"I'll bet you will….Why not have a little fun and date while you're at it?...Live a little!" Charlene said, throwing a pillow at her.
(
A few days had passed and Frances was all settled in her hospital room at the hospital in Burr Oak. She was now sharing her room with a young man she figured was in his 30's, early 30's she thought, or maybe late 20's perhaps. He was dark haired, and very handsome.
Frances had just woken up when she heard his voice.
"W-What?" She asked, and turned her head so she could see him, lying in the other bed.
"I said…what are you in for?"
"What are you in for? You make it sound like this is a prison…" She chuckled a little.
"Well, apart from the food here, it's not much difference." He grinned. "I'll have to talk to them about that…." He nodded and grinned, making Frances chuckle.
"Well, to answer your question….I've been diagnosed with cancer. You?"
"Blood disease. Second time I've had it."
"Oh I'm sorry….." Frances told the young man.
"Oh that's okay…..I kind of feel flattered. Liked me so much it came back." He joked.
"You sure have a sense of humor…I like that." Frances smiled.
"I figure, with this….you've gotta have one. Can't be depressed all the time, you know?...I'm sorry, what's your name?"
"Frances Lay…." She answered him. "And yours?"
"Albert…."
"Nice to meet you, Albert. And your last name?"
"Ingalls….." He smiled. "And it's nice to meet you too, Frances."
"Ingalls…." Frances muttered. She thought she remembered that name somehow….but wasn't sure.
"Something wrong?"
"Oh no…nothing. I'm….just talking to myself. Never mind."
Fred had walked into the hospital room and sat down on the bed by his wife.
"Hi…" She whispered, before he greeted her with a kiss.
"They want to do the surgery in a couple of hours…" Fred whispered. "You ready?"
"You'll be waiting for me, won't you?"
"Of course I will…" He whispered, gazing into her brown eyes. "Why would you even ask me that?"
"You know how I feel about it all." She whispered.
"Everything's going to be alright…." He whispered, laying a hand on her shoulder. "You'll be fine."
"You will be." The young man who was lying in the other bed, spoke up, softly. "I don't know about myself this time around….but I have a feeling you're strong enough to fight this, Mrs. Lay."
"Thank you for saying that. Both of you." She smiled….."Now, I haven't introduced you to my roommate." She said to her husband and they both looked over at him.
"Albert Ingalls." He said, with a wave of his hand.
"Ingalls…." Fred repeated, thinking.
"I'm beginning to think my last name is wrong with you two or something." Albert said, chuckling a little.
"Oh no…." Fred said, laughing quietly. "It's just….you wouldn't be any relation to a Charles Ingalls?"
"Oh yeah….He's my father." He replied. "You know him?"
"Yeah, I'm an old friend of his!" Fred grinned. And he and Albert talked and began catching up on everything about Walnut Grove and the Ingalls', Wilder's, and Kendall's. Albert explained to them that Walnut Grove had been blown to bits, by choice of the community because of the railroad demanding on taking the land, just seven years before in 1901. Albert was in college then, studying to become a doctor, in which he succeeded in.
"That's right, I'm a doctor….but because of this darn disease, I was demoted to patient instead." He chuckled. "Can't have the doctor sick too, while trying to help others…."
"Right." Fred said.
"So, my family moved back to Burr Oak….where when, I graduated from college, I set up my practice ."
"Your parents still living here?"
"Well, Ma is….but Pa past away a year after Walnut Grove was destroyed. June of 1902."
"I'm sorry to hear that….What about Laura and Almanzo? Mary and Adam?"
"Laura, Almanzo, Jenny and Rose are living in Missouri. Mary and Adam are still in New York."
Just then a young blond woman and a man with light brown hair walked into the room.
"Albert!" The woman smiled and sat down on his bed.
"Grace….What are you doing here?" Albert smiled.
"Don't you think you're too high and mighty to have your little sister visit you!" She said and kissed his cheek.
"I'm not." Albert chuckled. "Fred, Frances…..this is my sister, Grace Ingalls."
"Grace Ingalls Dow!" She smiled. "I may be a little girl in your eyes still….but I am a married woman now, remember?" She laughed.
"Grace, this is Fred and Frances Lay."
"Pleased to meet you both….And might I introduce my husband, Nate Dow."
Fred and Frances smiled at him as Nate nodded and said hello.
"I just didn't think you two would visit me….all the way from Manchester, South Dakota!"
"Of course! We heard you were sick….Carrie wanted to come too, but she just started a new job and couldn't get away."
"How is she?" Albert asked.
"She's doing well….alone. Still hasn't found a husband yet."
"She will…..Just let her do it on her own. Don't rush her."
"I just want her to be happy, Albert." Grace smiled a little.
"Me too." Albert smiled. "And I think she's pretty happy now with being independent."
"At times." Grace said. "Anyway, we'll let you get some rest…We wanted to visit Ma after we went and saw how you were doing."
"I won't keep you then." Albert grinned a little.
"Bye!...It was wonderful to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Lay." They said quietly while the nurses came in to get Frances ready for her surgery, and they left. The nurses were helping Frances get up on the rolling cot, so they could move her into the room where they were going to do the surgery. Fred followed along, his hand gripping hers until they were just about to go through the door, into the operating room.
"I love you…" She whispered.
"I love you too." Fred whispered and leaned down and kissed her. "You'll be just fine….I'll be waiting just out in the hallway, alright."
Frances gazed into his grey-blue eyes and at his lips. "Okay…." She said whispering, and her lips suddenly brushed against his own until the rolling cot went through that door, and they were separated, for a time.
Doctors and nurses were getting things together, surgical instruments and the sedative to put her out for the surgery, so she wouldn't feel a thing. They put the instrument containing the anesthetic of that time in 1907, over her face, giving her doses of it.
"We're just gonna give you a little something to knock you out so we can do the surgery, okay Frances?" The doctor said calmly, giving her the sedative ever so often.
"I don't want that….I want a sack of candy! No, make that two…" She said, a little groggy from it.
"I think it's starting to work." One of the nurses laughed. Which made the whole room chuckle.
Frances later turned to one of the male nurses that was at her bedside. "Thank you, honey…..for staying with me. " She whispered giddily. "You're a good man. Sweet, sweet husband!" She said, patting his arm. The young man's cheeks turned a little reddish and one of the other nurses had to step out of the room, since she was giggling so hard! The doctor gave her one last dose of the anesthetic, and Frances started whispering into his ear. "You know what?"
"What?" He asked.
She was plum silly from the anesthetic, though unaware of what she had been saying, Frances grinned at him. "I like biscuits!" She laughed and then closed her eyes, as she was finally out cold, and they began the surgery. They worked for hours and were able to get all of the cancer, and decided to take out a lot of her reproductive system, so it wouldn't spread even more, elsewhere.
"In the prison cell I sit, thinking Mother dear of you! And our bright and happy home so far awaaaayyy! And the tears, they fill my eyes, and in spite of all I try to do, I try to cheer my comrades and be gay!" Frances was singing a song while she started waking up from the surgery.
"What's that you're singing?"
"The Army wants me!" Frances exclaimed, groggily.
"They do now?" A nurse chuckled.
Frances continued singing, "Tramp…Tramp…Tramp….The boys are marching! Cheering up comrades, they will come. In the prison cell I sit, thinking Mother dear of you!" She continued the little song.
"Frances, this is your doctor. Dr. Astley." He said, kneeling at her bedside.
"Did ya do the s-surgery yet?" She asked, in her loopy state. "Get to cutting already!"
"Frances….we did the surgery. We got all the cancer."
"Oh gee, that's nice!" She grinned, patting the doctor's arm.
"We also had to take out most of your reproductive system." He said softly. "Just to be on the safe side."
"Oh damn….." Frances slurred. Mumbled something else and laid her head on the pillow and closed her eyes. They wheeled her into another room where she would recover. And she woke up later and saw her husband's face looking back at her.
"See? It went well." He whispered.
Frances stared at him a moment and didn't say anything as she was a little unsure of where she was at the moment. On her face was a look of confusion, and she looked around and then the reality came back to her again. Just a few minutes later she looked into his eyes and whispered. "They took everything…." She closed her eyes as she felt her husband lean against her and placed his hand on her cheek. Tears streaked her face.
"I know…." Fred whispered and started to tear up a little. "What matters right now is that you're going to be fine…." He smiled.
"I am?" She whispered.
"Yeah…." He whispered back, his voice as soft as a feather. Fred leaned in so his face was inches away from hers and their lips softly met once again.
"Is it wrong if I don't tell the children?" Frances whispered, looking at him. Tears glistened on her cheeks.
"What do you mean?" Fred whispered back.
"I'm not sure if I want to tell them about the cancer…." She said and was silent, and she was just looking into his eyes.
"Why not?" Fred asked, puzzled.
"I don't know…I…." She started to say, tears filling up in her eyes. "Sometimes, there's just things you need to keep private…..Can we keep it between just us? Or is that wrong of me?"
"If it's what you feel you'd rather do…." Fred said quietly and grasped her hand and held it to his cheek, and kissed it a few seconds later.
"I don't want to worry or scare them…..I never wanted to and I don't ever." She said. "Yes, they're adults now….but…"
"You don't have to say anymore, honey." He said tenderly. "I understand…." Fred leaned down and placed his face close to hers and kissed her cheek, and rubbed her arm lovingly. "Now, how 'bout you close those pretty brown eyes and rest." He said, smiled and kissed her on the lips, lingering awhile. She grabbed his face before he pulled away and kissed him again. "Thank you so much for being so supportive through this….I feel we've grown closer, our marriage….not that it needed it." She smiled. "I love you."
"I love you too." Fred smiled.
A/N: You can probably tell I mixed real life Ingalls with the tv show. :) Hey, it could've happened!
Yeah, in part of this chapter, Frances was very un-Frances like….but you aren't yourself when you're under an anesthetic/laughing gas….etc. lol…..Well, I did incorporate how she'd pat people's arms. Lol. You know, the old grandmotherly type who'd pat your knee, or arm? I guess, that was her too. :)
I don't really know how doctors in the 1900's era examined someone with cancer, but my closest bet was by touch of the area and if they felt something abnormal…or saw something abnormal on the skin. etc….
The song Frances was singing while waking up from the surgery was an old Civil War song my Grandfather had copied from memory. I only used part of it here.
