Oh my gosh, you guys are the best! Your reviews all rock :) So many of you were doing happy dances that you had 'mind read' what I was going to do lol. Hmjesseluvva19 – congrats on fulfilling the dare! Hehe
Here is chapter 6 – the aftermath of diagnosis. I had to split the chapter in 2, I was supposed to have the rest of the Wildcats finding out in this chapter as well, but it got too long so I found a spot I thought was good to split it, and the Wildcats will be told in the next chapter
Enjoy!
Charli xox
Chapter 6
Gabriella didn't realise she was crying until she felt Troy gently wiping the tears from her face. He kissed her cheek and buried his face in her shoulder – shocked, unable to speak, and desperately trying to hide his own tears.
"Cancer?" Maria repeated, clearly stunned.
Dr Zamitt nodded. "I wish I had better news to tell you but I'm afraid the biopsies came back positive for Lymphoma. It accounts for the anaemia and elevated white cell count, as well as explaining all the other symptoms Gabriella has been displaying."
Gabriella was the first to find her voice and ask the question that was on everyone's mind.
"So...what do we do now?" she said quietly.
"Well, first we need to run some more tests. I know that you have been through a lot already today, but now we know what we're dealing with we need to find out specifics – first we need to know exactly which cells the cancer is affecting. There are many different types of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, and we need to know which one you have. We also need to find out if the cancer has spread, and –if it has – how far and where to. All this will help us to decide the best way to treat the cancer and get you well," he explained.
Gabriella nodded, and Maria picked up her hand, placing a soft kiss on the back of it.
"What...what are her chances? Is she going to beat this, or..." Maria trailed off, gulping back a sob.
Dr Zamitt placed a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. "We have a much clearer idea of everything once these more extensive tests have been done," he said. "But I can tell you that, in most cases, Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, or NHL, responds very well to treatment and its sufferers are able to make a full recovery. Now, I'm going to have to leave you three for a few moments, while I go and order these tests. But I will be back to see you later on to explain the results of these tests and discuss treatment options."
Gabriella and Maria nodded. Troy still had his face hidden in Gabriella's shoulder.
"Thankyou doctor," Maria said, wiping her tears as he gave them a kind nod and left the room, closing the door behind him.
"Troy?" Gabi whispered, stroking the side of his face with her small hand. "Troy...are you...are you ok?"
Troy didn't reply at first, but from the way his shoulders were shaking as he clung to her, Gabriella knew he was crying. Tears welled in her eyes as she rubbed his back.
"It'll be ok, Troy. I'm going to be ok, I promise – I'm not going to let this beat me," she told him, her shaky voice full of determination.
Troy wrapped his arms tighter around her. "Oh Brie...Oh my Brie..."
Hearing the complete and utter devastation in his voice, Gabriella's tears began to fall again. The two just held each other and cried, pouring out their worry, their anxiety, their devastation, their shock and their grief.
Troy rocked Gabriella back and forth as their tears began to subside. Pulling back, Troy cupped her face in his hands and wiped her tears with his thumbs, not bothered by the damp trails remaining on his own face. Gabriella felt a hand on her back and turned her head.
"Mom..." she breathed, as her mother hugged her close, reaching out one of her hands to comfort Troy also.
"It's going to be ok my baby girl," Maria told her. "We're going to do everything we can to get you well."
"I know Mom," Gabriella replied, stroking her mother's hair comfortingly. "I'm strong, I'm ready for the fight. I can do this..."
They looked up when there was a knock on the door. "Gabriella Montez?" a young nurse asked.
"Yes," Gabriella said quietly.
"Hi sweetheart, I'm Kirsten. I am going to be looking after you this afternoon. We're just going to start off by taking your temperature, then we will need to get a cannula in and an IV running. Now, honey – how long has it been since you have had something to eat?"
Gabriella looked at her mother. "Umm...breakfast this morning? Around 7am?"
Maria nodded. "We went to the doctor's after that and then didn't have time to grab any food before we got called back to the hospital."
"That's fine," Kirsten smiled. "It means we will be able to put Gabriella under a general anaesthetic for one of the procedures she will be undergoing this evening," she explained.
"Ok," Maria replied, trying desperately to take in everything the nurse was saying, while her mind seemed to be trapped back at Dr Zamitt's 'I'm so sorry...', the line echoing through her head over and over again.
Just as Kirsten was finishing up with Gabriella, Dr Zamitt returned and took a seat once again on the edge of Gabriella's bed.
"Ok Gabriella, we're waiting on the results of the CAT Scan and X-Rays you had earlier, which will give us more information, but we need to go over to clinic now where you will be given an anaesthetic so that we can perform a Lumbar Puncture and a Bone Marrow Biopsy. The aim of these tests is to discover whether the cancer has spread to your bone marrow and/or your central nervous system – that is, your brain and spinal fluid. In the lumbar puncture, we take a sample of spinal fluid to test for the presence of cancer cells. In the Bone Marrow Biopsy, we take a sample of bone marrow from the back of your hips, again to test for the presence of cancer cells. Once you are out of recovery we will admit you to the Paediatric Oncology Ward, whe..."
The rest of Dr Zamitt's explanation became background noise to Maria as the reality suddenly hit her. Her little girl, her baby – her only child – had a life-threatening illness.
Her daughter had cancer. There was nothing she could do to protect her.
HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM
"Knock knock," Dr Zamitt said softly as he entered Gabriella's new hospital room later that evening.
Maria looked up from where she was seated next to her daughter's bed, softly stroking her hair.
"Hello doctor."
"Hi," Gabriella murmured sleepily.
"How are you feeling?" he asked.
"Not too bad," Gabriella replied. "A little tired still and my back is a little sore but pretty good apart from that. What news do you have for me?"
Dr Zamitt glanced at Troy, who was sitting on Gabriella's other side.
"It's ok, he can stay," Gabriella spoke up. "I never introduced you before...this is my boyfriend, Troy Bolton."
The doctor shook hands with Troy before opening his folder. "Again, I'm not coming with quite the news I had hoped for," he began, and Gabriella felt her heart drop for the third time that day. "The good news is that you have a type of NHL known as B-Cell Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, which means it is your B-Cells that are affected. The B-Cells are..."
"Part of the infection fighting system?" Gabriella interrupted.
"That's right," Dr Zamitt smiled. This type of Lymphoma occurs when the B-Cells do not develop properly, and turn malignant. The cancerous cells cluster up and cause enlarged lymph nodes and tumors. B-Cell is the most common type of NHL and the most straightforward to treat."
Gabriella nodded, showing she understood, and the doctor continued with his explanation.
"Most cancers can be classified in stages. Usually a stage 1 cancer has not spread beyond the primary tumor – the site the cancer started in. The further the cancer has spread, the higher the stage. Stage classifications are usually numbered between one and four. As Lymphoma affects the lymph glands – which are part of the immune system network found right throughout the body – the cancer has an easy way to spread quickly. The lymphatic system is kind of like a subway, in the fact that cells travel right through it to various parts of the body. Unfortunately, we didn't only find cancer in the multiple nodes we biopsied from your neck - there is also cancer in your spleen and bone marrow. The cancer appears to have spread outside the lymphatic system as well – there is a small tumor on your liver. This means that your cancer is classified as aggressive, stage 4 Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma."
Gabriella's head span as she tried to digest all this news. She vaguely heard her mother ask what all this meant as far as treatment went.
"Firstly, I need you all to understand that this is still highly treatable. We have every hope that we can achieve a remission here. Gabriella is going to need surgery to remove as many of the tumors and affected lymph nodes around her neck as possible, as well as her spleen and the tumor on her liver. At the same time, we will place a central line. This is like a catheter that is threaded down through a large vein in her neck, under the skin. The end of the tube – which will have two lines - protrudes from a spot on her chest and it is through these lines that medicines and blood products will be administered, blood can be drawn to be tested, and fluids can be administered."
Gabriella looked nervously at Troy, who rubbed her arm reassuringly.
"When will the surgery take place?" Maria asked.
"As early as possible," Dr Zamitt replied. "Tomorrow morning most likely."
"And after that?"
"We give Gabriella time to recover from the surgery. We need her body in the best possible physical shape to cope with treatment. She will then need to undergo a course of chemotherapy. Her first dose will be given – all being well – a week to ten days post-surgery. The chemo will then continue to be given in regular doses over the next seven to nine months, depending on how her body reacts. After that, she will need a course of radiation therapy."
Dr Zamitt continued to explain the planned course of treatment, telling Gabriella he would go into more detail about the chemo and radiation after her surgery. When the doctor eventually left the room, Troy felt like his head was going to explode from all the information and thoughts whirling around inside it. He could only begin to imagine how Gabriella and her mother felt.
Maria climbed onto the bed next to her daughter and held her as close as she possibly could, breathing in her scent, memorising everything about her. Sensing that Maria needed some time with Gabriella, Troy excused himself and made his way through the hospital foyer and out into the cool early evening air. He dialled his home number into his cell phone and held it to his ear, fighting back the tears.
"Hello?"
As soon as Troy heard his mother's voice, he broke down.
"Mom," he wept into the phone. "Can you come down here? I need you..."
Aww, ok – the queue to give Troy (and Gabi...and her Mum...) a hug starts behind me!! Hehe Please review!!!
Charli xox
