Chapter 4

"Spinner, where is your head today?" Peter asked as he put in an order.

"Sorry, dude. I have a lot on my mind right now."

Spinner had just learned that all the friends and family who had been tested did not match his mother. He was worried they would not be able to find a donor. He had been trying so hard to keep it together since Christmas, but he felt like he was drowning.

"What is wrong?"

"I did not want to say anything around the holidays, but my mom is sick."

"How sick?"

"She has cancer."

"Wow, man. I am sorry."

"We found out right before Christmas. All of the family and close friends have been tested, but we have yet to find a perfect match."

"Dude, I will get tested."

"Thanks, man. That means a lot."

"How are Emma and the baby?"

"She was upset about my mom's illness. We are having a hard time being excited about the baby when we are both so worried about my mom. The baby is fine though. We will be finding out the sex at the next appointment."

The New Year had just started, and Emma was having mixed emotions about pending motherhood. She wanted to be happy and joyous, but she always felt so sad when she thought about Irene and her cancer. Now that school was back in session she had even more stress.

"Em, some of the teachers have agreed to be tested," Snake interrupted her thoughts, "I brought it up at the English Department meeting."

"That is so amazing. It is good to hear that people will try to save someone they have never met."

"Also one teacher suggested having a benefit to raise money for cancer research. We could raise awareness of the importance of getting tested and have medical staff already there to draw blood."

"Great. I will run it by Spinner tonight."

"Emma, your mom wanted me to tell you to try not to stress so much. She is concerned about Irene, but she is worried more about you and the baby."

"I am trying to stay positive. We have an appointment next week to find out the sex of the baby. I will ask my doctor for ideas to relieve the stress."

"I am glad to hear that. Well I will see you tomorrow. Love ya."

"Bye, Snake. I love you, too. Oh, and say hi to Mom and Jack."

The talk with her step-father did renew Emma's hope for finding a donor for Irene. She could not wait to pass along the benefit idea to Spinner. On the way home, she brainstormed some ideas for the benefit event.

"Hey, babe. How was school today?"

"Too long. How was work?"

"It was ok. I told Peter about my mom today. He said he would get tested."

"That is great. Well several of the teachers have agreed to get tested as well."

"Awesome. I just hope we are able to find someone to help Mom."

"I have another idea to run by you. Snake said one of the teachers suggested a cancer research benefit where we could talk about getting tested and have people there to draw blood."

"That is a great idea. We could also have entertainment and dinner. We would be able to raise a lot of money."

"Also, my mom is really worried that I am way too stressed and it might be hurting the baby. She had Snake pass that along. Babe, I started to realize that this baby is not my top priority, and that has got to change. Don't get me wrong. I love you mother and I want her to get better so she can enjoy this grandchild, but I need to start taking better care of myself. I am going to ask the doctor about ways to relieve my anxiety at the next appointment."

"I know what you mean, babe. I want so much to be excited about this baby, but I am always thinking about my mom. That is not fair to you or the baby. We do need to reprioritize, because my mom would never forgive herself if something happened to the baby."

"So you will come to the appointment with me next week?"

"Of course."