Niles left with Maggie and Grace to fetch the Chinese food, and Fran and Max had gone into the dining room to get the dining table ready for everyone to sit at for dinner.
"Does Niles still keep that table leaf in here?" Max asked.
"Yep- just open those cabinet doors on that buffet," Fran said. Max did, and pulled out the long table leaf to add to the dining table so it would fit everyone. Fran moved the centerpiece from the table, set it on the buffet, and helped pull the table cloth back. "Need me to help pull the table out?" Fran asked.
"Oh, no sweetie, I don't want you pulling on it. That might not be a good idea. Let me just see if it moves easily or not," Max said, concerned. He leaned the table leaf against a chair and checked under the table to unlock the section that would move, then stood back up and went to the end. He took hold of it and pulled hard. It barely moved. So he pulled hard again and finally it dislodged and slid out towards him. "Oof!" He smiled.
"Okay, you win on that one!" Fran smiled. Max picked up the table leaf and carefully set it down in the new space in the table. It snapped into place, then he pushed the table back together to remove the gaps. Fran pulled the tablecloth back over everything and centered it. They moved the chairs back into place.
"Come here, you," Max said, reaching his hands out to Fran. She took them and he pulled her close. He rested his head on her forehead, then leaned in for a long kiss. Fran let go of his hands and wrapped her arms around his neck, then he wrapped his arms around her waist. He kissed her slowly and deeply, tilting his head from one side, then working towards the other. Fran sighed and ran a hand over his shoulder to his chest, then up his neck to the side of his face. She caressed his cheekbone with her thumb and pulled him to her for another deep kiss. He clutched at her waist as she finished the kiss, and he let out a slight gasp for air. "Wow…" Max's eyes were closed, and he slowly opened them and looked through his eyelashes into her eyes.
"I love you so much, Max," she whispered.
"God, Fran, I love you so much, too." He kissed her lightly and she wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, protectively, and they stood there, together, in the quiet. He kissed her gently several times across her hairline. "Everything okay?" Max whispered into her hair.
"Mmm… mostly. I still feel a little tired I guess. But having you hold me a lot makes me feel good." Max kissed her forehead again.
"Do you feel more tired when you're standing, or sitting-?" He asked.
Fran thought a moment. "I think it's the same. I guess like if you had a full, busy day, only the day's only half over so you still have to get through the rest of it. Makes you kind of want to just flop down and do nothing." Max lifted her chin up to look at her again.
"I'm sorry, darling," He caressed her cheek with his fingers. "Do you feel like you need to lie down?"
"I think I'm okay, I want to hang out with everyone. But I guess an early bedtime might not be a bad idea."
"Well, then, seven o'clock bedtime for you then," He smiled back at her. He let her rest her head against his chest again and he held her tight. They both closed their eyes and just enjoyed the hug.
Val and Sylvia were still in the living room with the TV. They both finally had a little quiet to let things sink in a little more.
"You alright, Syl?" Val looked over at her, worried.
"My baby's sick, of course I'm not alright." She looked down at the papers in her hands. "Did you look at these?" She asked.
"No, I wasn't sure if I should."
"Here, you should see them too. It describes where the- where it is," Sylvia couldn't bring herself to say "tumor." She handed the papers over to Val, who took them and sat back into the couch. She began to read through them as Sylvia stared blankly into space. The sounds of conversation came from the TV set as the characters went about their chaos and misunderstandings and comedy, oblivious to what had been going on in the Sheffield house.
"Gosh," Val sighed, once she finished reading. "Syl?"
Sylvia came back to attention. "Yeah?"
Val considered her words carefully. "Are you gonna be okay telling Morty this? Is he going to be okay?"
Sylvia held back the tears that were trying to form in her eyes. "I don't know, Val. I just don't know." They sat in silence for a few minutes.
"Sylvia, you know, if you need anything, I'm not far away. And Fran and Mr. Sheffield want to do everything they can, too. I still have to work, but I'll do what I can after. If you need me to pick up groceries or anything like that."
"Thank you Val, that's very sweet of you. I'm sure we'll be okay. It's just the not knowing, you know? We have to wait and see, I'll talk to Morty when I get home. After I feed him. Then I guess we wait to see what they find out tomorrow."
"Yeah…" Val drifted off. "But, you know, Fran and Mr. Sheffield are together. They love each other, and the kids are really good with that. Mr. Sheffield really stepped up to take care of her. I'm so happy he called me to go check on her."
Sylvia smiled. "That is wonderful, isn't it? Maybe that's what I should tell Morty first. That Fran has a boyfriend, the best boyfriend, and they love each other. Then I guess just do what Fran did, just tell him the story, a little at a time. Until the hard part. That will be really hard."
"Poor Sylvia!" Val was shaking her head. She put the papers down next to her on the couch and got up to go to Sylvia. Sylvia stood up and they hugged each other.
Fran led Max back to the living room, holding his hand behind her as they slowly traipsed through the halls back to where Sylvia and Val were still hugging. Fran was surprised to see them that way.
"Oh, you guys! You know you're gonna make me cry if you do things like that!" Fran rushed over to them to join the hug. "It's gonna be okay! It will be okay!" Fran separated and moved towards her mother to give her a tight squeeze. "Ma, you're messing up your makeup. And probably mine too!" They chuckled. She let Sylvia go and took Val in her arms, who was trying very hard not to blubber. "Aw, Val, come on, you know me- tough as nails. I'll get through this- we all will!"
"Oh Frannie!" Val cried. Max stepped over to Sylvia to offer a gentle hug. He wasn't certain of how hard to hug her.
"Sylvia…" He reached out his arms and Sylvia was surprised, but laid into him like he was her own son.
"Oh, Mr. Sheffield! You've been so good to my Frannie this weekend! Taking such good care of her and worrying about her. I don't know what we would have done without you stepping up and trying to find out what was going on with her. I know you're the only one she could talk to. Thank you for going after her!" Sylvia was almost in tears again.
"Oh, Sylvia, you've been such a big help to us too- to the girls. Knowing the girls would be safe was a huge weight off me. And off Fran. You and Val made it possible for Fran and I to talk about it all- for me to start taking care of her- like I should have been doing all along."
"Oh, Mr. Sheffield, you're so wonderful! Fran is a lucky girl!"
"Oh Ma!" Fran went back to take Sylvia from Max and hug her again herself. "He's right, Ma, if you and Val hadn't helped out, I don't know what would have happened. It was all so scary for me then. It feels like it was so long ago, but it just happened. But now I know I'm safe, and I'm loved, and I appreciate you guys watching out for me." Now Max was starting to get mushy, and Fran saw it in his eyes. She let go of Sylvia and went to him, turning him away from Val and Sylvia so they wouldn't see his tears. Max realized what she had just done for him, so he hugged her tight and worked the tears back in. He took a deep breath and looked into her eyes for comfort and reassurance, then kissed her lightly. Val and Sylvia put an arm around each other and watched them cuddle. "I'm warning you guys, this kind of thing might keep happening again and again, so make sure you always have tissues on hand!" They all laughed as Fran went for the box of tissues on the table, took one, and passed it around.
"Hey, Niles and the girls will be back any minute. Let's turn off the TV and go get the dining room ready with the silverware, and plates for everyone," Max said.
"Yeah, that's a great idea," Fran agreed.
"Oh!" Sylvia exclaimed. "I need to go put my face back together first!"
"My gosh, so do I! Sylvia let's run into the powder room first-" Val said. Val turned off the TV with the remote and they all headed back towards the dining room and kitchen, with Sylvia and Val making a pit stop at the powder room as Fran and Max continued through the hallways to the dining room.
"Grace darling, can you go get Brighton for dinner?" Max asked.
"Sure!" Grace ran from the dining room. Fran set down a couple Thai teas at the table, and Val and Sylvia followed, teas in their hands. Niles and Max had sorted out all of the meals for everyone, leaving Fran's and Morty's in the kitchen so no one would would be tempted to eat them.
"Everything smells so good! I'm so jealous of you guys!" Fran said, looking around at everyone's food. "Come on and sit down, go ahead and dig in while it's all still hot." Everyone began taking their seats, Max pulled out Fran's chair for her and then scooted it back in once she sat. He sat down himself as Grace and Brighton came into the room.
"Brighton, yours is right here, Gracie, yours is next to Maggie," Max pointed. They both climbed into their chairs and began dishing their food onto their plates, as did everyone else, except Fran. She sipped her water as she watched them. Max noticed, and handed her the container of crab rangoon, smiling.
"Aw, thank you, Max," Fran said, taking the container from him. She took out one and set it on her plate.
"Go ahead and take another one, sweetheart," Max told her. She gleefully reached in for another one.
"Everyone have everything they need?" Niles asked. Everyone nodded, stuffing their faces.
"Yes, thank you, Niles. Now come on, sit down and dig in," Max said.
"Oh!" Niles exclaimed. "There was one last thing!" He rushed back into the kitchen, and then came back out a moment later, carrying a plastic container of greens for Brighton and a bottle of salad dressing. He set it down next to Brighton, and Brighton and Max both laughed.
"Thank you, Niles!" Brighton said to him.
"You're welcome." Niles sat down in his chair and began to dish out his own food.
Brighton woofed down half of his food rapidly, then stopped to let it settle and picked up his tea. He took several big gulps and sat back in his chair, eyes closed in enjoyment.
"Okay, whose idea was it to get Thai tea?" He asked.
"Mine," Maggie smiled.
"SOOOOOO good! I haven't had a Thai tea in ages!" Everyone else picked up their tea and drank, agreeing with Brighton.
Fran finished her crab rangoon and sat back to watch everyone enjoying their meals. Max reached for her hand to hold while he ate.
"I hope the doctors say you can eat like normal tomorrow. I know how much you want to. Maybe they'll have some solution for you." Fran squeezed his hand.
"Oh," Brighton said, sitting up in his seat. "I talked to Tommy's dad for a good while. He said he can make me a copy of his software on the condition that it's used for educational purposes, that way we don't have to spend a ton of money buying our own, especially if maybe they only let doctors buy it. But, the educational thing, he sort of laid out an idea that he said I should talk to you guys about. But we can talk about that after dinner."
Max and Fran looked at each other, then back at Brighton.
"Educational? Alright. We can talk after dinner," Max said. Fran smiled at Brighton, impressed at his initiative. She wondered what kind of "educational" thing Tommy's dad was asking of him, and what other things he may have been able to get information on. Fran looked around the table, one person at a time, appreciating each one and that they were all here for her. She missed her father and Yetta, but she understood that it might be too difficult for them to handle all of this, especially her father. He always came off as detached, but she knew how hard it was for him to cope with emotional situations. Sometimes he needed to be alone, lost in a game on television, to help himself process whatever may be bothering him. She felt bad that her mother was going to have to go through another emotional struggle later that night. She looked at Sylvia, happily going to town on her chicken.
"Fran?" Grace said, wiping her face with her napkin.
"Yes, angel?"
"What time will you get back from the doctor tomorrow?"
"Well, baby, I don't exactly know. I don't know how long the tests will take, or if we have to wait a long time, you know, like you sometimes have to do at doctor's offices. Plus, it's at the hospital, so if they need anything for an emergency patient first, then we might have to wait for that. I don't think we'll be there the whole day, for sure."
"You think you will be home when we get home from school?"
"I hope so, so I can hug you and cuddle with you and do homework with you."
"Oh, we don't have homework this week! We have to do the state testing, so they don't give us homework. They want to make sure we get lots of sleep and have good breakfasts."
Brighton chimed in, "Yeah, I have testing too. Just Monday to Thursday, then we have a recreation day Friday. So that helps."
"Oh, good!" Fran said. "Then we can have lots of time for hugs and cuddles! But do you have to do any studying or review for the tests?"
"Nope, we did that already, and I know all of it," Gracie smiled.
"I believe that!" Fran smiled at her. "What about you, Brighton?"
"I have review sheets, I can just go over them a couple times before I go to bed. A lot of it is basic skills, but then they put the hard problems in there just to challenge some kids and see if they can do them. But since we're a private school, it doesn't matter as much. But one of my teachers said it can help them see if any students are having any big issues and might need to be evaluated. I don't think that happens much." He picked up his tea again and took a few long draws through the straw. 'Uhhhh this tea is so good!" He said. Maggie smiled,
Max looked at Fran and they smiled at each other, and Max squeezed her hand again. "How are you doing?' He asked her.
"Good. I think that crab rangoon was just enough."
"Remember, you can still have some more of a shake if you think you need something to get you through the night. You don't have to have a whole one."
"Yeah. I'll keep that in mind. I'm okay for now though." Max kissed the back of her hand, and went back to eating his meal.
When everyone had eaten as much as they could, they all began putting any extra back into the containers with their names on them. One by one, they all sat back and finished off their teas.
"We can put our leftovers in the fridge ourselves, Niles," Maggie said. She scooted out her chair and stood up, and Brighton and Grace followed suit.
"Dad, I can take yours, if you want." Brighton said.
"Well, not much left to take, but maybe I'll finish it off later. Thank you, Brighton." Brighton stacked Max's plate and silverware on top of his and picked it up, then picked up all of the containers by their handles in his other hand. Maggie and Grace picked up their containers and plates and utensils and headed in to the kitchen, then Niles stood up and gathered Sylvia and Val's plates and silverware along with his own, then picked up his own containers in his other hand and headed into the kitchen. Val and Sylvia didn't have any food left in their containers, so they picked up their garbage and Fran's plate and took them into the kitchen. Max and Fran were left there, alone.
"How are you doing, Max?" Fran asked him, rubbing his arm softly. He smiled at her.
"I suppose I'm alright, considering everything. Just constantly thinking about you." He leaned over and kissed her lightly. "I love you, Fran."
"I love you more," she said, smiling. It was nearing the time the car might show up to take her mother and Val back to Queens, so they both got up from their chairs and went in the kitchen to join everyone.
Fran stepped over to Sylvia who was packing up a bag of food to take back to Morty. Val was helping Niles set plates and silverware into the dishwasher. Fran put her arm around her mother's waist.
"Thank you for coming over, Ma. It meant a lot to me. And you too, Val," she said.
"Oh, Fran, it's no trouble. We need to know you're okay," Val said.
"She's right, Frannie," Sylvia set the bag on the counter and turned to Fran to hug her. "We love you so much, and daddy does too."
"And thank you guys for taking care of the girls. Maybe we can have a re-do sometime." Fran smiled at the girls, and they grinned. Just then, the phone rang and Niles picked it up.
"Sheffield residence," He said. "Oh yes, thank you. I'll let them know." Niles pressed the disconnect button on the cordless and set it down on the table. "Well, that was the driver. He said he'll be out front in just a couple of minutes."
"Oh- all right," Sylvia said. "Val, we better get our things together, and get our coats."
Val washed off her hands and dried them, and everyone followed them out to the front of the house. Niles opened the closet where their coats were, and Val and Sylvia went to retrieve the gifts Fran and Max had given them, including the bag with Morty and Yetta's gifts. They walked back over to the front staircase and everyone hugged and said their goodbyes. Niles helped the women on with their coats.
"Ma, you let me know if you have any issues with Daddy and Yetta, okay? I want to see them sometime, too," Fran said.
"Yes, sweetheart. How about tomorrow night we talk again, or whenever is okay with you. Then you can tell me if the doctors say anything tomorrow," Sylvia hugged Fran and started buttoning her coat.
Val hugged Fran next. "You know you can call me anytime, right? I'll try to let you know my schedule, so you know where I am. Okay? And let me know what happens tomorrow. Make sure you get some sleep tonight."
"I will, Val," Fran said. Sylvia hugged Max and the kids and Val followed suit, then the two stepped up to the front door right as the car pulled up. Niles opened the door for them and everyone waved goodbye.
Fran and Max headed back to the living room.
"Daddy, is it okay if Gracie and I head upstairs for a while?" Maggie asked.
"Sure, darling. Make sure we get to say goodnight to you though, because we might not get to see you in the morning before we have to leave," Max told her.
"Okay," the girls headed up the stairs and Niles headed back to the kitchen.
"I'm gonna go get my notes, so I can talk to you guys about what Tommy's dad said, okay?" Brighton said.
"Sure," Fran said. He jogged up the stairs and Max led Fran to the couch where they both sat down. Max looked at her as she leaned her head against the back of the couch and closed her eyes.
"Sweetheart? Are you getting tired?" Max asked, concerned.
"I'm a little tired. What a day!" She said, turning her head to look at him. "Maybe after we talk to Brighton, it might be a good idea to go get ready for bed. Even if I don't fall asleep yet, I could definitely flop down on the bed pretty easily."
Max smiled and took her hand in both of his, caressing it gently. He leaned to kiss her on the forehead. Something didn't feel quite right. He gently pressed his lips on her forehead again. She felt like she might be warm.
Fran wondered what he was doing. The first kiss was nice. The second thing he did was- a little weird. She tilted her head back to look at him. "What is it?" She asked.
Max pushed up his sleeve and put his wrist on her forehead. "Darling," he whispered to her, "I think you feel a little warm." Fran sat up straight and put a hand to the back of her neck, then her wrist to her forehead.
"Are you sure? I can't really tell. I don't feel hot. Just a little sleepy, maybe," She saw the concern in is eyes. "Maybe it's just from being sleepy? Can't you get a little warm from that?"
"Yes, I suppose you can. Maybe that's all it is," He put an arm around her shoulders and she leaned back against him, waiting for Brighton to come back downstairs. He kissed her just into her hairline. He could still smell the vanilla in her hair.
Just then Brighton came thudding down the staircase, and into the living room with his notebook and pencil. He headed to one of the chairs across from Fran and his father.
"Okay, so," Brighton flopped into the chair and held his notebook in front of him. "So I started looking up some of the things that were on your lab results, but I want to read more about them so I can understand what they mean better. I mean, it's obvious your immune system is working. But I want to read more about what each thing does and why, and what it means if they are all out of whack. So… so then I called Tommy to see if his dad was there and if I could talk to him, and he was. I told him what was going on, but I didn't say it was about you specifically. I told him it was a very close family friend, and I wanted to see what I could do to help, or at least help understand it all. You know, like maybe help figure out what questions we need to ask the doctors. So I told him about the ultrasound, and that you would be getting more tests tomorrow, and that I knew that you guys should probably get copies of all the imaging and of course any new lab work. Then I asked him about the software so we might be able to look at the images outside of the doctor's office or hospital. I know that that can help patients feel a little more empowered, that it can help them know what is going on." Fran nodded. "So I asked if he had that kind of software. He said he did. Then I asked if there was a way I could get the software, so we could use it on my computer. You know, if there was a way to buy it if we aren't doctors, or if he knew what to do. He said it was perfectly okay to make a copy of his. He has a copy he uses in his office at his practice, and his license permits it to be used educationally, like if he was teaching medical students and needed to show them images. So he said he would be willing to make a copy for me, for educational purposes. So, he said since I'm showing a lot of interest in all this, that he wants me to work on getting the most out of it- not just to understand everything about what's happening to you, but educationally- something that I might be able to get credit for at school, and maybe something that can be used on college applications. You know? That sort of thing."
Max and Fran looked at each other, eyebrows raised. "So," Max said, "You mean like a project or something? What exactly would be expected for you to get some school credit?"
"Well, that's the thing. I would need to get approval, have a teacher sponsor it or be a mentor- like probably my biology teacher. I can go in tomorrow early and see if I can make an appointment to talk to her either at lunchtime or after school. So what I need to do tonight, I need to write up a proposal, like a research proposal, and talk about what I intend to study- like the lab information, and the images. That maybe I might interview you, if that's okay- mostly for the physical side of things, you know- symptoms. Like the fevers and the pains and stuff. To try to study what causes that. Maybe I could talk to the doctors. And, um, Tommy's dad said he would sign on as a mentor to help guide the research, like what things to read- like medical journals and stuff. So I have to have a copy of the proposal for him to sign or make changes to, and one for the biology teacher. Maybe one for school administration if they all need to talk to each other and see about getting credit approved. Also, Tommy's dad mentioned that there has to be something like a release form, especially for you, to make sure your privacy is protected and that there are things in place so there isn't anything that would cause harm to you or anyone- you know, like when research or experiments are done with people, their health and safety has to be paramount so there has to be those things written up, but I know I will need help with that. But that's all part of the process of me learning how to do all this."
They got quiet.
"Brighton," Fran said quietly, "I'm really impressed with you. I'm really impressed at your initiative. I think you could really get something out of this- and I'm not just talking about trying to get some school credit for it. I think you will learn a lot more than they tend to teach in a regular biology class. This could be more like college-level stuff. You might want to make a pitch for that- to see if something can be coordinated so you could get college credit. It may take a while. You don't want this to interfere with all of your regular work. But maybe they will let you schedule a class period to work on this. You'll have a lot of meetings to get prepared for. But yes, if you really want to do this and put the effort into it, it's a yes from me. I think you can do it and get a lot out of it. But your father has to have the final word." Fran and Brighton both looked at Max. He looked from Brighton, to Fran, and back to Brighton.
"So you will write up a proposal tonight? Fran gets a copy of that?"
"Yes, both of you if you want. I'll have it on the computer so I can print as many as I need, and make changes to it if I have to. And I need to talk to Maggie to see if she can get me in the library at Columbia. They have access to the articles in medical journals there. Like for that, I might have to write up like a contract or something with her, saying what I want to do and any expectations of me she might have. That way we go by the contract, and she won't get mad from me nagging her or anything. So any new person I might need to go to, I may need to write something up. I'll have to learn a lot about what's required of researchers. Especially like the case study things."
"Well, I have to agree with Fran, I am really impressed with you. But if you take this step, you have to see it through. It will be like enrolling in a class that you can't drop out of. Do you think you can handle seeing it through- until you have what you need to turn in?"
"Yes, I think with Tommy's dad and my biology teacher, they can really help me learn about everything, the how's and why's, and how to put together like a case study or something like that. I know I can do it. But yeah, I need to make sure I don't get obsessed and forget about my other classes. So if I can get a class period allowed so I can work on this then, that would be perfect. It would help me manage my time. So I will have the proposal done tonight, I can leave a copy for you guys to look at. If you see anything that needs to be changed or considered, you can write on it. I'll give the same thing to Tommy's dad and my teacher. Then maybe tomorrow I will have a better sense of things and if the school might allow it."
"That sounds like a good plan. Well, we won't keep you, since you have a lot of work to do tonight. But don't forget to go over your review sheets for your testing tomorrow."
"Oh yeah, okay. So, it's a yes from you guys?" Brighton asked.
Max looked at Fran again, and she nodded and smiled. "It's a yes." Max said.
"Okay, great! Now don't forget to get copies of everything tomorrow. All of the imaging they did or will do tomorrow. Any other results from testing, reports, that kind of thing."
"Okay, B, we will," Fran said. Brighton stood up, happy, but nervous.
"Okay, great! Okay! Oh- can I wear my new watch to school this week? At least just while we have the testing? The guys are gonna be so jealous, this is the coolest watch ever!"
Max and Fran laughed.
"Sure," Max said. "But remember, be careful with it. If there is any chance you might need to take it off for any reason, and maybe keep it in your locker, just make sure you have something there to put it in, like the box it came in, or something similar."
"Okay, that's a good idea. Okay! Well, I better get on it then! And if you guys are crashing early, then good night. I hope I see you before you go, but if not- just try not to get worked up, okay? Relaxation techniques and all that, you know?" He said to Fran.
"Okay, B, I'll remember. Don't stay up late, okay? Keep your proposal short and simple. You can always add to it later. You just need to tell them what your goals are. Maybe start with that."
"Okay, thank you. I'll do that. Okay then, good night Fran, good night, Dad."
"Good night, B," Fran said
"Good night, Brighton," Max said. Brighton hurried out of the room, already preoccupied with the work he would be doing. He flew up the stairs and was gone. Fran and Max looked at each other, flabbergasted.
"That kid!" Fran said.
"I know, right? When did he suddenly grow up?" Max said.
"Were you like that when you were a teenager? You know, when you were starting to put on plays or when you had to start convincing people to give you money so you could put on a play?" Fran asked.
"You know, I hadn't thought about it like that. I didn't have to write proposals, but I sure wrote a lot of speeches and had to practice them. All of my convincing was verbal, unless they wanted to see numbers. We'll have to see what his proposal looks like. But he's a good writer. I'm sure it will be good. You know, I'm really proud of him. I was not expecting this at all. I was worried he might crumble, you know," Max squeezed Fran's shoulder.
"Yeah, me too. I think he really needs to feel some sense of control. He can't fix or stop what's happening with me, but he can try to understand it. To figure out why, and then learn how doctors may try to fix it. And if he can help us figure out what to ask about- that will really help. Give him something to focus on so he doesn't just stew in worry. We need to make sure the girls don't do that either."
"Yes, that's true. We'll watch them and see what direction they may go in. I think Gracie will want to be your caretaker. And Maggie- she may try to distract you so you don't worry."
"Distract me how?" Fran asked.
"Oh I don't know. Maybe bring you magazines, or movies, or want to talk to you about boys at school. So, probably the usual, only maybe ramped up. She might want to try to keep things normal."
"Ah," Fran sighed. "You might be right."
"Now- let's get you to bed, and I don't want any argument about it," Max got up from the couch and held out his hands to help her up.
"You won't get any argument from me!" Fran said, smiling. She was tired, and it was showing more now. Max pulled her up to him, then grabbed her medical papers off of the coffee table, wrapped an arm over her shoulders, and she wrapped an arm around his waist. They headed for the staircase and slowly walked up to her bedroom so she could get more clothes and pajamas and be ready for the morning.
Fran changed out of her clothes and into some lighter pajamas. She was starting to feel warm, after all, but didn't want to alarm Max. She hoped just trying to cool down a little would help. She then went through her clothes trying to find something nice looking for the next day, but without any zippers or metal fasteners so she wouldn't have to change out of it for the MRI. She found a fuzzy, soft, white sweater and some stretchy black pants that were almost like leggings, only the bottoms of the legs were loose and they weren't of thin material. She thought those would feel nice and would be easy to move if she had to be examined. She made a stack of her clothes and socks, and added pajamas for the next night.
She put on her robe and tied it and checked around the room for anything else. Her dressing table was still there, so she thought she might ask Max about where to move it to in the other bedroom. Maybe after they came back to the house tomorrow, she could really start to move her things over to his closet, too. She saw one of her magazines on the bedside table and decided to take it with her. She hadn't gone through it yet, and she was starting to have the feeling that tonight might end up being a long night, especially if the fever didn't subside and if she couldn't sleep through it. She turned off the light and headed for the master bedroom.