Fran climbed onto the bed and made a stack of the photo books they had bought and took out the magazines from the gift shop bag and added them on top. She also took out the papers about the pre-surgery meeting and the surgery itself and set them on the bedside table. Then she saw the box of condoms.
"Hey baby?" She asked. Max was in the closet taking off his shoes and changing out of his jeans.
"Yeah?" He stepped out and shut the closet door behind him.
"Is there some place you want to put these?" She held the bag out towards him and gave him a wry grin. He reached for the bag and looked inside.
"Oh yeah, those…" he smiled back at her, blushing. He took out the box and looked around. "I guess we can just keep them over here," he opened the drawer on his bedside table and put the box inside, then closed it.
"You worried about anybody finding them?"
"You mean, like Niles?" He sat down on the bed next to her.
"Yeah. I don't think the kids come in here snooping around."
"Well, there's always a chance. But he doesn't need to clean in there. If he was putting away a remote or something, maybe. But I'm sure he'd be discreet. Mind his own business."
Fran reached for her tea and took a sip, then set it back down. "How about you? Are you okay with having those? I mean, what they imply?"
Max slid down on the bed and pulled a pillow under his head. He wrapped an arm over Fran's legs and pressed his lips against her thigh. "I love you, Fran. I won't deny that I want to be with you," he looked up at her and she stroked his hair. "I never imagined that things would happen the way they did for us to finally be together- to be a couple. But I am crazy about you. It's hard to hold back." He ran his hand over her thigh and up to her hip. He kissed her thigh. He took a deep breath and exhaled, closing his eyes and pulling her tightly to him. "I am ready to be with you, when the timing is right. When I know you feel good. But I might still be nervous about the possibility of hurting you, so…"
"I understand. We'll go slow, one step at a time. I promise to let you know if anything- if something doesn't feel right or I'm uncomfortable. But I think it's like the doctor said, we should just be gentle, not go crazy. We'll save crazy for after I recover form the surgery." Max smiled and buried his face in her thigh.
"That sounds nice," he mumbled. She stroked his hair some more, then massaged his forehead.
"Get some rest, sweetie. I'll be right here." She continued to caress him and massage him gently until she was pretty certain he had fallen asleep, or was very close to it. She smiled to herself as she watched him breathing. He's so wonderful, she thought. And he's mine. He's my boyfriend! She looked down at the ring on her finger and smiled even bigger. She was so happy, she felt she could take on anything, including this tumor and surgery. She wasn't feeling nervous or worried about anything anymore. She felt like a wave of confidence had just poured over her- a kind of certainty about the future. She was right where she needed to be, for the long term.
She let him sleep, clutching her the way he had. She liked how it felt. She turned to the stack of books and magazines next to her and picked up the photo book that had pictures of Queens and began to go through it. She was engrossed in the photos- one after another it felt like she was taken back to her childhood. They were all black and white photos of street scenes, people eating meals in diners and delis, kids playing in the street. It was fantastic. She would have to show her mother- there had to be people in these photos that her mother knew. Maybe even people who still lived in those neighborhoods. She was really enjoying looking through the book, and wondered if Brighton would get a similar feeling. Maybe she could take him back to Queens and show him around- have him take black and white photos of all the people and places that were there now. She was pretty sure he would like to do that. He was such a great kid. She really loved him like he was her own son. And he was so much like his father- vulnerable and devoted, curious and hardworking. He was going to make a wonderful husband for someone someday.
Fran finished looking through that photo book and shifted the stack so she could look at the next one. Now this one she was positive Brighton was really going to like. It was a huge book, packed full of black and white photos and Kodachrome color photos- so the color was that wonderful tint of nostalgia. They were all mostly street photography, but also included a lot of candid photos indoors- people in line for movie tickets, in train stations, at concerts, even in Broadway theaters. She would have to show those to Max. The next book was the book of post-war street photography of London. Now she would get to see some of Max's old stomping grounds, especially of the time after he finished college and before he moved to New York. It was a bit upsetting to see the scenes following the war- the city blocks destroyed by bombs, the children running through the rubble scavenging what they could find. There were even several pages of photos of the mudlarks! Many of them were children, mud up to their knees, carrying metal pails or makeshift fabric bags, picking up bits and pieces that may have had some value. She felt so sorry for those children. The book continued on- new construction, teenagers with more fashionable clothes riding scooters, shopkeepers smoking outside their shops, couples walking hand in hand through Hyde Park. She imagined those couples were her and Max. Then another section on nightlife- drunks fighting outside of pubs, crowds of young people waiting to get into a night club, and then the theater district! So many people all dressed up, carrying umbrellas in the pouring rain, rushing in the doors of the theaters to get to their seats. She really hoped she would see Max, but was pretty sure he would be too young to be featured in a photo from that time. She really was proud of him- of the business he created. He wasn't in it for money, he truly believed in what he was doing. He really loved the theater and wanted to get other people to love it too. Because when it was good, it was so good! Fran herself knew the kind of feeling it must have given him, because she felt it too. To lose all sense of where you are and to feel like you are in the story taking place in front of you. It happened when she watched old movies, and even new ones when they were done really well.
She looked down at him sleeping. He was out cold. The poor man needed this nap bad. She loved him for staying with her all night, trying to cool her down, being afraid he might have to get her to the hospital. She couldn't begin to imagine the fear he must have had, knowing how he felt about her. Just thinking about it brought tears to her eyes. God, she adored him. She wanted to show him the devotion he had shown her- even when she was unconscious and didn't know. She would do everything she could to take care of him, too.
She finished looking through the book on London and set it with the others. She had to stop and think about all the pictures she had just seen. It was like she had been in a time machine. She tried to imagine what life was like for all those people- how they spent their days, where they may have worked, did they have families? And all those couples- were they still together? How old would those muddy children be now?
Maybe she would ask Brighton to take some black and white photos of her and Max. They could become a part of that wonderful timelessness that all those photos seemed to have. Maybe someday Brighton would have a book of photos like those sitting next to her on the bed. He probably would. And maybe he would become a doctor or a scientist. Maybe he would come up with a cure for tumors like hers, or less invasive treatments so no one would have to have surgery.
Fran took a few more sips of her tea and then picked up one of her magazines and began reading through it. She kept glancing a the clock to watch the time- she couldn't wait to go join everyone at the table and pig out on her Chinese food.
Brighton rushed home from school and burst through the kitchen door, just as Niles was bringing his now-empty bowl of chips back into the kitchen.
"For goodness sakes, Brighton! You nearly scared me half to death!" Niles exclaimed.
"Oh, sorry Niles. Are they here? Did they get back? Is Fran okay?" He said, out of breath.
"Settle down a bit, everything's fine, they're resting upstairs right now so try to keep it down. Your father didn't get much sleep last night. They'll be down for dinner, he said they'd talk to everyone after dinner. But they did read your proposal, and they were very impressed. I believe Ms. Fine said something like why weren't you in college already," Niles smiled, then pointed at the kitchen table where the large envelope sat. "I believe you may want to take a look at what's in that envelope. But just remember, keep all of that together, I expect those are the only copies they have so trying to get additional ones if something gets lost could be a real pain."
Brighton looked over at the table and saw the envelope and a box. He grabbed the envelope and looked inside, and saw the CD. "They got the images on CD? That's awesome, because Tommy brought a copy of the software today. I can go install it and see if I can get this CD to work. What's this box?"
"I believe that's part of it. Your father wrote something on a piece of paper and put it in there so it would make more sense I guess. I don't know what it is, I didn't look at it."
Brighton grabbed the box off the table, too, and headed for the fridge. He grabbed a bottle of soda and made for the back stairs. "I'll be in my room, Niles, okay? What time do I need to be down for dinner?"
"Five-thirty, and remember, be quiet when you go up there, they might be asleep."
"Okay, I will. Niles?" Brighton turned around as he was part way up the steps.
"Yes?"
"How did Fran look? Was she okay?"
"She looked fine, like her old self. Very happy and ready for Chinese food," Niles said. Brighton smiled and nodded, then turned back and quietly headed up the stairs to his bedroom.
He tiptoed into his room and shut the door, then turned on his computer. He emptied his backpack and got his folder of information about his new school project on Fran and her tumor, and took out the multiple CDs of the software he needed to install. This might take a little while. When his computer was ready, he inserted the first CD into the drive and waited for the prompt, asking him if he wanted to install the software. Yes. Then he waited until it asked for the next CD. He opened his soda and took a swig, then put it on his desk. He wanted to look at the papers in the folder. He knew he would get absorbed in them for sure, so he decided that he better change out of his uniform and get his things sorted and ready for the next day while he waited for the disk to finish. It clicked and whirred as it went through all of the data. Once he was changed out of his uniform, he sat down in his desk chair and watched the progress bar near the end. Then it asked for the next disk. He ejected the first one and swapped it for the second disk and once he saw that might take a while, too, he picked up the envelope and pulled out all the papers and set them on his bed behind him. He separated the old hospital papers into one stack, set the CD of images on top of it, and began reading through the new papers one by one. After reading through the new lab results, he read the new ultrasound report, then found the original report and compared the two. He set those together in a separate stack and then read the MRI report. It was a little more detailed about general things in the abdomen, and then it gave details on the mass in the right abdomen. He read through it several times, then cleared his throat and set it back on the stack of new papers.
The computer whirred and clicked and then made a quick tone. Brighton turned to look over at it and realized the software had finished installing. He hurried over to remove the disk and restarted the computer. He started getting more anxious. If the software installed correctly and he was able to view the images on the disk, he would finally see this mass that the radiologist's reports described. He wanted to see it, but wasn't sure what to expect. He picked up the disk from his bed and turned around in his chair to get ready to put it in the computer drive. The computer finished restarting and he clicked on the icon for the imaging software. The software started up. It looked like the installation was successful. He looked at the CD in his hand and put it in the drive, then used the drop-down menu in the software to open the images for her original ultrasound. It worked. In front of him on the screen was the full user interface of the software and the largest image was the first in the series of ultrasound images. He knew the first ultrasound was for her entire abdomen, so he wasn't expecting to see the tumor immediately. He cycled through each image and followed which part of the abdomen it said it was of- including any visible organs. Then suddenly there it was. An obvious, round-shaped object in the middle of the screen. There were a number of images of it from different angles, and two of the images contained lines which measured the size of it. So that was definitely it. He zoomed in to get a closer look. It wasn't solid black or bright white, which he had learned meant something about the texture of the area. Black meant it was fluid-filled, like a cyst. Bright white could be more solid that reflected the sound waves back. This was in-between, and the texture looked lumpy inside the solid-looking walls.
Brighton leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. He looked at it again and again. Then he leaned back over to see if he might be able to print an image on his printer. He gave it a shot and let his laser printer try to print out a decent version. It wasn't as good as the on-screen image, but it would suffice for now. He compared the measurements shown on one image to the measurements listed on the report- they were the same. Then he saw the file that contained a short video sequence. He clicked on that and watched a swishing back and forth through the abdomen over the tumor, showing multiple views around it and giving him a better idea of how it was situated in her abdomen. He could see what must be connective tissue- or maybe some kind of scar tissue or growth?- streaming off the tumor and possibly holding it in place. He took a deep breath and took a couple big swigs from his bottle of soda.
He scanned back through the interface and found the batch of images from the second ultrasound and opened those. There were fewer images in this batch, they seemed to immediately be focused on the tumor alone and the surrounding tissue and organs. There was another image of measurements and he compared those with the new report. They were different from the original measurements. He looked back at the two reports and saw that they were essentially saying that the tumor had grown larger, in just under two weeks. Brighton gulped hard. He went back to an image that showed the tumor clearly and zoomed in. It still had the same kind of lumpy interior and a solid wall around it. He printed out a copy of that image. Then he watched the short video that covered the tumor and the area around it.
He found the first batch of MRI images and opened those. It said these were without contrast, so he assumed that meant without the contrast dye injected. He cycled through each image, getting his bearings for what it showed and how right was on the left and the left side was on the right. After a number of images, he saw the outline of a round mass right where he expected it would be. He didn't see anything else resembling it as he cycled back and forth through the images, so he felt some relief at that. Just the one, singular mass. He zoomed in to one of the best images that seemed to show the full diameter of the mass and started printing that out. Then he went to the next batch where the slices were coming from a different direction and found the tumor again. He cycled back and forth and zoomed in to get a better look. He found the best view and printed that out. Then he went to the final batch, the ones done after the contrast dye was injected. They were in the same kind of order, but the shading of everything was a little different. He didn't know exactly how the contrast dye worked, but knew it must go through the bloodstream, so he figured it might enhance the areas where there was more circulation. He cycled through to find the best views, zoomed in, and then printed those out. He went back to the ultrasound done that morning to watch the video cycle again and again.
He hadn't realized his eyes were twitching the whole time.
Fran was still reading one of her magazines when Max stirred. She looked down at him as he rolled over onto his side and exhaled. She checked the time and saw that it was dark outside. She reached over and stroked his head.
"Sweetie?" She said softly. He didn't respond. She stroked his forehead and eyebrows. "Sweetie? Max, it's time to start waking up."
He stirred a little and blinked his eyes open, then shut them again and groaned. She rubbed the back of his shoulders.
"You waking up?" She asked, caressing his cheek.
"Mmmm…" he mumbled. He blinked his eyes open again and rolled over on his back. He stretched and yawned and looked around the room, then back at Fran.
"You sure konked out good," Fran smiled.
"Mmmm. I was having this weird dream. About you."
Fran raised an eyebrow. "A sexy dream?" She asked, smiling.
"Unfortunately, no," he said, rolling back over towards her. He put a hand on her thigh and rubbed it with his thumb, then kissed it. She stroked his hair again. "It started kind of anxious, I think, like- I don't know, like maybe I was trying to find you or something?" He thought for a minute. "You sort of came towards me, you just kind of came towards me and put your arms around me, and I felt better. Then we were walking somewhere, holding hands. It was like it was warm- almost like on a beach, but the sun was down, it wasn't so bright. I just kept looking at you and you smiled at me. I just felt really happy. Like whatever was going on that had me anxious or scared or whatever, it was gone and I was just with you. Like you were reassuring me. It was nice."
"It sounds nice," Fran smiled, still stroking his hair.
"Hmmm… like what you're doing now… that feels nice…" he pressed his face into the side of her thigh.
"Maybe we can continue this later. We need to get ready for dinner pretty soon."
"Aw," he said, looking up at her. He shifted up onto his forearms and pushed his hair back. "I guess I am kind of hungry. Are you feeling hungry?" He asked.
"Yep. I really want to pig out, but I might not have the room. I might have to go back for seconds later." She closed the magazine she had been reading and set it on the photo books. "Oh, sweetie, I think you're gonna like these photo books. I was getting so into them! I really need to show Ma the one with pictures of Queens. I felt like I went back in a time machine or something."
Max sat himself up next to Fran, moved his pillow back, and looked over at the books. "You went through all of them?" He asked.
"Yeah. Was that okay? I won't tell you what's in them, but I do think you'll get a kick out of looking at them. I'll have to go look at them again, so much to absorb."
"I'm glad you liked them. What do you think Brighton will think? Will he like them?"
"Yeah, I think he will. I think it might give him a lot of good ideas."
"Good, good. What time is it?" He said, turning around to look at the clock. "Wow, I really did konk out, didn't I?" He got up from the bed and headed for the bathroom to sort himself out and get ready for dinner. Fran got up and picked up the stack of photo books and magazines and took them over to the chaise to get them out of the way. She went back to the bed to straighten up, smoothing out the pillows and the comforter. She picked up the papers with the surgery and pre-surgical appointment information and set them on the end of the bed, next to her stuffed dog. Max came out of the bathroom with his hair freshly brushed and cologne refreshed. Fran pulled him close to her and hugged him, and he reciprocated.
"Mmmm…" She said.
Max gave a small laugh. "That's kind of how you hugged me in my dream," he said.
"Well, it doesn't have to just be in your dreams." She squeezed him tighter and kissed him.
"You about ready to head down?" He asked.
"Lemme run to the bathroom real quick. Should we take those papers about the surgery downstairs? I don't know that there's any information on there anyone needs to know. Except for times maybe. We need to see if Brighton might be able to come on Friday if he wants to."
"Yes. I don't think we need to take the papers down now. We'll just talk to everyone about it, about everything."
"Okay. I'll be right back," she said, and hurried into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. He looked over towards the bathroom, making sure she was in with the door shut, then hurried over to his chest of drawers. He listened again, then quietly opened the top drawer and pulled out a small box- a box from the jewelry store- and put it in his pocket, then closed the drawer and stepped back over towards the bed. Fran opened the bathroom door and shut off the light.
"Darling? Should we bring these books downstairs? Maybe encourage Brighton to not stay in his room too much in case he gets obsessive."
"Sure, I guess. The girls and Niles might like looking at them too. I need to bring my glass back downstairs, too. Oh, you don't happen to know how much caffeine that tea might have in it, do you? I have a feeling I might be wide awake tonight."
Max chuckled. "Well, good, because after the nap, I might not be able to get to sleep either. We might have to find something to do to kill time…" he smiled at Fran and reached for her waist, pulling her to him. Fran wrapped her arms around his neck and they kissed each other slowly and deeply. As they pulled apart, they kissed each other's lips softly. "Mmmmm," he mumbled.
"Mmm hmm," Fran agreed. "We don't need to get up early for anything, do we? I mean, if we happened to sleep past when the kids head off to school…"
"Not that I know of. I'm sure they'll all understand if we sleep in sometimes." They leaned against each other's foreheads and Max kissed her again. "We better get down there before they get into your Chinese food. I'll get the books and bring them down," he said. Fran headed over to pick up her glass and decided to take her stuffed dog with her too.
"I need to show this to the girls. But I have to make sure Gracie doesn't steal it from me!" Max laughed and they headed out of the bedroom to the front staircase. Max insisted on going first, in case she stumbled at all. He knew she wouldn't, she was doing much better, but he didn't want to take the chance. As they came down the staircase, they could hear the children in the kitchen and dining room. Max went over to the coffee table and set the books down, and Fran set her dog down next to them. Max took her hand and they headed to the kitchen to join the others.
The door between the dining room and kitchen was kept open and the children were bringing the plates of sandwiches and salad in to put them on the dining table. When Fran and Max came in, they said hello to everyone and gave them hugs.
"Oh, Ms. Fine, Mr. Sheffield! I have the soup on the stove if you'd like to pick out which kind you want. Ms. Fine- I have more egg drop soup if you would like that, and I have all of the Chinese food warmed up for you. There's a plate in the kitchen if you'd like to help yourself. Fran got excited.
"Yea! Max, do you want some soup?" She asked.
"I sure do. I'm really hungry now." They headed into the kitchen towards the stove, and Fran and Max both filled small bowls with egg drop soup. Max took the two bowls into the dining room and Fran followed him with a plate full of Chinese food. They all sat down at the table and Niles came around with a pitcher and filled their glasses.
"Niles, go ahead and join us here at the table. You don't need to be so formal tonight," Max said.
"Oh! Are you sure? It's no trouble, really…"
"Get a plate, Niles."
Niles bashfully picked up a plate from the buffet and poured himself a drink, then sat at the far end of the table. The children began passing the food around- Niles had made several kinds of sandwiches on toasted bread and they were sliced and stacked on large plates for everyone to pick from. There were also two large bowls of salad to choose from. The children all had gotten bowls of soup, too.
"This looks so good, Niles. Thank you," Max said. The children all chimed in with thank you's and Fran was already stuffing her face with rice and chicken and soup.
"Niles, I know that technically you didn't make this, but thank you for warming it all up for me. It's SO GOOD…" Fran closed her eyes as she took another bite.
Brighton slowly ate his food, but it was obvious he was preoccupied with what he had been working on on his computer. Max didn't want to ask him if he had been looking at the images or not because he didn't want to interfere with his appetite. Max and Fran both did occasionally glance over at him and caught a couple twitches around his eyes. They all listened to Gracie as she recounted her day at school- how fast she finished her testing and how bored she was afterwards. They weren't allowed to read or draw or anything as long as their test booklets were on their desks. She said by lunchtime she was ready to go crazy.
Maggie talked about a lecture she had in one of her classes that day and they all listened attentively as they stuffed their faces. As they began to slow down and everyone started feeling the elephant in the room, Niles began to take the empty dishes to the kitchen sink, and then the girls helped as they finished. Brighton was still slowly eating his food.
"Niles, don't throw out any of that Chinese food, I might want to get some more of it in a little while," Fran said as he picked up some glasses from the table.
"You're sure? Is it, uh, is it okay to eat so much, I mean-" He stuttered.
"Yep, I've got stuff to take to make sure I don't have any issues. I need to get my weight up a little anyway," she said, reassuringly. Max wiped his mouth, finished with his meal, and stacked his bowl and silverware on top of his plate. He was about to get up to take it all into the kitchen when Brighton interrupted him.
"I got it dad," he got out of his chair and reached for the dishes and took his own to the kitchen. Everyone came back into the dining room and sat back down, like they knew there was about to be another family meeting.
Fran reached for Max's hand and gave it a squeeze. She rested their hands on the table and looked over at the kids and at Niles.
"Well, if everyone's full enough, I guess we can get down to what we need to talk about." The children looked at each other and Niles glanced around, especially at Max and Brighton. Max didn't look as distressed as he had before, but Brighton looked like he was trying to repress a twitch. Fran looked at Max and he nodded, letting her know he thought she should do all of the talking. "Well," she started, "Brighton- there were a couple pieces of paper we took out of that envelope of records. One was about the surgery that's been scheduled, and the other was about the next appointment for the pre-surgical meeting. For that meeting we're allowed to take some family or friends who are interested, and who might have questions about everything. We talked about it, and your father and I think that if you want to come to that, it might be a good idea. That is scheduled for this friday at 10am. So you would miss school that morning, but you said that they were using that as a recreation day after all the testing you have to do this week?"
"Yes, I won't be missing anything. And yes, I would like to go with you," Brighton said quietly.
"We can write a note for the school to say what's happening, so it should be an excused absence," Max said.
"Yeah, and we can take you back at lunchtime so you'd still be there for the afternoon, you wouldn't miss a whole day. And if you maybe wanted to work on some things, you might be able to set up something with your biology teacher," Fran added. Brighton nodded. Fran paused a moment and took a deep breath. "And, well, the pre-surgical meeting is scheduled this friday, because the surgery is scheduled for Monday morning- a week from today. They don't want to wait any longer because it's already grown some in size since the last time I was at the hospital. The doctors will be meeting with their surgical board on Wednesday and will be getting their plan for surgery finalized, and they'll go over all of that with us on Friday. The doctor said I can get a second opinion if I want, but he said he couldn't emphasize enough how urgent it was that I get into surgery. So it might be really hard to find a way to get another doctor to review everything and see if they would say the same thing. But this doctor went through everything in detail, and he's very convincing. I mean, because of my symptoms and how fast this tumor may have grown, no matter what we can't just leave it and act like it doesn't exist. That would be dangerous. He said it would be an arthroscopic surgery, likely with two incisions for the camera and instruments, and then they have to take the tumor out from an incision that is really close to it- so where the tumor is will determine that one incision."
"That's what that box of those ball-things was for, wasn't it? To show the size, and that a one inch incision isn't big enough to get it through?" Brighton asked.
"Yes," Fran nodded. Brighton looked back down at the table, and then began to chew on the side of his thumb, just like Max did when he was upset and stressed. Fran looked at Max to see if he noticed. Just then, Brighton had another tic. "Does anyone have any questions so far?" Fran asked, looking at the girls and at Niles.
"Fran?" Grace asked.
"Yes, sweetie?"
"What did they do today when you were there?"
"Well, they checked my vitals and we told them what happened last night, about the high fever. The nurse went to tell the doctor. And the doctor decided that he wanted me on some fluids and an electrolyte drink that tasted kind of like Koolaid. So we went to the lab and they drew three vials of blood and then they put in an IV, but they didn't want to hook it up to the saline bag until after the MRIs. The doctor also wanted another ultrasound first just to make sure everything was okay. And he came to talk to us before we left to go to Imaging. So your father got to stay with me for the ultrasound, but he couldn't be in the room for the MRI, so he had to go out to a big waiting area and wait for me. Then I ended up falling asleep in the MRI, for the first one, and then before they did the second one, the guy put the dye in my IV, then I went back in it and he did another MRI, and I dozed off again. But then when that was done, the tech hooked up the IV bag so I could get some more fluids in me, and then I got to go back with your dad and then we went to get lunch. I could finally eat whatever I wanted. After we ate, we wandered around the gift shop. We were supposed to meet back with the doctors at 12:30 so we had some time to kill. Then back up to the doctor's office where we met with him. Oh, and they took out the IV then. He showed us the ultrasound and MRI, he talked about how the tumor had already grown some more. And then he talked about the surgery appointment and the appointment on friday. So yeah, it was a pretty busy day." Fran looked over at Brighton, noticing that he looked lost in thought. "You okay B? How did things go with your teacher?"
Brighton startled to attention. "Oh, um, good. She said it sounded like a really good project, or self study thing. Especially if Tommy's dad was going to sort of watch over it. She's going to talk to the principal and get the final OK, then we might have to do a formal write up. You know, to make specific learning goals and expectations. Oh, and Tommy brought the copy of the software today so I have that on the computer. I um, I went through that disk you brought back," his eyes twitched and he glanced at Fran and his father and hurriedly picked up his drink and took a sip. Fran and Max looked at each other and then back at him.
"So it all worked? You were able to look at things?" Max asked. Brighton nodded. "You were okay with all that? I mean, well, like with us, it sort of made things really tangible…" he told Brighton.
"Yeah, I guess it did do that. I printed out some images. They aren't as clear as the ones on the screen, but in case I needed to look back at them for some reason. Or to show my teacher. Um, Fran?"
"Yeah?"
"When you guys said about the second opinion thing, would maybe Tommy's dad be able to do something like that? I mean, he is a surgeon, maybe at least he could look over the reports and stuff. If you still wanted to protect your identity, I'd have to sort that out. I don't know if it would be okay for him to learn that if he was like one of the advisors to me. But, you know, if you want me to ask, since there isn't much time."
Fran looked at Max and thought for a bit. "Well, maybe we can think about it for a little while. Would you be able to ask his dad just to even see if that's something he could do? Or just mention to him that the surgery is Monday, so trying to get someone else to look over everything and see if they would handle it the same way, that might be impossible unless we had some kind of connection."
"Yeah, I can ask. I'm not sure what his work schedule is, but I can maybe even write a note and have Tommy get it to him."
"Why don't you do that, Brighton. See if it's even a possibility, or if it's ethical, and if it is, then we can think about if we want to go ahead and talk to him. Since this isn't like a full academic study or like a college-level thing, I'm sure there will be some allowances." Brighton nodded his head and everyone got quiet again.
"Fran?" Maggie said quietly.
"Yes?"
"Would it be okay for Gracie and me to look at the images on his computer?"
Grace nodded her head, too, and got out of her chair to go to Fran. "I want to see, too," Grace said, holding on to Fran's arm with both hands. Fran wrapped her arm around Grace's waist, and looked over at Max.
"You think you can handle something like that, Gracie? Have you ever looked at medical imaging before?" Fran said.
Grace thought about it. "I think only what they show on TV and movies, but that doesn't bother me. I think what bothers me is not seeing it. We keep talking about it but I can't see it. I think it's scarier when you can't see something. Like in Alfred Hitchcock movies." Fran smiled at her.
"You better not be watching Hitchcock movies, sweetie. We don't need you getting any phobias."
"Oh no, I just saw some previews and descriptions. I am definitely not ready for that yet!" Everyone chuckled and Fran turned back to Max.
"It's up to you, Max. I don't mind her seeing them if you think she can handle it."
"Well," Max said, "Let's take it a step at a time. How about we just do a single image, maybe Brighton can find one from the MRI. He can point things out to you. Just one image though, okay Brighton? Then we can talk about it with you Gracie."
"Okay, I can do that," she said.
"Maggie, I think it's okay for you to see the images, when Brighton has a chance to show you. But he needs to be in charge of the computer and software since it's for his project."
"Okay," Maggie said, looking at Brighton.
"I can show you tonight," he said to her. She nodded in response.
"Ms. Fine? When do you have to be there for the surgery? Did they say?"
"Yeah, they did. Pretty early. I think I have to be there before 7. Oh, I think I forgot to mention that it looks like I have to stay there overnight. They just have to watch for infection and that sort of thing. If everything goes well then I can come home the next day."
Gracie clung to Fran. "You have to stay there? Will they let somebody stay with you? Like even daddy?"
"I don't know, angel, but we can ask them on friday if you want. Maybe you can write that down as one of the questions we ask them, okay?" Grace nodded. "Oh, Gracie, I have to show you what your daddy got me at the gift shop. It's so cute!"
"What did he get you? Can I see it?"
"Well, I guess, if we're done here. Does everybody want to head into the living room? Make sure you've cleaned up after yourselves first. Let's help Niles get this stuff back in the kitchen." Everyone got up from their chairs and picked up what they could around them and took it all into the kitchen. Niles turned off the burners that kept the soup warm.
"Oh, Niles, don't put the soup away just yet, I think I might want some later," Fran said.
"Oh, wonderful! Do you want one, or- both?" He smiled as he asked. Fran lifted the lids to the pots and inhaled.
"Both!" She grinned.
"Very good!" He smiled, and stacked the dishes into the sink. The children hurried back through the dining room and Max took Fran's hand as they followed, and Niles tagged along behind Fran and Max.
The kids all fell onto the couch and Fran and Max took one of the big end chairs across from them. Niles stood at his usual post near an end table until Max gestured for him to sit, so he headed for the other end chair. Gracie immediately saw the stuffed dog on the coffee table and picked it up.
"Oh! Is this what daddy got you? His name is Max! Oh, he's so cute!" Grace squealed.
"Yeah, daddy found him for me. Did you see his white patch?" Grace looked back at the dog and then at her father, then back at the dog.
"Oh! He looks like you too, daddy!" Maggie leaned over to look at the stuffed dog, too.
"Oh, daddy! That's so sweet!" Maggie said.
Brighton was eyeballing the stack of photo books on the coffee table and Fran noticed.
"Oh, Brighton, we got those books the other day when we were out. One has pictures of Queens in it, another one has pictures of London, and that big one- that's for you. Your father and I were talking, and we thought maybe you might be interested in doing some street photography like what's in those books. Your dad has some old cameras you could get cleaned up and then you could maybe get a bunch of black and white film, and go around the city taking pictures. Maybe, if you want, I could take you back to Queens and you could take some there. We thought maybe it would be a good escape for you if you enjoy it. You're good at taking pictures. But you're welcome to look through all of those and see what you think."
Brighton looked touched. He looked back at the books and read the sides of them.
"Thank you," he said.
"Oh! Brighton!" Maggie sat up and turned towards him, then to Fran and Max. "Is there anything planned for Saturday?" Maggie asked.
"No, not that I can think of," Max said.
"Brighton, do you want to go over to the library at Columbia with me Saturday morning? I have to get a few books for a report, and that way I can show you around and maybe you can see how to look up any medical articles you might need, you know, for your project. And then, maybe, if you want to bring a camera too, we can go walk around campus there and you can try taking some pictures. There are tons of college kids around there, a lot of them are posers trying to be something they're not, so it could make for some good subjects."
Fran elbowed Max gently. They were impressed that Maggie and Brighton were getting along so well, and that Brighton seemed to be okay with letting Maggie help him out.
"Would that be okay, dad?" Brighton asked.
"Sure, I think that sounds like a great idea. When do you think you'd both be back? We want to make sure we're all here to have dinner together every night until the surgery," Max said.
"Well, we can definitely be back in time for dinner. Hey, maybe we can even bring some food back with us? There are some good take out places around campus," Maggie said.
"Well, I know Niles won't mind having a night off from cooking," Fran smiled. Then she realized something. "But oh no, I think I have to have food restrictions this weekend. I think I have to do a liquid thing. Damn!" Fran looked sad.
"Well hey, Fran, I'll see what I can find around there when I go back to campus. Maybe there's a good soup place, or smoothies or something. Once you know what you can have, we can find you something, I'm sure," Maggie said, reassuringly.
"Aw, sweetie, you're such a good kid. All three of you are! The best kids!" Fran smiled, and the kids smiled at each other. Max squeezed her close and shifted a little in his seat.
"Hey, everyone, while I've got you all here- I know it's been a pretty intense weekend for us all, and even more intense for Fran for even longer. I just wanted to say that we should all let Fran know how much we appreciate her and love her. As much as we can, every day. And Fran," He turned towards Fran and took her hands and kissed them. "Fran, we probably need to thank Niles for letting you in that day you came to the door. If he had shooed you away, we might never have met you." Niles looked humbled. "And Fran, I'm sure you had no idea that when you stepped through that door, that you were coming home. This is your home. Sure, it took us a while to get to know each other, to learn from each other. I know I had a lot to learn from you. I had to get over myself and realize that you were truly my best friend, and I'm still just learning how to treat you like you are. And I promise you I'll do better at that, every day, I'll work to do better by you." Max cleared his throat. "Fran, look around you. This is the room where we all first met you. The room where we spent time with you and got to know you. Everyone in this room is a member of this household, everyone here is a member of this family. But I know I could say that as much as possible, and there might be times where other people might not know that's the case. Well, I want everyone to know with absolute certainty that you are a member of this family, and the best way to do that…" Max got up from the chair, still holding her hands, and knelt in front of her, "The best way to do that is to make it official." Maggie and Niles' eyes got wide and they both held their breath. Brighton and Grace looked confused for a moment, and then Max reached into his pocket and took out a small box, then Brighton and Grace's eyes got wide as well, but not as wide as Fran's. Fran covered her mouth, realizing what was happening. "Fran, my love, since you walked in that door and into our hearts- into my heart- you have deserved everything you've ever wanted out of life. And in this room where we all first met you, where we all got to know and love you, and where I fell in love with you- would you make me the happiest man- and make us the happiest family- Fran, will you marry me?" Max's voice cracked, trying to hold back the tears. He opened the box and revealed a stunning silver ring with a large diamond in it. Fran's tears were already running down her cheeks.
She still had her hand over her mouth and was nodding profusely. "Yes! Yes, Max, a thousand times! I will marry you!" He slid the ring on her finger against the claddagh ring and she leapt into his arms and kissed him. Max stood up with her in his arms, lifting her off the floor. He was so ecstatic she said yes. He kissed her again and again and she wrapped her arms around his neck. Niles and the children jumped out of their seats and cheered, and they all ran over to hug and congratulate them. Niles grabbed tissues for Fran and she wiped her eyes, trying not to smear her makeup. She stared at the ring, at both of the rings, and smiled from ear to ear. She clutched Max tightly, and Grace hugged her tightly at the waist.
"Oh daddy!" Grace squealed. "You and Fran are getting married! Oh my gosh!" She jumped up and down.
"Can I see the ring?!" Maggie gasped, trying to catch her breath. Fran held her hand out for everyone to look while Max wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. "Oh, it's so beautiful! Daddy, that was wonderful, what you said! I'm so happy for you guys! And for us, we get to have Fran too!" Maggie hugged the both of them.
Brighton stepped over and punched his father in the arm. "About time, dad!" Max punched him back gently and gave him a hug, then Fran hugged him tightly.
"So B, in the future, when the time comes, now you know how to do it!" Fran grinned at him and patted his cheek.
"Well, I just hope I don't take so long to get there. But dad got there, that's what matters," Brighton punched at Max again.
Niles was openly weeping and dabbing tissues at his eyes and nose.
"Aw, Niles!" Fran said, going to him, "Come here!" She hugged him tightly and patted his back.
"I'm just so happy for you both! I really, really am! It didn't seem to matter how much I did to try to get you two together- you just had to get there on your own. And I'm so happy I was here to witness it! I'm so glad you proposed to her here, sir!" Niles wiped his eyes again.
"Me too," Max said. Fran went back to him and wrapped her arms around his middle, and he wrapped his arms around her. "I thought about it a lot, different places, whether it would be just the two of us or with others there too. I just kept coming back to here- where it first started. Where we all started loving Fran. I couldn't think of any place better than right here, in front of you all." He looked into Fran's eyes and kissed her again.
"Max, when did you get this ring? And how did you hide it from me?"
"Well, I found it when we got all the other jewelry. That saleswoman was really adept at getting jewelry past the people it was being bought for. She must have to do that pretty often. But just for the record, I knew I wanted to ask you a long time ago. An embarrassingly long time ago. And you know, anytime I would go past a jewelry store, I would wander in and have a look at the engagement rings. But nothing really stood out to me until we went in that store the other day. It was like I was getting slapped in the face. I saw this one and I just thought it was perfect- nothing else I looked at anywhere else could compare. I had to find a way to get it before we left. And since I had seen some other things I wanted to sneak past you, too, I spoke with the sales lady and told her, and she took care of the rest. Thankfully you were so engrossed in looking at the jewelry, too, so you didn't notice. I had to sneak them into one of my drawers without you seeing once we got back home. That was not easy." He squeezed her and they laughed. They looked at each other tenderly.
"Oh, Ms. Fine, Mr. Sheffield, please tell me this won't be a secret- am I allowed to tell people this wonderful news? You know I'll just burst if I can't!" Niles said.
"Wait until tomorrow, I need to call my parents and Val and let them know. I'll do that tonight. Then you can go blab to everybody else!" Fran swatted him.
"Oh, thank you!" He said.
"Darling, why don't we go in the office and use that phone to call your parents, and Val. And I do need to check with C.C. to make sure I don't need to do anything else for a while. If I do, I want to get it done before friday," Max said.
"Oh, sure, let's go do that. Okay, kids? We'll be back in a little while, hang out here for a bit." The children promised they would, and when Fran and Max disappeared into the office and closed the door behind them, Niles clapped his hands together.
"This is cause for celebration! How about some ice cream floats?" He exclaimed. The kids cheered in agreement.
"I want cherry juice and extra cherries with mine!" Gracie exclaimed.
"Well, Miss Grace, how about you come with me and help get everything out. We can make an assembly line!"
"Okay!" Grace took Niles' hand and they hurried for the kitchen.
Brighton and Maggie were still smiling. They flopped back down on the couch.
"Oh my god!" Maggie said.
"Yeah, no kidding! Brighton agreed.
"Brighton?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't be like dad was."
"Oh, I know. Girls these days would never be as patient as Fran. We have to make sure Dad makes it up to her."
"Yeah. But it looks like he's got a good start."
"Yeah." Brighton leaned over and took one of the photo books off the stack, and Maggie took the next one. They began leafing through the pages of photos, and quickly found themselves engrossed.