As Time Flies.....Chapter 18
Last time: Nora regained consciousness, much to everyone's delight. Viki gave Ben the terrible news. Nora was dismayed to see Sam and Bo arguing. Bo and Sam were upset to learn something serious may be wrong with Ben.
Llanview Hospital - Room #414
Bo knocked on Ben's door. Sam stood alongside. After a moment, Viki opened the door and let them both in. "Larry, is it okay for us to be here? We know something is wrong, and we want to help. Ben, Viki, do you mind?" Bo looked concerned, but he didn't want to intrude. Sam didn't say anything. He was angry. Here was Bo again, trying to interfere with his own brother!
Larry deferred to Ben. "Ben, what do you say? Do you want me to throw them out? I'm getting pretty good at it!" Larry laughed. Bo looked sheepish. Sam licked his lips.
"No, Larry. They can stay. These are two very good guys, and I'm sure they'll want to help once they hear. Go ahead and tell them." Viki grabbed Ben's hand. Ben smiled at her.
Bo and Sam looked at each other. Bo held Viki's other hand. "Go ahead, Larry, we're ready."
"Here it is. Ben has osteosarcoma, bone cancer. He has two malignant tumors on his left leg, but we're going to remove them. The real problem is his marrow. His T-cells are deficient, and they're producing inferior marrow, which in turn causes cancerous cells to develop inside the bones. When the cancerous cells become too large, they form a cluster and become a tumor. Then they spread. Right now, the only place Ben has these developing cancerous cells is in his leg."
Larry went on. "What we've got to do is kill the existing marrow with accelerated chemotherapy. Then we'll do a bone marrow transplant to regenerate the marrow with healthy cells. If it's successful, recovery and remission are usually 100%. We just have to find a healthy donor that's a match, and to be brutally honest, that can be the most difficult part. Also, there could be complications with rejection, even if the transplant is successful. It's not going to be easy."
Sam was floored. His brother had cancer! He had known something was wrong with Ben, but he never imagined it could be this bad! He wanted to do something, anything. As usual, Bo beat him to it.
"So, Larry, how do we help? Can we donate marrow for Ben?" Bo squeezed Viki's hand. He would go door to door and get people to donate if that's what it took.
Sam fumed. "If anyone's gonna donate, it's gonna be me!"
Larry was once again struck by Sam's immaturity. "Unfortunately, it's not that simple, Sam. We have to type Ben's tissue first. It's called histocompatibility testing. We have to read his genetic markers. There are over 10,000 possible combinations. Of the 6 major genetic categories, we need to match at least 2 in a donor. Most family members only match 1. As Ben's brother, Sam would be more likely to match than anyone, but the whole family should be tested. Of course, a stranger could easily match, but you have to find them first, and that's the hard part."
Larry continued. "Once I know Ben's pattern, I'm going to comb the bone marrow registries here in the United States and in Canada. Hopefully, we'll find a match. I'm sure I don't have to tell you that time is of the essence. Bo, you can certainly test if you'd like, and so can anyone who's interested in becoming a donor. Go down to the lab and I'll call them with instructions."
"Count me in, Larry. I'm going right now!" Bo smiled at Ben. He hugged Viki and she smiled at him gratefully.
"Bo, you're a good guy. I guess you can consider your debt repaid, buddy. We're even. I'd say if by one in a million odds you wind up as a match, I'm gonna owe you this time!" Ben laughed.
This could get very complicated, but he would talk to Viki about it when they were alone. They'd have to come up with a pretty good explanation if Bo was indeed a match!
"Hey, what are friends for?" Bo squeezed Ben's arm. "Coming, Sam?"
Sam was fuming. "Of course I am, Bo. I've got to get ready to save my brother!" Sam managed to smile at Ben. He couldn't save Nora, but damn it, he was gonna save somebody!
Larry opened the door for Bo and Sam and the three of them exited. Suddenly the room was quiet. Viki looked at Ben and Ben looked at Viki. They were reading each other's minds. They burst out laughing at the same time.
The Gallery
Tonight was the night. Lindsay should have known that she couldn't depend on other people from the very beginning. She knew the old saying, "If you want something done right, you've got to do it yourself." This time she wasn't taking any chances. Lindsay surveyed the items strewn all over her bed. She mentally ticked off the items in her head. She thought she had everything. She was ready.
Llanview Hospital - Room #416
Bo finished his tests at the lab before Sam. He saw it as a good opportunity to see Nora without any interference from a certain annoying lawyer. Bo quietly pushed the door to her room open. He was in luck! She was awake.
"Hey, you. Glad you came back." Nora smiled at him.
"Hey, you. Glad to be back. I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to talk earlier, but there was a lot going on." Bo leaned over and tenderly kissed her forehead. Nora was surprised, but the gesture made her very happy.
Nora had been awake for about an hour before Bo came in. Her memory was a little fuzzy, but she thought she remembered most everything that had happened. She remembered the train wreck, and her conversation with Bo right before. She hadn't been happy about the way it had gone. She wasn't totally honest with Bo when she had said that all she wanted was his forgiveness. She had wanted his love, and if she were honest now, she had to admit she still wanted it. Bo was her soulmate.
Nora knew that she loved Sam, but it was in a completely different way. He was the father of her son, and they had a history. Nora now realized that her love for Sam had been borne mostly out of a sense of duty, both to Matthew and Sam's feelings. The man had loved her for 20 years, after all. She didn't want to hurt him.
It was obvious to her after their behavior this afternoon that things were not gonna be easy. Sam had been acting like a territorial bull, and Bo wasn't cutting him any slack. Nora couldn't begin to imagine what had transpired between these two during the time she was "dead".
Nora knew Bo cared about her. They were still friends, and he was probably just worried because she had been through so much. Based upon their last real conversation, on the train, she knew Bo didn't love her anymore.
Nora vividly remembered the aftermath, being Colin's prisoner and drugged to the hilt. Then Lindsay had tried to kill her, and Bo was the one who had saved her. No matter what happened, Nora would be eternally grateful to Bo for saving her life. If he had arrived a minute later, she wouldn't be here right now.
Nora felt she owed Ben a great deal, too, and she was hoping everything was okay across the hall. She wanted Viki to be happy. She and Ben were so much in love. Nora remembered how it felt to be in love with Bo. The thought of never experiencing that again made her wince.
"Hey, Red! Are you okay?" Bo's voice shattered Nora's thoughts.
"Yeah, why? Do I look sick? Wait, don't answer that!" Nora had had no idea her expression was mirroring her thoughts. She tried to make a joke to cover.
"Yeah, you look sick. You're making faces at me!" Bo laughed. He had thought Nora was in pain and he wanted to help her.
"These are hungry faces, Commissioner. I'm starved! I can't remember the last time I had real food. The last thing I remember having is chicken soup, and that seems like weeks ago! Can you do something about my condition or do I have to call for a pizza myself?" Nora laughed.
"How about if I call for the pizza and I even go get it? Would that satisfy Her Hungriness?" Bo was so ecstatic Nora was seeming like her old self, in spite of her injuries and being in a coma for two days. He wanted to jump for joy. He had so many things to say to her, but he was enjoying their banter and hedidn't want to break the moment. He didn't want to rush her, either. He too remembered their last conversation, but unlike Nora, he had had a lot of time to think about it, his feelings, and his life. He was ready.
Bo pulled out his cell phone and called the pizzeria next to the hospital. He didn't care if Larry yelled at him. Nora wanted pizza and that's all there was to it. He'd get her the moon if that's what she wanted.
"Twenty minutes? I'll be there. Thanks." Bo put his phone away. "Hope they have plates and silverware to go or you're going to be the hospital's dirtiest patient, Red." Bo laughed. Eating pizza with Nora was about the best thing he could think of.
Nora was secretly thrilled. She loved hearing the name "Red". She wanted to eat pizza with Bo more than anything in the world. "Before you go get the pizza, can you tell me what's happening with Ben? I got the feeling it was something serious. Viki looked very worried."
"It is, Red. Ben has bone cancer. Sam and I went down and did tests to see if we can donate marrow for him. He's going to need a transplant, but Larry seems very hopeful."
Nora was devastated. "Oh my! That's about as serious as it gets, isn't it? Poor Ben, poor Viki. That's got to be rough. I know how much they love each other. They have a tough fight ahead of them, but I'm sure they'll help each other to get through it. Hey, can I help, Bo? Can I donate?" Nora really wanted to help. She was very grateful to Ben.
"I doubt it, Red, but we can ask Larry if you want. From what Larry says, the odds of non-relatives matching are very, very slim. And, in your condition, I would doubt that you could physically handle it." Bo could see that Nora wanted to help, even from her hospital bed. Nora was like that. She had a heart of gold and always wanted to help if she could. It was one of the reasons he loved her, even if it had gotten them into trouble in the past.
"Oh. You're probably right, Bo. But I want to do something! What can I do?" Nora sounded impatient.
"What you can do is get better yourself. Your son and several other people around here need you. Rachel is going to be so excited!" Bo hadn't even had a chance to call Hank to give him the good news about Nora. Finding out about Ben's condition had happened immediately afterwards, and he just hadn't had the chance. He'd call on his way over to pick up the pizza.
Nora's eyes misted. "I miss her so much, Bo. I miss Matthew, too. I feel a physical ache when I think of holding him. I really want to see my babies!" Rachel may be a grown woman, but she'd always be Nora's baby.
"I know that you're gonna see both of them real soon. Can you settle for seeing a pizza right now, instead? Time for me to go get it. Be hungry when I get back!" Bo kissed Nora's forehead again. Nora beamed inside. Bo was such a good man!
"Don't worry about that, Bo. I'm already hungry like a hostage! Hurry up, will ya?" Nora laughed.
It seemed like Bo was back in a flash. Maybe Nora even fell asleep for a few minutes, she wasn't sure. She smelled the pizza before she saw it. Mmmm, she couldn't wait! Bo opened the box, and put their plates on the empty half of the box. He put a slice of pizza on each plate, and gave Nora a napkin. He picked up his pizza and started eating.
Nora tried to maneuver the pizza up to her mouth, but with bandages on one hand and a cast on the other, it was too difficult. She needed help. "Um, Commissioner, could you stop stuffing your face for one second and help me over here?" Bo laughed when he saw that he had eaten almost a whole slice and Nora hadn't had a bite.
"Sorry, Red, I didn't realize. We'll just have to get that pizza-holding hand back in working order right away! In the meantime, let me help you, okay?"
Bo leaned over and put Nora's slice of pizza up to her lips. She took a huge bite and closed her eyes in ecstasy. This was, without a doubt, the best pizza she had ever eaten in her whole life! Nora kept her eyes closed while Bo fed her, and with every bite she moaned, "Mmmmmm."
Sam had just come from the lab. He had finally finished his tests. He couldn't wait to see Nora. Sam heard Nora moaning as he approached her room. He hoped she wasn't in pain! Sam bounded into Nora's room. He was completely furious at what he saw!
"And just what the hell are you doing here, Buchanan! Get out, NOW!" Sam roared.
To Be Continued...
|
|
|
|