Family Ties

Chapter 19


"Mom, please just let me go home. I'm tired of this-they make me go through all these tests then, say I'm fine."

"Leslie, this doctor is different. Dr.Browning is a blood specialist, he'll be looking for things that no one else even thought of. I understand that you're scared."

Leslie's eyes widened rimming with tears. "Of course, I'm scared! When you freakin' sign in and you have to check off chemo treatment or lab work!"

Mrs.Carter clutched the teen's hand. "Don't cry, baby."

"Well, tell me! Do I have leukemia?"

The woman froze.

"Tell me!"

"I don't know, Les. I'm not a doctor, but remember last time they said everything was negative."

"So? That was last time."

"I doubt anything has changed since then, but I can't be sure."

"If I have it I won't get treatment!"

"Leslie-"

"I mean it! I won't lose my hair and get even sicker just to try to get better!"

Jane bit her lip. "But-"

"I won't! If I'm gonna' die, I'll just die."

"Don't talk like that again. I mean it!" her mother demanded. "You're going to be fine, do you hear me?!"

"Leslie Carter!" the young nurse called.

Leslie stood facing her mother. "I don't wanna' go in."

"I don't either, but we have to."

*************************


"Hey, Leslie!" Aaron greeted glancing up from his sega. "How'd it go?"

"Painfully."

"Oh....I'm sorry," he mumbled staring at the white bandages that lined her arms and hands.

"Me too."

Her mother shut the door behind them. "Leslie, why don't you go rest on the couch and play with Aaron."

Aaron nodded. "Yeah. If you don't feel like playing video games we can watch a movie. Anything you want."

His sister stretched out against the couch cushions. "Titanic."

"That's what I get for saying anything," he grimaced.

His mother chuckled. "I'll be in the kitchen if you need me."

"Hi, dear," Mr.Carter greeted as he shut the refrigerator. "What happened?"

His wife shook her head sitting down. "They stuck her eight damn times just trying to find a vein. They end sticking needles in and twisting them around....I was afraid she was going to faint." She wiped her eyes. "But she never did cry or whine....she didn't make a sound at all." "And last week they poked her six times. She's a brave girl." "She's not that brave, Bob. She almost lost it before she went back. The sign in sheet listed chemo treatment as one of the possible reasons for her visit and she panicked. It was awful."

Her husband frowned. "What did she say?"

"She started fuming. Refusing to get treatment. Saying she'd just die, she wouldn't fight it."

"That would be her right," Mr.Carter replied fighting tears.

"It's not her right. She's a child! We overpower her decisions."

"As if we'd better any better forcing her. Force our daughter to lose her hair, become a skeleton and vomit at all hours?"

His wife gritted her teeth. "You sound just like her!"

"I happen to see her point." He paused. "Will there be anymore tests?"

She nodded. "She'll be having scans of her entire body done two days from now. To rule out or dianogse any diseases. She has to wake early and start drinking the barium on a special schedule. Then, she'll be taken in for the scans."

"At least, they won't be poking her."

"Yes, but the doctor said the barium can make her sick."

He sighed. "That's just what the kid needs."

"That's what I said." She turned to him. "I think we should call BJ and Nick."

"Should we really worry them?"

Jane stood glancing at the numbers written by the phone. "Bob, you don't understand...."

"What don't I understand?"

Tears ran from her eyes. "Dr.Browning has it narrowed down to a few diseases. The symptoms point to leukemia or lupus. People die everyday from both."

"Lupus? Didn't Howie's sister-" he paused covering his eyes.

Jane nodded. "Yes, but it would be the better of the two."

He took a deep breath. "Call Nick and BJ."

Chapter 20