The Deadline (The Friessens: A New Beginning)

by Lorhainne Eckhart

  Andy reached for the orders for blood work, glancing at all the boxes checked off. It was a lot of tests for his little boy, and Andy worried now about whether it was even the flu.

  “Oh, I put a rush on the tests, so if you could go to the lab downstairs right now, they’ll have the results back to me today,” the doctor said. He closed up the file and scooted back his chair, giving them a practiced smile before he left.

  Chapter 8

  “I know we’ve never talked about it, Laura, and I didn’t ask, because it didn’t matter, but I’m asking now. I need you to tell me everything,” Andy said. He crossed his arms and leaned against the counter, looking down at Laura as she scrubbed the skillet she had used to brown the chicken before setting it in the oven. She scrubbed vigorously over a spot he could see was already clean, and he could tell by how hard she went at it that she didn’t want to talk about a past he knew was painful, though it had shaped her into who she was today.

  “Hey.” He set his hand on her shoulder and rubbed until she looked up at him, and he could see just how much she still hurt over those lost teenage years.

  She blinked for a second, fighting against the memory. When she opened her amazing green eyes, even the gold flecks that always sparkled to life in them had dimmed with sadness. “I never took Gabriel to the doctor before because I couldn’t afford it. There was a free clinic on Fridays, but I could never get there, as I worked. He never got sick, anyway. He had the odd cold, a sore throat, but he was fine. Am I a bad mother?”

  “No, of course not. I know how you struggled. I saw what you had to live in. You did the best you could.”

  Laura set her hands on the rim of the sink and stared out the window. “I don’t know, Andy. I wondered, at times, if I was selfish for not giving him up, but I couldn’t. He was mine. I love him.”

  “Hey, that’s not selfish, and none of that matters now, anyway. If you hadn’t made the choices you made, I wouldn’t have met you and Gabriel,” he said. That got a smile out of her.

  “Yeah.” She tapped the sink with her fingers.

  “I know your parents asked you to leave when they found out you were pregnant, and the boy who knocked you up wasn’t involved. Did he even meet Gabriel? Tell me everything,” he said, and he waited for her to respond, watching as she squeezed her hands, touching the wedding ring he’d set on her finger, turning it around and around. He knew it meant something to her—meant everything to her.

  “Dad was an elder in our church, one of the youngest, and Mom was so proud. Her father was a Lutheran minister, so we had a strict household, you could say. We were raised in the church in Arlington, an Anglican Church called The First Savior. We attended every Sunday, and I even helped run the Sunday school when I was fifteen, helping my mom.” She sighed. “You know, today, at the doctor’s office, I realized you’ve moved us right back into the Bible Belt. I swear, Andy, I will never set foot back in a church, but here we are. I may be young, but I know communities where the church is the hub. I know how people respond to us ‘sinners.’”

  “I think you’re reading too much into it. That doctor could just be a prick, is all.” Andy had never considered religion when he bought the house, even though he was aware of how some counties and communities were run by their churches. It was something he had heard in passing, and he had never given it much thought. He wondered, could she be right?

  “I first met Tyler at church, when his family moved nearby. I was twelve, and he was a year older than me. We also went to the same school. His sister, Melinda, she and I were friends, and we were all part of the youth group at our church.”

  Laura was still gripping her wedding band, and she wouldn’t look up at him. Andy wasn’t religious. With his family, walking into a church was all about politics, who you knew, and what you were trying to get. It was about keeping up appearances.

  “We were only together once, Andy. It was on a school ski trip. He snuck me into his room when everyone was on the hill. I didn’t enjoy it, it hurt, and we used no protection. I didn’t plan it. I got pregnant. I knew something was wrong, because I didn’t feel well and had missed my period. Mom took me to my family doctor, who told me I had to tell my parents, because otherwise he would. That was the first time I lied to Mom, said the checkup was fine. I couldn’t tell her then. I tried to tell Tyler first, but ever since…”

  She was having trouble finishing, and Andy had a pretty good idea about what had happened. The kid was all about sex. He had screwed her, so he was done with her and had moved on to the next girl. Her eyes were streaked with tiny red lines as she fought to hold on to all her sorrow and heartache.

  “He had avoided me since that first time we had sex. I think he was disappointed, because it got awkward and weird. Anyway, I cried for days, and Mom kept asking what was wrong. I didn’t want to tell her, but I was running out of time. My waistline was starting to disappear, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to hide it much longer with the clothes I had. I was four months pregnant, and Mom noticed and started to ask why I was gaining weight. I knew I had to say something, so I waited until after church one Sunday, after our Sunday dinner, and then I asked Mom and Dad if I could talk to them. Maybe I thought they’d be more forgiving of me, it being Sunday, but when I told them, Mom started crying and then yelled at me. She called me a slut and slapped me across the face. Dad…I’d never seen him look at me with such disappointment before.

  “They made me feel ashamed and dirty, and I wanted to crawl into a hole and die. I had never imagined it could get much worse, but I was so wrong. It was awful. They sent me to my room and then forbade me from going to school the next day. My two younger brothers—Chad was eight, and Brian was twelve—well, they both knew something was wrong, and they kept asking why Mom and Dad were so upset. They thought I had been kicked out of school, and they asked me what I’d done, but I couldn’t tell them. When Chad and Brian were at school the next day, Dad came home early, and he and Mom sat at the kitchen table, side by side, holding hands, looking across at me as if I was a stranger. I felt so alone.

  “It was Mom who said I had to get rid of it. I was shocked she would even say it, as the church is so against abortion. I couldn’t do it, Andy. No matter how terrified I was, there was a life growing inside me, and I couldn’t abort him. I said no. I don’t know where I found the courage to stand up to her. Mom handed me a suitcase and said I had to leave, as she wouldn’t allow me to remain under their roof as a bad influence on my brothers, putting a blemish on the values they had tried to instill in us. I was fifteen and terrified, a disappointment to my family. Dad didn’t say a word. He wouldn’t even look at me as he got up and walked away. It was horrible. I begged Mom, and I even got down on my knees. I was crying, and she just shook her head and told me to leave, so I packed the suitcase and walked out the front door. I was humiliated, as the neighbors were outside, watching. I’m sure they’d heard the yelling.

  “I just started walking. I went to Tyler’s house and waited around the corner until I saw his car pull into the driveway. I thought for sure he’d at least help me—after all, it was his child—but when he opened the door and saw me standing there with a suitcase, he got worried. At first I thought it was for me, but I quickly realized when I heard a girl inside that he was worried for himself. I told him I was pregnant, that he was the father and that my parents had thrown me out. He just told me to go away, and he shut the door in my face. I never saw him again, and I never saw my parents, either.”

  She dipped her hands in the water, and Andy could see her shaking. He stepped behind her and slid his arms around her, holding her tight. He rested his cheek against her head.

  “I’m so sorry, Laura,” he said. He wanted to kill her parents, to seriously hurt them—and Tyler, too.

  She nodded, choking back a sob. “You know, it was so hard, Andy. I was terrified. I walked for hours, and I didn’t know where to go, who to call. I went to a shelter, and they asked me how old I was, so I lied. I said I w
as sixteen because I was afraid someone would try to take my baby from me or force me to get an abortion. I got a job at a fast food restaurant, but I started to show, and the social workers came sniffing around. They asked me who my parents were, how old I was, telling me I had a future ahead of me and was too young to raise a child. They kept asking what I was going to do with the baby.

  “When I went into labor, I took a cab to the hospital, and someone there called the social worker, who showed up when I was in labor. I thought they were going to take Gabriel from me. I called my mom, and she said I could come home if I gave up the baby. She said everything would go back to normal. I hung up that payphone and left the hospital with Gabriel. We left Arlington, and that was how we ended up in North Lakewood. I met Aida, and she got me the job at your parents’ mansion.”

  Andy just held her. He had heard the last part of her story from Aida, and he knew it was worse than she was saying. He couldn’t imagine how tough it had been for her to feed Gabriel, let alone herself. She had been forced to work and find someone else to look after her son. Andy lowered his head as he remembered Aida, that sweet old woman, who had put up with no crap from him and had called him out on every dumb-ass thing he’d done. Aida had killed herself and left him a tape recording so he’d know just how horrible his mother was. Caroline Friessen had discovered Aida’s past, the fact that she’d been in prison and had jumped parole, and she was blackmailing the old woman to secure her help in getting rid of Laura. In the end, Aida hadn’t been able to live with the threat, and she had taken her life instead, leaving the evidence for Andy. He still didn’t know what he’d do with it. If Laura knew the truth, if she found out that Aida hadn’t simply died in her sleep, it would destroy her.

  “It’s okay. You know I’m never going to let anyone hurt you or Gabriel, or our babies,” he said.

  She nodded again, turning in his arms and pressing her face against his chest. “I love you so much, Andy,” she said, and he held her as he whispered, “I love you, too.”

  Chapter 9

  “Andy, can you grab the phone while I get dinner on the table?” Laura called out. The babies were in their swing, going back and forth, and Gabriel was propped on the sofa. The TV was on, and he was watching Spiderman, although Laura wondered whether he was actually watching, considering he kept closing his eyes and nodding off. She set her hand on his forehead, and he barely responded. “Are you feeling any better?” she asked. “Do you think you can eat some dinner?”

  “No,” he grumbled in a sleepy voice.

  When Laura looked up, Andy was standing in the archway between the kitchen and living room, wiping his scruffy face with his hand. His expression was grim, and he was still holding the phone when he gestured her over.

  “Andy, what’s wrong?” she asked.

  He set his hand on her shoulder and guided her just inside the kitchen. “That was the doctor. Gabriel’s white blood cell count is too high, and we have to bring him in to the hospital now,” Andy said. He had to clear his throat. “Laura, he has leukemia.”

  Laura couldn’t form a thought. She felt the floor soften beneath her even though she was standing there with Andy. She felt cold and numb. For a moment, all she could do was breathe. She couldn’t understand what he was saying. Maybe he realized that was exactly what was happening, as he set his hand on her shoulder and squeezed, leaning in and really looking at her. She could see the glassy look in his eyes, as if he was fighting back tears, and she knew it was bad. She threw her arms around his neck and just held on. “Andy…” She choked, and a tear slipped down her cheek, then another. She didn’t let go of him.

  She could feel him tighten his hold on her, rubbing her back as he breathed her in. “We have to go now, Laura. The doctor’s going to meet us at the hospital.”

  She was shaking when she pulled away. She glanced at the chicken she’d just taken out of the oven, sitting on the table. It was only a momentary thought: Dinner was ready, they couldn’t go yet. It was so surreal. Suddenly, she was with Andy, bundling up the twins, and they were out the door and into the truck. Andy simply scooped up Gabriel and buckled him in the back with the twins, and the boy continued to sleep as they drove to Columbia Falls, to the new children’s hospital.

  ****

  Doctor Bruce Siegel had been waiting for them when Andy carried Gabriel in, Laura following with both babies in their carrier, side by side. Gabriel was settled into a bed in a private room, and a nurse helped him into a hospital gown. A hospital ID bracelet was fastened to his wrist. Laura just watched helplessly while Gabriel cried as he was stuck with a needle and an IV was threaded into the back of his hand, but Andy stepped in and talked him through it. Laura was still reeling, trying to wrap her head around the fact that her little boy didn’t just have the flu. They’d just moved to another state, they hadn’t even unpacked the boxes, and her son was now in a hospital bed—and Andy was the one trying to calm him down.

  Jeremy started fussing, and Laura stuck a soother in his mouth and lifted him from the carrier. Andy glanced over and must have seen her struggling, as he stepped closer and took Jeremy from her arms. As soon as he did so, Chelsea decided to fuss.

  “Can I speak with you two outside?” the doctor said, gesturing to the door. Laura and Andy stepped out into the hallway, each holding a baby. The hallway was busy with nurses and orderlies going back and forth, families waiting. “Andy, as I said to you on the phone, what I suspected was leukemia has actually come back as AML, acute myeloid leukemia, which is very aggressive.”

  Laura looked to Andy. She’d never heard of this before.

  “How aggressive are you talking? You have treatment, right? I know leukemia is curable,” Andy said. He was using that all-business tone, and he expected answers. Laura was glad he was talking, as she didn’t understand, and her mind couldn’t formulate any rational questions, not like Andy. Treatment had come a long way over the years, that much she did know.

  “With the type your son has, we need to start an aggressive round of chemotherapy to kill all the cancer cells in the blood and marrow, which will put the cancer in remission. After the chemotherapy, we’ll need to perform a stem cell transplant. We don’t want the leukemia cells to spread to the brain or the spinal cord, and we still need to run more tests to make sure it hasn’t. Once we know the stage he’s at, we’ll begin treatment, possibly in rounds, but a lot depends on what these next tests show.”

  Laura could hear Gabriel crying behind her, and Chelsea, who was rubbing her eyes, was starting to fuss again. Her baby wanted a stress-free mama, but what she was getting was a mother wound so tightly she was barely holding it together. “So let me understand this: You’re going to start this treatment right now, and then what?” Laura asked. She knew she had to sound frantic.

  “Yes, but first we have more tests to do, and his treatment team will assemble—the oncologist, the social worker. We need to find out how advanced the cancer is, and we’ll have a better idea of the outcome from there.”

  Laura was still stuck on the words “social worker.” What the fuck? She’d lived this nightmare once before, and maybe Andy was wondering the same thing, as he shook his head and added, “What exactly is the role of the social worker? Last I heard, they don’t have medical degrees and have no business getting into my son’s care.”

  “It’s nothing like that. I don’t know what you’re worried about, but a social worker is always provided for families to help with the emotional and physical aspects of treatment. They’re there to help you find services you may need,” Doctor Siegel said.

  Laura wasn’t sure she felt any better. The doctor still sounded like he was pushing some agenda. Maybe she was being unreasonable, but it still felt as if people were sticking their noses into her family’s business.

  “Any services we need, I’ll find them,” Andy snapped, and Laura was glad he had.

  “That’s your choice,” Siegel said. “The social worker is only there to make it easier for you an
d your family. Now, I wanted to talk to you about a donor. For the stem cell, there’s a donor bank, but a family match is ideal. Andy, you’re not the father, but you can still be tested, as we’re not looking to match blood type but rather six key antigens. The best match is always a family member.”

  “You can test me,” Laura said.

  “Of course. We also need to look for donors, which takes time, and we need to have the donor ready by the time the chemo has killed all the leukemia cells.” The doctor checked his watch. “Okay, I have to make some rounds, but we need to do a lumbar puncture tonight. We’ll sedate Gabriel, but one of you should be here. One of the interns will be by to get you set up for your tests.” The doctor patted Andy’s shoulder and glanced Laura’s way, and then he left.

  Laura couldn’t think of one intelligent thing to say or do. She just stood there, waiting for someone to say something, anything.

  “Laura,” Andy said.

  She started and looked up at him. “Yeah, what are we going to do?”

  “I’m going to stay tonight. You’re going home with the babies, and―”

  “No,” Laura said, cutting him off. There was no way she was leaving her little boy. She was almost frantic when Andy grabbed her shoulder and gave a little shake.

  “Hey, stop it. Listen, you go home. We can’t both stay tonight, not with the babies, and you’re still nursing. It’s just for tonight, Laura. Take the truck. I’ll call you later, after they do the tests…”