CHAPTER ONE-3
685 Words
“Happy New Year, Granma,” Bella said, trying to cheer up the hospital room.
No response.
Bella moved closer to the bed. Rose was sleeping deeply, no doubt from all the medications they were giving her. In June, Dr. Gable had opted to try surgery again to solve the problem. But on the operating table, they found that Rose’s ovarian cancer had already spread to her entire abdomen. There was nothing to be done surgically.
Now, after six months of aggressive chemotherapy treatments, Rose was just about out of strength. Her beautiful dark hair had long since disappeared. Bella’s had barely grown back out to shoulder length – she’d had much of her waist-length tresses cut off to fashion a wig for Rose.
Bella sighed and stepped out of the room to talk to Melanie, Rose’s nurse for the night. Melanie was a robust black woman with a Southern drawl who had been a nurse for twenty years, and she was one of Bella’s favorites.
“How’d she do last night, Mel? And be honest,” Bella said.
“Not good, baby girl,” Melanie answered. “We’ve had to increase her pain meds. Doc Gable will be around in a few minutes. He’s going to want to talk to you and your grandfather.”
Laying a motherly hand on Bella’s shoulder, she continued, “I’ve been prayin for her, and for you two, since I met ya’ll. But baby girl, what she’s going through right now, it ain’t livin. You know that.”
“I know,” Bella said, a single tear escaping down her cheek. “I know.” Sniffling, she said, “Grandpa went down for a cup of coffee. I guess I should go get him.”
She found him leaving the cafeteria, two cups in hand.
He saw her, smiled wanly, said, “Figured you could use some hot chocolate,” and handed her a cup.
“Mel says Doc Gable wants to talk to us. He’s making rounds now,” Bella told him. “So, we should probably get back up there.”
Manfred nodded silently. As they stood waiting for the elevator, she looked at him.
God, he looks tired – and old, she thought. He’s aged a hundred years since June.
They took the elevator up without speaking. Doc Gable was coming out of Rose’s room when the doors opened. He motioned them to the family waiting room down the hall.
“I think it’s time to make service arrangements, if you haven’t already,” he said as gently as he could. “There’s not anything else I can do for her except keep her as pain-free as possible until she passes.” Tears in his eyes, he continued, “I have been racking my brain trying to think of something. But I’m out of ideas. The latest tests indicate the cancer has metastasized into her bones...” His voice broke.
“Doc Gable, you’ve been brilliant, and you’ve been there for us,” Manfred replied, his voice thick with emotion. “But sometimes there just isn’t anything else that can be done. You’ve done your best; it’s just my angel’s time to go.”
And he put an arm around the young doctor’s shoulders.
They made their way back down the hall and went in to sit with Rose. Around sunrise on January second, she sighed deeply once, and was gone.
***
* * * *
“Go back to school, honey,” Manfred said, gazing out the living room window at a snowy January eleventh. “You already took off early when she got worse. If you don’t start the spring semester, you could be dropped from the University. Not to mention your internship you were telling me about.”
“Are you sure, Grandpa?” Bella asked again. “I don’t want to leave you alone.”
“I know, Bellissima, and I appreciate that,” Manfred answered, sitting down next to her and taking her hand. “And I know how hard this is, believe me. But your Granma would want us both to have a good cry and then get on with living.”
“Well, we’ve been here before, and certainly done the first part of that,” Bella said, laying her head on Manfred’s shoulder.
“Yes, we have,” Manfred said, hugging his granddaughter. “Now, once again, we have to move to the second part. I’m going back to teaching when my university reopens next week. You should go back to yours too.”
***
- Writer
