A Fine Mess (21 page)

“The cancer has spread. There are more tumors in her lungs and one in her brain now. To continue with the chemo would be to just make her last months miserable.”

“No.
No
, that can’t be,” Annie said, burying her face in Ian’s shoulder. “She’s feeling better-”

“Only because the drugs are working out of her system.”

“So they’re not going to do
anything?
” Ian asked, feeling a lump lodge in his throat, even as tears burned his eyes.

“She’ll keep taking the vitamins and herbs, and we could still see a miracle. But if not, the only other thing is to keep her comfortable and as pain free as possible.”

“How long?”
Annie demanded, choking on a sob.

“Maybe six months.”
At that she did start to cry, heart wrenching sobs that broke Ian's heart. “I know this is a terrible time, what with the opening tomorrow, but-”

“Why didn’t she say something?” Annie asked
,
her voice muffled from where it was pressed against Ian’s shoulder.

“Because she wanted to come to terms with it before you found out. She wanted to be able to be strong for you, Honey.” Annie cried harder at that.

“There isn’t
anything
they can do?” Ian asked. This couldn’t be happening. Not to that sweet woman.

“The only treatment left is one that is so harsh that it would probably kill her quicker. And the odds of it working are so slim that it’s not worth trying. Maybe she only has six months, but this way they won’t be spent throwing up a hundred times a day. Maddie said she’d rather have a little quality time with us than to spend it half out of her mind.

“We’ll all keep praying, that’s for sure.
Maybe God will give us a miracle. If not, we need to do this the way she wants it done, Annie. She wants these last holidays-” For the first time since he’d arrived, Paul choked up for a moment. Bringing his fist to his mouth and closing his eyes, he breathed slowly until he could continue.

“She wants these last holidays to be really special. And she wants to start planning that reception you talked about. She thinks February fourteenth would be perfect.”

“Then February fourteenth it is,” Ian said softly, tears streaming from his eyes. “Whatever she wants, right, Annie?”

All she could do was nod her head.

Chapter 11

By the end of the first week in November, Annie came down with a brutal cold. She didn’t want to have to spend any days away from her mother, but recognized that, unless she wanted to be responsible to making her even sicker than she already was, she had no choice. So she was very relieved when Pastor Caldwell arranged for some of the ladies from the church to fill in for her so she could stay home.

Where she swallowed vitamin C and garlic tablets like they were candy.
Still, the cold wasn’t pleasant. She developed a fever, got the chills, coughed incessantly, and finally lost her voice.

“That’s it,” Ian declared, the morning of the fourth day. “I’m taking you to the doctors.”

“I’ll be fine,” she croaked, turning over on her bed so she faced away from him.

“You are not fine. And if you think I’m going to sit here and watch this turn into pneumonia, think again. I’ve already called the doctor and let your dad know I won’t be in until after lunch. So you can get dressed or I’ll take you in your pajamas. It’s your choice.”

~~~~

Dressed in jeans and a sweater, bundled up in her parka, Annie leaned against the door of the car trying to ignore her husband.

“Wow. You’re quite the little crab when you’re sick, aren’t you?” he teased, wheeling into a parking spot at the medical complex. “Are you going to be this friendly to the doctor, too? Because I’d hate to think I’m the only who gets to have all the fun.”

“Nobody made you stay home,” she muttered when he opened her door.

“True enough. I guess someone might say that I brought it on myself.”

“Just call me 'Someone.'”

“Here's a heads up for you. I don’t get sick very often, and when I do, I’m a model patient, so I’ll make your life easier than you’re making mine.”

It wasn’t bad enough that he had to see her looking like Rudolph, and sounding like a frog, but Annie found it wholly annoying that he was so
cheerful
about it. Granted he wasn’t being cheerful
because
she was sick, but it aggravated her nevertheless.

And when Dr. Comstock said jovially, while listening to her try to breathe deeply, “It sounds like she’s come down with a nice little case of bronchitis,” it just riled her even more.

“I’ll write out prescriptions for an antibiotic and cough syrup,” he was telling Ian, like she wasn’t even there. “Do you have a cool mist vaporizer?”

“No. I don’t think we do.”

“I’m not surprised. Most people don’t think to buy one until they have children. But I’d suggest you pick one up when you fill these, and
keep
it going at her bedside round the clock if you can.”

“No problem. I don’t suppose there’s a prescription to put her in a better mood, is there?” He grinned at her and she shot him a scowl. Dr. Comstock chuckled.

“Annie has never been good at being the patient. And I would know. She’s been my patient since she was born. I’ve never known her to willingly slow down for anything. In fact, I’ve often wondered if this is God‘s way of getting her to do just that.”

“Are you finished talking about me yet?” Annie asked sarcastically.

“Pretty much,” the doctor crooned, patting her arm. “Don’t know why you’d expect us to talk to you when all you do is
snap
our heads off.”

“And I don’t know why I keep coming to see a rude doctor who’s older than dirt, when there are probably ten thousand nice, young ones out there.”

“They’d just show you the door the first time you took an attitude with them,” he said matter-of-factly. “So you’re stuck with me, Annie, dear. Now go home, get some rest, and stay well until I retire, okay?”

Much as she tried not to, Annie had to laugh, however shortly, at the stunned expression on Ian’s face. So did Dr. Comstock, who assured him,

“Don’t worry. It’s an old routine with us. Now get on home and take care of your wife. I’ll see you in about a year.”

“This happens yearly?”

“Like clockwork.”

“Do you think I could get some anti-depressants before it happens again?” He and the doctor both laughed at the joke. Annie just smacked his arm.

“Oh. Go ahead and give her some ibuprofen every four hours or so to keep the fever down. Of course, if you want to find out any secrets, just give her a couple of M & M’s and wait until she’s delirious.”

“That could be fun. Come on, Sweetheart. Let’s let the doctor get to some of his more amicable patients. Like the guillotine operator I saw in the waiting room.”

“I like your husband, Annie!”

“And
I
like her doctor,” Ian said, ushering her back out to the waiting room.

“You two are just a couple of regular comedians, aren’t you?”

“Very perceptive of you to notice.
I think I missed my calling.”

~~~~

“Are you doing okay?” Ian asked when Annie finally answered the phone early the next week. She’d taken so long he was worried she might be having a relapse.

“I’m fine,” she said tiredly.

“What took you so long to pick up?” he wanted to know, and heard her sigh.

“There are some things we don’t need to talk about,” was all she said and he smiled.

“Okay.”

“Why are you calling now? Working overtime?”

“No. Your dad said he needed to do some shopping and wondered if I could stop by and sit with Maddie for about an hour. I told him I’d check with you first.”

“I’m fine, Ian. I’ll probably take another nap, so go ahead. I appreciate your being willing to pitch in.”

“Hey, I said I do anything I could to help.”

“Thank you anyway.”

“You're welcome. I should be home by seven. And you are eating something tonight.”

“And who’s going to make me?”

“Me.”

“
You picking
up fast food or something?” He could hear the frown in her voice.

“No. I’ll make you some soup or something. Even I can’t mess that up.”

“I can only hope,” she said with a chuckle.

“Hey. You have to admit that my kitchen skills have improved dramatically over the past couple of months.”

“Yes they have.”

“So apologize for your lack of faith in me.”

“I’ll apologize tomorrow.
After
I survive your first meal.”

“Ha-ha. Well, I’m here. I’ll see you in a bit.”

“Tell Mom hi for me.”

“I will. Bye.”

A few days on the antibiotics, and her finally being able to sleep now that the cough was under control, had made a world of difference in her attitude. Which did make life a whole lot easier, but Ian had found her irritability extremely amusing, and imagined she’d been behaving much like a petulant child.

As he pulled the key from the ignition and strode toward the door, he recalled the pictures Maddie had shown him shortly after their marriage. He wondered if Annie’s child, when she had one someday, would be as adorable as she had been. But the thought of someone other than himself being the father of that child didn’t set well.

“Hi, Ian,” a tall, chubby blond woman said, meeting him at the door. “Thanks for filling in. I’ve got to pick up my granddaughter from her piano lesson in about five minutes.

“Well don’t let me keep you then. I hope you realize how much we appreciate you helping with Maddie.”

“She’s such a dear. I hope you all know how much we’re praying for a miracle.”

“Thank you. We’re praying for that, too.” And Ian did pray for God to have mercy on her.
Every day.
Usually several times a day.

“Okay. We’ll see you Sunday?”

“Of course.
Drive carefully, Betsy.”

“I will. Give Annie my love.”

He closed the door and walked into the living room, not quite sure what to expect. He hadn’t been over since Paul’s announcement that they were discontinuing treatment because he just didn’t know what to say to her now. But he couldn’t tell Paul no when he’d asked him to stay with her awhile today either.

To his surprise, she was sitting up in her recliner and knitting something. She smiled broadly when she saw him.

“Ian!
How nice to see you!”

He bent down to give her a hug.