The following morning Rick got up alittle bit earlier than usual to start his morning but made no effort to let go of Lesley yet because he couldn't help but think about the slight glimpse of her port and it bothered him because it wasn't just someone that he loves.... It was Lesley who was sick but for the life of him, he couldn't figure out how bad her situation was but he was sure something was really wrong when he finally saw the bruises that Monica said she saw before
" How long have you been sitting here... I thought you were gonna get going for the hospital early this morning... Not that I will complain though because I love to wake up to you with me..” Lesley smiled
" Like I want to miss the chance to see you waking up.... Sweetheart, I'm worried about you... I don't like not knowing what's wrong... Les please talk to me.” Rick replied
" Rick.... Please don't be so worried. I'm okay.. tired lately and alittle weaker than usual but I'm gonna be fine. I'm alright... Go on I'm sure that you have a few patients that need you.." Lesley insisted..
" Sweetheart, I don't know that I can leave you... I love you too much and you need me too.” Rick admitted
" Oh sweetheart I'm gonna be alright and Jessie will be here soon please Rick please go on to the hospital and go do what you do best..." Lesley sat up more to hug Rick
“ Lesley honey I can’t shake it that there’s something going on and l keep getting the impression you want to come to me and tell me but you keep stopping yourself as if you’re afraid to tell me.”
All Lesley did in response was to cling and hold on to Rick “ Rick I promise you I will be okay. I love you”
" Alright I'll go....but I'm gonna be calling you every so often to check on you…”
Rick gave Lesley a kiss and got ready to head out to head for the hospital just as Jessie had pulled up as usual but stopped as Lesley didn't want to let go.
" Rick… wait.. I think it's time that you know the truth and about what's really been going on."
" Sweetheart… Hey everything will be alright." Rick rubbed on Lesley's back and held her closer to him. " I'm gonna have to get going. Will you be alright for alittle while?" Rick kissed Lesley on her head after she nodded " Rick I love you more than you could know.."
" Lesley I love you more than anything else in my entire life aside from loving the kids just the same. I want you to feel that you can talk to me anytime you need to… I don't want you to feel afraid like you can't tell me anything because nothing could ever change the woman that you are just like nothing could change my love for you.”
“ You need to know Rick, what’s going on and I’m sorry that I've been keeping this from you for months.” Lesley looked away from Rick while the feeling she had of guilt and shame had taken over because she was afraid to go to him thinking she was going to hurt him.
“ Sweetheart… Lesley honey look at me. Everything’s gonna be okay and nothing you tell me is gonna make me feel any less than what there is and that means Lesley that whatever it is we have to face together, l’m gonna love you until the day we’re no longer living.” Rick sat back at Lesley’s side hoping to comfort her
“ Dr. Richards wasn’t here for a consult like I told you the other day when you called to check on me… Rick, he was here because I am one of his patients again…” Lesley tried to hold it together even as Rick tried his best to continue to comfort her while she started to cry because her guilt had overshadowed because she had kept her medical situation from him for over 5 months.
“ Sweetheart, I understand why you felt like you couldn't come to me. It breaks my heart that you felt like you couldn't but I'm not gonna get upset with you. I'm gonna be right here right by your side from the beginning to the end. Come here sweetheart” Rick pulled Lesley into a hug and just decided to hold her for alittle while before he left for the hospital.
“ Rick…. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you sooner…”
“ Lesley everything is gonna be okay. You have nothing to apologize for… you're gonna get better.” Rick gave Lesley a kiss and reached for his coat “ Rick I haven't told Jessie or Dr Richards that I was gonna tell you… they've been trying to get me to tell you and I wanted to before I really did.. but it scares me Rick that I'm gonna end up being the one to hurt you”
“ Lesley you could never hurt anyone who has come to know the heart that you have. And if it comes to it I will act surprised if I have to. Will you be alright while I'm at the hospital?.”
Rick headed off for the hospital as Jessie was there for the day to help Lesley with whatever she needed
" Girls.... You're gonna be late if you don't get going for school…” Lesley called out before checking on Riley..
" We're going.... We love you Mom and we'll see you later..." Genesis called out
" Girls remember to come straight home after school today.” Lesley replied while trying to keep hold of the nausea.
" We will Momma and I'll call if I have to stay after if my tests run late. Bye Aunt Jessie" Jesslyn replied and headed out the door
Jessie waited until Lesley was out of the bathroom so they could talk until Dr Richards was to get there which wasn't gonna be long
" How are you feeling... Bad morning?" Jessie asked gently
" I started to try to tell him Jessie... He keeps asking and hoping I'd tell him everything... He slightly saw the port last night I think and I think again this morning... I just... I can't tell him that I only have up to a few months at best."
" Hey... Now I don't want you to be talking that way... You're gonna come through this just you've gotten through tougher odds than this.. you are gonna beat this Lesley. You've come this far" Jessie said firmly
Jessie helped Lesley to lay down before Dr. Richards was to be there to set up everything..
" I'm gonna go let Jerry in, are you sure you're okay?" Jessie asked
" I'm hanging in there. I'm just grateful that you are with me during this..." Lesley winced but started to feel like she was gonna be sick and needed to go to the bathroom again.
" Mrs. Grant, would you let Dr Richards in, while I help Lesley...?" Jessie called out from upstairs.
" Jess-Jessie... I don't know how much more I can handle..." Lesley got out and tried to get a handle from the vomiting
" Easy Lesley... Lean on me, it's what I'm here for and I'm gonna help you." Jessie replied while helping Lesley to sit down.
" It's gonna be difficult to assure Rick every day again now that I'm back on the Chemotherapy"
" Well right now we have to take it one day at a time.." Jessie said and sat down beside Lesley while Dr Richards was setting everything up.
Jessie and Dr Richards stepped into the hall for alittle while after Dr Richards started Lesley on the Chemo. It didn't take too long to see that the effects of the new Chemotherapy treatment were starting to show “ I may have to admit Lesley into the hospital soon Jessie because I don't like how things are going and I don't like how she looks. Her systems may have started to shut down.” Jessie started to get concerned about the possibility of Lesley having to be admitted to the hospital again with her immune system non-existent from the treatment
" The problem is, Rick still doesn't know what's going on and for her to be admitted to General that's gonna be tough..." Jessie said
" I've been straight with you Jessie from the start with her immune system non-existent, it's a higher risk for her if she develops another infection like what she had recently or if she develops pneumonia again... I'm gonna have to admit her into the hospital possibly for the duration of her treatment " Dr Richards explained
" Is it possible to admit her into Mercy hospital?" Jessie asked
" She's my patient.... Either way we look at it, Realistically she will have to be admitted right away between now and tonight depending how she starts to respond to treatment today. She'll need to be in a sterile environment."
After about another half an hour, when Jessie was sitting in the room with Lesley, Dr Richards had stepped in to check on how she was doing and responding to the treatment for the day but started to see that Lesley's vital signs had started to go down when she started to become unresponsive.
" Lesley can you hear me.... Lesley I need you to wake up..." Dr Richards started to call out
" Lesley it's Jessie.... Come on, you have to wake up.." Jessie sat beside Lesley and tried just just after Dr Richards did to wake her up
“ How long has she been asleep Jessie?” Dr Richards asked
“ Not very long. She seemed to be doing okay for awhile. I just got her to rest.”
" I'm sorry but I have to admit her... If we don't, she very well could die right here..." Dr Richards started to disconnect Lesley port line..
" She's very pale, Jerry. I don't like that.... Something isn't right!" Jessie answered
~~~
Shortly after Lesley was admitted Jessie waited until Dr Richards had gone over all of Lesley's progress through her treatment
" She's gonna need extensive long term care... This type of cancer is rare but very aggressive frankly I think it's a miracle that she's still with us at all... Anyone notify the family?."
" Her mother's waiting in the waiting area. She's been involved from the beginning... Her husband Dr. Rick Webber is not aware of the situation at this time." Dr. Richards answered
" We better go and talk with the mother and make sure she understands there's nothing else we can do except to keep her as comfortable as possible." Dr. Strider made clear
" Wait just a minute, are you considering having me stop her treatment? She still has a fairly good chance to overcome the cancer." Dr. Richards asked while shocked.
" Not in this case, her vital signs are too low to sustain any kind of Chemotherapy, her whitecell count is off the charts. She'll be lucky if she makes it through the night." The oncology consultant made his point clear as he was about to head off to see another patient.
Jessie decided she had to call Rick immediately at General from Mercy hospital as it became real that Lesley's life was on the line.
" She'll be alright Rick. I'm waiting right now for the specialist to come out over here at Mercy... Listen Rick finish up over there and after that come over here as soon as you can... Dr. Richards is coming out right now. I'll let you know what he has to say.." Jessie said while using the phone.
" Jessie tell her I love her and I will be there as soon as I can..."
Jessie got off the phone to meet with Dr. Richards... " How is she... Is Lesley alright?"
" Jessie, I've been straight with you from the beginning... Lesley's condition is very serious. At this present time with the infection and the aggression to the type of Leukemia that Lesley has... There's very little if anything that we can do... Her immune system has spontaneously begun to just shut down… It's only a question of when sepsis will set in because of the infection. And the consultant has started to withdraw treatment effective immediately" Dr Richards explained as carefully as he could
" There's got to be something that you can do. This is my daughter that we're talking about." Jessie spoke up
" The head specialist of Oncology and I spoke thoroughly about her case. The best thing we can do is keep her as comfortable as possible..." Dr. Richards replied
" Just how long are you trying to tell me that she has...?" Jessie asked trying not to sound as shocked to what she was hearing
" Realistically it could be up to a few hours at the most or unless you or Rick decide to take her off the ventilator... But we can't say for certain.."
" I want to see her." Jessie got out
" Of course.... Her cubicle is down the hall and to your right 3rd room on the right… I'm very sorry and I wish I had better news to give you." Dr Richards replied
Jessie had to take a moment to get herself together enough and had to brace herself to step into Lesley's cubicle in the ICU as Lesley wasn't responsive and was back on complete ventilation barely holding her own.
" Lesley I need you to hear me.... Now I won't have this... You need to get better and fight like hell... Your son and your daughters they need you, so does Rick... But I will not lose another daughter not this way…"
~~~
" Checking out Georgia" Rick said.
" Finally gonna go home?” Georgia replied
" No, actually I'm on my way to Mercy hospital... Jessie had Lesley admitted over there." Rick replied
" Oh I'm sorry... I hope that she's okay.”
" So do I.... Send her a prayer or 2.” Rick said when walking out to his car
Jessie stayed at Lesley's side hoping she would wake up soon or that she'd hold on for Rick until he got there but soon sprang out to get Dr Richards when Lesley coded
" Ma'am I need you to wait outside so we can help her..." The nurse called out
Jessie reluctantly left but was in no rush to leave the cubicle until Rick was to get there
" Jessie what's going on, where's Lesley?" Rick asked quick
" Thank God you are here... Rick, it's not good…" Jessie answered
“ How bad Jessie?...”
“ I wish I knew Rick. Her heart stopped before I could find out about anything on her condition. They're doing everything they can.”
" Give another round of Epi.." Dr. Richards ordered while about to use the defibrillator again.
" Epi's in..." Nurse called out " charge to 200." Richards requested
After another 45 minutes Dr Richards was able to resuscitate Lesley as Dr. Strider was about to go talk to Jessie and Rick
“ Let’s get her to Critical Intensive care. I’ll speak to her family.” Dr. Strider exclaimed.
" Rick you have to keep yourself together Lesley is gonna be fine there's no way she's gonna leave you or the kids not when she's gotten through tougher odds" Jessie said trying to assure Rick
Rick stood up when he saw that someone was walking out of Lesley's cubicle " where's my wife, is she alright