Chapter 9
Jeannie
Better Every Day
“Mom, look at me!”
“What was that, Maxi-Bear?” I looked up from the document I was reading through to see my son go sliding across the wide doorway of my office, one leg up like he was a figure skater.
“Did you see, did you see?”
“I saw something,” I admitted, getting up and rounding the corner out of concern just in time to see my son continuing his glide across kitchen linoleum in his socks. “Whatcha up to, big man?”
“I’m watching ice skating tutorials!” he said, pointing to his tablet that he had set up on the kitchen island.
“Hey, you know that’s only for sit-down time.” I wished I didn’t have to be so strict with it, but it was a gift from a special charity for kids in the cancer center, and I didn’t have a hope of replacing it if anything went wrong with it.
“I know. That’s why I’m not touching it right now. Only when I’m sitting down.”
God, this kid was good at finding loopholes. Maybe I should have put my foot down, but honestly, I loved seeing him so happy and active. Just a couple of months ago, he’d get winded coming down the stairs.
“Okay, but remember to save some of your energy for your check-up today. You know they tend to take it out of you.”
“That was before, Mama. When I was sick. Now I’m doing much better.”
My period had to be coming because the urge to cry waved its hand at me like a kid who wanted to be noticed in class. Just hearing my son say he was doing much better was surprisingly powerful.
“You are,” I agreed. “But keep an eye on it for me, okay?”
“Can do!” he exclaimed before racing down the hall, then sliding the remaining distance to our front door. We didn’t have the biggest place, but it was enough for the two of us, and it was ours.
I should have gone back to work—I was late on the line edit I was combing through.
I liked the author, but she had an interesting sort of cadence to her writing that broke a lot of conventions.
I had to sift through which parts were great examples of her pushing the norms and which went a bit too far.
It was rewarding work, but it took a lot of time.
Instead of working, I pulled my phone out and took a video of Max pretending to ice skate. My boy had a natural showman streak, because once he noticed I was filming, he did a few tricks and poses, grinning the whole time.
Naturally, after such a display, I had no choice but to chase him around the house and ask for his autograph, all while he accused me of being paparazzi.
It was silly, it was loud, but it was also damn fun.
Kids weren’t for everyone, that was a fact of the universe, but my kid was certainly for me. We were two peas in a pod.
“All right, kiddo, to the kitchen for a ten-minute rest, a drink, and a cheese stick. Then we gotta go.”
“Wait, it’s time already?”
I nodded. “Time flies when you’re having fun.”
“And you’re the funnest, Mama.”
God, what was I going to do when he became a teenager, and I turned into a lame mom? I guess I’d be able to cling to the fact that he was a teen at all.
“Thank you, big man. Now scootaloo!”
“Yes’m!”
He scampered off to the kitchen while I went back to my office to save my work before I got everything I needed to be ready to go. By the time I was done, so was his ten-minute break, and we were out the door.
“You’re all set to go, Max. If you’d like to go hang in the playroom for a bit, I believe Nurse Bernila has something she’s been wanting to give you.”
“Nurse Berni? She’s my favorite!”
“So, I heard,” the doctor said with a gentle smile.
Despite how active he’d been that morning, my son still had energy to hop off the table and hurry out the door.
Normally, I wouldn’t be okay with him going off where I couldn’t see him, but I knew every employee in the cancer ward and pretty much trusted them with my life.
Nurse Bernila was the crème de la crème among all of them.
I couldn’t count how many times she made lumpia to share with me and my son during his treatments.
Sometimes, that was the only thing Max could bring himself to eat.
Then there were other dishes she’d send me home with.
She also signed him up for several charities I knew nothing about, which was how he got his tablet, his fold-up walker, most of his art supplies, and a whole bunch of clothing and shoes once he graduated from his treatment.
“Miss Wolfe,” the doctor said once we were alone, and instantly my hackles went up. Not because there was anything wrong with her demeanor, but because I was just so used to having either bad news or stern warnings whenever we were one-on-one.
“Yes, Dr. Byrne?”
“I’m incredibly pleased with the amount of weight Max has put on. The increase in his musculature is visibly noticeable.”
Whew! It was good news. That was a novel experience.
“His breath output has also significantly increased, no doubt aided by the fact that his diaphragm can actually support itself.”
Honestly, if I knew how to do the Charleston, I probably would have done it then and there.
There were nights burned into my mind when Max was at his sickest and I couldn’t sleep for fear that I would wake up to something awful, so I’d stayed up the entire night to watch his chest struggle to rise and fall with his rescue inhaler gripped tightly in my hand.
“That’s great to hear,” I said, my voice much calmer than I felt.
“I still would like you to make an appointment for him to get a blood test, and there are a few other things on the docket, but so far so good. If you wouldn’t mind stopping by Sheila on the way out, she’ll get you sorted.”
Compared to the usual battery of tests we were used to, a simple blood draw was a walk in the park. “I’d be more than happy to. Is there anything else we need to address right now?”
“No, not particularly. Max’s next general check-up with us is in about three months, correct?”
“Yes, we’re on a quarterly schedule.”
“Perfect. On a side note, Max’s allergies might be a little stronger this year because his immune system is sorting itself and getting back on track, so if you notice him having exaggerated symptoms once the weather starts to warm, put him on a general antihistamine.
There’s no need to panic. And as always, if you do get concerned, you know that you can get an emergency appointment with us anytime. ”
That actually made a lot of sense. When Max was going downhill fast, a big part of isolating him was to protect him from other people’s germs because his immune system was so knocked out from his chemo. And not to mention his appendix rupturing. “That’s really good to know. Thank you so much.”
“No, thank you. You’ve really done an exceptional job. Caring for a sick loved one is never easy, and caring for a sick child is even worse. You know that you two can always reach out to us if you need help, too. We’re not just here for Max.”
“Yes, thank you so much. Nurse Bernila has made sure that I’m very aware of that, and I am ever so grateful. I look forward to seeing you in three months. Fingers crossed not a second before then.”
“Music to my ears. You have a great day, Miss Wolfe.”
“You too.”
She opened the door for me, and I left, feeling like I was floating on air rather than walking down the hall.
I couldn’t believe it. After what felt like several years of non-stop bad news, things were finally getting better.
We had weathered the storm, and it was time for our journey in the sunshine.
Knowing Max was safe and occupied with his favorite nurse, I hurried to Sheila at the front desk to make the necessary appointments. She was possibly the best medical receptionist I’d ever worked with, because she had me all set within minutes so I could go back to my son.
“Mama, look!” Max exclaimed as soon as I stepped into the playroom. A new, knitted beanie complete with little ear flaps sat on his head. Even though his hair was growing like a weed, it wasn’t long enough to protect his ears from the cold yet. “Nurse Berni made me a hat.”
“Is your favorite superhero, yes?” the kind nurse asked in heavily accented English.
“You remembered!” Max threw himself at the woman. The nurse was quite petite, but she was still taller than him.
“I remember everything about you, Max-the-millions,” she said, a little inside joke between the two I didn’t fully understand.
I didn’t need to. What mattered was that it made them both happy and had made Max’s chemo much less scary for him.
“Do not tell the others, but you have always been my favorite patient.”
“And you’re my favorite nurse!”
“Aye, I better be.”
I had no doubt that she said the same thing to several patients, but I didn’t care. As far as I was concerned, good nurses were magical enough that she was telling the truth to each and every kid.
“Well, say goodbye to Nurse Berni. Mama has an interview with a potential client this afternoon.”
“Okay!” Max let go of the woman, then did something that was so entirely him. He offered his hand and stood as tall as his spine could make.
“Thank you for all of your work, ma’am,” he said, as serious as sin.
“Oi, oi, oi, who brought this gentleman before me? Where is Max-the-millions?” The two devolved into giggles, but she took his hand and gave it a firm shake. “I look forward to seeing what you do, young man.”
“I do too,” Max agreed eagerly.
A sharp laugh punched its way out of my throat before I even realized it.
I was probably biased, but man, Max’s comedic timing often tickled my funny bone in just the right way.
Or maybe life was easier to laugh at when all my prayers had come true.
I didn’t care if money was tight. I didn’t care if bills were stressful.
All of it was worth it for the life that was growing and flourishing right before my eyes.
There was a bit more banter before we left, and traffic was hell as usual, but I was caught up in my happy mood. I really couldn’t believe how beautiful my life was. It made me want to share it with the whole world, to spill the buttery sunshine of joy with so many other people who had nothing.
And for some reason, that reminded me of a certain pair of girls who were looking forward to a hangout with a new friend and seeing the Christmas lights.
Well, if I wanted to spread happiness, that was the easiest way I knew how.
So, once we were home and settled, I took out my phone to text their father about when they might be free for a little holiday adventure.