Chapter 2
Jacob felt like he was submerged in water. He could see the doctor’s mouth moving but his voice sounded muffled. At some point, the obscure noises stopped and the doctor stared at him, assessing.
His body flushed hot, then ran cold, his heart racing with fear.
The doctor cleared his throat loudly and leaned forward, almost resting his chest on the desk in his office. “Mr. Norris, did you hear anything I said?”
“Yes.” He responded abruptly, shooting the doctor an icy look.
The man just threw him into a black hole and expected him to respond. He was already a man of few words and when he did speak to his siblings or his staff; he expected his orders to be carried out without question and made no time for small talk.
But this news knocked the air from his lungs.
The one thing a parent didn’t want to see was their child suffering, yet once again his daughter’s life was in jeopardy.
This wasn’t like fighting the boogeyman in her closet; this was a disease, a monster he couldn’t scare away with nightlights and under-the-bed checks.
“I’m sorry, but—”
“Run the test again.” He cut the doctor off rudely, refusing to believe his findings. He set his mouth as he stared down Dr. Van, trying to intimidate the doctor into giving him the answers that he wanted.
Dr. Van stared back solemnly, his hands steepled on the desk. “I have. Results are still the same. And before you say you want a second opinion; I reached out to another specialist in this field. They reached the same conclusion.”
The doctor opened a file, pointing at several documents, the words merging together, making it impossible for Jacob decipher with fear taking over every part of his body and mind.
The doctor looked at him sympathetically and pulled the folder closer to himself.
“Your daughter, Kaitlyn, has Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML).” The doctor repeated the diagnosis when he’d settled into the chair, as if he hadn’t heard him the first time.
His body felt like stone, but he somehow managed to nod. His bluster earlier, now gone.
“Her bone marrow is producing abnormal blood cells. The course of action for this type of cancer is chemotherapy.”
“But she is so young.” He blurted out in distress.
“Yes, but we caught it early.” The optimism in the doctor’s voice was grating. “I have sent the tests and x-rays to one of the top pediatric oncologists in treating leukemia. Your daughter is in good hands.”
Dr. Van leaned forward with a piece of paper in his hand, and he took it numbly, glancing down at the information there. “Here is the contact information for the hospital and the doctor who will be responsible for Kaitlyn’s treatment plan after running some more tests.”
“Dr. Kimberly Hayes?” Jacob looked up in surprise.
He knew about her; she was in the news for crossing the line with her methods of treatment, but they had all ended successfully.
Nevertheless, she was considered a rogue doctor.
He also recalled she had just recently been outed for having an affair with one of her residents, but with her mother being on the board, it had been quickly handled.
Hayes was placed on suspension and the resident was sent to another hospital.
“Yes, I feel she is the best person to take care of your daughter.” Jacob stared at Dr. Rex Van, their family doctor for as long as he could remember. The softness in his gaze reflected the care he held for Kaitlyn.
“Thank you. Dr. Van.”
The man nodded, running a hand through his salt-and-pepper hair. “Oh.” He paused, searching the documents until he found a pamphlet. “Be prepared, Dr. Hayes will probably also recommend a stem cell or bone marrow transplant after chemotherapy.”
Jacob took the brochure, skimmed the information and frowned.
“Her platelets will be gone and blood should regenerate on its own, but we want to consider the options for a successful remission. Stem cells or bone marrow from a relative that matches her would be the most prudent avenue.”
“You will see from the pamphlet I just gave you that the test that will be performed is Human Leukocyte Antigens, or HLA, typing. It is used to determine who is a compatible donor for blood stem cell or organ transplants. Greater similarity between the donor’s and recipient’s HLA types will increase the likelihood of transplant success. ” Dr. Van nodded.
Jacob kept staring at the pamphlet, the words swimming in front of him, trying to take in what Dr. Van was telling him.
“Doctors want the closest matches possible because HLAs are proteins on the surface of most cells that the immune system uses to distinguish “self” from “non-self.” They are crucial for immunity, but they can also cause complications like tissue transplant rejection and autoimmune diseases.”
Dr. Van looked uncomfortable for a second, then cleared his throat. “You have not mentioned this before, but do you have any other children? Siblings are better matches.” Dr. Van held up his hands when Jacob scowled.
“No, she is an only child.”
The doctor hesitated and then surprised Jacob when he laid the final his card on the table. “Okay, then you and your ex-wife will have to be tested.”
“Not a chance in hell will she be anywhere near my child.” Jacob stood and towered over the doctor, his hands fisted closed just from the mention of her having to do anything with his daughter.
Dr. Van pushed his glasses to the top of his nose.
“Standing over me won’t change the fact that your ex-wife might need to be consulted.
But that’s not for me to say; give Dr. Hayes a call and I will notify reception to send over the information.
” His tone remained firm. “Do you have any questions for me?”
He shook his head, rocked again now by the news that he might need the aid of his ex-wife to help save their daughter when she was the one that almost ended her life the first time.
His legs feeling like rubber, Jacob tried to walk past the reception desk and the waiting room area, but soon his pace slowed to a shuffle. He wished he could switch places with his baby. His bright light. He got into the car and sat for a minute, then pulled his cell phone from his jacket pocket.
He couldn’t hold onto this news by himself.
The only person he could depend on in that moment was Colin.
Punching in the numbers with shaking fingers, Jacob waited in agony until his brother picked up.
When he broke the news to him, Colin’s voice cracking over the phone almost made him break down and cry.
“I will speak to grandpa and get him to call off this ridiculous—”
He sat up straight in the car. “No, don’t tell him.
I need to focus on Kaitlyn and not have to worry about him finding out and all this causing him to deteriorate quicker.
And you also know how bullheaded he can be.
He will push harder for me to marry because he thinks a woman’s love and touch will help get me through this. ”
“He should know, Jacob; you and Kaitlyn need all of us.” His brother’s voice sounded somber.
He nodded in agreement, but then realized his brother Colin couldn’t see him.
“Just let me speak to the oncologist and see what the plan of treatment and care for Kaitlyn will be. We can tell him after. Okay?”
He heard Colin sigh, then what sounded like him blowing his nose.
“I will call the rest and let them know.”
“No, I will call them when I am ready” He rubbed the back of his neck and pulled at the hair there, a telling sign when he was stressed.
“You are so stubborn, let me help.” His brother pleaded.
This wasn’t a fight he wanted to have right now. Resting his head against the seat rest, Jacob tried to distract his brother with another problem. “So, how is it coming along finding someone to marry your tired ass?”
He heard Colin scoff into the phone. “Please, a sought-after Cordon Blue Chef and a billionaire at that. I do not have a problem finding a wife, unlike some stick-in-the-mud oldie who doesn’t know how to charm a woman if it bit him in the ass.”
Jacob let out a snort. “I can charm anyone I want.”
“Your daughter doesn’t count.” And just like that, his mood plummeted and from the silence on the other end, he knew that Colin regretted saying it.
“Jacob, I—”
“It’s okay Colin, I have to go. I need some time and to think about the best way to talk to my daughter about this.”
“I will be right over.” He heard Colin shift about, and it sounded like he was getting out of bed.
“Hey, come over later and bring her favorite ice cream, okay? I will call you when you can come over. Just give me a chance to talk to her.”
“Are you sure? Jacob, you don’t have to do this alone. Sometimes you take the big brother role a little too seriously.”
He gripped the steering wheel tight and said his brother’s name in warning. “Colin.” He didn’t need a lecture right now. This was his way of handling it and he liked to do things that were hard alone. Even though he loved his family sometimes, he just needed distance and space.
He heard Colin swear. “Okay, I will be over later, and I can also make dinner. Free of charge, just for you.”
Jacob lips curved in a tired smile.
“Thank you that would be nice. Talk to you later.”
“Okay, love you.” His brother’s voice sounded like a whisper in his ear.
“Love you too.” He hung up and started the car, he didn’t know how long he sat there and cried.