New Beginnings

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komrad1156
komrad1156
3,776 Followers

Margaux went back to Allison's room where she was still sleeping soundly. She settled in for a long night, and as it turned out, it took nearly 24 more hours to get the two scans run and the results back.

Doctor Rhodes sat down with Margaux and Allison and explained them to them both.

"So we have confirmation of the diagnosis which is no surprise," he began. "The good news is we don't see any signs of metastasis."

He saw the confused look on Allison's face and told her that meant the cancer hadn't spread to other parts of her body.

"So...with that cheery bit of information, I'm going to be handing you off to your oncologist who should be in here shortly. I'm not sure yet which one will be assigned to your case, but I can assure you all of them are very good doctors."

Margaux thanked him sincerely as did Allison.

"Could I get a hug?" Allison asked before he left.

"I believe we can do that," Doctor Rhodes told her.

"Mom? Get a pic for me, okay? None of my friends will believe me if you don't."

Doctor Rhodes gave her a hug then posed for a couple of pics with his face right next to Allison's before standing up to leave.

"No! Not yet," Allison said as she reached for her phone. "Your turn, Mom."

"What? No, I'm sure Doctor Rhodes is too busy to...."

"That's a great idea!" he said as he moved over next to Margaux.

"Closer!" Allison said as she framed the shot.

"Okay. That's better," she said once their faces were as close as hers had been.

"Oh. Speaking of phones...I almost forgot," the doctor said. "Did you want to exchange numbers? Just in case you ever need to ask me a question about something?"

Margaux hadn't forgotten. She just assumed he wasn't really serious about that and wasn't going to ask.

"Not fair!" Allison said pretending to be upset that it wasn't her number he wanted.

"This is just business, honey," her mom told her as she gave the handsome physician her number even as she wondered or possibly even hoped it might somehow be more than that.

Once the information exchange was complete Dr. Rhodes wished them all the best and said goodbye. He walked out of he room, smiled, then stopped to send Margaux a text.

"It doesn't have to be just business," he typed before adding a smiley face and hitting 'send'.

Margaux's phone used to be on fire with texts and emails from the station's producers and reporters. Now she was lucky to get more than a handful on any given day with most coming from her daughter. So when her phone dinged so quickly she picked it back up and checked to see who it was from.

"Why are you smiling like that, Mom?" Allison asked immediately.

"Oh, no reason," she said as she read the text knowing that if there was no reason her heart shouldn't be pounding in her chest the way it was. She simultaneously felt happy and guilty for allowing herself to feel anything pleasant when her daughter had just been diagnosed with cancer. Then again, she hadn't felt anything pleasant in quite some time, and as long as she was fully focused on her daughter's recovery she saw no reason to force herself to be miserable.

"Uh-huh. Doctor McDreamy just sent you a text, didn't he?" Allison said in a way that told her mother she somehow knew.

"He was just making sure he had the right number," she said unable to look her daughter in the eye.

"I see. Well, maybe you should text him back and let him know he does," her daughter teased. "I mean, it's pretty obvious he thinks you're hot."

"What? Allison. Seriously. You've got to be kidding!" her mother said desperately trying to deflect.

"Text him! It's not like you've got a bunch of other hot guys hitting on you. Or any guys for that matter," Allison said reminding her mom how rarely she'd dated since the divorce.

"Is this a bad time?" a female voice said interrupting them.

Margaux turned and saw a female doctor who looked be around the same age as Dr. Rhodes before she said, "No. Not at all. My daughter is on the verge of driving me crazy here so please come in!"

"My mom won't admit a certain doctor is hot," Allison told her.

"Oh, I see," the woman doctor said. "I'm guessing you're talking about Doctor Rhodes. Am I right?"

"Um...yeah!" Allison said as though it couldn't be anyone else. "He's like the hottest guy I've ever seen."

The doctor laughed then said, "You and me both."

She turned to Margaux then said, "I'm Doctor Willows. I'm the oncologist who'll be taking care of your daughter."

Margaux shook her hand and thanked her.

"And you are obviously Miss Allison," she said cheerfully.

"That's me. The Cancer Kid," she said trying to use dark humor the best she could.

Before Dr. Willows could say anything, Allison said, "If I survive this, I'm going to tell Doctor Rhodes I'm in love with him. I mean, what have I got to lose, right?"

Margaux looked horrified again, but Dr. Willows laughed.

"Get in line, Allison. I can't tell you how many women in just this hospital alone are in love with him."

"Well...duh," the teenager said drawing another chuckle.

"I have to warn you, though. No one's ever seen him with anyone under 40 so don't be too disappointed if he turns you down. Lord knows I've tried," she said, her voice trailing off at the end.

Margaux's heart skipped a beat before another wave of guilt washed over her. She was glad no one could read minds.

"Seriously?" Allison asked as she found that very hard to believe.

"Much to my chagrin, and that of many other 20- and 30-somethings around here, it is sadly, very true. Then again, the older women he dates look almost as hot as he is. I've even thought about trying to look older just to see if it helps, but I'll settle for looking as amazing as they do when I'm 40 or so."

Dr. Willows drew a deep breath then said, "But enough of my sad tale of romantic woe. We need to get started on making you better, and we'll be doing that in two phases. The first phase is called 'induction' and the second is called 'consolidation'. Treatment for AML uses different combinations of chemo drugs than we do for other types of leukemia. The drugs most often used are called...you ready for some really big words?" she said to Allison with a smile.

"Sure," Allison told her. "Mom? Pay attention, okay?"

Margaux was doing her best to do just that and was very surprised to hear her daughter let her know she was aware she wasn't doing a very good job of it. And yet it was true. She was having a very difficult time focusing on anything not involving this younger man who apparently dated only older women.

Dr. Willows smiled then continued.

"Daunorubicin and cytarabine or ara-C, are the most commonly-administered drugs. We typically give them for several days in a row. The schedule of treatment may be repeated in ten days or two weeks, depending on how intense we want the treatment to be. A shorter time between treatments can be more effective in killing leukemia cells, but it can also cause more severe side effects. We'll also be will also giving you what's called 'intrathecal chemotherapy' which is delivered given directly into the cerebrospinal fluid to help prevent leukemia from entering the brain or spinal cord. After reviewing your tests, I feel very confident about running a second treatment 14 days after the first. Then we'll do some more tests and see where are."

"Is my hair gonna fall out?" was Allison's only real concern.

"Well, unfortunately, that is the case for almost all of our patients who get these drugs," Dr. Willows told her honestly.

"If you do, I'll shave my hair off, too," her mother said without thinking.

Allison started laughing a genuine laugh for the first time since they arrived at the hospital.

"You so will not do that!" Allison said as though she was issuing a challenge.

"I...so will!" her mom said before realizing how much she'd been hoping Doctor R...Archer...might really ask her out. But with a bald head....

She'd had no real, serious interest in any man since her divorce, and while he was extremely good looking, Margaux felt pretty certain there was no real possibility of her dating a guy like that, even if he did really only date women over 40. She was now wondering if that meant 'over 40 but under 50' as Allison interrupted her thoughts again.

"Would you really do that, Mom?" she asked with hope in her voice.

When Margaux looked up, she saw Allison's eyes filled with tears and for the first time, hers did, too.

She moved closer and held her daughter and said, "Yes. Of course, I will. If you have to lose your hair, I can lose mine, as well. We'll go through this together. I promise."

Allison was holding her in a way Margaux hadn't experienced since she was a little girl. She didn't have to hear her daughter say it to know she was afraid. This kind of talk was making the kind of theoretical discussions they'd been having up until then very personal and very real.

Dr. Willows waited for the hug to end then said, "You know, both of you have the kind of facial shape that's perfect for short hair. I don't know if that helps any, but it is true."

"You really think so?" Allison said trying hard not to cry.

"Oh, I know so!" Dr. Willows told her. "You and your mom both. I wish I did, because I'd love to cut my hair. But being a single woman over 30 who really would like to get married someday, I think I'll hold out until I manage to catch someone like Doctor Rhodes."

She paused then said, "Someone else, of course. He's clearly way out of my league."

All three of them laughed before deciding on when to start treatment, and the doctor assured them it would be fine to wait a few days although not too many days.

"I just wanna be able to hang out with my best friend one more time while I still have my hair," Allison said.

"And we need to get all of your assignments," he mom chimed in saying.

"Ugh!" Allison said knowing her mom was right.

"'Ugh' is right unless you want to repeat 9th grade," her mom said in response.

"This is so going to suck!" Allison said as the doctor told her she'd have her discharged within an hour or so.

That night Allison stayed at Abbie's house and shared her deepest fears with her best friend who was as supportive as any friend could be.

As Margaux sat home alone worried sick, she found herself fighting off the urge to reach out to the only other person who really knew what she was dealing with. Yes, Archer had been very friendly and shown a lot of concern, and she thought he might even possibly be interested in her as unlikely as that seemed. But as she really thought about, it seemed more and more like a whole lot of the kind of wishful thinking girls Allison's age engaged in, so she set her phone down a third time.

But around 8pm, she had to talk to someone or at least try so she picked it back up and tapped out a text.

"I hope I'm not bothering you, but I'm sitting here going out of my mind with worry and don't know who else to contact. We met Doctor Willows today, and Allison will be starting chemo the day after tomorrow. I feel guilty for burdening you with my problems, but I can't ever remember feeling so helpless or all alone. You're the only person who understands what we're going through, and I guess maybe I was looking for a sympathetic shoulder to cry on. Not literally, of course. Well...maybe. I've been kind of 'weepy' all day and with Allison at her friend's house, this big old house seems very lonely. You're probably at work and even if you're not, I'm sure you're thinking I must be some kind of flake or something. Then again, I guess maybe I am. All I know is I really enjoyed talking with you, and I feel like I can trust you. Anyway, I'll leave you alone. I just needed to tell someone and you drew the short straw! :-) Margaux—not Hemingway."

She thought about deleting it but couldn't bring herself to it, so after reading it a second time, she hit 'send' then said to herself, "Say goodbye to any hope of Dr. McDreamy ever contacting you again."

She knew 'Dr. McDreamy' was the name of yet another hunky TV doctor on a different show, but it still fit so...why not?"

She set down her phone then went to get herself a glass of wine, and when it rang before she got five steps away, it startled her out of her skin.

She walked quickly back to her phone and saw his name and suddenly felt like she really was Allison's age again as she picked it up.

"Hello?" she said very tentatively.

"Margaux? Hey, it's Archer. You sound like you could use some company," he said cheerfully.

"That was pretty pathetic, wasn't it?" she said as she bit her lip.

"Not at all. It sounded like someone who's facing something very difficult who could use someone to talk to. Coincidentally, I just got off at eight so if you can stand my company, I'm happy to meet you for a drink or maybe just to talk."

"Oh. I...I would love your company, but I'm not...I'm not exactly ready to go out anywhere. I'd need to change and do my makeup and...."

"No, don't do that. You'll look great just the way you are, but if you'd rather stay inside, and if I may be so bold, I could stop by your place," he said in a way that sounded genuinely friendly. "For a drink and to talk."

"Are you sure?" she said. "I mean, if you had plans, then please...."

"If you'll give me your address I'll be there in a few minutes. I just got into my car when I got your text and I'm close to I-5 right now."

Margaux told him where she lived and he said, "Oh, okay. I know exactly where that is. I'll be there in about fifteen minutes."

"Well...all right. I'll...I'll see you then," she replied.

She no sooner hung up than she went into a kind of panic. She was wearing a pair of sweatpants and a tee-shirt, and there was no way on earth she was going to let him see her like that.

She dashed to her bedroom, pulled off the sweats then started rummaging through her closet sliding hangers from right to left as she tried to find the perfect thing to wear.

"Too formal. Too dressy. Too plain. Too...ugly."

She pulled that dress out and set it aside deciding then and there to get rid of it.

Finding nothing, she moved to pants. "Blue? No. White? No way. Gray? Hmmm. Maybe. Black? Hmmm. Yeah, black always made sense. Okay, black it is," she said out loud to herself.

"Now...what to wear with it?" she said out loud as she kept looking while she slipped into the pants which were high-waisted and did a very good job of accentuating her very thin waistline and shapely derriere.

She turned sideways and liked what she saw.

"Oh, yeah. Not bad for fifty...something," she told herself as she kept searching.

"Black and white. Black and white," she said as she held up two very nice-looking blouses and a sweater that were all white before settling on a white, sleeveless knit top.

It was short but still long enough to reach the high waistband of the pants and clingy enough to show off her two best 'upper attributes'. After pulling it on, she quickly brushed out her long, dark, silky hair then touched up her mascara and lipstick.

She took one last look then decided a thin, silver chain would be perfect before pronouncing herself ready as she took a deep breath then smiled at herself in the mirror. The smile didn't last long as the doorbell rang an instant later.

Margaux glanced at her watch and knew it hadn't been anywhere close to fifteen minutes as she quickly walked to the front door. She took a deep breath, smiled, then opened it.

"Archer! Hi! Please come in," she said pleasantly.

"Thank you," he said with a smile of his own as he stepped inside.

As nice as he'd looked in a set of scrubs, she was even more impressed to see him in a a pair of jeans with a very nice, button-down shirt and a dressy-looking jacket.

"Could I possibly interest you in a glass of wine?" she asked.

"You could," he said. "That was a long two-day stint."

"It always amazes me how many hours doctors work," she said.

"I could go into private practice and work less, but working at a hospital provides such a wide range of experiences it's worth it for me. Of course, should I ever be fortunate enough to meet the right woman, work would no longer be as important to me, and I'd definitely make some changes."

Margaux wasn't about to ask anything about what that 'right woman' might be like nor about his future possible private practice.

She poured them each a glass then handed one to Archer.

"With all you've been through, would it be appropriate to make a toast to something like maybe...new beginnings? You know, for Allison and her getting through this for a fresh, new start."

He smiled then added, "And who knows? Perhaps you and I will have a kind of new beginning of our own."

Her heart was racing again as she touched her glass to his and said, "Well, then...to new beginnings."

"You sounded like you really needed to talk, so please...." Archer said as they sat on barstools at the large granite island in the kitchen.

"Yes, I really do. But first, thank you so much for coming over, Archer," she told him sincerely. "I can't believe how much better I feel already."

"Did you want to talk about Allison and her upcoming treatment or maybe just talk and try and forget about it for a few minutes?" he asked.

"That would be very nice," she said sweetly.

"Which one?" he asked with a smile.

She narrowed her eyes and said playfully, "Oh, a real wise guy, huh?"

He sat his glass down then started snapping his fingers and popping his hands together. Before Margaux could ask what he was doing he did a nearly perfect imitation of Curly from the The Three Stooges.

"Oh, wise guy, eh?" he said, making the same noises Curly always made, and Margaux laughed so hard she thought she might cry.

"Stop!" she said putting a hand across her tummy to hold her side.

He started moving his hand in front of her face the way Curly did as though he was trying to get her to look up, down, left, right, and then 'zap' her eyes, but he stopped when he knew she'd had enough. He didn't tell her he just wanted to get her mind off the serious nature of Allison's illness, and he was very happy when it worked, no matter how long it may or may not last.

For the next couple of hours or so, they sat there and talked about everything from Allison to her illness to the last three years to Margaux's own hopes and dreams as Archer shared many of his own with her.

It was a little after eleven when Archer finally said, "I should probably be going."

"Oh, my gosh. What time is it anyway?" she said as she looked at her tiny little wristwatch.

"A little after eleven and I have to be back in at 6am."

"Oh, no. I had no idea! I'm so sorry. I've been sitting here just rambling on and on and you've been kind enough to listen to me when you should be home getting some sleep," she told him apologetically.

"No, it's fine. In fact, I can't think of anything I'd rather be doing," he told her as they walked to the front door.

When they stopped, he surprised her by reaching out for her hands which she willingly offered and felt lightning bolts go through her body when she did.

"Thanks for trusting me enough to share all that with me," he told her.

"Thank you for being willing to let me," she said sweetly.

Her body was on fire and her brain was out of control and yet when he leaned in to kiss her, Margaux turned away.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I...I don't know if this is such a good idea, Archer," she found herself saying inexplicably.

"What? Having a drink and a nice time?"

"No. Not that," she said.

"Then what?" he asked as he leaned over indicating he wanted her to look at him.

She raised her head up then said, "I have no idea whether of not it's true, but Doctor Willows said you, well, you mostly date women over 40. True or not, I...I haven't been 40 for a long time."

komrad1156
komrad1156
3,776 Followers