-1A Mothers Love
Most Characters from this Story comes form the Lifetime TV series Strong Medicine with the exception of a few that belong to me.
Overview of Chapter 1: Marc has been sick for a while and one morning he wakes up really sick so Lu takes him to work with her and runs some test on him and finds out he has a rare form of cancer that they can't treat successfully at Rittenhouse.
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Lu awoke to the alarm blaring in her ear. "Ugh I'm going to throw that dam thing in the garbage one of these days" Lu said turning off her alarm and slowly getting up getting up not wanting to. "I better get Marc up first since he's been pokier than usual lately." Lu said rubbing her face and getting up. Lu walked into her sons room.
"Marc honey it's time to get up for school" Lu said sitting down on the side of his bed.
"Do I have to I feel awful" Marc complained not moving
"What hurts this time" Lu asked as she felt his forehead.
"Everything and I'm really tired." Marc said rolling over rubbing his eyes.
"Well your head is hot ill take your temperature in a minute if you'll sit up for me and I'll look you over." Lu said concerned that he kept on getting a fevers like this. As Marc set up Lu noticed all the bruises on Marc's arms which scared her.
"Honey have you hit your arms on something?" Lu asked really worried turning over his arms looking at them.
"No not that I know of I had a few the other day but I didn't think much of." Marc said weakly.
"Okay do you have them any where else?" Lu asked him.
"Don't know haven't looked" Marc said.
Lu looked him all over and found out that he had busies on his chest, legs, and back. "I'm going to go get the thermometer I'll be right back." Lu said getting up panicking a little knowing that something was wrong with him. She went go get her thermometer and took his temperature "102.1" she read. "Well your not going to school today your coming with me to the clinic so I can run some tests on you." She told him still looking at the bruises on his arms.
"Test…what kind of test" Marc asked watching her.
"Well blood work for starters then will go from their." Lu said looking at his eyes.
"Okay" Marc said softly.
"Get dressed and ill be ready to go in about 20 minutes okay" She told him touching his shoulder and leaving his room.
"Okay" marc said as Lu left his room and he stood up to get dressed.
20 minutes later they were ready to go Lu locked up the apartment and left for the RWHC. Marc slowly followed Lu into the clinic. "Morning Kid" Lana said as Lu walked up to the front desk with Marc walking behind her.
"Is it an in-service day or something" Lana asked seeing Marc with her.
"No he was sick when he woke up this morning and I need to run some test on him." Lu said concerned picking up her messages.
"Okay well you want peter to take your first patient so you can take care of Marc." Lana asked Lu.
"Please" Lu said as she followed Marc into her office.
"Sit on the couch and I'm going to do your blood work first and wait for the results then go from their." Lu told him sitting her stuff down.
"Okay" marc said as he sat down on the couch while Lu went to get what she needed and came back over and sat down beside him "Okay you ready." Lu asked cleaning the area on marc's arm.
"Yeah go for it" Marc said looking away.
"Okay one, two, three, poke" she said as she put the needle in his arm and drew the blood. Lu pulled the needle out at put his blood in the bag to take up to the lab. "That's it for now." Lu said putting a band aid over the place and picking up some Tylenol for him. "Now take this it will bring your fever down and I'm going to run this up to the lab. I want you to lay here and rest okay." Lu told him and handed him a cup of water.
"Okay thanks mom I love you." Marc said as he took the medicine and laid down on the couch.
"I love you to baby" Lu said as she gave him a kiss on his forehead and took the blood up to the lab .
Two hours later Lana told Lu marc's lab's were back as she walked by. "They came back quick" Lu said hurrying over to get them to get them and set down by Lana. Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia (APL) Lu read "Oh god.….my baby" Lu said herself staring at the results as she started to cry.
"Kid what's wrong?" Lana asked her seeing that she was crying.
"Marc…. He…he has Leukemia" Lu said through her tears.
"What cancer are you sure its cancer?" Lana asked surprised
"Yeah I'm positive." Lu said still crying.
"I'm so sorry kid" Lana said putting her hand on Lu's shoulder
"Whose next for me Hawkin…Delgado is everything okay" Andy asked her seeing that she was very up set.
"Marc has APL." said Lu through her tears.
"Oh god Lu I'm sorry." Andy said.
" I can't believe this is happening. I should have tested him a few weeks ago when he started getting those fevers." Lu said crying blaming herself for it.
"Lu you know you had no control over this." Andy said trying to comfort her friend.
"I know I just wish I had known sooner." Lu said wiping her tears.
"Yeah but it wouldn't have changed anything" Andy said
"Lana can you call up to oncology and make a appointment for marc this afternoon for me with Dr.Parker." Lu asked still crying.
"Sure kid" Lana said picking up the phone.
"I'm not trying to upset you more ,but you do know APL is only 30 curable here at Rittenhouse" Andy said.
"I know I need to get him into oncology to see what are options are." Lu said hardly believing this was happing.
"Well if you need anything or help just ask me." Andy said concerned for her friend.
"Okay thanks Andy." Lu said trying to dry up her tears as Andy walked away.
"Lu You and marc have a appointment for today at 3:00" Lana said hanging up the phone.
"Thanks Lana" Lu said closing his file and wiping her tears again.
"When are you going to tell him" Lana asked
"Right now clear my schedule for the rest of the afternoon I'm not up to seeing anymore patients right now." Lu told Lana getting up.
"Sure thing kid and good luck" she told her as she walked towards her office.
"Thanks" Lu said as put her hand on the door and took a deep breath and went in. Marc was still sleeping Lu sat down beside him and touched his face.
"Marc…baby wake up for me I need to talk to you." Lu said rubbing her hand across his forehead.
"humm … what's wrong." Marc asked waking up noticing she was slightly crying.
"Ummm….Honey I've got some bad news." she said trying to hold it together so she wouldn't scare him anymore than she was going to.
"What is it ?" Marc asked sitting up.
"Well I..I got your lab work back." She held his hand.
"yeah?" Marc said
"Honey I'm sorry you have Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia or APL for short" Lu told him trying to stay as clam as she could which was close to impossible.
"Wait Leukemia that's cancer isn't it." Marc asked shocked as he looked at Lu.
"Ye..Yes honey it is, But your going to be fine you have a appointment with the oncologist in a hour to see what all our options are ok." Lu said to marc not wanting to lose it in front of him right now.
"I can't believe it I have cancer. Mom am I going to die" Marc asked starting to crying in shock.
"No baby no don't even get that in your head. We're going to fight this and get you into remission. I'm going to get you the best care I can find." Lu said him trying to comfort him as much as she could.
"Come here baby" Lu said as she held Marc in her arms. I love you so much baby you just don't know how much." She said as she held him close to her while they both cried.
"I love you to mom." Marc said through his tears.
After a few minutes marc sat up and wiped his tears from his face.
"Honey I need to go check on one of my patients ,but ill be back in 30 minutes to walk you up stairs to your appointment. Will you be okay till I get back?" Lu asked him not wanting to leave him but she had to go check on her patient.
"I'll be fine." Marc said as Lu gave him a kiss on the cheek and got up and left.
"How did it go" Lana asked her.
"He's really upset" said Lu as she walked over to her.
"Cancer that has to be hard for him to process in his head and how are you" Lana asked seeing she was still really upset to.
"I'm really worried and scared for him because I know all that can happen. I can't lose him" Lu said rubbing her face.
"Yeah I know kid but he's a fighter just like you." Lana told her.
"Thanks Lana…….. I'm going to check on one of my patients and ill be back in 20 minutes to take him to his appointment." Lu said looking at her watch.
"Okay kid ill keep a eye on him for you while your gone." Lana said
"Thanks Lana." Lu said as she walked away.
Lu was checking on her patients and looked at her watch it was getting close to her sons appointment so she said bye to her patient and went back to her office to get marc. She walked into her office he was sitting at her desk just staring off into his own world. "Marc honey are you ready." Lu asked him wondering if he had even heard her.
"Hun… oh yeah I guess. Marc got up and walked with his mom to his appointment.
They walked in the waiting room which their was only a few other patients their. "Go find some where to sit down I'll sign you in." Lu said him.
"Okay" marc said as he went and sat down.
Lu walked up to the front desk. "Hi my son Marc Delgado has a appointment for 3:00 to see Dr. Parker." Lu told the receptionist
"Okay it will be just a second will call you when he's ready for you." The receptionist told Lu.
"Okay thank you" Lu said as she went over to sit next to marc.
"Are you okay honey" Lu asked him when she sat down.
"Yeah for right now I guess I'm just scared." Marc said wiping his tears.
"Me to baby me to" she said as she put her arm around him.
"Marc Delgado" the nurse called.
"I guess this is it." Marc said getting up
"Yep" Lu said as they walked though the door and into the examining room.
"Okay Marc what's going on or do you want your mom to explain it?" The nurse asked him closing the door behind her.
"Let my mom explain it." Marc said sitting down on the exam table.
"Ok Dr. Delgado." The nurse said
Lu told the nurse what was going on and that she had diagnosed him as having APL.
"Thank you for your information Dr. Parker will be in in a second." The nurse said as she left.
Lu went to sit down in the chair that was in the room a few minutes later Dr. Parker walked in.
"Hi Marc I'm Dr. Parker." He said as he held out his hand to shake marc's hand.
"Hi" Marc said as he shook his hand.
"Dr. Delgado long time no see." Dr. Parker said to her.
"Hi Jeff" Lu said as she went to stand by marc.
"You've got some pretty nasty bruises their." Dr. Parker said looking at his arms
"So I see here you diagnosed your son with Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia this morning." Dr. Parker said to Lu looking at his chart.
"Yes" Lu said.
"Well were going to need to do a bone marrow biopsy to confirm which type it is, but we have another problem. If it is APL the cure rate here at Rittenhouse is only 30 in which isn't very good but there a alterative to this." Dr. Parker said looking at Lu.
"Okay I know that what's the alterative" Lu asked not wanting to beat around the bush.
"I could refer your son to St. Jude Children's research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee the survival rate there for this kind of cancer is 80 to 85 ."
"Is it are best choice." Lu asked him.
"Yes, It would be your best chance to save your son's life. I usually don't send kids there unless I know that its much more likely they will go into remission and that they will have a better chance their then staying here. I'll let you think about it and I'll go set up everything for the bone marrow biopsy." Dr. Parker said as he left the room.