Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 101163 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 337(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101163 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 337(@300wpm)
It’s very thoughtful that Boone gives Aiden the space to talk. My brother likes to be as normal as possible, even while lying sick in a hospital bed. “The hope is that the healthy marrow harvest from the donor will make its way to his marrow and start creating healthy new blood cells.”
“How did you find a donor?” Boone asks.
“I was a match. Only one in four family members are, so we were lucky.”
Boone grimaces. “Do I even want to know how they got your marrow?”
“Probably not, but it was done under sedation so it wasn’t that bad. At any rate, the chemo left Aiden’s marrow profoundly suppressed and it made him susceptible to infections.”
“That’s why he couldn’t have visitors at first.”
“Right. He’s on a pretty heavy regimen of anti-infective agents.”
“What does that mean?”
“Antibiotics, antivirals and antifungals because he doesn’t have white blood cells after the high dose of chemotherapy he got before the transplant. He gets blood transfusions almost every other day and he has weekly bone marrow aspirations to see if his marrow is recovering. It can take weeks to see if a transplant takes. We were celebrating last night because his most recent tests showed that while his blood cells are still suppressed, there doesn’t seem to be any signs of leukemia.”
“Holy fuck,” Boone exclaims, his hand shooting out to grab mine. I’m so startled by his outburst that I jump in my seat, but it’s the fact he’s holding my hand that has my heart beating so fast. “That’s amazing news, Lilly. Why didn’t you start with that the minute I walked in?”
I grin and attempt to tug my hand away, but he holds tight as he asks, “Does that mean he’ll get out of the hospital?”
My smile doesn’t slip as I shake my head. “No, not yet. It’s safest for him to stay there until his marrow recovers. But this is the best possible news, and we’ve been anxiously waiting for it. The cure rate with a transplant is less than fifty percent, so the fact there’s no evidence of leukemia is huge. Now we just need his red and white blood cells to perk up a bit.”
Boone’s hand jerks in surprise but then he tightens his grip. “Only fifty percent?” he murmurs thoughtfully. I nearly hyperventilate when his thumb gently strokes over the back of my hand. “I don’t know why I thought it would be higher or that this was a sure thing once he had the transplant.”
“Order up,” Georgie says as he delivers our food. They’re wrapped in white paper with the names of the sandwiches written in black wax crayon.
I’m sure Boone meant nothing by the touch, merely being comforting, but my heart pounds like a jackhammer. I pull away and smile up at Georgie. “Thank you so much.”
“Enjoy,” he replies brightly before heading back behind the counter and into the kitchen.
Boone and I open our sandwiches. I grab napkins from the silver-plated holder on the table and hand him a few.
“This would probably be a good time to talk to my dad about rehab, don’t you think? Given the good news we’re riding high on.”
“I think sooner rather than later is better,” he says, picking up half of his sandwich. “I’ve got a list of resources from Harlow.”
“Can he do an outpatient program? I’m not sure he’ll agree to go inpatient since that will take him away from Aiden.”
“I thought about that and specifically talked to Harlow about that very thing. She found a really good outpatient program and even called to make sure they could take him. Dropped Stone’s name to grease the wheels. But he’ll probably need a medical detox first.”
“I assume that means he’s assisted in his detox with medicines? How long will that take?”
Boone nods. “Harlow said it could take five to ten days depending on how bad the symptoms are, and that would be done inpatient. Then he can move to the outpatient program.”
I pick at a piece of turkey hanging from my sandwich, popping it into my mouth as I consider this. If there’s ever a safe time for my dad to make a stab at getting sober, it’s while Aiden’s doing well. The stress of an uncertain future is what drove him to binge. The hope Aiden’s most recent test results give make this the best time to talk to my dad about it.
“I honestly don’t know how to broach the subject with him,” I say before taking a bite. My starved stomach rumbles with satisfaction. “It’s easy when I’m angry at him because the words just sort of come out, but anger isn’t the way to do it.”
“How much is Aiden aware of what’s going on?” Boone asks.
“He knows. I try to not overwhelm him with this stuff but if he asks, I’m transparent about it. I won’t lie to him and at almost twelve, he’s pretty savvy about Dad’s issues. I talked to him a little last night about getting Dad into rehab. I think after he showed up at the hospital drunk, it’s become more imperative.”