Chapter
49
One month
later
It had been over a month since Elyssa had been diagnosed
with leukemia, and she was still in the hospital. Her battle with the disease had intensified,
leaving her bald, gaunt, and very weak.
Her beauty had been taken from her, just as her hair had. She had lost so much weight that she looked
like a Holocaust victim, for she could barely eat anything. The inside of her mouth was filled with
canker sores, a result of the chemo, so chewing was difficult. And even if she did manage to swallow
anything, the chemo still made her so nauseous that she would just throw it
back up. It was living hell for Elyssa.
But it was nearly over, for that day, Dr. Sanford came into
Elyssa’s room with good news.
“You’re in remission, Elyssa,” he told her, with a wide
smile. “And you’re leaving this
afternoon.”
Elyssa beamed, sighing in relief. “Thank you,” she told the doctor.
“No need to thank me.
It was your own will that helped you along,” Dr. Sanford replied.
As soon as he was gone, Elyssa called the hotel where AJ
was staying. Over the month, he and the
others had gone home, driving back once a week or so to visit. Luckily, this was one of the times he was
visiting.
When she told him the good news, AJ couldn’t have been more
thrilled. They talked for only a few
minutes and hung up, AJ promising to be there soon to pick her up. Elyssa couldn’t wait to leave that place
behind forever.
***
Two days later
“Hey, Lyss. How’s it
going?” Serena asked on the phone.
“Pretty good,” Elyssa replied. “I’m still pretty weak and tired, but I’m
slowly getting back to normal. How’s
everything with you?”
Elyssa had been home from the hospital for two days, but
she still hadn’t adjusted to everything that had changed around her. She had gone home to her house in Atlanta,
and Ashalyn was still in Atlanta too.
But now Serena was gone, living in Orlando with Howie, just as Jenna had
done with Nick earlier. Elyssa knew it
was the right thing for Serena to do, especially since she was now pregnant
with Howie’s child. But still, Elyssa
couldn’t help missing her friends and wishing she could be in Orlando too, not
just to see Serena and Jenna, but to be with AJ too. She missed him more than anything.
“Okay,” Serena said.
She made a face. “I’m gaining
weight though.”
Elyssa smiled.
“Well, hun, it’s bound to happen sooner or later when you’re pregnant.”
“I know,” Serena said with a sigh. “Lyss, what am I going to do?”
“What do you mean?” Elyssa asked.
“About the baby.”
“Yeah, but what do you mean? You’re not… you’re not considering an
abortion or something… are you?”
There was a long pause, and finally, Serena answered, “I
don’t know.”
“Rena, you can’t possibly be thinking about abortion!”
Elyssa cried. “First of all, how could
you even think about killing your own baby, and secondly, what about
Howie? It would kill him too! He wants this baby!”
“But, do I? Have you
thought about that, Elyssa?” Serena hissed.
Elyssa’s eyes widened.
Serena was such a sweet, easygoing person; she rarely acted like
this. “Why don’t you want it?” Elyssa
asked. “Do you honestly not want to be a
mother, to have a child?”
Serena sighed heavily.
“I don’t know. Maybe… in the
future. But I’m not ready yet.”
“Maybe you should have thought about that before you had
unprotected sex,” Elyssa retorted. It
was a low blow, but Elyssa didn’t care.
To her, Serena deserved it.
There was another long silence, and then Elyssa heard
muffled sniffs. It sounded like her
friend was crying on the other end.
“Serena?” Elyssa asked softly.
“Rena?”
“What?” came Serena’s voice. It was muffled sounding, but Elyssa could
hear the bitterness in it.
“I’m sorry…” Elyssa said.
“I didn’t realize you felt like this.”
“Well, I do. Only
Howie doesn’t know it, and I don’t know what to say to him,” Serena said
tearfully.
“Look, Serena – I really don’t think you should even
consider abortion as your answer to this.
Go through your pregnancy, and by the time your due date comes around,
maybe you’ll have changed your mind. And
it not, maybe Howie would raise the baby on his own. I mean, he is the father. And if you both decide you don’t want it, you
can always give it up for adoption,” Elyssa reasoned.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Serena said. “I… I don’t think I could go through with an
abortion anyway.”
Elyssa sagged with relief.
“I’m glad,” she said.
“I have to go now, Lyssa,” Serena said. “Take care, okay?”
“Yeah, you too,” Elyssa replied. “Talk to you later. Bye.”
There was a click on the other end, and taking the phone
from her ear, Elyssa replaced the receiver in its cradle. She had a feeling there would be rough times
ahead for Serena and Howie.
***
