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Chapter or Story
Part 15: A Sort of Glow
"Dr. Crawford?"
"Yes, Julia?"
"Your wife would like to see you."
"Send her in."
He continued to stare blankly at a point on the desk as Nicole quietly entered the room and came over, slipping her arms around his neck and kissing the top of his head.
"Jarod..."
"I'm okay, Nicole."
"Well, you don't sound it." She swiveled the chair so that he was facing her. "You don't really look it, either."
He pulled her down into his lap and kissed her, his eyes still blank. She brushed his forehead with her lips and then pulled back slightly.
"Why don't you go home?"
"I still have things to..."
"Do them tomorrow, Jarod. You won't be working effectively today anyway."
Slowly he nodded and then looked up. "I have one more patient to see, but I'll come after that."
"Promise?"
"Unless something comes up, yes."
Satisfied, she got up and walked over to the door, looking back. "Sydney said he'd still be there, although Michelle is going to visit Nicholas."
He nodded. "Was that his decision or did you talk him into it?"
"Both." She smiled briefly. "But he didn't need much persuasion."
Jarod looked up as the door to his office opened and the small group walked in, two children and two adults. The numbness he had felt all day began to slip away as he stood and, after shaking the parents' hands, indicated chairs and sat down as they did.
"What can I do for you?"
"Our local doctor recommended we come and consult you, Dr. Crawford. It's our daughter. She complained of feeling sick a few weeks ago, as children do, and we didn't think much of it, but then she fainted at school..." The mother stopped abruptly.
"What's her name?"
"Melanie."
"And how..." Jarod looked up as his secretary entered the room and gave him the card she had completed. Quickly he read through it. "So she's four?"
"Yes, that's right."
The doctor looked up with an expression of enquiry on his face. "That seems rather young to be at school."
"She's been there for over a year already. She's... quite bright, Dr. Crawford."
Nodding, he got up to kneel in front of the pale little girl. "Hi, Melanie. I'm Jarod. Can I have a look at you?"
The girl nodded and he helped her down from the chair, lifting her onto the examination table. As he gently removed the jacket she wore, he glimpsed movement out of the corner of his eye and looked around to see the girl's brother pick up a book and begin to read it. Considering that the boy could be, at most, six years of age, the size of the book suggested to Jarod that the little girl wasn't the only 'quite bright' child in the family.
"I don't usually treat children, Mrs. Lewis."
"Please, Dr. Crawford. We were told so by our local doctor, but he suggested that, if we asked you especially, you might consider doing it."
He smiled. "Well, after a recommendation like that, what can I say?" Glancing at the corner where the two children were playing, Jarod then looked back at their parents. "I'll need to run some tests before I can make a definite diagnosis, and unfortunately they won't be too pleasant for her."
"What do you think, though?"
He sighed. "At this stage, I'm inclined to agree with your doctor. It looks like leukemia, but without the tests, it would impossible to tell which type."
Mrs. Lewis’ eyes were fearful. "And… if it is...?"
"Again it will depend on the type she has. Some types are more easily cured than others. But you’ve brought her to me early, which is the best think you could have done." He activated the intercom. "Julia, I'd like you to make a full set of pathology appointments for Melanie Lewis for this morning, please."
"Yes, Dr. Crawford."
He looked up, switching off the machine. "The tests will take up the better part of today, and she’s not going to be feeling too well afterwards, so I think it’d be best to admit her, at least for tonight."
The mother’s voice was hesitant. "And can I...?"
"I'll call the Children's Ward and ask them to get one of the 'parent beds', as they call them, out for you."
"Thank you, Dr. Crawford." The woman smiled at him, reaching over to place her hand on that of her husband. Jarod turned to the man.
"Mr. Lewis, do you and your son have somewhere to spend the night, if your wife stays here?"
"We only live a few hours away and…"
"You wouldn't drive all that way every day?" Jarod raised an eyebrow, watching the man nodding slowly, and then he smiled. "I think we can probably arrange something better than that."
"But, Dr. Crawford, we don't..." He paused. "We aren't a very wealthy family and with the children at the school we mentioned, we..."
Jarod smiled again. "A few months ago, the hospital purchased a number of the houses nearby, to offer them as accommodation to patients and their families free of charge, particularly if it seems like they will be here for a longer time or require long-term out-patient care." His smile faded. "Judging by what I've seen, and the contents of your doctor's letter, I think it very likely that long-term treatment is what your daughter needs."
"And… is there any room...?"
"Just a moment. I'll find out."
Jarod picked up the phone and dialed a number, watching the children until it was answered.
"Phil, have you got a minute?"
"Sure, Jarod. What's up?"
"Can you tell me if any of the houses are free?"
He heard his colleague flipping through pages. "There are two without residents right now. How many people do you need it for?"
"Two parents, one patient and one brother."
"Sure thing. I'll drop the key by you within half an hour."
"Okay, thanks."
"Jarod!"
The doctor turned at the sound of his name as Dr. Barnard came out of a nearby room, offering an envelope. "You weren't in your office when I stopped by so I thought I'd keep the key on me, in case I ran into you."
"Thanks." Jarod slipped it into his pocket.
"It was a good idea of yours."
He smiled. "My wife appreciates the changes to the catering more."
Phil grinned. "Hey, she isn't the only one."
"I wouldn't know. I haven't eaten at the cafeteria in weeks."
"You should."
"If I can find a spare five minutes one day, I might think about it. For now, I want to hand this over to the family."
The other doctor nodded and returned to his office while Jarod got into the elevator. As he was about to get out, his phone rang.
"Jarod Crawford."
"I heard a rumor that you were coming home early today."
"Did my wife call you, Sydney?"
Jarod listened to the man on the other end laughing. "She told me you needed a break. I question her diagnosis."
"So do I, although I wouldn't have before." He consulted his watch. "I'll be home somewhat earlier than usual, but I don't know when exactly."
"That sounds more likely." There was a short pause. "Are you really okay, or are you just making a determined effort to just sound like it?"
"Don't you think you know me well enough to tell if I was faking?" Jarod laughed. "I really am a lot better. Healing power of work and distraction." He halted at a door and looked into the room. "But I do want to talk whenever I get home, if you don't mind."
"I'm looking forward to it."
"You mentioned..." Mr. Lewis began hesitantly.
"Oh, the accommodation, right. Sorry." Jarod smiled and reached into his pocket, pulling out the envelope. "If you could give us twenty-four hours notice before you leave and drop the key back to my secretary, that would be great. Otherwise, it's all yours. There's bed linen and things there for tonight and the cafeteria here at the hospital is open until quite late if you don't want to cook. There's also a list of shops and things that might be useful."
"Thank you, Dr. Crawford,” the mother smiled gratefully as her husband took the envelope. “That makes things much easier."
"I can imagine. An illness in the family is bad enough, without having to worry about other things at the same time." He smiled. "That's where the idea came from, in case you were wondering."
"It was yours, right?"
Jarod raised an eyebrow. "How did you know?"
"The nurse mentioned it to us."
He laughed. "If the staff are going to tell on me..."
"She thought we might like to know. I do hope that you know how much we appreciate all you've done."
Jarod smiled. "You're very welcome."
The psychiatrist raised his head, hearing the front door opening, as Charlie eagerly jumped to his feet and ran out of the room. "Jarod, is that you?"
"No, Sydney, it's burglars,” came an amused voice from the hallway. “Nice friendly ones that warn you before they break in."
"I find it somewhat concerning that these burglars know my name," Sydney laughed, looking up at Jarod as he entered the living room, relieved to see the expression of amusement on the younger man’s face, being such a contrast to what it had been when the surgeon had left the house earlier that day. "But I'm sure you'll protect me."
"Now why would you think I'd do something like that?" Jarod laughed as he threw himself into the corner of the sofa, Charlie curling up next to him. "I might find it entertaining to watch them tie you up and dump you in a corner before they ransack the house."
"Entertaining?" Sydney tried to look stern. "All those years of work and this is the thanks I get?"
Jarod shrugged, grinning. "I don't remember you ever asking me to pretend to be a bodyguard."
"I always forgot the important things!" Sydney stood up. "But at least someone managed to teach you how to make good coffee."
"Is that a hint?"
"Only a very slight one."
Still smiling, Jarod got to his feet. "Well, seeing as I could do with some too, I might consider it."
"Your generosity is boundless," the older man laughed.
"I know, I know..."
"So what was it you wanted to discuss with me?" Sydney looked up to see Jarod staring blankly at the wall opposite. "Hello? Anyone home?"
"Sorry, I was thinking."
"No, really?" Sydney tried to sound incredulous. "I would never have guessed."
"I thought I was the sarcastic one."
"I can be pretty good at it too." He smiled. "So what did you want to talk to me about?"
Jarod reached over and picked up the folder that sat on the table before looking back. "I'm sure you figured that I got a new patient today."
"The thought had entered my mind, yes."
"For once, it's a child. Little girl of four. Very bright."
"Oh, really?" Sydney raised an eyebrow. "How do you know?"
"She's at school and has been for a year and a half. Also, after her tests were done I talked to the pathologist and he said she wanted all the details of what they were looking at and why. Doesn't that seem rather strange in a very sick four-year-old?"
"The four-year-old I knew best would have been very similar."
Jarod smiled briefly. "But otherwise?"
"No, it's not that usual."
"After I got the test results, I went to my office and did some hacking." He glanced at Sydney and laughed. "You didn't cover your tracks well when you destroyed everything. The information's still there, it's just even harder to access than it used to be."
"So they have something to do with...?"
"Not directly." Jarod opened the folder, handing it over. "Anything look vaguely familiar?"
Sydney raised an eyebrow as he eyed a symbol that he easily recognized. "NuGenesis?"
"Correct. The parents went through fertility treatment there for both kids. But I found something else, too. Page eighteen."
Sydney glanced at him sharply, hearing the tension in his voice, before leafing through the pages, staring at the insignia at the top of the sheet and nodding slowly, his voice taking on a resigned tone. "The Centre."
"They tested both the kids at the age of three. But I found something more interesting even than that." Jarod's voice had lost all trace of humor and his eyes were hard as he blew on his coffee to cool it. "Page twenty-nine."
Sydney stared at the paper for a moment and had to swallow hard before he could speak. "Plans for the abduction of both children."
"Yes." Jarod got out of his chair, walking to the window and speaking as he stared blankly out into the garden. "Do you still recognize the signature?"
"Mr. Parker," the psychiatrist stated flatly.
Jarod nodded silently before looking over his shoulder, the hardness gone from his eyes and with a look of grim satisfaction on his face. "I didn't think I could get over the fact that for Parker's sake I couldn't do anything to save him - until I saw what he might have done if I had."
"So what's her prognosis?" Sydney asked, after a long pause.
"Good. Excellent, in fact. She's only had it for several months, and it's one of the least aggressive forms of leukemia, so, with a solid course of chemo, she ought to recover well." Jarod smiled and then pulled the sheets out of the folder, placing them on the table in front of him and looking down at them.
"Be careful, Jarod."
He looked up, surprised, and then realized what Sydney was thinking. "Oh, it’s not that. I'm really just grateful that it isn't necessary to protect these kids or warn their parents. Knowing what might have happened if the Centre wasn't destroyed, and if those people who represented the greatest threat weren't either dead or as good as..."
"You mean Raines?"
Jarod nodded slowly, his lips thinning. "The execution's scheduled for next week. Parker said that she's going."
"Are you?"
"Although it would be kind of fun to see the look on his face when he realized I'm still alive," Jarod broke off to grin before becoming more serious, "no, I'm not."
The psychiatrist raised an eyebrow, keeping his satisfaction at the reply hidden. "And why not?"
"He used to haunt my dreams enough, but I got rid of that when Nicole helped me to get rid of the rest of the Centre. I don't want the same thing to happen with him as it did when I saw Mr. Parker again."
The older man nodded. "I think that's sensible. You've already had closure, but it's time for Miss Parker to have the same chance."
"I said that, too." Jarod laughed. "Maybe Nicole was right. Maybe I should have done psychiatry instead of what I am doing."
Sydney smiled. "Jarod, no matter what you were doing, you'd always want to do something else. That's just the way you are."
Nicole came into the kitchen, stopping short when she saw Jarod checking something in the oven, chatting to the dog as he cooked dinner. A look of astonishment came into her eyes. "What happened to you? Or did a week go by and I didn’t notice?"
"Hmm." He looked thoughtful. "Well, unless you fell down the stairs at work again and something happened to me, too, meaning we both missed days, then I think that we did see each other in my office this morning, yes."
"How did you go from what you were when I came into your office to this?"
Smiling, he lovingly pulled her into his arms. "I guess you won't accept resurrection as an answer again?"
"Nope. I told you that was a 'one time only'." Nicole reached out as a saucepan began to boil over and turned off the hotplate. "But I'm guessing it might have something to do with your new patient."
"Hey, no mind-reading when I'm not expecting it." He kissed her. "But, yes, you're right."
She kissed him in return and slipped out of his grasp, going through the archway that divided the kitchen from the living room and beginning to set the table. "Where's Sydney?"
"Upstairs, talking to Michelle on the phone." Jarod turned back to the stove. "Ann and Phil should be here in about an hour."
"Their respective others aren't coming?"
"No, Roger's working and Phil's wife has a cold."
"Ann was saying how much she's looking forward to getting a decent meal."
Jarod grinned. "Well, if she chooses not to find the time to cook simply because she has a three-month-old baby, surely that's her choice."
Nicole laughed. "I said the same thing to her. Actually, I think she's just happy to be getting out of the house."
"So who's looking after the baby, or is she bringing it?"
"Do you mind? She didn't want to, but her mother couldn't look after it tonight."
"Oh, I'll survive, I suppose." Jarod grinned. "Not that I like kids or anything."
"Nicole, what's the truth about this rumor somebody told me of you going to consult John Harrison today?"
Phillip Barnard looked up in time to see the glare the woman shot at him and shut his mouth abruptly, but Jarod had already heard, turning immediately from the baby, at whom he had been pulling faces, to his wife.
"You went to see John?"
"Briefly, yes." Nicole turned away, but Jarod placed one hand on her arm.
"Are you going to tell me why?"
"Do I have to?"
"Yes." Jarod put a finger under her chin, turning her face to his. "You do have to tell me why you went to see my best obstetrician."
She looked up at him, a small smile on her face. "You mean you can't guess?"
He reached across, picked up her glass and tasted its contents before replacing it. "It's positive?"
"If it wasn't, do you think I'd be drinking water?" Nicole laughed and kissed him. "I wasn't planning to tell you yet, but I was glad to hear you say this afternoon that you like kids because we're going to have one."
"How long have you known?"
"Definitely, since this morning. But I've suspected it for a week." Nicole looked at him. "And before you say anything, might I remind you that you kept something pretty important a secret for a similar length of time. I was just turning the tables."
He grinned. "And would you have told me if Phil hadn't let it slip?"
"Once I saw what state you were in and also after they had left. I felt this was something personal that we might want to share with Sydney, but I suppose there's no harm in Ann and Phil knowing it too."
Jarod rolled his eyes. "Except that what Ann knows, the whole of the hospital knows inside of five minutes."
"That's not really fair." Nicole looked sad for a moment. "There's a thing that she knows about me that she’s never even told you."
He looked down at her as she lay in his arms. "Did it have to do with Paul?"
"Yes." Her voice was soft and he saw the tear that was making its way down her cheek. Tenderly, he brushed it away.
"Nicole, did you lose something other than your vision when you fell down those stairs?"
She nodded slowly and he gently brushed her trembling lips with a finger. After closing her eyes briefly, Nicole looked up at him. "I was going to tell you, but I was intending to wait until after the point at which I lost the other baby, so that I could get over my own private fears."
"You wouldn't want me to help you deal with them?" he prompted gently.
"It doesn't really matter, because obviously I haven't been paying much attention to myself. John told me today I'm nearly twelve weeks in and that's a lot later than I lost Paul's baby." She looked up at him, an expression almost like concern in her eyes. "You don't mind, Jarod?"
"Mind?" He bent down and kissed her gently, his eyes soft. "How could I possibly mind?"
"Nicholas says it's no problem," the psychiatrist announced as he entered the room.
Jarod looked at Nicole. "Your old room's bigger than mine..."
"You just want to keep an office."
"Well, that could be it, too." He grinned. "But I won't mind if you wanted to share."
"What generosity!"
Rolling his eyes, Jarod lifted both hands into the air, in a gesture of innocence. "I'm only trying to work out the best way..."
"Oh, stop it." She hit him with a cushion. "Keep your old office. Nicholas wouldn't want it anyway."
Sydney sat down on the sofa beside Michelle, who was giggling. "Just to break up the ‘argument,’ are you sure that the room where Nicholas has been sleeping is big enough for a baby?"
"Positive." Jarod stretched slightly. "It's exactly the same size as the one you and Michelle sleep in. I planned the extension with that very idea in mind. I also left the possibility of adding another couple of rooms without having to make adaptations to the ground floor, so there's that option for later as well."
Nicole rolled her eyes. "Can we get over one baby before we start planning for a second?"
"Who said I was talking about babies?" He tried to look innocent. "We could always get a couple more dogs..."
"So... is it just remission?" Mrs. Lewis asked hesitantly.
"I'd be happy if it was just remission," Jarod looked up with a smile, "but in medical terms, this is a complete cure."
"You mean...?"
He nodded. "While she'll need tests in a few months to make sure it hasn't come back, there's an excellent chance that it won't and she'll remain completely free of cancer."
Jarod watched the mother hug the little girl and saw several salty drops slip onto the small head as the child looked at him, her eyes hopeful.
"So does that mean no more needles?"
The doctor smiled. "That's right, Melanie."
"And no more hugs?"
He laughed. "Well, not quite. But you don't live very close by, you know."
The girl looked up at her mother. "Can we move?"
Laughing, Jarod glanced at Mr. Lewis. "My apologies. I hadn't realized that would happen."
"Even if you'd told me at the start that it would happen I wouldn't have minded." The man beamed and hugged the boy who sat on his lap.
"I’ll tell you what, Melanie." Jarod picked up his card and leaned forward, giving it to the girl. "We’ll send each other cyber-hugs instead, okay? Remember how I showed you the one that I got?"
The girl nodded, gleefully clutching the card. "And when we're around, can I come visit?"
Jarod smiled. "I hope you do."
Jarod watched the family go down the hall, waving as the little girl glanced back over her mother's shoulder. Walking into the silent office, he placed the envelope containing the key of the house on his secretary's desk and went into his office, picking up his briefcase before leaving again. About to pull the outer door of his office shut, he looked up abruptly as a nurse hurried up to him.
"Dr. Crawford!"
"What is it?"
"Your wife's just been brought into Emergency."
"What?" He stared at her, suddenly feeling like he couldn't breathe.
"Her labor started half an hour ago and the ambulance just brought her in."
Jarod shut the door of the office and locked it, slipping the key into his pocket and heading down the corridor at a run.
"Where is she?"
"Room three, Jarod." Ann walked rapidly beside him, seeing that he was out of breath. "That was unnecessary. We can take care of her, you know."
"And if Roger hadn't been perspiring like mad when he turned up for your son's birth, wouldn't you have been disappointed?"
"Okay,” Ann grinned. “You win that one."
"You're only being nice to me because you know I'm worried."
She laughed and held open the door. "Go in and take care of Nicole. Just let me know which it is, okay?"
"I'll put it up on the notice board,” he told her. “You can read it tomorrow."
Ann grinned, closing the door behind him. Jarod turned to see Sydney sitting by Nicole's bed and another doctor leaning over her as the surgeon let his briefcase fall to the floor.
"I thought I was the impatient one."
The obstetrician looked up. "Hi, Jarod."
"Evening, John. How's everything going?"
"You want the good news or the even better news?
Having tensed at the start of the sentence, Jarod grinned. "Let's take this up in easy stages, shall we?" Going over, he took Nicole's hand, feeling her fingers tighten around his and seeing the look of relief in her eyes, bending over the bed to kiss her forehead.
"First, the baby's doing very well. Second, having heard what you said to Ann, I’d expect the birth to be over before she even finishes her shift."
Jarod looked down at his watch in shock. "But that's... four hours? Is that all?"
"At best prediction, yes."
Narrowing his eyes in mock-suspicion, Jarod looked up. "You'd better hope it is, John, or you might not have a job next week."
"Oh, come on, Jarod," Sydney teased from the other side of the bed. "You said John was the best you had."
"I know." Jarod turned to his wife, stroking the sweat-soaked hair away from her face with a loving hand. "And this is his chance to prove it."
Sydney consulted his watch before looking up again as the doors opened, Jarod appearing with a small bundle in his arms, and the psychiatrist’s eyes widened in disbelief. "I thought he said four hours."
"I always told Nicole that she was more impatient than me," Jarod laughed.
The older man raised an eyebrow. "Well?"
"Considering that she's almost five weeks premature..."
"She?"
Jarod nodded and walked over so that Sydney could look down into the small pink face wrapped in the pink blanket. "She's a very healthy baby."
"And Nicole?"
"Fine." He smiled. "She told me to come out and show you while they put her to bed." Looking up as a nurse approached, Jarod reluctantly surrendered his daughter before turning to the older man. "I don't know if you want to have dinner at the cafeteria, or go home and make something..."
Sydney raised an eyebrow. "Sure you don't want me to stay?"
"No. And if I come home at all, it'll be late. I'll stay here if she wants me to."
"I think she will." Sydney placed his hand on Jarod's arm. "When we realized how fast everything was happening, her biggest regret was that you might miss it." He smiled. "I'm glad you didn't."
"So am I." Jarod glanced over momentarily as Dr. Harrison appeared behind him in the doorway before turning back to the older man. "Thank you, Sydney."
The psychiatrist smiled again. "You're very welcome."
"How are you going to tell everyone?" Dr. Harrison asked curiously.
Jarod laughed. "The way I said I would."
"No way." John stared at him. "Really?"
"Why not? It's a very good way of spreading news, and considering that I'm always telling people to use it, I'd feel rather hypocritical if I didn't."
"The pressures of being boss."
Jarod grinned. "Something like that." As the elevator stopped, the two doctors got out and walked towards the room. "How is she?"
"When I left, she was doing well. A short labor like hers means there won't be as much pressure on either mother or baby. That's probably also how a five-week-prem. baby can be as healthy as yours is." John laughed. "So, do I still have a job?"
His boss laughed. "You want a raise?"
Jarod lifted the baby out of the small bed and gently put it in his wife's waiting arms, sitting next to her and slipping an arm around her shoulders.
"She's beautiful," the mother murmured, gently stroking the small head.
He nodded in agreement. "What are we going to call her?"
"Have you got that list we made up?"
He reached into his pocket, taking out his wallet, and produced a sheet of paper. Glancing at one side, Jarod deliberately turned it over. "Well, we won't be needing those."
"Not yet, anyway."
He looked down at her in surprise. "You were the one who was complaining when I suggested it."
Nicole gently touched the cheek of the baby, who was peacefully asleep in her arms. "But I didn't know then how good it would feel."
"What, the pain, the cramps, the sweating...?"
She kissed him before he could continue. "The motherhood."
He stroked the top of her head, holding her firmly in his arms. "I think the fatherhood feels pretty good, too. It's equal to the other best emotion I've ever felt."
Nicole smiled up at him. "And that is?"
Jarod kissed her. "Being in love with you."
Ann nearly collided with the man who was pinning something up on the noticeboard outside the cafeteria. "What the...?" She looked at him closely. "Jarod? What on earth...?"
He gave her a look of surprise. "Anybody would think I didn't work here. Can't I add things to my own board if I want to?"
"Well... sure... but..." Regaining her self-control, she glared at him. "So you've abandoned your poor wife in the midst of her suffering?"
He smirked. "If you count peaceful sleep after a good meal as suffering - and she doesn't, by the way - then yes."
"But... the baby...?"
"I was wondering how long it’d take before you got to that bit." Jarod stepped back from the board and allowed her to see the page that he had attached to it. "We hope you don't mind, but we both felt that, after everything you've done for us, she should have your name as her second name."
"Mind?" Ann reached up and was about to take down the notice when Jarod took a second from a small pile he carried and handed it to her.
"I thought you might want your own."
The woman unfolded it, gazing at the photo and then reading the name underneath it. "Charlotte Ann Crawford." She looked up, her eyes glittering. "I'm honored."
"I'm glad." He smiled. "Do you want to see her?"
"Nic or the baby?"
"Both." The two of them wandered away from the board, leaving others to see the new addition. "I know she isn't meant to have visitors yet, but if I, as head of the hospital, can't break a few rules, then who can?"
