Our Little Hero

𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐞 | "𝐢 𝐝𝗼𝐧'𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝗼𝐮, 𝗺𝗼𝗺!"

Caroline had been home from the hospital for around a week and a half. She was enjoying her time bonding with her baby sister, and spending time with her mother and father as well. Granted, though, not all of her time spent at home was fun. Sure, it was fun being with her parents and little sister, but that wasn't all little Callie had to endure.

Callie still had a very long time left in her treatments. That being said, she had to be taken to the clinic every single day, not including the weekends, for her chemo treatments. She also had labs drawn weekly, to check on her counts, and make sure her body is where it needs to be, and doing exactly what it needs to be doing. Callie wasn't a fan of these trips, but honestly, no one was. Jay and Hailey would switch off everyday to take Callie in to the clinic, just to keep it somewhat fresh for the four year old.

Jay and Hailey wished that these clinic trips and chemo days would stay at the clinic and hospital, and out of their house. But, that wasn't how any of it happened.

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Hailey had taken Callie in to clinic on what would seem to be an average Thursday morning. Oh, were they wrong. Callie had just received the last bit of chemo through her port, when Hailey gave the four year old a kiss on the cheek. That's when she saw Callie's face. Callie's face was swelling. Hailey stepped out to mention the swelling to the nurse, and upon coming back into the room, Callie spoke.

"Mommy, my neck hurts" came the voice of the four year old. The nurse immediately left the room to page the doctor to come to the room. With a child with cancer, this could mean anything, good or bad.

The doctor took no time getting up to the clinic room where Callie had been located, as he examined the young girl. He then turned to Hailey, before spewing out the words, "We can't take any chances with your daughter. It's most likely nothing, but we need to know for sure." At that moment, the doctor ordered x-rays and ultrasounds to be done immediately. 

Callie was brought back after it all was finished, as she looked at her mother. "Mommy, am I okay?" she asked. Hailey faced her daughter, and nodded. "I'm sure you are baby, they just have to make sure" she told her daughter. But, as the Halstead family's luck had been recently, of course, something had to go wrong.

Once the results came back, after being expedited, the doctor entered the room where the four year old and her mother were, once again. "Callie has a blood clot. She needs Lovenox, as soon as we can get it in her. We're going to do another transfusion first, stat, and then the Lovenox". He informed them. Callie had received blood transfusions when needed, and today was one of those days. "Do you know what's caused the clot?" Hailey asked, wanting the answers. "It could be anything. The blood thinners, the chemotherapy, anything. But we're going to help her." He assured her, before leaving.

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The transfusion seemed to take hours, but in reality, it wasn't that long. That's when came Callie's new least favorite thing, for now anyway. The shot. "Mom, you may want to hold her." The nurse said, as Hailey held onto the child. The nurse injected Callie with the Lovenox, as tears streamed the child's face. "Alright, all done now" the nurse said, as Callie immediately hugged onto Hailey.

Callie and Hailey were eventually allowed to head home, stopping to pick up the Lovenox prescription the doctor had called in. Now, Callie would have to endure the shots, with her medicine as well.

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Callie had to have Lovenox shots twice a day. In the mornings, and in the evenings, along with the standard medications she always took at those times. But these, these shots threw a wrench in it all. The shots were big, scary, and painful, and Callie knew it. Hailey was the one to give them to Callie everyday, as Jay knew he wouldn't be able to bring himself to do it. Hailey, at that, didn't even want to do it, but she had to.

Callie saw her mother prepping the shots as she took her medicine that following morning, as tears filled her eyes. Her parents hated having to inflict pain on their four year old, but it was necessary. And that's when Callie's pleas began.

"Mommy please don't hurt me! Pleeeeeeeease don't do it! I don't want shots!" The four year old cried out, as Jay held onto her, and Hailey injected the small child with the medication. Like usual, Callie shrieked when she was stuck with the needle, tears flowing freely down her cheeks. Once the shot had been administered, Jay hugged onto the child, before she went to hug Hailey. It hurt, but mommy hugs still helped her. "I don't like you, mom!" Callie said, through tears, as she hugged Hailey.

"I'm so sorry, baby. I'm so so sorry, I love you. So much." Hailey said, hugging the child, and giving her a gentle kiss on the cheek.

The truth was, Hailey didn't even like herself when she had to give her daughter the shots. But, like Jay knows, Hailey knows that Callie needs those shots. Without them, the clot will grow, or it could be lodged in her brain, lungs, or anywhere else. It was just something they had to do in order to keep their four year old daughter with them on Earth.

And so that became their new daily routine. On top of that, they still had to do their normal things too, even through these trials. They had to keep going. For themselves, but mainly for their Callie.

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AN: That's the chapter! Sorry it took so long for this one to be posted! Thank you all for reading!