Mother of Magic

Marrow

"How are you feeling?" The nurse asked Stephanie.

"Sore? Hip hurts like hell."

"Not unexpected. I was there when they did the procedure. They were very careful. In fact, the Doctor kept mentioning that he was not going to be the one that wrecked Colorado's chances of getting to the World Series. I think he is a fan." The nurse grinned as Stephanie dangled her legs over the side of the bed experimentally.

"I have been around the cancer block a bit. I got the easy end of this." Stephanie pushed herself vertical.

"You are the most remarkable baseball player I ever heard of." The Nurse said.

"There are a lot of good people on the team. A few numbskulls too, but you know what? It's a young team, and the guys and gals have not really had a lot of time to let pro ball go to their heads yet. I intend to make sure it doesn't... to the degree that I can."

"Why are you like this? I mean... you are young. Attractive. Rich. Talented. You could hold up the entire town of Denver at this point at gunpoint and they would empty their pockets. You are a sports hero. Yet you are totally down to Earth. You gave away Millions to this hospital and only kept a few for yourself. You are here, making commercials and promotions for the Hospital, and bringing in donors, both cash, and medical. We just had a Doctor start here from John Hopkins because she wanted to be on the bleeding edge of medical science, which takes money, which is suddenly here. All because of you. Yet you are ... normal. You are not all caught up in yourself. You stuck your butt up in the air and let them pull out your bone marrow for a kid you never met."

Stephanie shrugged. "I am a match, and the Doc said he was hard to match all the factors for. It's the off-season, and I have time to recover. Why wouldn't I? You have seen those kids here. The ones scared and afraid and brave and fighting for their lives. The medical folks here... like you. Fighting to give these kids a chance at life. Mourning when you lose, but coming back here every day. I lost my Dad to cancer, and I still feel that. In my heart. I saw what losing my Dad did to my mother. I know what losing me would do to her. Why wouldn't I help? I can."

"You really have no idea how special you are. A hero worth actually being a hero."

"Well, this hero has to walk now so try and work out this hip or my seasons in baseball will be limited to one."

The nurse gestured toward the wide door to the private room. "Be ready for a fan club out there. There are a lot of patients and staff here that would love to meet you."

"Maybe we can get some of them to walk around too. I'm told exercise helps you heal faster."

"It does. Doctor Santiago." The woman grinned at the sports hero, thinking that all her life she had been down on Sports because of every Jock she ever met including her Ex. It was nice to meet an exception to the rule.