You Belong To Me (Kaylor)

134.

The girls woke the next morning as Karlie asked Taylor if she could go to the nurses station and see how Michael was doing. The nurse advised that he was stable and right now there was no sign of infection. He was sleeping currently, but she would let them know when he was awake, so that they could say hello. Karlie was extremely happy with the news but couldn't seem to shake the sad look on her face.

"What's the matter Kar?" Taylor asked.

"It just sucks. Today I get to go home and he has to stay here. Who's gonna play with him and discuss the latest fashion. I just wish he got to leave too, ya know?"

"Well, hopefully he'll leave soon. In the meantime, you can still call him and FaceTime him daily. I mean, I know it's not the same as being in person, but at least it's something." Taylor said.

Karlie just nodded her head. She knew Taylor was right.

There was a light knock on the door, as it slowly opened.

"Hi Dr. Lucas." Karlie said.

"How are you feeling Karlie?"

"I'm doing ok. A little pain but nothing crazy."

"I'm really impressed with your recovery Karlie. It hasn't even been a solid week yet and you're definitely a lot farther than most people who have had the same surgery. I wanted to go over your radiation treatment schedule. I'm pretty sure you'll be discharged today, although that's Dr. Mabry's call, once she sees you. Assuming you leave today, I want your radiation treatment to begin on Monday. You'll be on a Monday-Friday schedule and will need to come to the outpatient unit on the other side of the hospital. I want you there everyday at 1pm. The therapy itself is painless and will take around fifteen minutes. You you may experience some irritation to your abdomen, but it'll feel more like a mild sunburn. We will provide a special cream that will help with any irritation. There may be vomiting due to the area getting treated, which will sometimes occur during the actual session. In other cases, it may occur later in the day. You may also experience diarrhea and loss of appetite.  Again, this doesn't happen to everyone, but I just wanted to give you the possibilities. A balanced diet and rest will be extremely important."

"You cannot have visitors who are sick and or go to large areas with a lot of people, such as the mall or movie theater. Your best bet is to just stay home. You can take a sponge bath or shower daily. No baths right now with your incision still in the healing phase. No tight fitting clothes and everyday, in the early evening you will need to have your temperature checked. If it goes above 101, I am to be contacted immediately."

"You will definitely feel tired. Listen to your body and DO NOT overdue it. You still need to schedule a walk each day for circulation purposes. Even though you don't have treatment on the weekend, doesn't mean it's party time. Your body needs that time for the tissue to heal itself before your next round of treatment. You'll have at least six weeks of radiation. Do either of you have any questions?"

"Can Taylor be there when I get my treatment?"

"Unfortunately, no. Once the radiation nurse sets you up, they too will leave the room during treatment. You'll be ok. The worst part of the entire thing will be the sound of the machine. It can be a little scary."

"Taylor, I believe I gave you this before, but just in case, here's another packet for a local support group. It can be overwhelming to care for someone who is undergoing treatment, physically and emotionally. You're both pretty fortunate to be able to bring in maids and a chef to help, if you wanted to. If you don't have that already, you may want to consider it. It's up to you. Ok, if you have any other questions, please call me. If not, I'll see you on Monday."

Dr. Lucas left the room as Karlie watched Taylor grab her phone and begin texting.

"Who are you texting?" Karlie asked.

"My mom. When she stays at her house in LA, she usually brings in a chef. She considers LA a 'vacation' so, she treats herself. He's really good, but I don't remember his name. I'm gonna contact Selena too for the name of her housekeeper. She does an INSANE job. Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I just love you, that's all." Karlie said.

"I just want my focus to be on YOU all day. So, we'll get some help." Taylor replied.

As Taylor arranged for some help, there was another knock on the door. This time it was the floor nurse coming to let Karlie know that her presence is being requested by a certain little someone down the hall.

Karlie's eyes lit up as she tried to rush out of bed.

"Easy there." Taylor said.

Taylor helped Karlie to her feet and led her down the hallway. Before going inside, they were given gowns and masks to wear before they could enter. Karlie walked in first and saw Michael laying in bed with a huge smile on his face. There was a huge plastic tent that was covering his bed with a large tube on the side that was pumping in oxygen.

"HI KARLIE!!"

"Hey, how are you feeling kiddo?"

Michael attempted to sit up but Karlie told him to continue to lay down and relax.

"Karlie, can I tell you something?"

"Of course you can."

"I died last night."

Karlie and Taylor didn't know what to say. They glanced at each other briefly, but then looked back to Michael.

"I mean it Karlie. I died. I saw myself laying on the bed and I saw the doctors running in to help me. There was this amazing light and I followed it. It felt like the hall I was walking down was getting longer and longer. At the end of the hall, where the light was, I could see someone standing there, but I couldn't tell if it was a boy or girl. I wasn't afraid. I wanted to keep going. I could hear someone crying behind me but I didn't look back. I just kept walking to the light. As I got closer, the person was wearing a white robe with a hood and they had their arm extended but their hand was up, as if for me to stop. It was God because I saw the holes in his hands. I heard a woman crying and she kept saying 'Come back Michael, come back.' She sounded like you Karlie. I asked God if I could go with him because I was ready and I had prepared myself for this moment. But he said no. He said it wasn't my time and that I still had a purpose on earth. I asked him what my purpose was and he smiled and said, 'You are Michael and you are a healer of man.' I asked him if he would heal me."

By this time the hair on Taylor's arms is sticking up, knowing that Michael really did hear Karlie crying for him. Karlie was mesmerized by his words as she leaned closer to his tent and asked, "What did God say when you asked him to heal you."

"He said, 'It's already been done.' Then he placed his hand on my chest and a bright light began to glow under his palm. The next thing I remember was my body being lifted and then landing really hard against the bed. When I opened my eyes, I noticed the doctor holding paddles in his hands that he must have used to bring me back to life. Only, it wasn't him that brought me to life, it was God's hand."

Tears filled both Karlie and Taylor's eyes partly because they were overjoyed that Michael was even here to have this conversation with them and partly because he had had such a beautiful experience with the man that he had the most faith in.