The Blooming Flower (on hold)

Chapter 5

Allison felt her world crumble down and she broke into a sob. How could this be happening? This wasn't fair. Her only family was dying, and there was nothing she could do, but stand back and watch.

No, she didn't want to do that. It would be too heart-breaking to watch her grandmother take her last breath, but she also didn't want to not be there for her. Her grandmother was always there for her. She just needed to take advantage of the time she had left with her grandmother. She wiped the tears from her face.

The receptionist told them that the doctors were going to try treatment of a surgical resection and chemotherapy but, unfortunately, her survival rate was low because she was in the most advanced stage of stage three cancer. She had explained to her that the stages were divided into three sections: Section A Section B and Section C. Her grandmother was in stage 3C. They were going to do everything they could, but they couldn't make any promises.

Emily pulled her crying friend into a hug.

"I'm so sorry," said Emily. "Come on, let's go see your grandmother in the hospital."

No, she couldn't see her like that; it would hurt even more than it did now, hearing those terrible four words leave the receptionist's lips.

But the other part of her, the common sense part said she needed to go see her grandmother; she needed to spend as much time with her as she could before she left this world. She always told herself that in the back of her mind, but now she really had to follow through with that promise because it was happening right before her eyes.

She hoped the treatments would help kick the cancer to the curb. She needed to be here to see the birth of her great grandchild.

Oh God, she suddenly remembered the main reason she'd come here. But how could she tell her now? She was such a mess. There was no way she could form any coherent sentences in this state of mind. This was too much for her to handle in only the course of two days.

Emily led her out of the nursing home and back to the car.

" Allie, I'm so sorry," said Emily for the tenth time as they drove.

Allison hadn't replied to any of her apologies, not because she didn't accept them. It wasn't Emily's fault anyways, but because she just couldn't utter any words. She was speechless.

They had said that elderly cancer victims are the least likely to survive; their bodies are weak and struggle to fight it off as opposed to a younger patient with better stamina.

Allison just couldn't believe this. She was losing her only family and she could hope and pray, but she had little certainty that her grandmother would be here for the birth of her baby. Even if she was still alive at that time, she couldn't leave the hospital. They could always ask the couple if they could bring the baby down to her grandmother's room so she could meet her grandchild because they would be in the same hospital.

No, that couldn't happen. She hated being so pessimistic, but she couldn't help but think about the logic of the situation, that her grandmother was not going to make it in time. Eight months is a long time for an eighty-eight year old woman to hang on; it just wasn't possible. The thought of this made Allison cry even more.

She was so happy this morning; she had a nice breakfast, she went for a run with her best friend, and now look what was happening.

When they arrived at the hospital, Allison's drying eyes moistened again as she thought of her grandmother sick and vulnerable in a hospital bed. As much as she hated doing so because she felt it sinful, she questioned God as to why he was putting so much distress on her at once. She knew that it was said that God never gives you more than you can handle. Unfortunately, in her case, Allison felt that that statement was false.