Two weeks went by, and with every day that went by, they all worried about not being able to find a donor for Christopher. Jessie and her husband had been tested, and neither one was a match.
Christopher himself was worried, and growing scared each day. He hadn't been feeling very well in the last few days, and had been stuck in bed. Natalie was spending most of her time with him, trying to keep him comfortable and entertained. They would play cards, or she would bring her laptop in so that they could watch movies. Ashley came over a few times to watch over him and had to remain strong in order to keep his fear from growing even more. It was hard seeing him so sick though.
Natalie was in the kitchen right now making him lunch. He had asked her to make some homemade chicken noodle soup earlier and bread earlier that morning, saying it just sounded so good. The doorbell rang when she was in the middle of chopping up some vegetables. Not wanting to rush, she took her time before seeing who was there. When she opened the door, she saw Ashley. " Hey, come on in. I'm just making soup for Christopher."
Upon re-entering the kitchen, Natalie dumped the carrots into the soup, and then turned to face her. She saw a smile on her face, and was surprised. She hadn't seen her smile in awhile.
" I have some good news! I just got a call from the doctor about Christopher. They found a donor!"
" They should have contacted me. You may be his mother, but..."
" I went to the doctor to express my concers, and he told me that a match had been found." Ashley interrupted her. " I didn't schedule an appointment to get it done. I told him I needed to talk to you first."
Natalie forgot about her moment of anger, and was so happy to hear the news that she forgot how much she disliked Ashley. She gave her a hug, and smiled. " That is amazing news! I am so glad it is almost over. At least, I hope so."
Ashley nodded. " Me too. But he has made it this far." With a sigh, she sat at the table. Looking over at Natalie, tears came to her eyes. " I know we will never be great friends, but I hope we can continue to work together. You... you have been so great to my kids, and I will always be grateful for that. Thank you."
" That means a lot to me. Thanks." With a sigh, Natalie gave her another hug. " It certainly has been... an interesting ride having you around. But you do have great kids. And... just because we will never be best friends... it doesn't mean we can't be friends at all."
" Why don't you let me help you get the soup going? Then we can go give Christopher the good news." Ashley suggested with a smile.
With a nod, Natalie handed her a few potatoes to cut up and she went to work on the onions. As the two worked together, they couldn't help but smile at each other now and then.
Christopher was thrilled when they gave him the news. He would have jumped up and down with joy if he could have, but he was feeling too weak and nauseous. But the look on his face was priceless. Both gave him a big hug and gave each other a look when they realized just how pale and weak he was.
Taylor was surprised when he came home and found Ashley and Natalie with Christopher. But when he looked at Christopher, his confusion turned to fear. Trying to hold it together, he grabbed him and brought him to the car. Natalie gave Ashley the okay to go ahead, mentioning that she would meet up with them later. Teears ran down Natalie's face as she dialed Arielle's number. She had been so happy just minutes ago about the donor, and now she was unsure it would happen. Hoping it wasn't too late, she pushed the call button. Explaining the situation to Arielle, she went to check on the soup.
A few hours later, everyone sat in the waiting room, hoping to hear from the doctor soon.
Arielle had been with Avery when she had gotten the call, and he had insisted on driving her to the hospital. He sat next to her now, his hand in her's.
The doctor finally came out to talk to them after awhile to talk to them about Christopher's condition, and looked from each other to him.
" Christopher as you know is not in great shape, but he does appear to be stable. However, I would like to hold off on the procedure at least for a day or two." He explained. " A few of you may go in to see him one at a time. I don't want him too worked up."
Ashley went in to see him first for a few moments, and then Arielle went in. She gave him a little smile, and lightly squeezed his hand. He tried to give her a smile, but he had tears running down his face. She let him know how much she loved him and just sat there for a few minutes, trying to comfort him. When she came out of the room, she burst into tears. Taylor took her into his arms, and held her as he watched his mom enter Christopher's room. Tears came to his eyes as well, unable to hold them back any longer.
Avery then gave Arielle a hug himself, as Natalie wrapped her arms around Taylor. " This is why I got tested. Because I know how much your brother means to you." He looked from her to everyone else. " I'm just glad that I am able to help him."
