Bonds of Blood |A Heartland Fanfic

Chapter One

Disclaimer: I write for fun, all characters belong to the respective creators, writers etc.

Bonds of Blood

He lay awake a long time before rising and wandering out to the kitchen. Standing at the sink, looking out over the yard; there were days when life did not seem fair. Jack Bartlett knew what it was to lose those he loved, he'd already buried his first wife and only child; now he feared he might outlive his great granddaughter. The thought made him sick.

Katie had picked up a bug while visiting her dad in Vancouver, no one had thought much of it. She'd had a hard time with colds and flus during the school year but had always managed to get over it. An active six-year-old should have shaken it in a few days and bounced back; but she didn't. Katie struggled, a worried Peter brought her home and the little girl wound up in the hospital where Ty had spent some time about a year ago.

Doctors gave her fluid and antibiotics, but Katie didn't improve as they hoped. Lou and Peter met with doctor after doctor and held Katie's hand through a battery of tests. Just last week Lou and Peter had come home with long faces and asked the family to consider getting tested; Katie needed a bone marrow transplant.

Katie had been diagnosed with a rare auto immune disorder and as Ty's struggle against an infection came to mind Lou explained that the little girl's immune system was fighting its own healthy cells. The infection had triggered an immune response and a pre-existing genetic condition; one she had always had and would live with the rest of her life. The condition was rare, treatment options were mostly experimental, but Katie's body needed help.

Jack had bristled when they told him he could not be tested, but he was not alone, Tim and Ty were also ruled out due to past health issues. And others stepped up, Casey, Caleb, Cass and Mitch joining the family in getting tested. But results began to filter back and as far as he had heard all had been negative.

Lou and Peter spent most of their time in Calgary, staying near the hospital and clinging to hope for their daughter. Lou researched everything she could on Katie's condition and had been disheartened to learn that Katie would have to wait years to be eligible for the most promising treatment option. The doctors told Lou that at Katie's age the medications that might strengthen her body could permanently alter her development; told her to wait for a donor.

But with each day that passed it got harder to wait, it got harder to think that the little girl in the bed was fighting to hold on. Tonight was harder, Georgie had tucked herself away in her room; he knew the teenager found the empty house as unnerving as he did. Tough as nails that girl was scared for her little sister and doing just as much research as Lou was.

He was fairly sure she'd scared herself in that process but hadn't backed down and won the argument with her parents on getting tested. Jack knew Lou would have been proud if she wasn't so scared, the kid could have taken that fight to court; but had received her results today. No match. Disappointment and exhaustion dragged the kid to bed early, Georgie had really been hoping to help her sister.

He paced the kitchen for a moment, the idea of going back to his empty bed did not appeal. Lisa had a meeting in Calgary today and had planned to spend the night, spending her evening with Katie, Lou and Peter leaving him to miss her. Jack had hoped for a call but knew it wouldn't come now.

He had become spoiled lately, they'd had a bit of adjustment to living together but he'd become used to her next to him. And having decided to sell her home in France, unable to find a reliable tenant, she had been staying closer to home. Her trips over there seemed to be getting shorter by her own choice, he knew how much she loved it and had been careful to let those choices be hers; she'd had enough stress already this year.