Bonds of Blood |A Heartland Fanfic

Chapter Eight

Jack hung his up his coat and sat to remove his boots, Lisa had set up at the dining room table again. He paused, she was focused on her laptop and as he crossed behind her he smiled a little. A sure sign that Lisa hadn't been feeling like herself had been the way she had stayed out of the fight to get Georgie to think about school.

"You're feeling better then." He murmured, pulling out a chair as Lisa frowned at him. "Or you've got something to tell me."

"What would that be?" She straightened and stretched.

Any other day her meddling would have him worried, and his mind might change before she was done; but for now, he was relieved. Lisa had been feeling pretty rough the past few days. And with the transplant looming he'd been torn, for Katie they both wanted this to keep moving, but right after the blood transfusion Lisa had been in no shape for it.

"Well either you're getting into something, or your going back to school." He started to turn the screen around until she covered his hand.

"I am not going back to school. I'm just looking at some options." Lisa laughed, turning the laptop towards him; probably afraid he would break the thing.

She had a few days off the stronger of the medications, it was intended to get her ready for the bone marrow aspiration, but Lisa had needed it. Jack had watched as she struggled, her body had done what the doctor wanted but she had paid for it.

They'd had to wait several days to find out the result, but Katie's body had used the medicine to rally; exactly what the doctors had hoped for. They wanted to move ahead with the transplant and push the transfusions to strengthen Katie's body, Dr. Siddal was hopeful, and Lou reported that Katie's doctor was as well.

Tomorrow Lisa went back in to the hospital and Jack knew she was nervous; finding programs for Georgie was only her latest distraction. He could admit he was worried, tomorrow would be a very long day. It may be a tried and tested procedure, but the doctor was concerned about Lisa's bloodwork, the levels of medication that were not known and predictable.

His silence must have cued her to where his mind was as she took his hand. "I am fine. I will be fine."

"I know you will." The conviction behind those words revealed her nerves, she was telling herself just as firmly as she was telling him.

But the fact she was in the middle of this weighed on him a bit. It was, in part because of him, Lisa had adopted his family as her own, but it was their genes that carried a glitch that threatened Katie's life. Lisa had never been in the registry, and without their relationship they may never have met her; and a match was hard to find. The odds that his second wife was a had to be one in a million, and that she was willing to do it; that meant something he'd never quite pin down.

"Is there anything we need to do ahead of this thing?" She had the doctor's instructions in hand, he didn't question that, but she had been putting a lot of things on hold to do this.

"No, but after it there is." Lisa sighed. "We know it works now."

Blue eyes focused on him, she didn't look happy about the idea; but it sounded good to him. It was hard to keep secrets from family, especially one like this. "You're sure?"

"No." Her nervous laugh made him pause. "But Lou might be ready to listen now that they've had some good news and Georgie needs to know, she is terrified the donor will disappear. Besides she has noticed I'm not myself."