Bonds of Blood |A Heartland Fanfic

Chapter Twelve

She sat at the kitchen table, eating a muffin before school; her reasons were less than honorable. It was not so much because Lisa told her to eat something as it was she wanted to listen to their conversation. Lisa had called her doctor yesterday, she'd toughed out the stretch without pain meds; putting the bottle in the kitchen cabinet that served as a medicine chest.

Lisa couldn't take her other meds as long as she had been on the pain killers, the doctor wanted her to wait a few more days before going back to the hospital. But it sounded like she was starting back on the supplements, and that was something. It would take at least one week, if not more on full doses before Lisa would be ready to give the transfusion.

Jack was worried Lisa was rushing it and so far, Katie's reports had been good, her blood counts were starting to climb slowly. It meant her immune system was starting to function again, even if the numbers weren't very high. Lou promised it was nothing to worry about, it took time for Katie's body to use the cells and heal.

Katie was starting to perk up again, Georgie hadn't been up to visit her yet, she was still in isolation. But their skype calls were longer, and Katie was moving around her room again, wanting to do things and play.

Georgie got up and started to make herself a sandwich for lunch as Amy came in. Lyndy was passed to Jack and she winced as Amy wrapped a startled Lisa in a tight hug. She'd managed not to mention it for a few days but last night it had slipped when she'd gone up to play with Lyndy while Amy tried to do some of her paperwork.

"Honey." Lisa patted Amy's arm until she loosened her grip.

"I'm sorry." Georgie saw Amy swipe away tears. "I had you watching Lyndy all the time and you had all of this going on."

"I love watching Lyndy, and she distracts me; thinking too much doesn't help." Lisa reached out to touch the baby's cheek as Lyndy grabbed at a piece of Jack's muffin.

"I know that. It's selfish but it has all been so scary and we just got our results back." Amy leaned against the chair as everyone perked up.

After Katie had finally gotten a diagnosis and Amy came back as not a match they had run another battery of tests; Lyndy was at risk of having the same condition. It was passed genetically through families and by being adopted Georgie knew she wasn't at risk but there had been fears that Lyndy would be.

"I am a carrier, but Ty isn't; Lyndy will carry it too but she isn't at risk of developing the condition." Amy filled them in, she saw Jack and Lisa visibly relax.

"Nothing selfish in being relieved about that; all of us are." Jack hugged Lyndy a little closer and Lisa squeezed Amy's arm. Georgie breathed a sigh of relief as well, looking at her little cousin she didn't think the family could go through all of this again; they were struggling through it this time.

"I just don't what to say to Lou." Amy sighed.

Jack glanced at her and at the clock, she could take a hint; he wanted to answer that privately. It couldn't have been easy for Amy and Ty to watch what was happening to Katie, worry about their niece but also wonder if the same thing could happen to their daughter. Jack and Lisa would know what to say to Amy, and she knew her parents would be relieved too.

…

Jack started the truck as Georgie bounded back for her coat, he had convinced Lisa to leave running the teenager back and forth to him for now. She had come several times to work in the office and check with her trainers but never stayed very long. She had stopped taking the pain meds and while he understood why he suspected it had something to do with the time it was taking her to bounce back.

Georgie climbed in and he put the truck in gear, he had enjoyed watching her work the last few days; she managed Lisa's horses as well as she did Phoenix. And he saw Lisa's trainers watching, a little more observant without Lisa there; but he'd seen a few nods of approval as Georgie worked with the high-strung horses, soothing and encouraging as needed.

He saw many of the same traits he'd watched grow Amy over the years, but where Amy thrived on solving the problem Georgie shared the competitive spirit of these horses. She was young, but he suspected she was gaining the respect of Lisa's trainers, he had watched her work with a new horse this afternoon, working with the trainer as they prepared the horse for the track.

"I'll put Phoenix in his stall then help with supper." Still full of energy the teenager was in motion as soon as he parked.

When the horse was unloaded he backed the trailer around the side of the barn and out of the way before heading to the house himself. They'd gotten more snow last night and he'd put off plowing this morning, the cold had seized up his hands more than he wanted to admit but it would need to be done before they got much more.

He'd check how long it was going to be on supper, no sense letting that list pile up; he'd be away all-day Friday. Lisa had to go back up to the hospital, Dr. Siddal would start her back on the medications again but they were altering the schedule.

Katie's counts were improving, while he wasn't sure exactly what that referred to, he knew it meant they could start to hope. Lou had said they were starting to talk about moving her out of isolation, it would take time for her body to adopt and use Lisa's cells fully and she would be closely monitored but it was working.

And they were beginning to plan how to bring her home, the house had to be cleaned, toys sterilized, lots of fresh bedding laundered and readied. How much was doctors' orders and how much was Lou worrying he didn't know; none of them were going to ask as they did their best to get it done.

Lisa and Georgie were planning to go to a craft shop and get an assortment of fake flowers for Katie to play with. One of her favourite pass times was playing with flowers and it would be awhile before Lou would let her anywhere near fresh ones; he suspected as Katie felt better Lou was going to have a few challenges on her hands. But Katie's toy collection was bulging, and Georgie was thinking hard to come up with special things to welcome her sister home; waiting impatiently to visit her again.

He was halfway through the yard when his phone started buzzing. Disengaging the snow blower, he fumbled for the phone; a familiar name had popped up. "Lou is something wrong?"

"No, the doctor just left; they are moving Katie back to a general room tomorrow. But we won't be able to come home on Sunday, not now." Lou's excuse felt flat, something in her voice made him frown. "Anyway, I know Georgie wants to visit and once…"

"Lisa has an appointment on Friday, we will bring Georgie with us." His tone firm, even if Georgie was missing another day of school, her teachers would understand. While the doctor ran tests on Lisa and Georgie visited her sister he was going to sort out what was going on now.

And he said nothing of his concerns to either Lisa or Georgie. The two had been planning a special dinner for Lou and Peter, and it had been some time since they'd had anything close to a family dinner. He had wondered about this when Lou had pushed it until Katie might be out of isolation, knowing Lou wouldn't want to leave her side when she wasn't made to.