From the Heart

Chapter XII

For a few months, Bailey and Abel were inactive in the organization. Mason's case had imprinted on them. Bailey and Abel did little communication on their break. In a surprise visit, Abel came to Bailey's house. "How have you been?" Abel nonchalantly asked. "How have you been?" Bailey dodged. "Okay...I've been around. My brother's illness has taken all my focus. Finally, though, Daniel is on the course to recovery." Abel sounded relieved but tense. "Funny, you sound like the guy I met about a year ago. Cannot find the light at the end of the tunnel." "And you, my friend, have changed. Where is all the hope?" "I am working through some stuff." Abel gave a raised eyebrow and stared her down. "My life...I have the world on my shoulders. I do not get just to have fun. I am trying to keep the family together. My dad is working all the time. There is distance. My brother is closed off to me. We are arguing over family issues that were never problems before. My family is not the same." Bailey was lying on the floor. Abel joined her on the floor. "We have let our lives and responsibilities consume us. We both must find what makes us happy again. Promise that you will find what makes you happy." Abel took Bailey's hand and squeezed. She sighed, "okay...but you need to do the same." A moment of silence, "I need to get back to helping people." Bailey whispered. "I was thinking the same thing." Abel stuck around for dinner.

Family dynamic changes. Family responsibilities are more evenly distributed. There is less of a hierarchy. The new responsibilities are hard adjustments. Every choice that is made affects the remaining family members. There is a lot of pressure. Expectations are higher from every family member. Each family member is dependent on the other. When expectations are higher, there is no grace in accepting mistakes. It is unfortunate and unfair. With more on the stake, there is more pressure. If an error is made or responsibility is not upheld, there is more hell to pay. Your remaining loved ones start hammering you for not upholding your family duties. Family issues arise because there are more expectations and a reduction of forgiveness. Everything must be perfect; it is a security blanket. You have lost too much already. Now, safety and security is everything now. Family members are on a pedestal. No family member can be everything you want. It is a hurdle that must be overcome, and it is part of the turnover. Everything will settle down and become better.

~Bailey Elizabeth Nelson~

Prom weekend was on the same weekend that Daniel was released from the hospital. Bailey and Abel decided to skip prom to give Daniel a proper welcome back to the world. They started the date with a movie. After the movie, they went to a teen club. The club had dancing and karaoke with Daniel taking part in both. "Hey, big bro, your little bro is smiling!" Bailey shouted. "I know the best part about tonight!" Abel proudly shouted. Daniel suspiciously approached them with a grin. "Can we go somewhere to talk?" Daniel pleaded. "Sure," Abel replied, concerned. "Where have you guys been? Why are you not out changing lives?" Daniel spoke accusatory. Abel and Bailey looked at each other in shock. "Family commitments, " Abel replied. "Yeah," Bailey backed-up. "You mean Daniel duties? I mean, at the beginning of my illness; I was selfish. I wanted everyone to acknowledge my illness, my feelings, my pain, and all. I was only thinking about myself. Abel, you were suffering, too. Now, I want you guys to be at a good place in life. I am. You guys loved helping people. You had a purpose in life. You guys need to go back to helping people. We, your families, are okay. We appreciate you guys caring about our feelings. But, we do not need you to nurse our feelings!" Daniel spoke directly. Daniel was pleading. "Okay, okay. We understand!" Abel sternly answered. "We will consider what you said," Bailey calmly replied. They went home; Daniel was exhausted.

The first client after their break was a high schooler in Quebec City. Abel and Bailey flew in, where the client's parents welcomed them. They all drove to the local hospital. "Hello!" Abel and Bailey harmonized as they entered the room. "Welcome!" an unfamiliar voice responded. "Noah?!" once again, they harmonized. "Yes! Bailey and Abel?!" a young man in the bed replied. "It is," each answered right after each other. They sat in spare seats. "We are here because we want help," Abel warmly announced. "Thanks," Noah tearfully answered. "This is my second bout with Osteosarcoma. The first round, we caught it early! I only required chemotherapy. This time...," Noah took a moment, "I need surgery, a below the knee amputation. I just want this ordeal to be over! I know there are no guarantees; you don't have to waste your resources on me. But, I do want a chance at life," it was an eloquent speech. "You are not a waste of our resources! There are no guarantees ever," Bailey tenderly replied. "We are here to help," Abel added. "Sorry about your loss," Noah consoled. His acknowledgment stung; Bailey's eyes watered: "Thank you." "I know you're out here helping us, but don't be afraid to ask for help either. You have so many people who care for you!" Noah replied.

The get-together was interrupted, "Hi, babe!" a voice announced. A young woman in athletic wear entered the room. She kissed Noah. "Babe, this is Bailey and Abel." "So, you're saving my man!" "Yes!" they answered, startled. "This is my girlfriend, Amanda." Amanda sat next to her boyfriend, holding his hand. Bailey and Abel were quiet. "You are wondering how I landed this gorgeous, out-of-my-league, girl. Honestly, I don't know! She could have any guy; guys are always interested. Yet, she chose me," Noah was trying to break the ice. "I'm not that shallow," Amanda teased, slightly defensive. "Oh, that wasn't," Bailey and Abel jumped in. "Yeah, right, you were thinking about it a little," Noah interrupted. "So, how did you meet?" Bailey asked, being a romantic. "Well, during my first chemotherapy, I felt very alone. So, I started going on chatrooms. On one of those chatrooms, I started to talk to Amanda. We became infatuated, finally, met in person. And it was game over!" Amanda giggled at his last statement. "Aww," Abel quietly whispered. "What do you think works?" Bailey hesitated. "We first were attracted to one another's personality. We fell for the personality. One we met, the physical didn't override the personality. Why give up on someone who you care for so deeply, just for their appearance? Everyone deserves someone! The most vulnerable, unlikely ones, could be the person you need the most." Amanda did not hold back her emotions.

Amanda had gone out to retrieve food for Noah. "So, the chatroom changed your life?" Abel asked. "Yeah, it gave me the love of my life. But it also gave me some of my best friends: Friends that are average joes. Subconsciously, humans make determinations on someone's ability to offer something to their life based on appearance. You don't see a friendship or relationship between an average joe and a cancer patient. It just doesn't happen. But, a bridge can be built between the ill and healthy/average joe. Dissolve segregation that has naturally occurred. A chatroom removes someone's ability to form a determination based on someone's appearance. Once they come face-to-face, for genuine individuals, the foundation matters more than someone's appearance. Most people evaluate someone's ability based on their appearance." Noah's explanation was enlightening.

Noah's revelation gave Bailey and Abel an idea for an add-on to the Foundation. Together, they all worked to formulate a chatroom on their website. The chatroom offered anonymity. An individual would not know if they were talking to a donor, a volunteer, an associate of the Foundation, or a patient. The individuals controlled the conversations; they could meet. This launch was a move to set an example as Noah referenced natural segregation that should be refuted. Bailey and Abel wanted Amanda and Noah to be the poster couple. They agreed; they shared a video on the page discussing their story together. A line that stuck with Abel and Bailey from the footage was spoken by Amanda, "when you marry, there is the line 'in sickness and health.' Why can't that vow be in place before commitment?"

After a week, Bailey and Abel returned to the states. They had to prepare for their cross-country tour with the Foundation for the summer. Each place they were visiting, they had a large, local group of volunteers to help run their activities: Concerts, festivals, fashion shows, auctions.