Anastasia | ✔︎ published

02 : Anastasia

I stared at my sister who was sleeping soundly due to medicine the doctor had given her. My legs couldn't help but pace back and forth around the room as I tried calling my mother over and over again. At first, it seemed as if she were just ignoring my calls, but it soon turned into every call I made going to voicemail.

Throwing myself in the chair, I brought my hands up to my face as tears streamed from my eyes. The worst part about me, besides the fact that I tend to be indecisive, is the fact that I always seemed to hold things in until I exploded. This moment was my explosion.

A knock sounded on the door giving me a small amount of time to wipe my tears away before it opened. A woman had strolled in wearing a smile as she walked over to me. I knew that she could see that I had just been crying. Pity was written all over her face, but I didn't need any of her pity. I just needed Alex to be okay.

"I'm sorry to be so unprofessional, but I must say, you might need some sort of help. Going through this is a very scary process, and I'd hate for you to do this all on your own," the lady said. Based on the pantsuit instead of scrubs or lab coat, I could tell she wasn't a doctor. My shoulders dropped as I turned towards Alex.

"I'm fine, and I'm not alone because I have my little sister right there. In helping her get through this, she's helping me by staying alive-that's enough for us," I said. She gave me one more pitiful smile before glancing down at her clipboard.

"I wanted to stop by and explain what Leukemia is and what to expect throughout this entire process. As mentioned, Alexandria is suffering from Leukemia. Most cancers are staged going based off of tumors and the spreading of those as well. Leukemia is based on blood cell counts and the accumulation of the leukemia cells in organs. Alexandria has a very rare case for her age of chronic lymphocytic leukemia. It has spread to her liver, her bone marrow, lymph nodes, and her blood. It can spread even more.

"For some reason, it's spreading through her body like a wildfire. The doctor can't state how long she's had the disease, but he says that it doesn't look good. We can get her started on chemotherapy as soon as possible to see if we could kill any of those cancerous cells and relieve some of those symptoms. We are receiving a really good doctor who really wants to help Alexandria. He is on his way and will do his best to assure a recovery for her." the lady explained.

Taking a deep breath, I didn't want to cry in front of her. All I could do was nod my head before she began to write some more things down on her clipboard. My eyes trailed over to Alex who was still sleeping peacefully.

"I'll let the doctor know to get her started on chemotherapy right away. Now, we have to discuss the other part of this ugly mess. Do you happen to have insurance, Medicaid, Medicare, anything to help cover expenses?" The lady asked, raising a brow as she sent a soft reassuring smile my way. I bit down on my lip as I shook my head.

They're asking for some way to pay for all of this. My head began to spin as I thought about the cost of everything. If I had thought I was in debt before, I'm sure in debt now. Maybe I could pick some hours up at the diner, or find a second job.

"We can't deny you care, Ms. Smith. No matter what, we'll be sure to do all we can for your sister, but the cost will pile up really quickly. Cancer treatment isn't cheap," she said softly. Closing my eyes, I could feel a stray tear rolling down my cheek. Before it could completely fall, I harshly wiped it away.

"Okay," I whispered. She was giving me that look of pity once more. Her features slowly returned to a pitiful smile as she began to write more things down on the clipboard.

"I'll be back shortly after discussing future treatment with your doctor and seeing what we can do to help you out financially," she said, touching my shoulder in a reassuring manner before walking out of the hospital room.