Tu Es Ma Lumière

147 - Transplant *Modern*

~/~

Prompt - I've been reading a story where Francis has leukaemia on FanFiction, and I would love to read a scene where Mary donates an organ to Francis to keep him alive.

~/~

"Mary." Catherine states, pushing through the doors of Mary's private hospital room. She looks around, uncharacteristically worried that she'd be caught doing something she was supposed to not be. The door closes with a soft click, and Catherine de Medici-Valois-Angoulême stares at the limp body of her daughter in law.

Hearing the disturbance of the relative peace within her room, apart from the steady beeping of the machines all around her, Mariposa de Valois-Angoulême lets her dark golden eyes flutter open. She frowns for a moment, the Valium the Valois-Angoulême's private doctors had given her to calm her before the transplant surgery was to take place. She was well aware that a cocktail of drugs were steadily being pumped in her body via IV, so they both knew that Mary didn't have a lot of time to talk to Catherine.

"Catherine." she whispers, swallowing thickly. She didn't know why, but Mary had always had a severe fear of not being in control of her own body. That's why she hadn't drank a drop of alcohol or smoked any sort of substance in her life, and that's also why she didn't do well with anaesthesia and surgery in general. But, for Francis, she would endure any fear. "I thought-" she trails off, the drugs messing with her head.

"It's not done yet, they haven't even started. Michel and the others are still running it by Henry and Bash, the details and that. I just wanted to sneak in and see you before you go under." she says, coming over, sitting on Mary's bed. She grabs her hand, biting her lip at the sight of her ringless fingers. Catherine knew why, she wasn't allowed to wear them in the operating theatre. But it still looked odd, seeing Mary's pale fingers not adorned in gold and diamonds.

"Is he-" she trails again, her eyes fluttering closed. Catherine reaches, petting Mary's hair.

"He's fine, prepped and ready to go." Mrs. Valois-Angoulême states worriedly. "But he's worried about you, even more so now that you have to go in first." she states softly. "Are you sure you want to go through with this, Mary? You can still back out at any time. H-Henry and I can get his relatives tested, the children if need be-" but from the look in Catherine's eyes, she doesn't want any of her children under the knife. What mother would? "he worries for your future if this goes ahead, you know? If you can have children together. I know we've had it affirmed that you'd just be high risk and would need to be closely monitored, but with his-" Catherine's hazel eyes close, she cannot say the word. "you know-" she whispers. "he worries about his fertility, if he can give you children. And with you giving him a kidney-"

"Catherine," she whispers. "I couldn't be able to live with myself if something bad happens to him if we wait any longer. We-we waited as long as we could to see if a donor could come up. It just so happened that I was a match. I couldn't live with myself if he dies because I didn't go through with this. He means everything to me, I'm willing to give up everything for him. And the children thing doesn't matter. We can adopt, get a surrogate or a donor. Nothing matters bar getting him healthy and strong again. I couldn't bare a life without him, Catherine. And if I can do something to make sure it happens, then I'll go through this a thousand times over." Mary swears, her voice growing airy as the drugs continue to settle themselves in her body.

"Thank you." her voice cracks. "Thank you so much, Mary. Saving my son, at great cost to yourself. You-you've risked everything you loved, your career on the ice, doing what makes you most happy and content in this world, for my son. I've never been the nicest to you, but from today on, you're my daughter. More so, my son's angel." Catherine whispers, kissing Mary's head, stroking her hair back. Her eyes flutter closed.

"Promise me, that if I don't wake up, and he needs anything-" she gestures to her body with her rapidly limping fingers. "you take them. Take them all if it means keeping him alive. Nothing means more to me than him, you know that?"

"Without question." she whispers, her voice cracking again. "God, Mary." Catherine leans her forehead onto Mary's own. She kisses her cheek, backing away as the sound of footsteps come closer. "I have to go now, but everything will be fine. I promise you." her mother in law swears, kissing her cheek again, before leaving the room.

Mary exhales slowly, her eyes beginning to flutter shut. Before Mariposa de Valois-Angoulême succumbs to her slumber, she quickly sends a prayer to the almighty God above, begging him that he may show mercy and save Francis' life from the horrid disease that made all of this happen. And, if he may show another case of mercy, perhaps save her own life, too.