Ming and Clark were sat nervously in the waiting room, waiting on news of Chloes surgery. The girl was now living with them permanently and they had taken care of her as nobody had cared once she got sick but they had between them paid her medical bills so that she could have the surgery she needed to remove a tumour.
The nurse came up to them and they both stood, Ming took hold of Clark's hand tightly.
"There was a complication" She told them and it felt like the world stopped. Ming felt her heart drop and had to sit down before she fell, her mind racing. Clark steadied her and then listened to the nurse, taking in all the info and thanking her before sitting next to Ming and rubbing his wife's back gently.
"It's okay, she's going to be okay" he told her, after letting her calm down for a minute he went on to explain "When they were removing the tumour, there was an issue. She suddenly stopped breathing" Ming felt her own breathing stop at the news "She's okay, they got her going again and the surgery was successful but there is the possibility of a small amount of brain damage. It's a very rare complication"
"Oh chloe" Ming said sadly, upset that her daughter always had the worst luck
"She'll still be our Chloe, but they've said to watch out for some behavioural changes and that she will experience some fatigue and pain, probably getting tired quicker. They can't be entirely sure until she's awake but it's likely to affect her mood, her mobility and potentially her speech, so she'll need therapy"
Several weeks had passed since Chloe's surgery and she was doing relatively okay. As the doctors had predicted, she had problems with speech and mobility. She was however walking much better than they thought, she could use a walker proficiently and only needed a wheelchair when the fatigue started to set in or if she had a meltdown. Her sensory issues were also a big deal, but they had learnt to adapt. They carried ear defenders and fidget toys along with her chair to make sure that she could self soothe whenever the need arises. They just had a final appointment to get through and then there was a trip with the rest of the cast to Disneyland. Chloe had been pretty excited about this. The cast had all visited her or at least spoken to her over skype since the surgery and had been a huge support for her.
"Chloe, time to go" Ming called through to the living room, walking in to find her daughter sat on the floor putting her shoes on. She watched as the girl struggled with her coordination but wouldn't offer help unless she asked, they had learnt one thing which hadn't changed was Chloe being fiercely stubborn even if things took her a little longer now than they used to. Her therapists had recommended that they allow her to do things herself as much as possible, though certain things where she might get hurt did have to be supervised just in case.
Chloe finally got her shoe on and flapped her hands happily, looking up at Ming with a warm smile. She stuck her hand out towards the woman and she took it, gently helping the girl up off the floor. Ming guided her towards the corridor and she flapped her spare hand unhappily this time.
"Chlo, are you okay?" Clark asked upon noticing this, walking up with the girls coat in his hands. She shook her head and leaned into Ming like a hug. The older woman gently held her close and rubbed her back, kissing her on the head tenderly.
"Are you scared?" She whispered and Chloe let out a small whine, her hands clinging onto the fabric of Ming's top. She now had a tendency to go non verbal when she was upset. "I know baby, but once we've done this we'll be going to Disneyland with everyone"
Chloes face brightened at the mention of their holiday, back to happily flapping her hands in excitement.
"Yeah, you're excited for our trip aren't you?" Clark told her and she grinned happily at him, letting him slip her arms into her coat as Ming went over to where they kept her mobility devices.
"We're going to pack your spare chair for the trip in case you need it. So for today you have the choice of your big chair if you need it or your frame" Ming told her, they were also of course taking the frame but wouldn't pack it till the morning.
"Big chair" Chloe said, clenching her hands shut and open again in a way that showed she was nervous. When she was scared about something she much preferred to be in her chair with either her mom or dad pushing her. Ming nodded and got the chair set up, they wouldn't usually use this one for everyday but figured it would be best for the coach and they needed to pack the spare, they also knew to respect the girls choices and if she felt safer in a chair then that was fine.
Chloe was leaning into Clark's side who had come to stand next to her though they were impressed that she was starting to tolerate standing without assistance for a short while now which was impressive given the damage to her body. Clark walked her over to the chair and got her settled down into it, doing up the lap belt to keep her safe and kissing her forehead tenderly which made her smile.
"There we go" he said fondly. Chloe took his hand and Ming pushed the chair whilst Clark walked beside them. He had to let go of her hand to get through the door and lock it to which Chloe whined loudly, calling for him.
"Just one second Chlo, he'll be back" Ming soothed her, pointing out some pretty flowers that were growing in their neighbours garden to distract her until Clark had finished locking the house and was back with them.
