RP LOG with 1twntyovreighty | Good news
[Backdated a couple of days to before THIS, THIS, and THIS]
Bella was back from her few days off in the wake of her lino face-dive in front of her students. She couldn't profess to actually be feeling better, but she wasn't feeling as exhausted or stressed as she had been. In the meantime, she had finally bitten the bullet to go to a highly-recommended obstetrician, who gave her a complete examination and ended the appointment by assuring her she was doing fine, but she really needed to take care of herself. That actually meant she was going to need to reduce her patient workload and sign over some of her cases to a colleague. She wasn't happy about that at all, but her doctor had been right. She needed to take care of herself for the sake of the baby that might be the only chance she ever has. She had even started to attempt to eat better, but with the morning sickness and weird working hours, it wasn't always so easy. But she was trying, though.
She was just out of a surgery now, still in her scrubs, thankfully. She was nearly eight weeks pregnant now, and although she wasn't showing, scrubs just felt so much more comfortable than business pants and skirts. She also could wear her Converse shoes rather than heels, which was like winning the damn lottery to a pregnant woman. Her hair was pulled back into a high ponytail and she approached the room housing both Deleo brothers quietly. There was a high chance Chris would be sleeping, after the physio had him up out of bed that morning for the first time since the operation. He managed to walk to the bathroom and back before he got tired and sore, but it was definitely progress. She knocked softly on the door with a smile, and as expected, Chris was out like a light, that side of the room dimmed from light with the curtain pulled just a little around the bed. Not all the way, though. Bella found it sweet that Rick had obviously demanded he still have a clear view of his brother in the next bed. For someone who had failed so much in the big brother role before, he was more than making up for it now.
Quietly pulling the curtain across the end of Rick's bed to block the view of the door in case anyone came in, Bella came over to where Rick was sitting on top of the covers of his bed, looking like he was channel surfing the TV and not having much luck. In fact, also as expected, he was looking a lot better than she had seen him lately. He had a bit more colour in his face, but he had still lost his hair and his weight was visibly less than when Bella had first met him. But still, his body had accepted Chris' kidney without a hitch. The match couldn't have been more perfect. Sure, Rick would be on medication for the rest of his life to support the transplanted organ, but it was a small price to pay. His pathology results she had been ordering with regular monotony since he was in hospital also didn't show any indication of further spreading of the cancer. She was keeping everything crossed that removing his diseased kidneys was the green light for his recovery. "I have some good news for you," she told him softly, keeping her voice low so Chris wouldn't be woken. "I've also got a present for you."
Rick stopped channel surfing when he heard Bella's voice, his gaze flicking to her as his eyes lit up. He couldn't help it. Chris had his number with the fact that she really was starting to get a place in his heart. She was beautiful, smart, funny and carrying his kid. She was the perfect woman. He really would think she was sexy in a trash bag. The scrubs just happened to do the same thing. Even if a part of him still wasn't quite coming to the party. He was trying not to let it get to him, but it never felt like he was going to be completely better until he could at least get an erection. "You know Chris is just next to me, right? I don't think I want him waking up to your breasts even if that's how I want to wake up."
"Chris? Nah, I didn't even notice," Bella joked, smirking at him. "Don't worry, I had him drugged so you didn't need to pull the curtain and cut you off from him. I'm kidding, by the way. You're banned from touching my boobs right now. Even I'm banned from it. They hurt like a bitch. Ironic for someone barely pushing a B cup. I've decided they hurt more when they're smaller. Less padding. Because obviously I'm the only pregnant woman in the whole wide world to suffer the most. No other chick has anything on me. I'm the most hard done by," she explained with a quiet laugh. She took a t-shirt from under her arm and unfolded it, holding it up for him to see. "I was out at an appointment in town and I saw this, couldn't resist it. I thought you could wear it to leave hospital in," she said with a smile.
"I didn't say I'd touch them! Just wanted to see them," Rick replied with a slightly guilty look. Maybe it was just as well he couldn't get it up. No temptation to fondle Bella's breasts. Of course, he still did want to fondle other parts. "Hey, you're the only pregnant woman in my world, so I still think that counts. Complain all you want. It's your prerogative. So no cravings yet besides sex?" He looked at the t-shirt as she held it up and started to smile. "Nice, sweetheart. Very nice. Also true, so I'm glad I get to announce it for all the world. Definitely worthy of leaving the hospital. Thanks, Bella. Appointment? Is everything okay?"
Bella sighed and let the t-shirt hang between her hands. He was so... chilled. He never seemed to get very excited about anything, never seemed to worry much about everything. It was hard not to feel like he was just humouring her sometimes, and she sat down to take the weight off her feet for a little while. The chair squeaked on the lino with how heavily she sat and she stilled, glancing over her shoulder to make sure the noise hadn't disturbed Chris, before she looked back to Rick. "I'm fine. Everything's fine. Just an obstetrician I had to see. I heard I needed one. No cravings, food is the devil, and when I said leaving the hospital, I actually meant, like, tomorrow morning." She shot him a half wry, half blank look, pulling her lips to the side when her good news had already fallen flat.
Rick wasn't aware of the fact he was too chill. He just kept being more concerned with his brother than him, so he wasn't even aware that the news was good. And then he caught Bella's expression and his eyebrows went up a little bit before the smile morphed into a grin and he started to laugh. "Tomorrow morning? Like... this tomorrow morning? This week? After today?" The laughter that came as a result of the shock was continuing and he just kept looking at Bella. "I'm going home..."
"Not technically home. Well, maybe. You have two options. You can come and stay with me until Chris is discharged, or you can go back to his apartment and stay with your Mom. Downside of staying with me is you will need to meet my brother. Downside of staying with your Mom is that Serena has moved into Chris' apartment, so you will be staying with both of them. Dave originally offered to have you stay with him too, but I think considering things lately, the offer has probably been taken off the table." Bella nodded and folded her hands over the t-shirt. "But yes, tomorrow. Everything is all in working order. It's been long enough since your op and all your path is clear. You're eating, drinking, everything is functioning as best it can. We'll plan the next round of chemo for another couple of weeks, and then you should be on the road to recovery. Chris will need to stay a bit longer yet, though."
"How much longer?" Rick automatically asked. Then his eyes were flicking over Bella's face again and he frowned. "Considering what things? I mean, it's not like Dave needs to be having me as a house guest, but is he okay? Has anything happened? I'm sorry, I know this is good news. The going home part. I don't really... I think I'll just go back to Chris'. You don't need me crashing in on you yet. I know you've seen inside and out of my body but that's still different to finding out all my living habits."
"They're not sure yet. He has only peed twice, and even though it was probably a euphoric event for him, it's not quite getting him over the mark. I hear they've put him on more IV fluids to rush it through him. If everything is working okay, he should pee like a racehorse. It could just be that he's not taking a lot in. Which is another thing. He's not eating as much as they want, but he's had abdo surgery, so it's okay to take it at a pace he can tolerate. He just needs to heal a bit more," Bella explained and then tilted her head a little. "Well, yes. It seems everyone has been too busy deciding what Dave doesn't need and forgot to think about what he does. But it's okay. You just need to focus on yourself. The ball is in your court. The only other option is you go to a rehab unit."
Rick smirked. "You should have seen his face after he peed for the first time. I really did think there was gonna be a party for it. But I get it, I really do. Chris just wants to get the hell outta here. Can you just please try and pull some strings so he doesn't get porridge? He hates the shit. That's part of why he's not eating as much." Rick looked a little embarrassed, realising he hadn't exactly seen Dave around as much as he would have expected. He realised that taking Chris' place on Alpha Team was part of that reason, but then he started to think how Dave must feel now Rick was back in the picture. "No, no, rehab unit. I'll just go back to Chris'. If Mom's gonna be there that'll work. Means Serena won't be lumped with both Deleo brothers. But thanks for the offer. Shit, I feel like a real jerk now. Dave must be wondering what the hell's going on... He isn't worth forgetting."
"I hear there was an attempted happy dance," Bella replied with her own smirk. "Guys think their first born is the most happiest experience of their lives. Nah-uh, it's the removal of a catheter, without a doubt. Chris' diet has been upgraded to a light one. If he can manage it, he'll never have to see porridge again. I know it seems like the work of the devil, but with the damage in his stomach, they didn't need anything going into him that he wasn't going to be able to digest and cause him excruciating pain. But he's okay. He's eating, his appetite is just zapped. They're monitoring him closely, I promise." She gave a small nod and put the t-shirt on the side of the bed for him. She actually had to tell herself not to be disappointed that he didn't want to come stay with her. She was hoping it might have given them some private time together, but he was right. He was way better off with his mother. Especially considering Bella's doctor had repeatedly told her to take it easy and look after herself. "No, he's not wondering. He's quite resolute, actually. He's going through a lot himself, he doesn't want to bother anyone here with it. He's not in a very happy place, but it's actually quite common for people in remission to experience depression when the enormity starts setting in that you're never really going to escape cancer completely, despite being well again. I was going to meet him for a coffee at Miami Beach after my appointment so I could chat to him, but he stood me up seven minutes before we were supposed to meet. He just didn't tell me why."
"He's Chris' best friend, how could he be bothering anyone?" Rick asked, his gaze back on his brother's slumbering form before his hand twitched and he reached out to seek Bella's. The fact that Chris would be eating light meals should appease his brother somewhat, but now Rick was just starting to worry about Dave, and the fact he didn't feel like he could 'bother' anyone here. Maybe everything would be better once Rick went home. Things would get back to normal a little. Dave would be free to come see his BFF. "Are you going to be here tomorrow?" he found himself suddenly asking.
"I guess he's the sort of lad to feel that his own problems aren't as important as anyone one else's. He didn't talk to me for too long, so I really can't be too sure. I know he's been having a tough time on the job, but I'm his doctor. I can tell something else is bothering him. But I can't exactly stalk him to get information to help him. He needs to come to me." Bella pushed a few strands of hair back off her face with a soft sigh. She gestured to him. "He's having the same issue as you. He also thinks he made you feel weird and uncomfortable when he tried to talk about the cancer to you, so he's been steering clear. He's not angry, he just doesn't want to get in the way of you building bridges with Chris." She frowned a little. "Yeah, I'm going to be here. But if you're going home, it won't make much difference if I am or not," she pointed out with a laugh. "Your Mom will take you."
"It makes a difference to me," Rick said, not laughing in the slightest as he frowned. He wanted to be able to say goodbye to Bella, to be able to spend time with her before he did go home. Not just what the time they had right now. "He didn't make me weird, I guess I just... I don't know. I didn't want him to feel like he had to talk about it. It seemed like it was hurting him to just relive it all. He might be in remission, but he still knows exactly how it felt to have cancer, and to be so sick he wanted to die. That's... It's intense. He's not getting in the way. Jesus, now I feel like a serious prick."
Bella looked at him uncertainly. "You're only going home, love. Not to China. I live five minutes drive away from Chris' apartment. I'm not sure I see what the big deal is. I'll come and visit. All I can promise is that I'll drop by to say goodbye if I'm not needed urgently somewhere else. You've been here living it with your little brother bleeding all over the place on us. You know how medical emergencies can crop up all over the place. But if I can come, I'll be here when you go. Deal?" she bargained. "He wanted to help you, babe. But I think he was just left feeling that you or Chris didn't need much help, is all. He felt like he was imposing on your time with Chris, so he just backed off. It's okay, you know. He is more than aware than anyone that it can make people extremely uncomfortable listening to things like cancer or dying. It's why you've probably noticed he really doesn't mention it much. To look at him, you wouldn't pick him as someone who had cancer. The last thing he wants to do is get in the way with Chris when you want to be the one helping him. I mean, if I've managed to pick up on how important it is for you two to build your brother relationship, I'm pretty sure Dave is aware of it too."
Rick shrugged a little, not sure what the big deal was either. His Mom would be taking him home so it wasn't like he would be alone. He just felt a sudden need to be with Bella, but the idea of crashing at her place when she needed to take care of herself just seemed too mean. Plus, a part of Rick felt like it would be her being forced to take her work home with her. He didn't want to wind up a burden, or a regret. "Nothing, I'm just being stupid. But yeah, deal. It's fine. I know you're busy." Rick reached up to adjust the bandana, still feeling weird when he went to run his fingers through his hair and then realising it wasn't there anymore. "Yeah, true. I just didn't mean to steal his best friend, you know?"
Bella frowned a little and sighed. "It's not a question of being busy, Rick. I have patients who are dying, others who need surgery, others in the first day or so after chemo, others waiting on diagnoses. I'm sorry I can't promise you more. I'll be here if I can," she told him quietly. She was going to rub her head in frustration, but didn't give into the urge. He preferred to go home with his mother, and that was fine. But she couldn't stretch herself thinner than she already was. He needed to be home, there was no point him lingering here if he was feeling better, even if Chris was going to be bummed he was losing his room mate. "I'll take care of Dave. You and Chris just need to focus on each other, right now. Neither of you are out of the woods completely."
"That part we won't know until after the chemo rounds, right?" Rick cleared his throat as he took Bella's hand again and gave it a squeeze. "I'm sorry, I know you'll be here if you can. I'm just having a selfish prick moment. Again. Gotta make the most of them before I'm a dad, right? Then it's all about the baby... Just thanks for doing everything you've done for me. And for Chris. I still don't know how I'd have gotten through any of this without you, and I really need you to understand that."
Bella gave a slight shrug. "The second round of chemo might actually make you feel better. It's not uncommon. Once the initial dose hits, you might find it gives you a new lease on life. It's there to kill off all the diseased cells. It just doesn't always work. The thing is, taking both kidneys, the tumours are all gone anyway. We were lucky it hadn't hit Stage III and spread to other parts of your body. I can't see any cancer receptors in your path at the moment, so it's looking up. A few more hurdles, and you'll be there. I anticipate one round of chemo, but you might need two. Plus, there are the lifelong meds for the transplant, but that's doable, right?" She squeezed his hand with a smile. "It's just what I do, Rick. You don't need to thank me. I just wish there hadn't been complications for both of you. I really do. Luckily Chris hasn't smacked any of my nurses yet, though. I've been keeping the male ones away for a reason. I just... I'm going to be cutting my workload back, though. I thought you should know that."
Rick raised his eyebrows a little. "Cutting your workload back is a good thing, right? You'll slow down a little and be able to take care of yourself. Not that you weren't. Just... with the baby... The complications weren't just hard for me and Chris. I know that. But does that mean... Am I part of the cut?"
Bella nodded. "Of course. I'll see your case through. I'll probably mostly keep my long-term patients, because fobbing them off to someone else at this point could be detrimental to their care and state of mind. I'll keep my kid patients, and my terminals. Those I have made promises to. The newer ones or the maintenance ones will be okay shifting to someone else. I can cut my clinic time, and my surgery time. I should mostly get my weekends back now, save for any dire emergency with my patients. That's all Plan A, I suppose. It really depends on my own health as the pregnancy progresses. It might be a breeze... but then again, it might not be. My doctor strongly suggested I should put in some sort of disaster plan in case I need to stop work all together." She cleared her throat, frowning just a little. She wasn't sure she would survive without her work. It had been her whole life for so long.
Rick gave her hand another squeeze before bringing her hand up to his lips and kissing the back of it, and then her palm. "Once I'm back on my feet more, at some point it might even be my turn to look after you. I still owe you a date, too."
Bella smiled and nodded. "Sure. When you're back on your feet. Listen, I might go and leave you to it. You should spend some time with Chris before you head home. I'll be back tomorrow before you go home, and I'll chat to your mom in the meantime about what should happen once you get home." She stood up and leaned over to give him a hug. "I just wanted to drop by to give you the good news."
Rick gave her a hug back as he squeezed her and murmured an agreement. "I've never heard 'home' so much in one sentence, and I have to admit it's giving me a warm fuzzy feeling. Don't forget to rest."
"As much as I can rest drawing up discharge paperwork for a guy I've pulled two kidneys out of and witnessed his brother's going in their place, but hey, better than sitting in a boring case conference, right?" Bella joked and smiled, stepping back as she gave him a wave, and then pointed to Chris. "You take care of him," she added and then left.
Word Count | 3,825
Bella was back from her few days off in the wake of her lino face-dive in front of her students. She couldn't profess to actually be feeling better, but she wasn't feeling as exhausted or stressed as she had been. In the meantime, she had finally bitten the bullet to go to a highly-recommended obstetrician, who gave her a complete examination and ended the appointment by assuring her she was doing fine, but she really needed to take care of herself. That actually meant she was going to need to reduce her patient workload and sign over some of her cases to a colleague. She wasn't happy about that at all, but her doctor had been right. She needed to take care of herself for the sake of the baby that might be the only chance she ever has. She had even started to attempt to eat better, but with the morning sickness and weird working hours, it wasn't always so easy. But she was trying, though.
She was just out of a surgery now, still in her scrubs, thankfully. She was nearly eight weeks pregnant now, and although she wasn't showing, scrubs just felt so much more comfortable than business pants and skirts. She also could wear her Converse shoes rather than heels, which was like winning the damn lottery to a pregnant woman. Her hair was pulled back into a high ponytail and she approached the room housing both Deleo brothers quietly. There was a high chance Chris would be sleeping, after the physio had him up out of bed that morning for the first time since the operation. He managed to walk to the bathroom and back before he got tired and sore, but it was definitely progress. She knocked softly on the door with a smile, and as expected, Chris was out like a light, that side of the room dimmed from light with the curtain pulled just a little around the bed. Not all the way, though. Bella found it sweet that Rick had obviously demanded he still have a clear view of his brother in the next bed. For someone who had failed so much in the big brother role before, he was more than making up for it now.
Quietly pulling the curtain across the end of Rick's bed to block the view of the door in case anyone came in, Bella came over to where Rick was sitting on top of the covers of his bed, looking like he was channel surfing the TV and not having much luck. In fact, also as expected, he was looking a lot better than she had seen him lately. He had a bit more colour in his face, but he had still lost his hair and his weight was visibly less than when Bella had first met him. But still, his body had accepted Chris' kidney without a hitch. The match couldn't have been more perfect. Sure, Rick would be on medication for the rest of his life to support the transplanted organ, but it was a small price to pay. His pathology results she had been ordering with regular monotony since he was in hospital also didn't show any indication of further spreading of the cancer. She was keeping everything crossed that removing his diseased kidneys was the green light for his recovery. "I have some good news for you," she told him softly, keeping her voice low so Chris wouldn't be woken. "I've also got a present for you."
Rick stopped channel surfing when he heard Bella's voice, his gaze flicking to her as his eyes lit up. He couldn't help it. Chris had his number with the fact that she really was starting to get a place in his heart. She was beautiful, smart, funny and carrying his kid. She was the perfect woman. He really would think she was sexy in a trash bag. The scrubs just happened to do the same thing. Even if a part of him still wasn't quite coming to the party. He was trying not to let it get to him, but it never felt like he was going to be completely better until he could at least get an erection. "You know Chris is just next to me, right? I don't think I want him waking up to your breasts even if that's how I want to wake up."
"Chris? Nah, I didn't even notice," Bella joked, smirking at him. "Don't worry, I had him drugged so you didn't need to pull the curtain and cut you off from him. I'm kidding, by the way. You're banned from touching my boobs right now. Even I'm banned from it. They hurt like a bitch. Ironic for someone barely pushing a B cup. I've decided they hurt more when they're smaller. Less padding. Because obviously I'm the only pregnant woman in the whole wide world to suffer the most. No other chick has anything on me. I'm the most hard done by," she explained with a quiet laugh. She took a t-shirt from under her arm and unfolded it, holding it up for him to see. "I was out at an appointment in town and I saw this, couldn't resist it. I thought you could wear it to leave hospital in," she said with a smile.
"I didn't say I'd touch them! Just wanted to see them," Rick replied with a slightly guilty look. Maybe it was just as well he couldn't get it up. No temptation to fondle Bella's breasts. Of course, he still did want to fondle other parts. "Hey, you're the only pregnant woman in my world, so I still think that counts. Complain all you want. It's your prerogative. So no cravings yet besides sex?" He looked at the t-shirt as she held it up and started to smile. "Nice, sweetheart. Very nice. Also true, so I'm glad I get to announce it for all the world. Definitely worthy of leaving the hospital. Thanks, Bella. Appointment? Is everything okay?"
Bella sighed and let the t-shirt hang between her hands. He was so... chilled. He never seemed to get very excited about anything, never seemed to worry much about everything. It was hard not to feel like he was just humouring her sometimes, and she sat down to take the weight off her feet for a little while. The chair squeaked on the lino with how heavily she sat and she stilled, glancing over her shoulder to make sure the noise hadn't disturbed Chris, before she looked back to Rick. "I'm fine. Everything's fine. Just an obstetrician I had to see. I heard I needed one. No cravings, food is the devil, and when I said leaving the hospital, I actually meant, like, tomorrow morning." She shot him a half wry, half blank look, pulling her lips to the side when her good news had already fallen flat.
Rick wasn't aware of the fact he was too chill. He just kept being more concerned with his brother than him, so he wasn't even aware that the news was good. And then he caught Bella's expression and his eyebrows went up a little bit before the smile morphed into a grin and he started to laugh. "Tomorrow morning? Like... this tomorrow morning? This week? After today?" The laughter that came as a result of the shock was continuing and he just kept looking at Bella. "I'm going home..."
"Not technically home. Well, maybe. You have two options. You can come and stay with me until Chris is discharged, or you can go back to his apartment and stay with your Mom. Downside of staying with me is you will need to meet my brother. Downside of staying with your Mom is that Serena has moved into Chris' apartment, so you will be staying with both of them. Dave originally offered to have you stay with him too, but I think considering things lately, the offer has probably been taken off the table." Bella nodded and folded her hands over the t-shirt. "But yes, tomorrow. Everything is all in working order. It's been long enough since your op and all your path is clear. You're eating, drinking, everything is functioning as best it can. We'll plan the next round of chemo for another couple of weeks, and then you should be on the road to recovery. Chris will need to stay a bit longer yet, though."
"How much longer?" Rick automatically asked. Then his eyes were flicking over Bella's face again and he frowned. "Considering what things? I mean, it's not like Dave needs to be having me as a house guest, but is he okay? Has anything happened? I'm sorry, I know this is good news. The going home part. I don't really... I think I'll just go back to Chris'. You don't need me crashing in on you yet. I know you've seen inside and out of my body but that's still different to finding out all my living habits."
"They're not sure yet. He has only peed twice, and even though it was probably a euphoric event for him, it's not quite getting him over the mark. I hear they've put him on more IV fluids to rush it through him. If everything is working okay, he should pee like a racehorse. It could just be that he's not taking a lot in. Which is another thing. He's not eating as much as they want, but he's had abdo surgery, so it's okay to take it at a pace he can tolerate. He just needs to heal a bit more," Bella explained and then tilted her head a little. "Well, yes. It seems everyone has been too busy deciding what Dave doesn't need and forgot to think about what he does. But it's okay. You just need to focus on yourself. The ball is in your court. The only other option is you go to a rehab unit."
Rick smirked. "You should have seen his face after he peed for the first time. I really did think there was gonna be a party for it. But I get it, I really do. Chris just wants to get the hell outta here. Can you just please try and pull some strings so he doesn't get porridge? He hates the shit. That's part of why he's not eating as much." Rick looked a little embarrassed, realising he hadn't exactly seen Dave around as much as he would have expected. He realised that taking Chris' place on Alpha Team was part of that reason, but then he started to think how Dave must feel now Rick was back in the picture. "No, no, rehab unit. I'll just go back to Chris'. If Mom's gonna be there that'll work. Means Serena won't be lumped with both Deleo brothers. But thanks for the offer. Shit, I feel like a real jerk now. Dave must be wondering what the hell's going on... He isn't worth forgetting."
"I hear there was an attempted happy dance," Bella replied with her own smirk. "Guys think their first born is the most happiest experience of their lives. Nah-uh, it's the removal of a catheter, without a doubt. Chris' diet has been upgraded to a light one. If he can manage it, he'll never have to see porridge again. I know it seems like the work of the devil, but with the damage in his stomach, they didn't need anything going into him that he wasn't going to be able to digest and cause him excruciating pain. But he's okay. He's eating, his appetite is just zapped. They're monitoring him closely, I promise." She gave a small nod and put the t-shirt on the side of the bed for him. She actually had to tell herself not to be disappointed that he didn't want to come stay with her. She was hoping it might have given them some private time together, but he was right. He was way better off with his mother. Especially considering Bella's doctor had repeatedly told her to take it easy and look after herself. "No, he's not wondering. He's quite resolute, actually. He's going through a lot himself, he doesn't want to bother anyone here with it. He's not in a very happy place, but it's actually quite common for people in remission to experience depression when the enormity starts setting in that you're never really going to escape cancer completely, despite being well again. I was going to meet him for a coffee at Miami Beach after my appointment so I could chat to him, but he stood me up seven minutes before we were supposed to meet. He just didn't tell me why."
"He's Chris' best friend, how could he be bothering anyone?" Rick asked, his gaze back on his brother's slumbering form before his hand twitched and he reached out to seek Bella's. The fact that Chris would be eating light meals should appease his brother somewhat, but now Rick was just starting to worry about Dave, and the fact he didn't feel like he could 'bother' anyone here. Maybe everything would be better once Rick went home. Things would get back to normal a little. Dave would be free to come see his BFF. "Are you going to be here tomorrow?" he found himself suddenly asking.
"I guess he's the sort of lad to feel that his own problems aren't as important as anyone one else's. He didn't talk to me for too long, so I really can't be too sure. I know he's been having a tough time on the job, but I'm his doctor. I can tell something else is bothering him. But I can't exactly stalk him to get information to help him. He needs to come to me." Bella pushed a few strands of hair back off her face with a soft sigh. She gestured to him. "He's having the same issue as you. He also thinks he made you feel weird and uncomfortable when he tried to talk about the cancer to you, so he's been steering clear. He's not angry, he just doesn't want to get in the way of you building bridges with Chris." She frowned a little. "Yeah, I'm going to be here. But if you're going home, it won't make much difference if I am or not," she pointed out with a laugh. "Your Mom will take you."
"It makes a difference to me," Rick said, not laughing in the slightest as he frowned. He wanted to be able to say goodbye to Bella, to be able to spend time with her before he did go home. Not just what the time they had right now. "He didn't make me weird, I guess I just... I don't know. I didn't want him to feel like he had to talk about it. It seemed like it was hurting him to just relive it all. He might be in remission, but he still knows exactly how it felt to have cancer, and to be so sick he wanted to die. That's... It's intense. He's not getting in the way. Jesus, now I feel like a serious prick."
Bella looked at him uncertainly. "You're only going home, love. Not to China. I live five minutes drive away from Chris' apartment. I'm not sure I see what the big deal is. I'll come and visit. All I can promise is that I'll drop by to say goodbye if I'm not needed urgently somewhere else. You've been here living it with your little brother bleeding all over the place on us. You know how medical emergencies can crop up all over the place. But if I can come, I'll be here when you go. Deal?" she bargained. "He wanted to help you, babe. But I think he was just left feeling that you or Chris didn't need much help, is all. He felt like he was imposing on your time with Chris, so he just backed off. It's okay, you know. He is more than aware than anyone that it can make people extremely uncomfortable listening to things like cancer or dying. It's why you've probably noticed he really doesn't mention it much. To look at him, you wouldn't pick him as someone who had cancer. The last thing he wants to do is get in the way with Chris when you want to be the one helping him. I mean, if I've managed to pick up on how important it is for you two to build your brother relationship, I'm pretty sure Dave is aware of it too."
Rick shrugged a little, not sure what the big deal was either. His Mom would be taking him home so it wasn't like he would be alone. He just felt a sudden need to be with Bella, but the idea of crashing at her place when she needed to take care of herself just seemed too mean. Plus, a part of Rick felt like it would be her being forced to take her work home with her. He didn't want to wind up a burden, or a regret. "Nothing, I'm just being stupid. But yeah, deal. It's fine. I know you're busy." Rick reached up to adjust the bandana, still feeling weird when he went to run his fingers through his hair and then realising it wasn't there anymore. "Yeah, true. I just didn't mean to steal his best friend, you know?"
Bella frowned a little and sighed. "It's not a question of being busy, Rick. I have patients who are dying, others who need surgery, others in the first day or so after chemo, others waiting on diagnoses. I'm sorry I can't promise you more. I'll be here if I can," she told him quietly. She was going to rub her head in frustration, but didn't give into the urge. He preferred to go home with his mother, and that was fine. But she couldn't stretch herself thinner than she already was. He needed to be home, there was no point him lingering here if he was feeling better, even if Chris was going to be bummed he was losing his room mate. "I'll take care of Dave. You and Chris just need to focus on each other, right now. Neither of you are out of the woods completely."
"That part we won't know until after the chemo rounds, right?" Rick cleared his throat as he took Bella's hand again and gave it a squeeze. "I'm sorry, I know you'll be here if you can. I'm just having a selfish prick moment. Again. Gotta make the most of them before I'm a dad, right? Then it's all about the baby... Just thanks for doing everything you've done for me. And for Chris. I still don't know how I'd have gotten through any of this without you, and I really need you to understand that."
Bella gave a slight shrug. "The second round of chemo might actually make you feel better. It's not uncommon. Once the initial dose hits, you might find it gives you a new lease on life. It's there to kill off all the diseased cells. It just doesn't always work. The thing is, taking both kidneys, the tumours are all gone anyway. We were lucky it hadn't hit Stage III and spread to other parts of your body. I can't see any cancer receptors in your path at the moment, so it's looking up. A few more hurdles, and you'll be there. I anticipate one round of chemo, but you might need two. Plus, there are the lifelong meds for the transplant, but that's doable, right?" She squeezed his hand with a smile. "It's just what I do, Rick. You don't need to thank me. I just wish there hadn't been complications for both of you. I really do. Luckily Chris hasn't smacked any of my nurses yet, though. I've been keeping the male ones away for a reason. I just... I'm going to be cutting my workload back, though. I thought you should know that."
Rick raised his eyebrows a little. "Cutting your workload back is a good thing, right? You'll slow down a little and be able to take care of yourself. Not that you weren't. Just... with the baby... The complications weren't just hard for me and Chris. I know that. But does that mean... Am I part of the cut?"
Bella nodded. "Of course. I'll see your case through. I'll probably mostly keep my long-term patients, because fobbing them off to someone else at this point could be detrimental to their care and state of mind. I'll keep my kid patients, and my terminals. Those I have made promises to. The newer ones or the maintenance ones will be okay shifting to someone else. I can cut my clinic time, and my surgery time. I should mostly get my weekends back now, save for any dire emergency with my patients. That's all Plan A, I suppose. It really depends on my own health as the pregnancy progresses. It might be a breeze... but then again, it might not be. My doctor strongly suggested I should put in some sort of disaster plan in case I need to stop work all together." She cleared her throat, frowning just a little. She wasn't sure she would survive without her work. It had been her whole life for so long.
Rick gave her hand another squeeze before bringing her hand up to his lips and kissing the back of it, and then her palm. "Once I'm back on my feet more, at some point it might even be my turn to look after you. I still owe you a date, too."
Bella smiled and nodded. "Sure. When you're back on your feet. Listen, I might go and leave you to it. You should spend some time with Chris before you head home. I'll be back tomorrow before you go home, and I'll chat to your mom in the meantime about what should happen once you get home." She stood up and leaned over to give him a hug. "I just wanted to drop by to give you the good news."
Rick gave her a hug back as he squeezed her and murmured an agreement. "I've never heard 'home' so much in one sentence, and I have to admit it's giving me a warm fuzzy feeling. Don't forget to rest."
"As much as I can rest drawing up discharge paperwork for a guy I've pulled two kidneys out of and witnessed his brother's going in their place, but hey, better than sitting in a boring case conference, right?" Bella joked and smiled, stepping back as she gave him a wave, and then pointed to Chris. "You take care of him," she added and then left.
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