The Unsung Hero

She was watching Josh again. Ellie had gone over to the steps and was sitting beside her brand-new husband but leaning forward, talking to Josh on his other side. Then she stood up and began walking towards Rick. He glanced at Jet but there seemed to be nothing to say to break the suddenly tense silence enclosing the three of them.

Josh’s condition was fragile. He might or might not still be in remission but even if he was, he was at risk due to his suppressed immune system that the maintenance drug regime would cause. Any bacterial, viral or fungal infection could be potentially fatal. Ellie joined the group but it didn’t relieve the tension. If anything, it went up a notch or two even before she spoke.

‘Sarah…I’m sorry but Josh isn’t feeling very well. He says he’s got a headache and he thinks he’s going to be sick.’

‘Oh, no!’ Rick saw the colour drain from Sarah’s face.

‘It could just be too many chocolate éclairs and sunshine but…’

The tiny word hung in the air. It could be an infection of some kind. It could even be a sign of a central nervous system relapse, which would not only take away the status of remission but could escalate the progression of this boy’s disease.

‘I’ll have to get him checked.’ Sarah’s eyes were bright. Too bright. Glittering with unshed tears? ‘Oh, God…We’ve only just got over the last setback. He was so desperate to stay well enough to go to school again.’

‘I’m so sorry.’ Ellie was biting her bottom lip. ‘Jet could take you into Emergency.’ She turned. ‘You’ve got a shift starting later tonight, haven’t you?’

‘Yeah.’

‘He knows everyone,’ she said to Sarah. ‘He’ll make sure Josh gets the best of care.’

‘I’ll go too,’ Rick announced.

The others all looked at him in surprise.

‘Jet and I came together,’ he said quickly. ‘In my car. It’s not as if you guys are planning formal speeches or anything, are you?’ He didn’t give Ellie time to respond. ‘Jet can look after Josh and everything that needs to happen. I can look after Sarah.’

It felt good to say that. And he meant every word. Smooth opening lines or first kisses were the last thing on his mind right now. This was about a potentially sick kid and the woman who was, effectively, his mother. There was no hidden agenda or ulterior motive.

The ‘bad boys’ weren’t being disbanded by this marriage, he realised in a moment of sudden clarity. The tribe was simply expanding. Ellie was a part of it and, by association, Sarah came under the same protective umbrella. That was what this was about. Solidarity. A tribe thing.

So why did Sarah and Ellie exchange a glance that made him feel as if he’d stepped into a minefield?

‘I think…’ Ellie spoke after a loaded pause and her voice sounded strange. ‘That might be quite a good idea, don’t you, Sarah?’

Equally strangely, Sarah had closed her eyes as though offering up a silent prayer. She opened them slowly, stared at Ellie for a second and then turned her head towards Rick.

The gaze was so intense it rang alarm bells that were positively deafening. What the hell was going on here?

‘Yes.’ Sarah sounded perfectly calm, which was weird in itself. ‘It is a good idea. Can we go now, please?’

Josh had been diagnosed with leukaemia here at Queen Mary’s and it became rapidly obvious that he was a favourite patient amongst the paediatric oncology staff that got summoned to the emergency department. One of the registrars even called his consultant, Mike Randall, who said he would be coming in to see what was happening.

A lot was happening. Numerous blood tests and a chest X-ray. An exhaustive physical examination, abdominal ultrasound and a lumbar puncture. Jet changed into scrubs and simply went on shift early but Rick was left with little to do but be there and observe, feeling somewhat ridiculous in his dinner suit and the bow-tie, which had come undone but he wasn’t about to bother retying it.

Sarah would have probably felt absurdly overdressed, too, in that long frock and with the flowers still in her hair but it didn’t seem to occur to her. As pale as her nephew, she was there by his side for every moment. Holding his hand for the blood tests and curled protectively close to his head throughout the lumbar puncture procedure. Rustling in her long dress as she walked beside his bed when it was rolled to a different area. She said little but seemed grateful to have Jet and Rick there to smooth the admission process and the transition of care to the oncology department.

Josh was just as stoical as Sarah. The hospital environment and these frightening and painful procedures were a part of life for both of them now and they were in it together. With every passing minute, Rick became more aware of the striking bond between these two. Of their courage. Josh didn’t cry, even once, and Rick was left convinced that Sarah was a vital component of any treatment for this child. The gentle way she touched him, almost constantly, and the way she held direct eye contact throughout the worst moments, infusing him with both strength and comfort, touched something very deep in Rick.

All his younger patients had families that loved them and would do anything they could to help but he’d never witnessed a bond quite like this. They were both special but Sarah…she was astonishing.

By the time the consultant, Mike, arrived, the early testing was complete and Josh had been moved to a private room in the children’s ward. Surprisingly, Max turned up at the same time.

‘What are you doing here, man?’ Rick asked. ‘It’s your wedding night! ‘

‘Ellie sent me in with some clothes for Sarah and to find out what’s happening. How’s Josh?’

‘I think we’re about to find out.’ Rick tilted his head to where Mike was gripping Sarah’s hand.

‘I hoped it would be an outpatient appointment when we got to see you again,’ the older doctor was saying. ‘You’ve only just come down from Auckland, haven’t you?’

‘Yesterday,’ Sarah confirmed wryly.

They both looked at the still figure of the sleeping child on the bed beside them. He had a pulse oximeter on a finger and an IV line snaking up from a heavily bandaged elbow to the stand supporting bags of medicated fluids.

‘Let’s step outside for a minute so we don’t wake him up,’ Mike suggested. ‘He’ll be worn out by now, I suspect.’

He raised his eyebrows as they reached the two men standing by the door. ‘Rick…this is a bit out of your field, isn’t it? And, Max…didn’t I hear you were getting married today?’

‘I did. Sarah was our bridesmaid and Josh was the pageboy.’

‘Ahh…’ Mike’s smile was warm. ‘And there I was thinking you’d all dressed up on my account.’

He pulled the door almost closed behind him and they drifted closer to the window where they could still see Josh. The ward was quiet ant the corridor dimly lit, with evening visiting hours well over. A baby began crying somewhere and a child’s voice called out for her mother. It was a subdued and slightly miserable background.

Mike spoke softly. ‘We still haven’t got all the results back yet, of course. And I’ve scheduled a bone-marrow biopsy and MRI scan for tomorrow morning.’

Sarah made a low sound of distress that cut Rick like a sharp blade. Mike’s face creased in sympathy.

‘I know. I’m sorry. The good news is that his fever’s dropped and his lungs are clear. There’s no significant change in the size of his liver or spleen and his kidney function’s looking good. Even better, this doesn’t look like CNS involvement. I think the symptoms are probably due to a virus and we’ve got treatment under way to deal with it. Antivirals and antibiotics to cover all the bases.’

‘He was going to try and go back to school this week. Said he’d wear a mask even if it made him look like a freak.’

Mike shook his head, dismissing the possibility. ‘We’ll have him in here for a bit. I want to make sure he’s still in remission. If not, we’re going to have to get back into a pretty aggressive chemotherapy programme.’

Sarah closed her eyes and Rick could sense her struggle in trying to find the strength to face what was coming. He felt helpless.

‘What about HSCT?’ he asked Mike. ‘That’s going to be the best option, isn’t it?’

Mike’s expression was grim. ‘No siblings, unfortunately. Sarah’s the only family and she’s nowhere near a match. Nothing’s come up on the bone-marrow register and she hasn’t been able to trace Josh’s father.’ He turned to Sarah. ‘You didn’t get any further in your hunt in Auckland, did you?’

Her eyes were open now. She was staring at Rick but her gaze flicked back to Mike.

‘Actually, I think I did. Quite by chance and only because of Josh being admitted for the chest infection. One of the nurses in the ward had been working there for ages and she seemed to know everybody.’

‘And?’ There was an undercurrent of excitement in Mike’s tone.

‘I’ve got a possibility to chase up. I…I’m just not sure how co-operative he might be.’

‘You think he’d refuse to help?’ Rick could hear more than a hint of outrage in his own voice.

‘He might. He doesn’t even know he’s got a son yet.’

Rick gave a dismissive snort. ‘Tough. It’s not as if he’s had to take any responsibility so far, is it?’

‘No.’

Sarah’s agreement was cautious. She was giving him an odd look, as though wondering why he was pushing this, but there was an element of something like hope in her face and that made Rick feel good. Very good. He was helping here.

‘But that’s not exactly his fault,’ she added. ‘He didn’t know. I don’t think Josh’s mother even knew.’

‘Doesn’t matter.’ Rick was confident now. He ignored the way Max was staring at him as though he was about to step off a cliff or something. He could support Sarah in this quest. Help her. Maybe help Josh as well. ‘If he’s a decent human being,’ he said firmly, ‘then getting tested is the least he can do.’

Sarah looked away from him to Max who gave her a slow nod of encouragement. She looked back at Rick.

‘I hope you meant that,’ she said softly. ‘How soon do you think you could arrange to have the test?’

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