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MidReal Story
Brooke s sister Bailey is in the hospital with a
Anonymous
May 5
Scenario:Brooke's sister Bailey is in the hospital with a fever due to her ongoing battle with cancer, and Brooke is angry at her father for leaving them during their time of need; meanwhile, Ethan is a firefighter working at his family's farm and has a reputation as a ladies' man, the two eventually cross paths and become involved in a no-strings-attached relationship during a two-week vacation, but their lives take an unexpected turn when Brooke becomes pregnant.
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“How’s the fever, honey?”
Mom asks as she comes into the room.
She’s holding a cold washcloth, which she lays over Bailey’s forehead.
“Are you feeling any better?”
Bailey nods and tries to smile.
In reality, she looks like death warmed over, but I don’t say that out loud.
I’ve learned to keep my thoughts to myself these days.
I’m not the one fighting cancer, so no matter how shitty I feel, I’ll keep it to myself.
“Can you do anything for her fever?”
Mom asks.
She’s exhausted, and I’m not sure how she’s still on her feet after working a double at the bakery last night.
She’s always there, day in and day out, seven days a week, trying to make enough money to pay for Bailey’s treatments.
It didn’t take long for our medical insurance to stop covering this battle as they deemed it too expensive and experimental to be of any real benefit.
But just because they’ve given up on Bailey, it doesn’t mean we have too.
We’re all desperate for her to pull through this.
“They’ve given her something for the fever,” I tell Mom.
“It should start working any time now.”
Bailey is well aware that a fever can be deadly in her condition.
Her body is so weak that it can’t fight off even the slightest of infections.
The first time she developed a high fever after starting chemo, they told us to prepare for the worst.
But my sister is a fighter.
She’s so damn stubborn that no matter how much they tell her there’s nothing they can do, she never gives up hope that they’ll find a way to save her.
“Do you need anything, sweetie?”
Mom asks as she sits on the edge of the bed.
“Just you,” Bailey says softly, reaching out for my mom’s hand.
“I need you here with me.”
Mom looks at me helplessly, and I nod for her to go.
I’ll stay with Bailey while she catches a few minutes of shut-eye before going back to work at the bakery.
I know she’s worried that I’ll fall asleep again and won’t be able to hear when Bailey needs me.
“I’ll let you know if she needs anything,” I tell her.
Mom nods and leaves the room.
I grab the remote and turn on the fan, hoping it will help cool Bailey down.
I don’t want to add more blankets on top of her as she already feels like she’s burning up.
Instead, I sit on the edge of the bed to rub her back.
She winces as I make contact, and I’m careful to use only the smoothest of motions as not to cause her more pain.
“Can you move me?”
Bailey asks after a few minutes.
Her voice is barely above a whisper, but I hear her loud and clear.
I place my hand on her shoulder and help her roll over onto her side.
It’s not easy moving her as she’s lost so much weight since this whole thing started.
I’m always worried that I’ll hurt her when I try to help her move around.
I grab an extra pillow and slide it under her head before adjusting the fan to blow directly on her.
I’m not sure what else I can do for her.
