Tuesday, November 6, 2012

What If - 25 Years Later

PART 1


| New York Memorial Hospital |

A doctor walked into Janine Hines’ hospital room with X-Ray scans in his hands. Behind him came Antonio, Antonio Jr., Addison and Jiselle. Inside the hospital room with Janine was Genevieve, the youngest Bovin child. “Think positive thoughts, mom,” Gigi told her mother, then stood up from the bed and walked to the doctor, standing with the rest of her family.

“This area and this area,” the doctor pointed to the x-rays of Janine’s lungs. “Cancerous tissues. The trouble breathing she’s been having is because there is air escaping. The cancer is eating through.”

“Oh please, it’s just asthma,” Janine, 41 years old, divorced, and lying in bed with a mask on her face, took the mask off and dropped it to the ground on side of the bed.

“Not my mommy!” Gigi burst into tears right then, immediately being cradled by her father who was now trying to figure out how to deal with his upcoming business trips while his childrens’ mother was in the hospital with cancer.

“I don’t even smoke!” Janine continued.

“Is this early detection or should we be worried?” Jiselle asked with tears in her eyes.

“We won’t know until we get the Biopsy done to be sure.” The doctor started, “if its stage 2, or early 3, we can do a combination of chemotherapy and radiation therapy over the course of 4 weeks. If after the first week things are not progressing as they should, we’ll also do surgery to help it along.”

They hung out with the doctor a few more minutes to talk about what he’d just presented, then paperwork was brought in for Janine to sign, then Addison, who was named power of attorney in case the worst happened and decisions needed to be made without her immediate consent. Jiselle and Genevieve left the room to deal with their rolling emotions while the men stood around Janine’s bed, Lucky and AJ looking at the papers together, “DNR …” AJ held onto that one, “we’re not signing this one.”

“Yes … You are.” Janine took a breath and got ready to plead with him.

“Mother,” AJ sat on her bed, “you’re only 41.”

“Cancer doesn’t care if youre 41 or 4. If it wants you out of here, you have no choice. If I have to be hooked up to a machine in order to live, I don’t want to be here. It’s ridiculous.”

“What about us?” Lucky’s face began to turn red. “I won’t sign it.”

“You don’t have to. I can …”

“Janine, lets think about this.” Antonio finally stepped in. If Janine died, he would have to deal with Gigi himself. Not that he wouldn’t want to as Gigi looks a little like him, but a 16 year old girl with a single father is not the way to live life, especially with a new wife. “Your children need you.”

“You just don’t want to deal with them yourself,” Janine rolled her eyes, “they’re grown, Antonio.”

“Gigi can stay with me or Elle,” Lucky said through a clenched jaw, “but it wont come to that. You can leave, Antonio,” putting the paperwork in AJ’s hands, he put his hands in his own pockets and walked to the window. “My mom is sick, I don’t need your bullshit in here right now.”

“I always wondered where your mouth came from. It wasn’t your mother.”

AJ remained quiet. Caught in the middle as usual. He loved his father but not the way he treated his siblings or him, for that matter. After a small stretch of silence, he took a pen and walked the DNR over to Lucky. Lucky took the pen and signed, giving Janine the peace of mind she wanted but not disobeying her at the same time. He declined the DNR and stuck it with the rest of the paperwork to turn in. He and AJ gave each other a nod and left the room to deal with the doctor. Antonio hovered around Janine’s bed and she rolled her eyes again, “you can go now. No need to look concerned. Your girlfriend will be worried that you were gone from her sight for 2 whole hours.”

He ignored her comment, “the doctor said roughly a month,” he picked up the mask she’d thrown down earlier and put it on the bed next to her, “do as the doctors ask. Please,” he paused, “Genevieve will leave for the London Olympics in a month and a half and I have business to tend to so … I’m going to get her a car.”

“WHAT? I do NOT want her having a car right now!”

“She is 16. Responsible. She has a license, her grades are perfect and she needs to get to and from the track and gym for workouts.”

“You could take her!”

“I’m busy.”

“Jiselle will take her. Addison will take her. AJ will take her … Antonio please. That girl sings ‘Call Me Maybe’ like it’s the only song ever written. She’s too bubbly for driving.”

“I’ll get her something safe.” Still ignoring his ex-wife, he kissed Janine on the forehead and left the room.
A few seconds later, Janine heard Jiselle and Gigi in the midst of an argument with Antonio, leaving Gigi crying … As usual. They came in the room and Gigi sighed, “I can’t drive with you in the hospital. I’M TOO WORRIED! What if I hit a dog?”

“I’ll take you.” Jiselle kissed her sister. Jiselle was an athletic-built 5 foot 10 while Gigi was 5 feet tall, also athletic-built but a little thicker than her big sister. Her dark brown hair that was generally wild, curly and unruly, was done only days earlier with a Brazilian Blow Out in preparation for the Olympics. Now it was flowing down her back to her waist. Her dark olive skin tone was accentuated with big light brown eyes, a beaming smile, Antonio’s thin nose, and heart shaped mouth. Gigi was sight for sore eyes, a sight her brothers, and sometimes Jiselle, paid for dearly, getting in many fights if one guy said something to her that they didn’t like. But as sensitive as she was, it was warranted. Jiselle put an arm around her sister and then smiled at her mother, “everything’s gonna be fine. You’ll be out in time to come to London with us.”

Janine nodded, “I know.” She sighed, “please save her from herself,” laughing a bit as she referred to Gigi.

“I’ll do my best.”

2 comments:

  1. This is really good but sad! Antonio is still an ass! Love how the kids stepped up to handle things. Bless Janine, what a strong woman.

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  2. Janine is one strong women can't wait till maddox comes back into the picture

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