The Forbidden Path

Chapter 25

After the chemotherapy and the rituxan medicine, Racheal was a little alert and anxious. Her mom sounded a little edgy too. Since it was the first of the cycle, they worried a little. Somehow they managed to smile.
A new waiter pushed the trolley towards her father's bed. He placed the rice, peas, some vegetables, dal, salad and some fruits on the table. Racheal's lunch was spaghetti bolognese. She looked at the big portion of spaghetti infront of her but kept quiet. Her father joked," I will share the spaghetti if you cannot eat it." She smiled at the waiter who looked alarmed and said. " Sir, I don't think you are allowed to eat that food." He looked at Racheal as if asking her support. But Racheal smiled as she knew her father was just pulling her leg. " No he is just kidding." Racheal assured him, looking at her father who was still grinning. The two of them ate quietly. "Push away this table please." Racheal's father requested. " How was the lunch," Racheal asked. "Good." He replied.

It was a hot day and Racheal felt suffocated in the cabin. " Are you alright," Racheal asked looking at her father tossing and turning. " I'm fine. Just bored .." he continued turning towards her.,,"maybe I should go for a walk in the lobby."
" That's a good idea," Racheal looked at her father encouragingly. He sat up and was about to get off the bed when the nurse came in to fill in the vitals and the food log book. Every thing was normal except for the white blood cells and the creatinine.  Which she guessed was due to the infection and the disease. Racheal and her father paced the lobby several times until she finally decided to quit but her father wasn't tired. " I'll just look around, you go ahead..." he said beckoning to the cabin door. "Let it be papa," enough for today she said, tying her hair in a bun with a bored and dejected look.

He looked ahead towards the long lobby before turning to Racheal and said hesitantly." I was thinking of touring the hospital." " No.. I knew it." Racheal yelled. "No papa ... remember you are a patient not a visitor." She laughed. She knew where she got her stubbornness from. Racheal moved towards her father and pulled his hand and dragged him towards the cabin. He looked like a little kid being dragged by a mother. The pair looked really cute and the nurses sitting in the ward reception giggled aloud. Racheal and her father were more friends than father and daughter. "Have you called Alex." He asked pushing himself up on the bed and without looking into her eyes. He had sensed things weren't good between the two.

So he smiled and looked at her innocently she. she replied," yes I did." " good how is Alia?" He asked his face lightening up at the thought of his grand daughter. " she is good... a little lost as this is the first time I've left her on her own." She replied. Her face glowed as she went on rambling about the things her daughter told her. She looked exactly like her granddaughter when she rambled,. Her father thought to himself. The duo chatted along and suddenly Racheal blurted out." Papa I need to share something with you." She looked lost for a few seconds "Something weird is happening to me. I don't know if I shouldf be sharing this with you or not." She blurted out impatiently.
Her father waited patiently like he always did. Studying her body language, he waited without blinking his eyes. He knew by looking at her nervous movements that it was something serious. And that she needed a doctor.