Demi's POV:
*The next morning*
Anna was sleeping peacefully on the hospital bed, finally. It had been a long night. The numbness wore off so Anna was in pain. It was also kind of worrying me because she had a nightmare too when she hadn't been having those as often anymore and she was really making progress when I came to her recovery and stuff. I really didn't want any of this interfering with how far she'd come.
It was currently 10:30am, and we had a meeting set up to discuss results and our plan at 11. To say I was nervous was an understatement. I mean, we were about to find out if Anna had cancer again. I was almost positive she did based on where everything was pointing, but it still scared me to have it confirmed.
I stayed lost in my thoughts about what it would be like if Anna had cancer again, until I figured I should wake Anna up before the meeting. I got off my chair and walked over to her bed, gently shaking her.
"Wake up, baby." I whispered.
She groaned and rolled over, slowly opening her eyes.
"How are you feeling this morning?" I asked, brushing her short hair behind her ear.
"Sore" she mumbled in her morning voice.
I chuckled a little at how raspy it sounded.
"Yeah, that's to be expected. You got your back drilled into yesterday." I tried to say in a lighthearted way.
Anna chuckled a little too, but there was still a tension in the room.
Anna's main doctor came in a few minutes later with a wheelchair, telling us to follow him to a conference room. I helped Anna into it and wheeled her out the door, following the doctor.
A few minutes later, we were all sitting around a big oval table. I was sitting next to Anna, who looked nervous and distant. Across from us was her main doctor and a team of doctors that I didn't really recognize.
"Okay, we have all the results back and I have some things I'd like to go over with you guys. There will be time for you to get all your questions answered so please just hold off until I finish explaining and we can discuss concerns." Anna's main doctor said.
I glanced over at Anna. She looked really tense and uncomfortable so I pushed my chair back and motioned for her to climb on my lap. She hesitated, but allowed me to pull her into me. She was still only wearing her hospital gown so I made sure it covered her up as she sat on me. She nestled her head into my neck as I gently stroked her back, waiting for the doctor to continue.
"After an extensive review of the scans and tests, we have found that Anna has a small tumor in the the parietal lobe. It is probably a result of the tumor she had before reappearing after chemo was stopped. Also, as far as the blood tests go, Anna does have Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, but we believe we caught it early and that it is isolated from the tumor, meaning that we are confident that through intense chemo we will be able to regulate the white blood cells before it turns into anything more serious. Now, do you have any questions for me before we talk treatment options?" the doctor asked.
"So, so she has two types of cancer?" I stammered.
I could tell Anna had started crying because I felt warm tears on my neck. I hugged her tightly into me, holding back my own tears.
"Yes. It's actually more common than you think. Once there are cancer cells in the body it is extremely easy for them to spread, however, like I said, we believe the two cases are isolated which will make treatment easier. We can tackle each individual area as it's own thing instead of having to target it as a whole." the doctor explained.
I just nodded in response.
"Okay, so as far as treatment goes, we will need to do a biopsy of the tumor, but we will do that through surgery. Of course, if we are able to remove the tumor during surgery we will, but it is unlikely that we get all of it. After that we will start her on chemo and radiation and see how her body responds to that. There are other options of treatment for the leukemia if we need that, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there." he explained.
I pull Anna's body away from me to see her reaction to it all. She wasn't crying anymore, but she had a glossy look about her. I made it so she was facing me and continued to rub her back.
"Do you have any questions, baby?" I asked.
She shook her head.
"Okay. So what now?" I asked the doctor.
"Well, actually, we aren't able to do anything until her back is completely healed. We don't want to risk putting her body into too much shock, so for now, you can actually go home. We will schedule the surgery in a little over a week, but until then, just keep Anna as healthy as possible. She is prone to bleeding and bruising so no intense physical activity. Make sure she is sleeping and drinking plenty of water and if she develops a persistent fever greater than 103, take her straight to emergency. Other than that, don't get her back wet for twenty-four hours. After that you can take the bandages off and clean it to avoid infection." the doctor explained.
I nodded my head, taking in all the information.
"Any other questions?" he asked.
"No. Thank you so much." I said, shaking hands with him as he and the team of doctors walked out.
"Anna, you get to go home." I said with a smile.
She looked me in the eyes and I could tell she was happy she would get a quick break from all of this.
"Come on. Let's go get your stuff and go home." I said, helping her back into the wheelchair to go back to her room before heading home.
*That night*
Demi's POV:
I had called Bella, Marissa and my family and told them the news. I was glad that they were being so supportive. They assured me that if I ever needed anything I shouldn't hesitate to call. I also called Nick and told him, just because she had grown close to Anna and I thought he deserved to know. He was supportive as well. He was always such a great friend.
Bella was going to come over tonight, but Anna was in a lot of pain still so I told her she should wait and come tomorrow. She was understanding and I was thankful for that. I really want the three of us, Bella, Anna and I, to become like a little family, but I figured Anna might need a little time.
I was currently sitting on the couch, watching the ID channel while Anna slept in my room upstairs. She basically slept all day. I mean, I didn't blame her though. With all she'd been through, I bet all she wanted to do was sleep.
I was a couple episodes in when I heard a gasp from upstairs.
Anna's POV:
I woke up to a sharp pain in my lower stomach. I instantly rolled over and clutched it as the pain shot down, radiating through my legs. It was one of the most unpleasant things I had ever felt. I got up, limping my way to the bathroom. I figured maybe I just had weird cramping from needing to poop or something. I pulled my pants down and was mortified by the sight in front of me. I didn't know what to do. My pants were stained with blood. I let out a loud gasp without meaning to.
Demi's POV:
I ran upstairs, taking the steps two at a time, before bursting into my room. Anna wasn't on my bed, but I could see from the crack under the door that the bathroom light was on. I walked over and knocked.
"Anna? Are you okay?" I asked.
I got a slight sob in return so I pushed the door open in panic. Anna was sitting, hunched over on the toilet.
"Oh my god! What's wrong?" I asked, worried.
That's when I noticed that her pants were down to her ankles and had a streak of blood on them. She was getting her period.
"Aw, baby. It's okay. You're just getting your period." I said, rubbing her back.
"It hurts!" Anna whined.
"I know. You wait here and I'll be back with some pain killers and fresh clothes." I said, walking out of the bathroom and returning in a matter of minutes.
"Here baby. Take these." I said, handing Anna two pills.
She eagerly swallowed them with nothing but her saliva and then looked up at me expectantly.
"Those are gonna take a little while to kick in. Usually I would suggest a warm bath, but you can't get your back wet so how about we get you changed and then we just lay down?" I asked.
"Okay." She weakly said.
"I don't usually use pads, but I think I have some under the sink just in case Madison ever got her period here." I said, digging around for them.
"Ah, here they are. Change your underwear then I'll show you how to put this on." I said, waiting as she gently pulled her stained underwear offer ankles and replacing them with the fresh ones I had brought.
"Do you want me to put it on your underwear for you or do you think you can?" I asked.
"I can do it, Demi. It's pretty simple." Anna said.
I nodded, handing her the folded up pad. She quickly strapped it to her underwear, wiped and then shakily stood up.
"Demi, when are the painkillers gonna kick in?" She whined.
"Probably a half hour baby. I'm sorry." I said, sympathetically.
She groaned a bit, clutching her stomach.
"Come on, let's lay down. I know something that might help." I suggested.
She nodded her head and trudged over to my bed, instantly curling herself in a tight ball.
I climbed in after her and tried to rub her back, but it didn't seem to help.
"Baby. Lay flat and I'll rub your tummy for you." I said.
She hesitated, but rolled over onto her back, next to me. I layed down on my side, propping my head up with one hand while the other slide under Anna's shirt and began gently massaging her lower stomach.
She groaned a little, but other than that it seemed to help her. The painkillers kicked in less than an hour later and she was finally able to fall back asleep.
As soon as Anna was asleep, my mind began to wonder.
What did this mean for her fertility? Like I knew Anna's doctor had told her that chemo would ruin those chances, but she just got her period. What in the world did this mean? I needed to call her doctor.