Viviana

This is the next chapter alot happens here I hope you enjoy it!

          Viviana

 

 

          “Hey baby.” Says papa walking in to my hospital room.

 

 

“Hi papa.”

 

 

          “How are you feeling?”

 

 

“Better papa. Better.”

 

 

          “Where’s your mama?”

 

“Down at the cafeteria getting some food for Alessandro.”

 

 

          “Oh. What about everyone else?”

 

 

“Mama sent them home to do their homework and all that stuff.”

 

 

          He nods his head. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be here right hen it happened.”

 

 

“Papa it’s fine I understand.”

 

 

          “Augusto you finally made it.” Mama says walking into the room Alessandro by her side with a sandwich.

 

 

“Hi Tessa.”

 

 

          “Papa!” Alessandro’s sweet voice sounds.

 

 

“Alessandro how is my little man?”

 

 

          “Good papa.”

 

 

“Good Good.”

 

 

          “Alessandro come sit down and eat your food.”

 

 

“Yes mama.”

 

 

          “So what did the doctor say?”

 

 

Mama starts explaining all the different test they’ve taken and things  that are possible to be wrong with me. I watch TV while they talk. The doctor walks in the room as mama and papa finish talking.

 

 

          “Hi, I’m Dr. Tyler Blake you must be Viviana’s father.”

 

 

“Yes I am Augusto Giuseppe.” He says shaking the doctor’s hand.

 

 

          “Well we want to hold you overnight Viviana. The test will be ready by early tomorrow morning.”

 

 

          “Okay.”

 

 

“Whats the most likely thing to be wrong with her?” papa asks him.

 

 

          “Oh well we aren’t sure yet migraines maybe. But its not likely to be anything serious.”

 

 

“Good.” I interrupt them.

 

 

          “Yep you should be ready to go back to school by Friday.”

 

 

“Can I stay the night with her?” Mama asks, but even I know if he would have said no she would have found a way.

 

 

          “Yes I’m afraid though only you and your husband could stay not your son.”

 

 

“You stay Tessa I’ll go home.”

 

 

          “Okay. I’ll be back soon, I’m gonna take Alessandro home, make sure all the other kids are done with homework, dinner is set, and get some stuff for Viviana and I.”

 

 

“Okay Tess.”

 

 

          “Alright mama. Alessandro come give me a hug and kiss honey.”

 

 

“MWAH!!” We both over exaggerate.”

 

          “I love you Chiata. Bye papa.”

 

 

“I’ll be home soon.”

 

 

          “Okay.”

 

 

“I’ll be back.” Says mama.

 

 

 

          “Okay mama tell everyone I love them.”

 

 

“I will.” She and Sandro are gone then.

 

 

 

          “So papa how are you?”

 

 

 

“I’m good sweetie.”

 

 

          “And how is the construction of that new  building going.”

 

 

 

“Good actually. That’s the reason I couldn’t get here earlier, some of my employees got a blue print wrong.”

 

 

          “Papa its okay I get it.”

 

 

“Alright Viviana alright.”

 

 

          My eyelids are starting to get heavy while papa and I talk. He’s kissing my forehead and leaving when I finally am sleeping. I wake up to mamas voice the next morning.

 

 

“Viviana wake up the doctor needs to ask you some questions.”

 

 

 

          “Hmm?” I answer sleepily

 

 

“The doctor is here to see you.”

 

 

          “Oh what time is it?” I yawn.

 

 

“It’s eight in the morning. Come one Cara Mia get up.”

 

 

          I wipe the sleep from my eyes. The doctor is standing in front of me, as mama sits next to me.

 

 

“Good morning Viviana.”

 

 

          “Good morning Dr. Blake.”

 

 

“I just need to ask you a few questions. Are you awake enough?”

 

 

          “Yes I’m fine.”

 

 

“Have these headaches been coming in the morning and going away gradually through the day?”

 

 

          “Mostly yes.”

 

 

“Have you been having tightness of limbs or jerking and spasms in your muscles?”

 

 

          “Yes. But I thought that might have been from soccer practice.”

 

 

“it could be lets hope so.”

 

 

          “Have you noticed personality changes about yourself?”

 

 

“A little bit.”

 

 

          “Such as?”

 

 

“I’ve been forgetting small stuff here and there nothing serious though.”

 

 

          “Okay that’s all for now I’m going to go check your x-rays.”

 

 

“Okay.”

 

 

          About an hour later Dr. Blkae returns. His face is grim looking. I’m expecting something bad. He puts a couple x-ray sheets on to a board and switches a light on.

 

 

 

          “Now I’ve never seen anything like this before. We took four different x-rays at four different times in the day just to be sure that our machine wasn’t messed up.”

 

 

“What’s wrong?” Mama wants to know, as do I.

 

 

          “Well you se this swollen mass here?”

 

 

“We both shake our heads indicating we see it.”

 

 

          “There is really no easy way to tell you this. That mass is and advanced brain tumor.”

 

 

 

“What? No it cant be.” I’m barely able to choke this out.

 

 

          “I’m so sorry. This is shocking even to m people your age just don’t get brain tumors this is the first time I have ever seen one in a teenager. Now I’ve seen them in small children but they are always caught early and in older people they are to.”

 

 

          “What can we do doctor please we’ll do anything. It’s not fatal is it?”

 

 

“Had it been caught earlier it would not have been fatal, but now there is no stopping it.”

 

 

          “Oh my god. S-so she is going to, to.” She can’s even say the word die.

 

 

“Mama calm down.” It seems as if I’m unable to produce tears because I’m still in such shock. “So your trying to tell me that I’m going to die?”

 

 

          “There’s no way of telling when, but yes it could be tomorrow, Next week, a month or even a year from now. We just never know with things like this.”

 

 

          “Why god? Why my baby?” Mama sobs.

 

 

“I can only imagine how hard this must be for you.”

 

 

          “Is there absolutely nothing you can do?” I have to ask this question.

 

 

“We could remove a small portion of it, but to remove it all would be potentially fatal in itself. And radiation would just cause you to lose your hair, and take away the tumor for an unsaid amount of time. So eventually it would grow back.”

 

 

 

          “Can I leave the hospital now? I’m ready to go home.”

 

 

“Yes we are going to give you a couple medicines to kee p the pain at bay.”

 

 

          “Okay.”

 

 

He prescribes a few different things, hey are mostly for headaches. I’m supposed to take them three times a day. He goes through telling us that should live life the best I can everyday. Then I am released back into the cold New York air. Mama goes to get the car, and then we go to papas office.

 

 

          “Papa are you here?” I step into his office.”

 

 

“Yes I’m here what did the doctor say?”

          I don’t know any other way to tell him than to just blurt it out. “Papa I have a brain tumor te doctor said that it is terminal. I may not live that long.” I tell him breaking down into his arms.

 

 

          “This is some kind of sick joke right?”

 

 

“No Augusto it’s not.”

 

 

 

“NO!! You can’t be dying you look perfectly fine and healthy.” For the first time in my life I see my father crying.

 

 

          “How long Chiata how long?”

 

 

“The doctor said it could be from tomorrow to ten years, but with how young I am I might not be able to fight that long.”

 

 

          “Okay is there nothing else we can do. We need to get a second opinion.”

 

 

          “Yes we do, but for now come on lets all go home. You pick up Sandro and Lucetta on the way, I’ll call the high school letting them know to let Stephano and MariaBella get out of school. We have to tell them. Leonardo is at home today NYU had an off day.” This is the first time I’ve heard mama talking a calm voice since leaving the hospital.

 

 

“Okay let me call down to the worksite and tell the men to keep working on the building.”

 

 

          “We’ll be on our way then.”

 

 

“I’ll see you at home papa.” I say still crying a little.

 

 

          He pulls me into a tight hug. I love you Viviana Chiata Giuseppe.”

 

          “I love you to papa so much. It’s all going to be okay.”

 

 

With that mama calls the schools to let them no papa is picking up Sandro, she calls the middle school about Lucetta, and then the high school to let them no Maria and Steph can get out. Some how I know this is going to be the worst day of my life.

 

 

          It’s about am hour later when the entire family is sitting downstairs in our living room. I don’t know what I am going to say to them, but I’ve got to say something.

 

 

          “Okay everyone I know you all thought I was going to be perfectly fine but in truth I won’t be.”

 

 

          “Well what’s wrong?”

 

 

          “Guys I have a brain tumor.”

 

 

“There’s a surgery for that I know there is.” Maria says.

 

 

          “The doctor said surgery would be pointless at the state I’m in right now the tumor is terminal.”

 

 

“What so you’re dying?” Asks Stephano waiting for my answer with scared eyes. My heart breaks for him the most we’ve always been there for each other, and if I’m gone then he must wonder what will happen to him.

 

 

          I open my mouth wanting to say yes but, knowing that nothing will come out. All the communication I can give is a simple nod.

 

 

“No Ana!! No you aren’t dying their wrong.”

 

 

          “Stephano we’re going to another doctor tomorrow, but what if I am?”

 

 

          “Well we wont be sure until tomorrow there always hope right?”

 

 

          “Yes but the symptoms are so strong and the hospital is one of the best in the country.” Papa says “Your mother and Chiata don’t know this but I called the doctor myself and had the X-rays sent over to another lab. This one was a special cancer treatment lab they said that the X-rays were probably right.”

 

 

          Mama and I are full on crying now, and Stephano looks on the verge of tears. Grandma looks grim and somber, the rest of them sit there and look stunned. All except Alessandro he doesn’t quite understand what’s going on.

 

 

“Mama, Vivi what’s the matter why does everyone look so sad?” he says.

 

 

          I really don’t know what to say. I have to come up with something though. “Oh dolce mio I’m sick.”

 

 

“How sick? Like when I had the itchy things on me?”

 

 

          “Yes like the itchy things only what I have is a lot worse.”

 

 

His hand comes up to touch my face; I clasp it as it lays there. “Vivi remember don’t scratch the itchy things or you wont get your present.”

 

 

          I can’t help but chuckle softly at his words. “Don’t worry baby I won’t I promise. Come on I don’t want everyone to be so sad. It really isn’t going to help anything, or do me any good.” I say kissing Sandro’s hand and sitting him down.

 

 

“STOP PRETENDING LIKE THIS IS GOING TO WORK OUT!!! IF YOU DON’T HAVE THE FREAKING CANCER OKAY BUT IF YOU DO YOUR GOING TO DIE!!!” Stephano yells and goes to the door grabs is coat and leaves the house.

 

 

          “I have to go after him.” I sigh following him out the door and pulling on my coat. He didn’t take his gloves and if he’s gonna wallk through the cold and snow he’ll need them.

 

 

          It takes me a couple minutes to catch up to him he’s running so fast. “Stephano stop.” I call out of breath just steps behind him.

 

 

“Go home Viviana. I need time.”

 

 

          “Stephano I wont go home what if you get hurt.”

 

 

“WOW!”

 

 

          “What?”

 

 

“You’re the one sitting here with a brain tumor that is eventually going to kill you and your worried about me getting hurt?”

 

 

          “You’re my best friend and my brother.”

 

 

“Don’t you get it? I don’t care if I get hurt anymore. If you die I’ll be alone, you know no one ever pays a lot attention to us because we have each other.”

 

 

          “They’ll care I promise you they will. Besides I don’t want to talk about this stupid tumor anymore. It doesn’t matter I’m going to live for me and not live for it. I won’t let it run me.”

 

“Ana but I can’t imagine not living in the same house with you or even fighting with you on occasion.”

 

 

          “Then don’t live right now. Promise me you will.”

 

 

“I’ll try my best.”

 

 

When we get back to the house mama announces that we’re spending the rest of the day together as a family. Maybe I was wrong this day was hard at first but its getting better. There was also another thing on my mind Paol Varela.

 

Reviews

[Haifa]

so sad but still interesting

[Coyote Poetry]

This is a very powerful and sad story. To have a child sick and the possibility of her death would leave a parent is destitute and great sadness. The story was written with great skill. I will read on.
Coyote

[Brandon]

wow great write ... good read to