Chapter Two

∞Chapter Two∞

 

A few hours later Megan was in her Psychiatric Disorder Treatment class. She hadn’t been planning on attending, but then she realized at least it could help take her mind off of Anya’s plight. It would serve as a distraction. But she was in the middle of class when the only distraction she was getting was her cell phone vibrating. At first she ignored it but after a few minutes and it still hadn't stopped, she slowly slipped it out of her pocket and under her notebook. She had three missed calls and five text messages.

They were all from Bryan. Megan's heard wouldn't decide if it wanted to sink or lodge in her throat and began to beat wildly as she opened the conversation with Bryan.

Call me!!!

Where are you??? Call me!!

Anya! 911!

MEGAN!

Mercy Memorial

Slamming her phone shut, Megan quickly shot out of her seat and grabbed her things.

"Sorry Dr. Montgomery. An emergency came up," she muttered with tears threatening to spill as she made her way out the door. The murmurs behind her didn't bother her; all Megan cared about was getting to the hospital.

Once she was out of the building she called Bryan's cell phone back. She had almost reached the parking lot when he answered.

"Thank God!" he sighed as he answered.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Megan demanded as she fumbled with her keys. For some reason she was finding everyone key on her chain, except the one for the damn car door!

"We don't know yet, Meg,” he whispered.

Megan could hear it in his voice. He was panicking. In a way it was as thought Bryan had already lost her. Apparently the disease was moving much more rapidly than anyone had anticipated. Anya was getting worse, fast.

"I'm on my way, Bryan. Is she still in ER?" she asked as she pulled out of the lot and onto Main Street. Mercy Memorial was only a ten minute drive from campus. A lot of pre-med and nursing students did their internships there.

"Yeah, for now. Room 107."

"Are they talking about admitting her?" Megan asked, trying to keep the horror out of her voice. From their conversations the doctors hasn't thought hospitalization would be necessary and even any treatments would be outpatient. If the doctors were not considering hospitalization, for anything other than treating possible dehydration and nausea, then Anya was not in good shape. All the optimism and perky tones in the world wouldn't do her any good if that were the case.

"I don't know," Bryan repeated, clearly frustrated. "I don't think the doctors know!"

"Okay, okay," Megan said, trying to calm Bryan down. "I'll be there soon. Let her know, okay?"

"Yeah," he said weakly and mumbled that he needed to go and he'd see her soon.

The phone clicked, signaling the call was disconnected and Megan had to fight the urge to put her head back and close her eyes as she merged onto the interstate. Thankfully the rush hour traffic was dissipating.

Minutes later Megan was maneuvering through downtown and silently cursed every red light she caught. She had been able to see the hospital standing tall since she had gotten off the exit and was anxious to reach her destination.

Finally, the light turned and car in front of her slowly rolled through the intersection. Megan made her right turn onto the road the hospital was located on and felt her pulse begin to race in anticipation.

It wasn't fear of being too late, but more of the unknown. Having just seen Anya earlier, Megan wasn't sure what kind of state her best friend was going to be in.

The parking garage was across the street from the hospital and Megan collected the ticket as she would have to remember to it validated before she left the hospital so she wouldn't have to pay the $10 fee.

Parking was a nightmare. Almost as bad as the ones she had been suffering the last few nights. It took Megan until she reached the third level to find a parking spot. She quickly trotted to the elevator to take her to street.

Once she was through the revolving doors of Mercy Memorial she made a left at the elevators and headed to the emergency department. Knowing the drill, she told the nurse at the desk that her sister had been brought in and was in room 107.

The nurse eyes her suspiciously; Megan just glared. After pulling up Anya's chart on the computer, Megan was buzzed in. Rushing to the room, she almost bumped into the doctor who was about to enter from the opposite end of the hall.

The doctor stepped aside, letting Megan in first. She steeled herself for what she might see, but Anya was sitting up, cooing Kia, who was perched on her lap. Besides looking a little pale, there was no physical indication of anything severely wrong with Anya. At least, not to Megan.

After a quick hug to her friends and goddaughter, everyone faced the doctor to hear what he had to say.

"I'm Dr. Carson," he said to Megan, holding out his hand.

"Megan," she replied, sizing him up.

He looked to be mid-thirties, tall - over six feet, and he had the most intense blue eyes she had ever seen. For a moment Megan forgot where she was or why she was there.

Kia's giggle brought Megan back to reality and she took a step back, looking at Anya - who had a small smile on her face. They could tell neither of the men noticed anything, at least Megan didn't think the doctor noticed anything, but it was hard for anything to get my Anya.

It had been at least eight months since Megan had shown any interest in dating. Not since she had dumped the louse who had been sleeping with a freshman behind Megan's back. Anya had been the one to catch him making out with her behind the bowling alley. It wasn't the naïve girl's fault, but Anya slapped him across the face, after snapping a picture. She had sent it to Megan before Kris had been able to try to wrestle the phone from her hand.

Anya approved of her friend's return of the libido over the hot doctor. If Bryan and Kia hadn't been with her, she might have found herself having difficulty resisting him!

Unfortunately, none of them could escape the bad news Dr. Carson was in the room to deliver. While just an emergency room doctor, he had spoken with both Anya's primary physician and oncologist. All of them had come to an agreement, and it wasn't looking food for the young mother.

"Miss Spanzer, I got the results of the PET scan, scope and the blood work already. As well as the files from your doctors." He paused, and looked at the anxious, expectant faces in the room. Even the child had sensed the somber mood and was sitting quietly on her sick mother's lap.

"I see from your file that you were diagnosed with adenocarcinoma last week, despite clean biopsies. While false negatives on needle biopsies are common, I have the first PET scan and today's to show you a comparison."

Walking over to the one wall, he put up two pictures and turned the light on.

Megan's heart sank. In just under a week, the cancer had seemed to spread, and more so than one would expect. She zoned out for a few minutes of the doctor's spiel. Both Megan and Anya exchanged a meaningful look behind Bryan's back.

The first scan showed a few lighted clusters around Anya's breasts, arms, and neck. The second scan however, looked like a house decorated with Christmas lights. It showed many more spots in these areas but also under the breasts and into the stomach. The dots were also trailing further up Anya's neck.

The fact that there was no site of origin for the cancer or tumors was not a positive sign. Treatment would be less likely to succeed, that was if they could find a treatment which had any chance at being effective.

"And, while last week's scope showed no signs of cancer cells in the lining of the stomach, that wasn't the case for today's scope," the doctor finished.

"But you can still do chemo and radiation, right?" Bryan asked, looking like he was going to be sick.

"No, they can't," Anya whispered, reaching for her fiancé's hand. "My counts are already bottomed out. Radiation or chemo would destroy what little of my immune system is left. I'd end up dying from some other infection instead."

"But - but," he started, tears trickling down his face as he realized he was going to lose the love of his life much sooner than either had anticipated. "There has to be something which can be done!" Bryan shouted, unable to accept his love's fate.

"Her oncologist said to keep the appointments for Tuesday and next Wednesday. There are some options which can be discussed as far as trying to keep the cancer from spreading," Dr. Carson clarified, giving a glimmer of hope to the grieving man.

"As far as what brought her in, we are giving her fluids in the IV, and I can prescribe potassium to keep from getting dehydrated. Plenty of rest and fluids. Try to eat light the next 48 hours to minimize nausea. I'll give you a script for something to fight that too."

"Also, it's just a suggestion, but I just read an article about sugar attracting cancer. I'd suggest minimizing your sugar intake, eat healthy and drink plenty of water."

With an apologetic smile, he shook our hands. As he said goodbye and good luck to Anya, Megan heard him say that he wished he had better news. After ruffling Kia's hair, he turned to Megan and shook her hand.

"If you need anything, don't hesitate to come back or call my office," the doctor said as they walked out the door. It appeared he was talking in general, but Megan had a feeling by the look in his eyes, that he was talking specifically to her.

After getting her discharge instructions, Anya gave Bryan and Kia swift kisses on their cheeks.

“I’m going to have Megs bring me home,” she whispered to Bryan. “I want to talk to her. Have a little girl time. Do you mind?”

Their arms were wrapped around each other and Anya had her face tilted up to look into Bryan’s face. She was wearing a goofy smile that made it hard for him to resist her.

Who can resist a dying girlfriend, especially when they are giving you goofy grins? Definitely not Bryan, and she knew it �" dying or not.

“Sure,” he whispered back.

“Great!” Anya said with triumphant enthusiasm. “Let’s go,” she instructed as she grabbed Megan’s arm and started to drag her away.

Looking back, Megan gave Bryan a confused look. Laughing, he shrugged as he toted his daughter back to his car.

“What’s wrong?” Megan asked, worried.

Grinning, Anya winked as she got into the passenger seat of Megan’s car. For the moment, Anya was her old self. Right now it was as though there was no cancer; Anya was perfectly healthy. Except for the little voice in the back of Megan’s mind telling her to enjoy it while she can. She may be acting like the old Anya, but there was no missing the look in her eyes.

It was a look that said she was sick. There was no mistaking the look of defeat and regret, no matter how many smiles Anya faked or laughs escaped her lips. Megan knew the truth.

Anya was dying. And it seemed like there was nothing Megan could do to stop it, no matter what she looked into or tried.

A lost cause.

“So, that doctor was pretty cute, huh?” Anya asked, teasing.

Snorting, Megan retorted, “Oh yeah, a real hottie.”

But in the back of her mind, her subconscious was sitting there drooling over the good doctor. He wasn’t bad to look at, Megan had to admit.

Though he didn’t do anything to warrant the opinion, Megan got the impression he could be intense.

“He seemed to think the same about you.”

“Anya! He was there as your doctor! Not to pick up girls.”

Megan couldn’t believe the playful mood Anya was in. She never teased Megan about guys; well hardly ever.

“Look, I have too much on my plate right now with school. I’m not looking for anything,” she said, trying to figure out if she was trying to convince Anya, or herself.

“Who said you have to be looking for something, Megs? He’s hot, you’re hot, the two of you could be hot.”

The look Anya was giving her made Megan burst out into laughter. This was good. She liked having this Anya here. It was how Megan wanted to remember her.

***

The next morning, Megan found her eyes fluttering open before the sun's rays even flittered through the slats of her blinds. With a groan, she flung the sheets back and clamored out of bed.

After a brief trip to the bathroom, Megan headed into the kitchen. A cup of strong coffee was just what the doctor ordered.

While the pot was percolating, Megan retrieved her laptop from the living room and sat at the counter which separated the kitchen from a small eating area. After checking her email she figured she should send a message to Dr. Montgomery apologizing, again, for the disruption during class. Quickly, she explained that there was an emergency and had to go to the hospital to be with a family member.

She had been tempted to tell him about Anya. But she had wanted as few people as possible to know, for as long as she could. Dr. Montgomery had both of them as students, although for different classes, and Megan thought he would be concerned for Anya's health. Plus, maybe he would have some insight on her condition. In the end, her loyalty for her best friend's wishes won out and she didn't change her message.

After sending the message and refreshing her inbox, Megan began to delete various spam messages. Then she had to get to work. The papers in her inbox weren’t going to edit themselves.

For the last few semesters, Megan had been helping various classmates with papers that they had to write. She either just did some editing to make sure they were presentable, or sometimes even went as far as helping her fellow students do some research on particularly complex issues. She enjoyed the research aspect; it allowed her to expand her knowledge a bit beyond what she was learning in just her classes.

The money wasn’t great, but it was enough to pay rent, put gas in her car, and food in her stomach. What more could she ask for?

While going through her mail, there was one message in particular that caught her eye just before she hit the delete button. Un-checking the message, she deleted the rest and then opened the email in question.

Somehow, Megan's email address had been added to a mailing list for a local occult shop, Lunar Realities. The email was an advertisement for weekly specials, including fortune readings, herbs, and books.

One book title in particular caught Megan's eye. It was a book on demonology and communicating with the Otherworld. Opening a new tab in her browser Megan opened up a page from her favorites list. Staring at the page for The Devil Knows, she wondered if these were all signs pointing her in the right direction, or just coincidence.

It's just coincidence, Meg, she tried to tell herself.

And if it's not? she argued with herself.

And what if it's really possible to do this?

"Aw, Hell," Megan muttered, making her way to the bedroom to change her clothes. She decided on her jeans and a soft cotton print t-shirt. The email had the address and hours for the shop, and if she hurried, Megan could get there just as it was about to open.

After brushing her teeth, Megan went back into the kitchen. She stared at the webpages for another minute or two, pondering if she had gone mad and if she was really going to go through with this crazy plan. Figuring she owed it to Anya to at least try, she grabbed her keys and gulped down the remnants of her coffee before she headed for the door.

The ten minute drive to Maple Ave in Center City seemed to take forever. Megan's dancing nerves however, told her she didn't have nearly enough time to prepare. Megan pulled into the lot and saw a woman who was in her mid to late twenties unlocking the store. She looked normal enough - black dress pants and a ruffled pink and purple button down top.

Nervously Megan shut off the car and got out. As she walked towards the shop, she gave the woman a tentative smile as she looked up before entering.

"Hey, we're not open for another couple of minutes," she said, smiling at Megan.

"Oh," Megan replied after a moment of hesitation. Shuffling back and forth on her feet, she wondered if she should just get back in her car and drive away as fast as possible.

Noticing her patron's discomfort, the woman said to Megan, "I'm Olivia. First time here?"

Megan nodded and introduced herself.

"Figured. I know most people who come in. Besides, you look like you're about to have a stroke, be sick, or both," Olivia said with a laugh.

Reaching in through the door, Olivia quickly turned the lights on and punched in the security code.

"Come on in," Olivia suggested. "Just give me a few minutes before I can help you find what you need. Feel free to look around."

Olivia walked into the store and wondered what had the girl so spooked. She could tell she was a non-believer, so what drove her to come to the shop? Curiosity propelled Olivia to quickly set up the register and displays.

Megan was standing in front of the books when Olivia came over to her. It didn't escape Olivia's attention that although Megan looked intrigued, she still hadn't touched the books, or anything else in the store for that matter. The younger girl's complexion was ashen and she looked like she might be will, or was waiting for something - or someone - to jump out at her.

"They won't bite," Olivia whispered as she came to stand next to Megan.

However not her intention, the sound of Olivia's voice startled Megan, causing her to jump. She bumped into a shelf behind her, but thankfully, it was sturdy enough it barely noticed.

"What is it you seek, Megan" Olivia asked, unable to mask the curiosity from her voice or face.

Uncomfortable, Megan continued to glance around, especially at the door which led to the parking lot.

"My friend, she's sick. I want to help her." She wasn't sure what she should be telling this stranger. Maybe she could give her something that didn't involve giving her soul to the devil.

"What kind of sick? Like a cold? Or something causing her pain?" there was more to this story. Non-believers didn't come to her to cure the flu, or even to help with the pain of common ailments like arthritis.

Shaking her head, Megan muttered, "Cancer. She's dying."

Sympathy crossed Olivia's face. She knew the pain all too well.

"I'm sorry about your friend. Are you looking for something to ease her suffering and pain?"

"No, I want it to go away," Megan said adamantly. For the first time since entering the shop, Megan stood up straight and defiant. "I want her to live a long and happy life; to get married and watch her baby girl grow up. Maybe even have more babies and meet her grandchildren."

Olivia nodded. She knew she had to keep Megan from going down a dangerous path.

"I see," she said slowly. "Well, what I can offer you is more like healing hers and ointments. I can't guarantee that it will save your friend, but -"

"No, there is no "but". Anya has to be saved!" Megan insisted desperately.

"Honey, what you're asking would take very dark juju. That is not what I'm about here. And it's sucked in those much more experienced. Besides, if you don't believe, there is no power."

Olivia was sympathetic to Megan's plight, but what she was asking for was a miracle or something much worse. She didn't understand the consequences of what she was asking.

"I told you what I want. I don't care about the price. Are you going to help me or not?" Megan demanded.

Shaking her head, Olivia whispered, "I'm sorry. You say now you don't care about the price, but not everything's price tag consists of dollars and cents. Trust me; you don't want to go down this path."

A dark anger flashed in Megan's eyes. Who the hell did this chick think she was to tell her what she wanted?  It wasn't her best friend who was dying!

Scowling, Megan grabbed the book she saw in the online flyer and stalked to the counter, where she waited for a reluctant Olivia to check her out.

"Please, think about what you're doing," Olivia begged before Megan walked out the door. The girl was so naïve, and hurt. She thought she knew what pain was, but she was in for a rude awakening if she thought that book held the answers.

As Megan bolted from the store, her phone started to ring. Jumping, Megan unlocked the car, threw her package onto the seat and fished her phone out of her pocket as she slid into the driver’s seat.

“Yeah?” she asked, barely registering the caller ID.

“Megs? Are you ok?” Anya asked, sounding worried.

“Anya, are you ok?” Megan countered, sitting up straight.

“Yeah,” she laughed. “What you up to?”

“Oh, nothing,” she evaded, glancing at the book which was peeking out of the bag on the seat next to her. “Just running some errands.”

“Cool,” Anya remarked, pausing. “Want to meet up? Coffee maybe?”

“Sure, sounds great. What time?”

“Whenever you’re done, if that’s alright.”

“Sure, I can be at the shop in twenty minutes.”

Megan was worried, she could hear something in Anya’s voice, but she couldn’t quite identify the tone in her best friend’s voice. Concerned, she raced to the shop to find out what was the matter.

When she was a few blocks from the coffee shop, Megan accidently ran a stop sign and sent up a silent prayer when she wasn’t hit and that no cops were around. Slowing down, Megan tried to relax. Wouldn’t do any good if she were the one to die on the way to meeting up with Anya.

Only one of them needed to die.

Finally, Megan made it to the coffee shop, and in one piece. Shaking, she got out of the car and saw Anya standing outside waiting for her.

Megan offered her best friend a smile a wave, letting her who she saw her, while she locked the car doors.

Rushing up t her, Megan gave Anya a big hug, but was careful not to squeeze too hard. A lump formed in Megan’s throat as she thought about how fragile Anya was now.

It wasn’t fair. None of this was.

“You alright?” Megan asked, worried.

Anya just nodded and led the way into the shop. There were a few customers ahead of them in line and they chit chatted about nothing while waiting their turn.

Once they ordered their drinks and sat down at a table, Megan ordered Anya to spill the beans.

“I know you Anya. Something is wrong or bothering you. Now we both know you’re going to tell me eventually, or else you wouldn’t want to meet. So let’s skip the production and get on with it,” Megan demanded with a laugh.

It was just how Anya was. She would want to talk, but not know how to always get the words out. That would lead to potentially an hour of avoidance and beating around the bush. Megan knew the drill, and Megan’s attempts to yank it out of her were also part of their routine.

This time was different. Time meant something now to Anya, and she didn’t have the hours to waste dragging things out with Megan. She had to make each moment count.

“It’s Bryan. He puts on a brave front, but I don’t know what to do,” she finally muttered with a sigh. “He’s so moody ever since I was diagnosed. I know it’s a big shock to everyone. I just wish he would relax a little.”

“Oh honey!” Megan exclaimed, and reached for Anya’s hands, clasping them tightly. “Anya, he loves you, you know that. Just like the rest of us, he’s just trying to find a way to come to terms with everything that’s going on. But he shouldn’t be making things harder for you, instead he should be trying to make things relaxed and comfortable. You don’t have energy to waste, especially on worrying about Bryan. He’s a grown man who needs to start acting like one.”

Anya looked wistful. She knew it wasn’t Bryan’s fault. They were all in an impossible situation that no one could ever expect. Life wasn’t turning out the way they planned.

“Just talk to him. He will see and understand what you’re saying, ya know?”

Megan smiled. Once again, she wished she could just take all of this away. There had to be a way to make things right.

“I’m sure you’re right,” Anya replied, forcing a smile.

Megan wasn’t buying it.

“What else?”

“What do you mean?” Anya asked, wide eyed.

“I just get the feeling there is more to this story that you’re telling me. Are you and Kia okay?” she asked, suddenly concerned for the welfare of her best friend and goddaughter.

With a laugh that sounded slightly strained Anya assured Megan that they were fine.

“There was something else I wanted to discuss with you, though,” Anya said, looking like she didn’t know if she should be uncomfortable or pleased with herself. It was intriguing.

Anya’s discomfort had Megan perplexed. That was until she saw a man approach their table. He stood there with his blonde hair looking tousled and unkempt, blue eyes reflecting the rays of the sun.

“Oh, hello!” Anya exclaimed, her voice sounding surprised and excited.

She wasn’t fooling anyone. Megan narrowed her eyes and had to fight the urge to hiss at Anya’s interference. Not that the doctor wasn’t hot, because he was gorgeous, but Megan had more pressing issues at hand.

Like the fact she didn’t want to start anything new with anyone right now until �"

Until what? Until you figure out if you’re really going to sell your soul to the devil? the voice inside her head scoffed.

Mustering a smile, Megan tried to pretend that she didn’t want to leap across the table and strangle her best friend.

Relax. Just breathe.

“Dr. Carson, what a pleasant surprise,” she murmured.

“Jeremiah, please,” he responded with a smile as he occupied the empty seat to Megan’s left.

Smirking, Anya stood and told them she was going to get a muffin.

As Anya walked away, leaving the pair alone, Megan couldn’t help but feel self-conscious. Even when he wasn’t working, the man next to her seemed to exude confidence and sex appeal. While the night before he had been very professional, for the most part, he seemed to be the type who had to have everything just so. His clothes had been pristine, despite being an emergency room doctor and his hair that was just a little too long said that he was someone who followed the rules but just maybe he made a few of his own.

Today, he sat lounging in a chair in the warm spring sun with a pair of soft faded jeans and a black cotton tee, with his hair looking like he hadn’t even bothered to comb it before he left his house.

Based on her first impression of him, she hadn’t expected this carefree side to him. She supposed it was true, that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.

“I’m sorry,” he said, leaning towards Megan. “She called last night after she got home, and asked about meeting this morning. I don’t usually socialize with patients and their inner circles outside of the hospital.”

“Then why are you here?” Megan asked, not realizing at first how the question could sound abrupt. It wasn’t until amusement crossed his face that made her realize how rude she must have sounded.

Turning red, she whispered, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.”

Jeremiah laughed, and told her, “Honestly, I don’t know. I guess there was just something about you.”

Just then, his cell phone rang, and he gave her a crooked smile.

Saved by the bell.

He finished his call just as Anya came back. Smiling at the two of them, she asked, “Did I miss anything exciting?”

Megan scowled at Anya’s wink, but Jeremiah smiled.

“It was quite invigorating,” he replied. “And although I wish I could stay longer, I just got a call that I’m needed at the hospital.”

Anya smiled and nodded, hiding her disappointment, and Megan said her farewells.

Glaring at Anya, Megan fished out her phone as it now began to vibrate.

Anya gave me your number.

Hope you don’t mind my contacting you. Really am sorry I had to leave.

Can I call you sometime?

Megan bit her lip as she read the messages Jeremiah had just sent.

He wants to call me??

“You gave him my number?” Megan accused.

“Well, it was obvious you liked him, and I got the impression the feeling was mutual. I figured maybe if I gave a little push, then sparks would fly. Besides, if he hadn’t been interested, he wouldn’t have shown up, or used your number,” Anya said, as though it was simplistically logical. “Now, what do the texts say?”

Sighing, Megan relinquished her phone and then had to deal with Ayna talking about how love was in the air for the next half hour.

***

The next morning, Anya was sitting in the corner of the sectional that lined two walls of her small living room. Bryan was in the kitchen making pancakes, bacon, sausage, and waffles while Kia was sitting on the floor watching cartoons and playing with a school bus that sang the alphabet.

Despite the exhaustion that was setting in, Anya attempted to maneuver herself off the couch. It really wasn’t fair that Bryan have to do everything around the house. Maybe if she moved around a little she could build up some stamina and wouldn’t feel so drained.

Telling Kia she would be right back, Anya slowly made her way to the kitchen. Bryan hadn’t heard her so she was able to steal a few moments of watching him, undetected. She couldn’t help but smile as she watched him put around the kitchen, back and forth between fridge and stove. When grease spit out of the pan and burned his hand, she couldn’t help but to let out a giggle and he cursed under his breath.

Whipping around, Bryan looked stunned to see Anya standing there, laughing at him.

“Hey, baby. I didn’t hear you get up. Do you need something?” he asked, suddenly concerned.

“No,” she assured him, smiling. “I just wanted to stretch my legs and see how things were going in here.

Bryan smiled and kissed her gently. Things were a little tense and he knew it was mostly his fault. He wasn’t dealing well.

He was glad Anya’s mother was flying in. In a few days Bree would make everything better. Anya always felt better when her mother came in for a visit. He knew it was hard to be away from everyone she loved and grew up with, and was glad that she at least had Megan here.

Bryan remembered Bree’s devastation when she found out that her only child had cancer. She had wanted to come right away, but Anya had insisted there was nothing at the moment that could be done until they knew all the facts. But Anya couldn’t keep her mother at bay for long.

She insisted she was coming in but agreed to give the couple a week to try to put all their ducks in a row and get some definitive answers before she barged in like a mother hen. But he knew that Anya was secretly glad that her mother wasn’t entirely listening to her daughter’s protests.

“I’m fine in here, really,” he assured her.

Anya laughed. “Yeah, right. That’s why your pancakes are burning?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Damn!” Bryan yelled as he rushed back to the stove to try to salvage the first few pancakes of breakfast.

“Out!” he ordered Anya, shooing her away. “You’re too distracting,” he accused as he gave her a swift kiss before he headed back to the stove with the pancake batter.

Laughing, Anya made her way back to the living room. She was in much better spirits. The only thing that would make the day any better than having a nice family breakfast, would be some good news at her appointment later.

Thinking of her appointment, she wondered when Megan would be there. She had assured Anya she would be there for breakfast, and she thought maybe she should give her best friend a call and make sure that everything was still set for breakfast. It was a little unusual that Megan wasn’t there already. Usually she was up at the crack of dawn!

Distracted, Anya leaned against the wall with the television as she watched her daughter play with her bus and a stuffed dog. Kia was so innocent and oblivious to all that was going on. She was just thankful for every day that she got to wake up and see her baby girl.

Anya wanted desperately to be like any other young mother and be able to play with her daughter on the floor. The doctor at the hospital had told her to take it easy, but really, what was the difference between sitting on the couch or the floor?

Anya had some trouble with bending sometimes, even to get to the couch. Figuring it would be best to get on the couch and then from the couch to the floor, she eased herself onto the couch. After grabbing her cell from one of the other cushions, Anya started to make her way to Kia.

As she slid down off the cushion and towards the floor, Anya felt a sudden red hot pain shoot through her back, and let out an involuntary scream. The sudden, shrill sound startled Kia and she began to wail.

From the other room, Anya heard faint sounds of metal hitting the floor, but as she reached for her toddler, Anya's vision blurred and everything went black.