Читать книгу Survival Pressures Two - Daryl Carrigan - Страница 5

Olivia walked in the door after another hard days work at the Institute; John, Frank, Robert and Carla were there.

Olivia said with a sigh. “It has been a long productive haul at work but things seem to be working themselves out. We’ve reorganized the groups, making progress on major projects and morale couldn’t be better. Sorry, I’m bringing my work home. Please give me a few minutes to freshen up and change my clothes.”

Frank and Carla were keeping a close eye on Robert as they now seemed insuperable. John was in the living room marking mid-term exams and was making considerable progress. A few minutes later, Olivia came down the stairs and was dressed in casual clothes looking much more relaxed than earlier.

Olivia then said, “How’s my little man?” and Olivia picked up Robert and cuddled him in her arms.

Robert immediately recognized Olivia and started to smile and laugh. Olivia then played a few games with Robert and he was very easily amused.

Everyone could tell the time that they spent together was very special.

About half an hour later, Olivia said to Carla, “What’s for dinner tonight?”

Carla replied. “I’ve created a pot-roast for dinner with vegetables and sweet potatoes.”

Olivia then said, “It sounds delicious. How’s Robert been? Have you had any problems with him?”

Carla replied. “Robert has been very good, and I think he’s feeling just fine.”

Olivia smiled and said, “Carla, I’m so glad to hear that.”

Carla then took the delicious meal out of the oven and put it on the table. Needless to say, everyone was at the table in record time. Frank and Carla sat at the table beside each other, and John, Olivia and Robert were together at the other side. Everyone served themselves and they busily ate dinner, all except Frank.

Olivia couldn’t help but notice the way Frank and Carla were looking at each other and it put a smile on her face. Olivia had thought Frank was a confirmed bachelor. When dinner was over, without a word Frank and Carla cleared off the table and put all the dishes in dishwasher.

Olivia mentioned. “I seriously need some down time as it has been non-stop around the office. Could we play a game of Charade’s? We’ll need a group of four people, so Carla would you please join us.”

Carla replied. “Well of course,” and then she sat down beside Frank.

Little Robert was put into his play area nearby and then Olivia went over and sat beside John. For the next hour the four of them toiled at finding the words their teammates were trying to describe. Finally, they declared it a tie.

At the end of the game, Carla went into the kitchen with Frank and they made a pitcher of iced tea and a tray of cookies. Before they went into the living room, Carla and Frank exchanged a passionate kiss.

Carla put the pitcher of iced tea on the table and Frank put the plate of cookies on the table beside it. When Frank went to sit down, he all of a sudden gave a low groan and showed a clear pain in his abdomen. Olivia, John and Carla could see Frank’s discomfort and all of a sudden the atmosphere changed.

“Dad, I see that you’re in pain. What’s going on?

Frank said, “Oh Olivia, it’s probably nothing. I’ve been feeling a little bit of pain in my abdomen that seems to be radiating towards my back. I’ve also not had an appetite lately, been losing some weight and have felt a little down. It’s probably the flu.”

Olivia paused, and you could see that she was processing the information given and extrapolating the probably cause of the sickness.

“Dad, it could be the flu but I’m going to bring you into the clinic tomorrow and we will carry out some routine tests.”

Frank sat back and said, “Okay Olivia. In general I don’t like doctors, but I’ll make a exception in your case.”

They all had a good laugh.

The next morning Olivia got up and she wanted to see little Robert and couldn’t find him or Carla. Olivia became upset and went to John and asked him where Robert and Carla were.

John said, “Olivia, don’t worry. Carla has been taking Robert out to the grandpa suite at night and has been keeping a eye on Frank for the last two weeks. Carla noticed that your dad was a little sick for a while and didn’t want to overly concern you. We all know the stress you’ve been under and the time you’ve had to spend away from home.”

“Olivia,” John said, “Carla and Frank have become very fond of each other, and I think that they love each other.”

Olivia replied with a smile on her face. “I could tell by the way they looked at each other last night that they had become close. I’m so very happy for both of them.”

Olivia then paused, smiled and said, “Oh, okay.”

John added “The grandpa suite is better laid out than most normal houses. Robert has his play area, extra bed, diapers and anything else that he needs there. If your dad is sick then I really think that Carla and Robert are the best medicine for him.”

Olivia sat back on her chair in the kitchen and said, “John, I thought that I was the only doctor in this family, but you are absolutely right.”

John smiled and called Frank’s grandpa suite through the wireless intercom and asked him to go in with Olivia to the Waybury Institute this morning.

Frank let John know it would be about half a hour till he was ready due to him needing some breakfast and a shower. When Frank was done his shower and breakfast, Carla gave him a passionate kiss and wished him well for the day ahead at the Institute.

When Olivia arrived at work with Frank, she went to a senior Doctor that worked at the Institute and immediately ordered a whole slew of tests. That day, Frank had his blood and urine examined along with a complete physical.

On top of that, over the next several days, he had a abdominal ultrasound, CT scan, MRI and a endoscope examination.

A number of doctors had a meeting to look through all the scans and reports in order to come to a proper diagnosis. Finally, they came to a consensus.

The lead doctor then planned a meeting in Olivia’s office where Frank and Olivia would sit on the couch, and the senior Doctor would sit in the chair on the end.

Then the Doctor looked at Frank and said, “Mr. McNabb you have level two pancreatic cancer. There are three levels to this disease and it’s a killer. There are a variety of treatments for this disease including operations, chemotherapy and other alternative treatments.”

“You see, as Olivia has so amply spelled out, Medical advancements have been held back by sinister powers in the FDA and pharmaceutical companies. Me and many of my compatriot’s have done everything humanly possible to fight these diseases with some having limited success,” as he turned his head and smiled at Olivia.

“If this disease would have been detected earlier, then we could have started treatment earlier. This is a very difficult disease to quickly diagnose as it disguises itself as the common flu. By the time it has been diagnosed, this killer has advanced.”

Frank then asked, “How much time do I have left?”

After a pause the doctor said, “Mr. McNabb, we hope to completely kill this disease, but if we can’t prevail then you have six months to live.”

The expression on Frank’s face changed to extreme grief and Olivia felt his pain. Olivia thanked the doctor for his diagnosis and response, and then told him to plan, schedule and inform her and Frank of the next course of action by 4pm. The doctor left the room.

Frank sadly said, “Oh Olivia, I was so happy to be living with you and John. Then I saw it as a wonderful gift to become a grandfather with having Robert around, and I then fell in love with Carla. Why, oh why has this fallen on me?”

Olivia then lovingly went up to her father and held him in her arms, while he broke down grasping and crying. She then remembered that as a child that when she would fall down that dad would come to the rescue, pick her up, lovingly clean her wounds, put a band aid on the cut, kissed it and made it all well.

She knew that she might not be able to do the same for her dad. Olivia wept. Over the coming weeks and months Frank went through radiation and Chemotherapy. It took a lot out of him, and he was determined to fight this monster.

Word had got through to Stan about the Frank’s condition, and he went into investigating alternative medicine to find out a cure to this disease. Olivia also decided that a part-time nurse would come in and make sure to keep on top of Frank’s condition and help him out when he needed it.

Frank seemed to be tired and slept a lot of the time, but would always show life, happiness and resolve when Carla and Robert would come to visit. These visits became more and more precious. As he knew that the time left during his one and only life could very well be coming to a close soon.

Carla and Frank fell more in love as time went by, and slept by his side every night. Robert slept in his crib within hearing distance.

One morning before radiation treatment, Frank said to Carla, “My sweet Carla, I don’t know what’s going to happen with my disease, but I know that I love you. I don’t know if I have 5 weeks or 50 years to live, but whatever time I have left I want it to be with you. Would you marry me?”

Carla lost all train of thought, was facing the window and Frank saw her wipe away tears from her eyes. She turned around and ran over to Frank and said, “Oh Frank, of course I’ll marry you,” and they hugged and kissed.

That day Frank and Carla then made the announcement to Olivia and John that they loved each other and that they were going to be getting married. Olivia then hugged Carla and her dad, and John said, “I’m really glad to see that the two of you are going to be tying the knot,” and they all hugged too.

To celebrate the occasion they all shared a bottle of champagne. The ceremony was a very small engagement in their home with a justice of the peace, Stan, a few friends with elegant music and catering.

Even though this was a small event, Carla wore a beautiful white dress and Frank wore a black tuxedo. Carla and Frank then made their own customized vows to each other and proclaimed them to each other at the ceremony.

After the vows were performed, they exchanged rings and passionately kissed. Even though there were only a few people at the event, the applause and cheering was almost deafening.

During the catered event, Stan had a quiet discussion with Olivia and John about some excellent alternative treatments that would help cure Frank’s cancer, and how he’d help get the treatments to Frank. Olivia then hugged Stan.

Stan, Olivia, Frank, Carla and John sat down and they discussed the exciting alternative medicine cure to his cancer. Frank looked a little more chipper on this, his and Carla’s day.

For the next two weeks Carla and Frank spent alone out in the grandpa and now grandma suite. They would have taken a long vacation, but that would involve Frank missing his critically needed radiation treatments.

Olivia, through Stan hired a temporary help to see that everything was okay around the house for the two week period. The radiation treatments and Chemotherapy went well during this period, and with little Robert, Carla, Olivia and John nearby.

For six months Frank, and Carla had a good time together.

***

At the end of all the radiation treatments that he could take for his disease, he had a follow-up appointment with his doctor. The doctor then looked at his outward appearance and said that he really looked good.

Frank replied, “I’m in love and have married the woman I love, with my daughter, grandson and son-in-law living right beside me.”

The doctor then congratulated Frank.

The doctor said, “Frank, you’re going to have some routine follow-up tests and hopefully you’ll be in near perfect health.”

The follow-up tests were carried out and the doctor and the specialists got together. The senior doctor called Frank up and scheduled an appointment with him, and then he called Olivia and asked her and Carla be there too.

At the appointment, the doctor said, “Frank, We’ve given you the full gamut of radiation and Chemotherapy for your cancer and it’s spread to all of the major organs of your body. If the disease had have been detected earlier, or medical progress had advanced enough then we could have done more. I’m so very sorry.”

Frank’s expression was that of a broken man where Carla and Olivia cried and both of them hugged Frank. Olivia then whispered to Frank, “We’ll keep fighting with the alternative medicine.”

Olivia hugged her dad and whispered in his ear, “Dad, don’t worry we’ll try alternative medicine and hopefully it’ll do the job.” When Frank was looking away, Carla and Olivia then gave each other a ominous look.

Stan’s alternative medicine’s did curtail some of the negative effects of the cancer but it clearly wasn’t enough. Slowly Frank’s condition deteriorated and everyone could see it.

Frank let it be known to everyone that he wanted to stay at home and be nursed there, regardless of the outcome. Frank looked troubled one day, and one evening when Carla was out shopping, called Olivia over to their Grandparent suite.

Olivia knocked at the door, and Frank came to the door and opened it soon thereafter. Olivia then said, “How is our newly wed doing this evening? I see that Carla’s not here right now.”

Frank said, “Oh Carla’s out shopping this evening, as I think she needs some time out from me.”

Olivia could see the seriousness on Frank’s face and her expression changed. Olivia then said, “What’s wrong dad?”

Frank spoke up and said, “Olivia, this has been burrowing on my soul for a long-time and I’ve never spoke of this before.” After a pause he continued, “Olivia, do you remember when I was a senior engineer and owner of my own alternative energy company?”

Olivia replied. “Of course dad. It always troubled me that you lost all funding and closed your company.”

Frank paused and said, “Olivia, there was a lot more to this story that you might think. When I started this business, I had a vision to create a vehicle that would be completely free of pollution and would almost be maintenance free. It was my life’s work and dream to make the world a better place through this technological innovation.”

“I had done the impossible and the only thing that held me back was the critically needed funding for some final Research and Development, and marketing.”

“After doing some research, a Green Company came through the front door of my business and said that it has some serious investors that had very deep pockets. They said, they would become controlling partners of my corporation, in exchange for all the funding that I’d ever need.”

After a long sigh, Frank continued, “Naively, I thought that my ship had come in. I thought, well I’d like a controlling share in my business, but it’s better to have some control rather than have no product come out on the market. After consulting with my lawyer, I signed the papers.”

“Soon thereafter, the funding came in and I thought all was well. But soon thereafter the lawyers for this ‘Green Company’ came in and said that they were pulling out all funding and closing the company.”

“Later I found out that they were representing the oil interests out there, and the EPA. You see with no need for oil, there would be no pollution and thus no need for the EPA or the oil companies. They were going to fold my business up, and did.”

“I was offered two million dollars to shut-up and I had to sign a non-disclosure clause. I signed it and thought the matter was closed.”

Soon thereafter, I was leaving work one night really late after announcing the closure of our company due to a lack of funding. All of a sudden, some men with Bela clava’s over their face drove up to me and got out of a Hummer. They forced me to the ground and put a gun to my head. One of them said, “Mr. Turlo, You only have one way to get out of this, you either completely shut up about your new product, or your daughter and wife will simply disappear.”

“We’ll be watching you, and if there’s any sign that you’re playing around with us then they’ll simply vanish. We’ve made people disappear in the past, and we are not scared to do it again. It’s all up to you.”

Frank continued. “That was my only chance to make the world a better place, and I was robbed of it. My heart was broken and that mixed with the loss of my business, this created a split between me and your mom.”

“She eventually left me, and took almost all of the $2 million in the divorce, but I had the best part in the settlement, you.”

“I was alone in the world with you, and made the very best of things in starting a construction business. I’d work during the day, and do the very best that I could in bringing you up. You were the only light in my life.”

Olivia had tears going down her face and hugged her dad saying, “Daddy you did a really great job. You are so very brave and kept on going.”

Frank then said, “That’s just the way things are in the world today, honey. Maybe things will change some day.”

Olivia hugged her dad even harder. After taking a few minutes to compose herself, she said, “Dad, why did you decide to tell me?”

Frank paused and said, “Olivia honey, I’m a little scared that I might not make it through this time and just wanted to share this with someone that I cared for and loved. I hope that I have not troubled you, and ask that you please keep this private.”

Olivia smiled, wiped the tears off her cheeks, and said, “Dad, you did just fine in telling me this and I’ll keep this secret. You are still definitely my hero.”

Olivia and Frank then talked for a while, she hugged her dad, and then they parted company. Frank would enjoy Robert’s visits, and Carla was almost continually at his side now. The nurse was in everyday to make sure that everything that could be done medically would was done.

On a cold, damp winter evening the nurse had been called in due to Frank’s deteriorating medical condition and Olivia, John, Carla, and Robert were nearby.

She administered more pain killers for Frank and then said to call any-time day or night for anything else she could do. Carla thanked the nurse for her help. Frank could not take the pain anymore, and asked for Olivia to come in and see her.

Frank spoke “Olivia, we’ve been on a long adventure together and I’m in a lot of pain. I remember the times that we have had at the park, where we went on the merry-go-round, and I’d take you on my shoulders where ever we went. I remembered when you fell down and scraped your knee, and I’d clean the wound and put the band aide on it. Also, I’d enjoy our camping together during each summer.”

“Later, I remembered your passion in helping people and you joined the Peace Corp, and then your medical training. You made me so proud when you followed your passion in life. Then you met John, the man of your dreams, got married and had Robert.”

“You then went to the Waybury Cancer and Pandemic Institute and cured a pandemic and saved millions of people’s lives. Olivia, all your hopes and dreams have come true and a father couldn’t be more prouder of a daughter. I’m so very proud of and love you.”

“Olivia, it’s time for me to go. I’ve finished my course and have done the very best that I could have.”

Olivia then broke down and layed her head on Frank’s shoulder and said, “Daddy, don’t go. There’s still work to be done, I can save you..”

Olivia was in agonizing pain and said, “I won’t let you go. Don’t go.”

Frank then smiled and said, “Olivia, Olivia, Olivia. I’ll always be with you as long as you live, as long as you remember me. I love you.”

Frank suddenly showed a sharp spike in pain that went throughout his entire body. He was finally able to control the pain and said, “Olivia, you have to go. Please get Carla.”

Olivia slowly went away, knowing this was the last time that she was going to see her father alive. She knew that there wasn’t much time left. and went to Carla and said, “He’s calling for you.”

Carla went into the room where she and Frank had a long talk together and there was a long-silence. Finally, she kissed Frank on the lips and he was gone.

Broken hearted, Carla started uncontrolled weeping out loud and Olivia ran in the room to comfort her. Olivia and Carla both wept and cried for a very long time, while John and Robert did the same.

Olivia later went over to John and he could see that she was crushed and hurt beyond words by the hurt expression on her face. She cried in his arms for a very long-time.

Olivia knew what her father had said was true about saving the world from a major pandemic, but she also knew the greatest irony of all is that she couldn’t save her father, the most important man in the world to her.