The Redheads of Mmm...Doctor!

Title: Perfect Stranger
Author: Elizabeth
Email: bethiewhyte@yahoo.ca

I'm sitting in Doc Magoos a month later being force fed by Kim and Kerry. They have teamed up with Alex and managed to figure out I'd been living on chunky chicken soup and coke. They dragged me over here and ordered some fancy noodle thing, water and milk. They made me down the milk and threatened me with an iv. Kerry waits for me to swallow three forks full of pasta before asking how Alex is. I sigh. "Well she ate something today and she's finally off the antibiotics so the chemo isn't bothering her as much."

Kerry smiles and says, "Well that's something anyway."

"Yeah. But she's depressed. I don't know what to do about it."

Kim cuts in, "Well the only thing you can do about that is give her time and make sure she knows you're there for her."

"Yeah. Well at least she's letting people visit her again. There was a time there when she wouldn't even let her parents in. And one weekend she insisted on having her brother flown in and him spending the weekend with her."

Kerry takes my hand. I look up at her. She's pregnant again, which means she's glowing again. She and Kim have moved into a house together and it has done a wealth of good for her. The er runs much more smoothly. "Don't worry Susan. She's just having a bad time of it. She'll pull through."

"Yeah" I say and hang my head.

Kim cuts in now, "No it's true Susan. She's still talking to me everyday and seems to be making a lot of progress. She's getting better now. You know that. You can see it."

I nod. I can see it. Everyday I go up and Alex has color back in her face and is sitting up looking better. Except she's not happy about being in the hospital, and there's nothing I can do to make that better. I think about this as I finish my food and Kim and Kerry let me go back up to Oncology. I make my way up and Laura meets me in the hall with a smile. She has been spending her shifts being Alex's nurse. They've created a bond that has helped Alex a little. Laura puts her hand on my arm and says, "Alex ate today."

"She did?"

"Yeah she had lunch. And if she keeps it down by supper time she'll be able to go home."

"Oh thank God. Is she sleeping?"

"No. she's gone for a walk."

"A walk?"

"Yeah. Said she felt like going for a walk. I told her she could go down to the er and called ahead to have people look out for her." I stare at her in disbelief. "So her fever?"

"Gone. Antibiotics have been out of her system for two weeks now and she's been fine. Her blood is back up and her white blood count is normal. This, Susan is what you doctors call in the clear."

I am so happy there are tears in my eyes. I lean over and give Laura a hug. "Thank you. I'm going to go down and find her."

Laura smiles and squeezes my arm before going back to work. I make my way down to the er to find my love. I see her right away talking to Kerry and taking a temperature. Wait a minute.

"Alex!"

She looks up and smiles when she sees me. "Hey Hun, don't worry I'm not working, I just wanted to talk to Kerry so I'm helping take a temp."

"Okay but be careful. Listen Laura just told me you can go home after supper."

Alex screams and runs into my arms. I pull her up and swing her around before pulling her into a hug. She's crying, I'm crying, I even see a tear escape Kerry. She comes over and says "Congratulations Alex. Sounds like you're in the clear."

We visit with some other people and then go back upstairs where Alex sits down and eats her supper. Laura comes in with the doctor who says she can be discharged. They leave and Alex's parents come in a few minutes later. Alex is sitting on the chair and I am packing. Carol looks around. "What's going on?"

"I'm going home" Alex replies.

"Tonight?"

"As soon as we're done packing" I say.

Carol smiles and hugs her daughter. Then she comes over and hugs me. Bill is just standing there with tears streaming down his face. I smile at them and say, "Lets get our girl home."

We decide we're going to surprise Jill and the girls. Carol and Bill make a million trips to their car with stuff and Laura wheels Alex to my car. We make the drive to Dupott drive together, holding hands all the way. Alex will go back to the hospital tomorrow for chemo, but if her blood is good she will go back to every second day. We pull into the driveway and Alex leans over to give me a kiss before getting out. We walk in and I yell "I'm home!"

The kids come up running to hug me and then stop in the middle of the hall. They stare at Alex for a minute, and then recover. "AUNT ALEX!" Kris is first. She screams it so loud I'm sure Elizabeth can hear her and then flings herself at her aunt. Susie smiles and follows, but more shy. After all, she doesn't know Alex that well outside the hospital. The kids can't stop talking and they give Alex a tour of their newly furnished rooms. Jill comes out from the kitchen. "Hey I was on the phone. What's going on?"

"Alex is home."

"What? Home here? Here home?"

I laugh. "Yes. She's upstairs getting a tour."

The door opens again and Carol and Bill come in loaded down with bags. "There's sill more in the car" Carol says. Jill says she'll help and goes out.

"We'll help too" Says Kris as she and Susie come down the stairs.

"Aunt Susan you have to go upstairs. Alex is waiting in your bedroom."

"Why Susie?"

"I don't know she just said to get up there."

I go up, expecting the worst, hoping for the best. I walk into the room as Alex comes out of the bathroom. In her robe. Open. With nothing underneath. I smile, and close and lock the door. "Don't you think they'll miss us?"

"Oh they'll figure it out" Alex says, then takes me in her arms and kisses me. I kiss her back. She makes quick work of my clothes and then stands back to look at me naked. "You lost a lot of weight Suse."

"I know." I pull off her robe, "Hey you didn't. How'd you manage that?"

Alex smiled. "Laura put some fat in my nutrition iv. Worked well don't you think?"

"Yeah. You actually look pretty good for someone who's been in the hospital for a month and some."

Alex smiles and pushes me on the bed. She then sits on me and I can already feel her wetness. We then proceed to make love, not caring if anyone misses us, not thinking of anything else but what is right now and how much we love each other.

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