Page 12 of Believe

“How long will the surgery take?” asked Gaspar.

“Ten, maybe twelve hours. It will be brutal which is why everyone is scrubbing in. We’d be grateful for prayers,” said Riley.

“Praying helps,” smiled the little girl in Juan’s arms. “My aunt and uncle pray all the time.”

Nine stood, approaching the frail, tiny child. He touched her smooth, soft head and kissed her forehead, Gaspar following, did the same.

“You look just like my angel,” whispered the little girl. Gaspar smiled at her and nodded. “He visits me every night and reads me stories. He has your eyes and the sweetest voice.”

“I think your angel might be my father,” he grinned.

“He’s really nice and gives the best hugs and kisses.” She yawned and Gaspar stared at Jane and Riley.

“We gave her a lot of pain meds just in case.” Riley turned to Juan. “Get her to the O.R. We’ll be right there.”

When both were gone, the room stared at Jane and Riley.

“Don’t ask,” said Jane. “There is a one-percent chance this will work but we can’t just sit and do nothing. We spoke to Dr. Patel at St. Jude and he thinks it’s worth a shot. We’ll do all we can. It’s gonna be a long night. Keep the coffee coming.”

“We’ll do better than that,” said Sara. “Let’s go gentlemen.”

By the time they were ready to operate, cots and blankets had been put out in the waiting area. Pastries and coffee were ready and available for anyone who wanted them.

Every two hours or so, one of the nurses would emerge with a brief update. It wasn’t much but at least they knew that little Madeline was alive. When the surgery began, it was 7:13 p.m. When it ended, it was 8:06 a.m. Jane and Riley looked as if they might fall over. Doc, Wilson, Ajei, Kennedy, Ambry and Cruz were all standing zombies.

“H-how is she?” asked her aunt, Maribeth.

“She’s alive and we got all of the tumor,” said Riley. “We had to take some bone from the spine but it shouldn’t affect her ability to walk if this was successful.”

“If?” asked her uncle, Geoff. “I thought you said you got it all?”

“We did get all of the tumor but we can’t be sure if the affects from before will be long lasting. It could have done permanent damage. She’ll still need continued radiation and chemotherapy to ensure we’ve killed all the cells.”

“Oh, God,” whispered Maribeth.

“Listen to me,” said Ajei stepping forward. “That little girl got a chance because of the two of you and these fine surgeons. That’s more than she had a week ago. At best, she’ll live a full, healthy life. At worse, she’s got a little more time. Let’s pray for the at best.”

Claudette, a retired nurse was sitting with the girl in the room. She poked her head out from the back and smiled.

“Excuse me, but our patient is asking to see Aunt Maribeth, Uncle Geoff and her giants.”

Tailor, Alec, Max and the others chuckled, tears coming down their cheeks.

“You go ahead,” said Alec. “Tell her we’ll be in there in a little while.” Her aunt and uncle followed Claudette to recovery while the rest waited, staring at Riley and Jane.

“There’s nothing else, guys. We wait and see if this worked. As we said, we got all of the tumor and shaved some of the bone to ensure we cut off any tentacles. We’ll need to wait and see, run some tests, and hopefully in a few days she’ll be well enough to take a swim.”

Exhaustion suddenly took over every man and woman in the waiting room. Not willing to leave just yet, they fell asleep for a few hours, waking only as her aunt and uncle appeared, smiling.

“Is she okay?” asked Tailor.

“She’s smiling, asking for food, and seems to be in great spirits. She says she can feel her legs and toes but we won’t know if they actually work for a few days,” smiled Geoff. “We’ll never be able to thank you for everything you’ve done.”

“That little girl walking out of here would be thanks enough,” said Alec. “Listen, some of the treatments we’re going to use on her will seem radical, maybe even magical. We’re begging you, don’t tell anyone.”

“You have our word,” said Maribeth. “We’ll just say it was a miracle because that’s what you guys have given us. A miracle.”

“Well,” smiled Gaspar, “it’s Christmas and everyone knows if you want miracles and wishes granted, you just have to believe.”