My Hero (Cowboy Craze)

by Sable Hunter

  “You’re a doll, aren’t you?” Apple kissed her on the forehead and Nita caught her hand.

  “Mi Apple.”

  My Apple.

  Apple’s heart contracted so hard she almost lost her breath.

  A tap on the door alerted them they had company. Dr. Hall came in, his stethoscope around his neck. “How’s our patient?”

  “Good. Bueno,” Nita answered for herself.

  “Well, that’s fine and dandy.” The doctor began to examine her. “Do you have any pain?”

  Nita held two fingers apart just a fraction. “Achy. Poco. Little.”

  “I see. Do you feel pretty strong, Nita?”

  “Si. Yes. Si.”

  “Hmmmm.” Dr. Hall nodded. “Let’s see how hard you can pull my finger.” He stuck out his pointing finger.

  “I don’t know, Nita.” Benjen chuckled. “I’m not sure I’d do that if I were you.”

  Dr. Hall frowned at him. “It’s safe. Something’s going to happen if she pulls hard enough.” He cocked his head toward Benjen. “But’s it’s not what you think.”

  Nita pulled his finger and the doctor’s other hand popped out of his pocket with a red lollipop.

  “Guau!”

  “That’s right. Wow!” said Benjen with a smile.

  “You eat that and I need to talk to these two fine folks.”

  Dr. Hall motioned for them to step out in the hallway. Apple was so nervous she could barely breathe.

  “What is it, Dr. Hall?” Apple waited, so tense her muscles felt frozen.

  “Well, I’ll just give it to you straight. She does have a blood disease, one that can be diagnosed as leukemia. We weren’t looking for it, because of her ethnicity…but…”

  “Get to the bottom line, Doc,” Benjen urged. “What’s wrong with Nita?”

  “Sickle cell anemia. I know the disease is usually associated with African Americans, but it’s not rare in Central America.”

  “Sickle cell anemia?” Apple looked up at the doctor, worriedly. “I know so little about the disease. What do we do? Can she be cured?”

  He shook his head. “The only cure is a bone marrow transplant and that’s an iffy prospect.”

  “But…” Apple started to speak, remembering Alan had required a bone marrow transplant also. Before she could get another word out, Dr. Hall held up his hand. Still…a plan was formulating in her mind.

  “Now, is not the time or the place to decide that. What I want to do is get her ready to be moved. There are some positive things I can do to make her feel better quickly and that’s give her antibiotics, a blood transfusion, and some pain medications. We’ll also start her on some Droxia, which will stimulate the development of hemoglobin.”

  “How long will it take for her to feel like traveling?”

  Dr. Hall turned to look at Nita. “Let me do all of this, then give her twenty-four hours and we’ll see. If she’s still weak, we’ll give her another round of antibiotics and wait again.” He tapped on his tablet and ordered the meds. “When you get to Austin, I want you to find a doctor to continue her treatments. At that time, you can begin to discuss her options. If she continues to feel fairly well and remain stable, you might want to delay the bone marrow transplant, but I wouldn’t delay it past age sixteen.”

  “Why?” Benjen asked. “What happens at age sixteen?”

  “There’s a marked drop in the success rate and a marked increase in risk.”

  “Good reason, I guess.” Apple hugged herself and bowed her head. “Okay, let’s do what we can now and we’ll start hunting another doctor. Any recommendations?”

  “I can put together a list for you, yes. Any other questions?”

  Benjen looked at Apple, then shook his head. “No, not right now.”

  “All right. I’ll check back with you folks a little later. The nurse will be in shortly to take her vitals and begin the medications. We’ll also get her some food.”

  After the doctor left, Apple pulled out her phone. “I’m going to try the grandmother now.”

  “All right. I’ll sit with Nita.” Benjen tugged a chair near the bed. “Do you want me to read to you like Uncle Saxon did?”

  “Oh, yes. Please.”

  As Benjen began to read, Apple stepped out into the hall and walked to the exit for better reception. Since the woman had called her three times, the number Simone Alvarez called from was stored on her phone. After looking up the country code, Apple placed the call.

  She paced as she waited. After letting the phone ring ten times, she hung up and returned to Nita’s room.

  Benjen was standing to one side as a nurse fed Nita some applesauce. Apple could see a bag of platelets hung up on the IV pole.

  “Did you talk to her?”

  “No, there was no answer.”

  “Well, we’ll try again later. I’m sure you’ll be able to reach her next time.” They remained out of the way while the nurse finished feeding Nita and giving her the prescribed medications. Once she was through, Nita held out her hand. “Apple?”

  “You’re being paged.” Benjen winked at her.

  “I am.” She glanced at Nita. “Be right there, sweetheart.”

  Benjen touched her shoulder before she could walk off. “While you two do girl stuff, I’m going to step out and call my brothers. Do you want me to call anyone for you besides Sara?”

  “Dr. Cleveland, if you would.”

  “Of course.” He leaned over to claim a kiss. “I’ll be back soon with breakfast. Can I bring you a soda?”

  “That sounds good.”

  Once Benjen was gone, Apple hurried to Nita. “What do you need, pretty girl.”

  “Will you hold my hand?”

  “Of course, I’d love to.” She settled beside her and took the small child’s hand in hers. “Who could resist a request like that?”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  For the next twenty-four hours, Benjen and Apple hovered over Nita. The bond between them grew strong very fast. While they waited for the blood transfusion and antibiotics to do its work, Benjen researched Dr. Hall’s list of recommended physicians. When Alivia and Saxon came over to check on them, Benjen went over the list with her.

  “Now, that we know what we’re dealing with, let me do a little legwork,” Alivia volunteered. “I’ve had quite a bit of experience with this type of thing.”

  Apple was amazed. “Is there anything you can’t do?”

  “Sit still,” Saxon answered dryly.

  “I’m not a doctor, don’t pretend to be. My connection is my blood. I have what they call golden blood, it’s a special type, very rare. I can donate blood to almost anyone, but I can receive blood only from another person with RHNull. Although I obviously can’t help everyone, my name is on most hospital’s speed dial for extreme emergencies. I have quite a few connections and I might be able to narrow this list down for you and find out who is on the very top of their game.”

  “Could you donate to Nita?” Apple asked, with hope in her eyes. “Not blood. Bone marrow?”

  “I wish I could and if I’m a match, I certainly will.” Alivia held up her hand to make a point. “There’s a difference, though. A blood transfusion is based on blood type, while a bone marrow donor is determined by their human leukocyte antigen or HLA, which is actually their DNA, based on ethnicity and relationship.”

  Apple rubbed her head. “This is complicated.”

  “It is. What I can do for you is make sure you have the latest and best information. I have an AI robot that can filter through everything on the internet in a fraction of the time it would take most computers. If you do choose to hunt a donor, I can make sure we turn over every rock in our search until we find the best one.”

  “That’s a generous offer. I accept.” Benjen gave her a smile. “We’re going to need all the help we can get.”

  After that, the Abbots told them goodbye, giving them a surprise before they left. “Micah told me to tell you that the Chancellor jet will be h
ere to take you back to Austin. They just need six hours’ notice. So, keep that in mind.”

  “That’s amazing.” Apple gave both husband and wife a big hug. “We’re going to miss you.”

  “I’m not going to give you time to miss us,” Alivia promised. “I’ll call you tomorrow and check on that baby.”

  Once the Abbots left, there was nothing for Benjen and Apple to do – but wait and lean on one another for strength.

  …During the night, Nita awoke them whimpering, “Apple. Beegee.”

  Both were on their feet within moments. They’d chosen to sleep in chairs by her side rather than split up to go to the hotel for rest.

  “What you need, hon?” Benjen reached her first.

  “I hut. Doler.” She held her arm up and rubbed her wrist and hands. “Feet hut too and my wegs.”

  “Call the nurse. Call the doctor,” Apple told Benjen frantically as she took the baby’s arm in one hand and rubbed it with the other. “We’ll get you some pain medication, little one. You’ll feel better soon.”

  Benjen didn’t wait to press the call button, he hurried out the door and was back in a few moments with the nurse, who promptly paged the doctor.

  As the nurse took Nita’s vitals, Apple clung to Benjen’s hand. “What’s happening to her?” she begged to know.

  “The doctor will be with you in a moment,” the nurse murmured as she continued to work on the child.

  When Dr. Hall arrived, the nurse explained the situation while the concerned couple looked on. After examining Nita himself, he gave the nurse directions to give the patient an injection of pain killer immediately, then begin another round of the meds they’d given her the day before, including another bag of platelets.

  “Yes, doctor,” the nurse agreed. She left in a hurry and quickly returned with a syringe. Apple held Nita’s hand while the nurse administered the injection.

  “She’ll feel some relief pretty quickly,” Dr. Hall muttered. He stood next to Nita, holding her wrist while the child whimpered. “Have you felt bad like this before, sweetie?”

  “Si. Yes. Si.”

  “Well, it’s going to be better soon, honey. Just hold on,” the doctor spoke in a soothing tone, rubbing Nita’s tiny wrist with his thumb while they waited.

  To Apple, the next few moments seemed like an eternity. When Nita began to relax and her eyes drifted close, she let out a long breath of relief. “Thank God. I think the medicine is working. What happened, Doctor?”

  Once the nurse left to fill the rest of the doctor’s orders, he turned to Apple and Benjen. “I was afraid of this. Nita is experiencing what is known as a sickle cell crisis.” Seeing their confused looks, he nodded. “I know it sounds a little obvious and we don’t know exactly what triggers them. What this means is that her red blood cells are getting stuck in the small blood vessels in her chest, belly, and joints.”

  “Stuck?” Benjen asked with a frown. “What do you mean?”

  The doctor went on to explain, “Well, let’s suppose you drop something in the sink in your kitchen. Let’s say a marshmallow. This item is small and of little value, so it’s not issue. You can run the water and send it on down the drain. But…let’s say you drop a small action figure down the drain, you’ve got a bigger problem and it’s going to clog up your pipes if you don’t call a professional. That’s what happens in a sickle cell crisis. A person’s red blood cells are normally round and they’re flexible, they can move easily through your system. With sickle cell, it’s not that simple, the cells are curved like a sickle and they’re hard. They don’t move as easily and when they get jammed up and the blood and oxygen doesn’t get to the parts of the body like they should, this causes pretty intense pain.”

  “Sounds like it could cause much worse than pain,” Benjen muttered softly.

  “Well, yes, it can.” Dr. Hall looked sympathetically at Apple. “Damage to your organs and death if not treated promptly and properly.”

  “Oh, God, no. Help her!” Apple began to cry and Benjen enfolded her in his embrace to comfort her.

  “This isn’t my specialty. We need to call in a hematologist. While I can pull her over this rough spot, I can’t do much more than that. If you want, I can contact someone locally, or you can take her on home. This is not going to be an ordeal of a short duration, I’m sure you’d rather take her closer to where you live.”

  “We’d rather take her home,” Benjen said, while maintaining eye contact with Apple to insure she was agreeing with his decision.

  “All right. She’ll do better flying than driving,” the doctor suggested.

  Benjen nodded. “We’ve been offered the use of a plane. I just need to give the pilot a six-hour notice.”

  “Well, that should be about right. Go ahead and call them and we’ll do what we can for her here.” He let out a harsh breath. “I wish I could’ve cured her for you, but this is a serious disease. What’s complicated matters is that we don’t know how long she may have gone untreated. We don’t know when her symptoms began or what’s been done for her up to this point.”

  “Yes,” Apple agreed silently. “Her grandmother was deported before she could reach me and we haven’t been able to get in touch with her since. We have no way of knowing anything, really.”

  “And that’s why you need a specialist,” Dr. Hall confirmed.

  After he left to attend other patients, Apple tried calling Simone Alvarez again – with no luck. “I don’t understand. The phone just rings and rings.”

  “I’m sorry, honey. We’ll keep trying. We’re doing everything we can for her – and that’s what counts.” Benjen pulled her back against him and kissed the top of her head. Together, they watched over the little girl who was coming to mean the world to them.

  …Once they were on the plane home, Benjen made sure Apple took care of herself. “Eat, baby. You have to stay strong. Not only for Nita, but for the baby growing inside of you.”

  She gave him a tremulous smile. “Don’t worry. I haven’t forgotten our little one for a moment.”

  While she munched on a sandwich, Apple kept a close eye on Nita who was sleeping in a makeshift bed next to her. Once the plane reached full altitude, they’d been able to take her out of the seat and make her a bit more comfortable.

  “She’s better. Sleeping peacefully,” Benjen observed with gratitude. “Dr. Hall said her circulation was much improved.”

  “Yes, I think she’s better too. I just can’t wait until she’s cured. I want Nita to have a long, happy life.”

  “Yea, me too. Speaking of long happy lives, we’ve got a lot to think about,” Benjen said, his hand curling a long lock of her sable hair around his finger. “A wedding. A new baby. We’re so lucky and I love you so much.”

  Apple put her sandwich down and turned to wrap her arms around his neck. “Yes, we are. I have more happiness now than I ever thought was possible. You have fulfilled every fantasy I have ever had in my life.”

  “Well, I don’t know about you, but I still have a few fantasies left to try,” he teased her as he counted the freckles on her nose. “You know, I think we need to get married sooner rather than later.”

  Apple frowned. “I want to marry you, don’t get me wrong – but is now the best time? We’re going to be so involved with Nita’s treatments.”

  “I know we’re going to be busy…but think about it. You know what Destry said about cohabitating couples. We don’t want any trouble. I don’t know who’ll be appointed to monitor your case, if anyone, but we don’t want to take risks. Besides, your house is too small to give Nita the room she needs. I can also get you on my insurance right away. You need to see a doctor for yourself and the baby.”

  “I know. You’re right. I fully intend to make an appointment as soon as we get home.” She rubbed a button on his shirt located right over his heart. “So, we’ll go to the courthouse and see a judge to tie the knot.”

  “I know it won’t be as romantic as you may have hoped, but I promi
se you as soon as things calm down, I’ll give you the wedding of your dreams.”

  “Oh, Benjen, it doesn’t matter.” She smiled at him, putting her finger in one of the clefts made by those elusive dimples. “Being with you is what’s important, the size or place of our wedding is secondary.”

  “I agree.” Taking a deep breath, he felt settled. Right. “We’ll get married ASAP and the rest will fall into place.” They were silent a moment, then he raised one finger, another idea coming to mind. “I don’t know how you feel about this, but I think you should consider quitting your job. I can take care of you, no problem, and you’ll want to be with Nita during her treatments. I don’t think you can do both and still have enough energy to make a baby.” He let his hand drift down to reverently caress her nonexistent baby bump.

  Apple considered his suggestion for a few moments. “Okay, I can see your point. As much as I will miss my job, I think you’re right. Tomorrow, I’ll give Dr. Cleveland notice.”

  “One day, you’ll work with animals again.”

  “Yea, my shelter. Even though that dream is a way off, I won’t forget it.”

  Benjen smiled at her. “Neither will I.”

  Apple leaned her head back on Benjen’s chest while she watched Nita sleep. She was so beautiful. “Funny, when I first learned of Nita’s existence and what they were asking from me, there was a tiny part of me that wondered if I would resent her because of Alan.”

  “But you didn’t,” Benjen stated without doubt or hesitation.

  “No. From the first moment I saw her, I…” Apple stopped talking, then jerked her head to look up at Benjen. “I want us to adopt her.”

  Benjen’s eyes widened. “Adopt her?” His mind started to whirl. “Well…I don’t know.”

  Even though the notion had just occurred to her, Apple felt consumed with desire and urgency. “Yes, please. I can’t stand to think about sending her back to that war-torn country. And we don’t even know where her grandmother is or how to get in touch with her.”

  “Exactly.” He took both her hands in his, needing to get her complete attention. “Listen to me, baby. I agree with you. I would love to adopt Nita. I’m as much in love with her as you are.”