Joy and Sorrow
When they arrived in the kitchen the next morning to share their news, Gia, Ana and Rob were already at the table, talking quietly to each other. When Ana saw the excitement on her daughter's face, she turned her broad smile to her daughter and Brad.
"What are you two so excited about?" Ana asked her animated daughter.
"Brad asked me to marry him and I said yes!" Gabby responded enthusiastically.
"Congratulations!" Everyone cried out in unison. They all knew that Gabby and Brad had been destined for each other. Everyone stood up and hugged the happy couple, tears of joy coming to Ana's eyes.
After Gabby and Brad celebrated their wonderful announcement, Ana told them that she and Rob had made an important decision that morning as well. "It looks like we'll have a double wedding then!" Ana said, sobbing with emotion.
"What?" Gabby asked, shocked, but overjoyed for her mother.
"That's wonderful!" Gabby said excitedly. Gabby was so happy for her mother. She had been looking for Mister Right all of her adult life, hoping to marry the man who she had fallen in love with. It had finally happened! "Where's grandpa? Does he know?" Gabby asked, noticing that he wasn't at the breakfast table.
Ana looked into Gabby's questioning eyes. "Your grandfather had to be taken to the hospital this morning," she said.
"He was not feeling well this morning. I brought him to the clinic about an hour ago," Gia told them. Doctor Adams needs to check him out. He kept him for more tests. You know how your grandfather is, he wanted me to come home and stop worrying. I'm here, but I'm still worrying," Gia told them. "I checked in with Dr. Adam's assistant a few minutes ago, the doctor is consulting with Allen's cardiologist in Houston via the quantum link,"Gia said. "He told us not to be worried until the tests are complete. I'm expecting a call anytime now," Gia said, holding her tears and trying to keep from getting emotional.
"Do they think it's his heart?" Gabby asked. "Can't he just get another mechanical one?"
Gia smiled. "If that's the case, then we'll just need to make a quick trip back to Texas and get it done," Gia said confidently, trying to keep everyone's spirits high.
About that time, the PIC in Gia's brain notified her of an incoming call from the clinic. Gia activated her communicator and listened to Doctor Adams for a few minutes. "Can I bring him home now?" Gia looked at the rest of the family and shook her head. "When can we go see him?" Gia nodded at the doctor's instructions and broke the connection.
"It's not his heart at all," she told a relieved Ana and Gabby. "It's his brain." Gia burst out into tears. The women all joined Gia in her grief. Allen had been a special part of all of their lives. For Ana and Gabby, he was the only man until recently who had loved them unconditionally all of their lives.
"What's wrong with his brain?" Rob asked when his sister had gained her composure.
"Is it from the crash?" Brad asked. "I checked him out thoroughly. I didn't see any brain damage," Brad insisted.
"Was it all the sex we had with him?" Gabby asked, concerned that their intense love-making had triggered an event.
"Doc Adams said that he himself checked Allen out, he could see no brain damage at all from the accident. It was nothing that any of us did or didn't do to cause Allen's problem," Gia told them. "He's given Allen some medicine to bring the swelling in his brain down. He will be sleeping for several hours. Doc Allen wants us to meet with him this afternoon. Allen will be in the clinic overnight for monitoring and evaluation. He said that if everything went alright with Allen tonight, we might be able to bring him home in a couple of days," Gia said.
Gia, Ana and Gabby all hugged and cried with each other on and off throughout the day. Rob and Brad sat stoically by their women, just waiting with them, showing their solidarity with them.
After lunch, Gia called the clinic and arranged to meet with Doctor Adams. When they arrived, they were led back to the room where Allen was sleeping soundly, to check on his progress. "The medicine seems to be working well," Doctor Adams told them, as he checked Allen's brain activity. He should be able to go home tomorrow if nothing changes."
After each of the women gave Allen a kiss, the doctor led them to a conference room and had them all sit at the table. "You know, of course, that Allen was born right after the plague but before the sterilization program started. That means that neither of his parents were screened for genetic abnormalities before Allen's conception," the doctor told them. "When I checked out his parents medical history I found that his mother died from the same problem in her brain that Allen has been diagnosed with, a rare form of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome," the doctor told them.
"Allen wanted for me to assure you that nothing you did, including having strenuous sexual intercourse caused his brain to bleed. It was just time for it to happen," Doc Adams told them. "Allen is an unusual case due to the fact that he's never shown symptoms before. The usual lifespan of people suffering from this type of vascular disorder is about fifty years old. It was only when Allen's cardiologist insisted on a full body scan did one of the doctors at the hospital on Earth notice a tiny bleeder in Allen's brain," he explained.
"What's the prognosis?" Rob asked.
"I've already talked to Allen about this and he's agreed to let me tell you the brutally honest truth and his wishes for treatment," Adams said. "I'm afraid that the prognosis is not very good."
"Tell us," Gia told her former colleague and friend.
"Without any treatment, he could have a fatal aneurysm at any time. With medication and rest, he will have anywhere from three to six months. During that time he may have one or more serious brain bleeds due to one of his many tiny aneurysms rupturing. Depending on the severity of these he may be be only partially or fully incapacitated."
Everyone gasped at the announcement. "Are there any other options?" Ana asked.
