Take Me as I Am

“They what?” Summer choked out as she tried to keep her tears from falling.

“They think I have cancer,” Faith repeated. “I’ve been bruising a lot recently, and I finally went to go see a doctor. They told me I should go to another doctor. They seem to think I have leukemia, and they’re testing me right now.”

“Mom,” Summer began.

“Summer, I do not want you to worry about me, okay? I am going to be just fine,” Faith assured her daughter.

“That’s exactly what they said about Dad,” Summer muttered.

“Summer, I don’t want to hear you talk like that,” Faith told her. “Who is this?” she asked pointing to Patrick, who stood in the corner of the room.

“Oh,” Summer said. “This is Patrick Kane. He plays for the Blackhawks. Pat, this is my mom, Faith,” Summer introduced.

“Nice to meet you,” Patrick told her.

“You, too,” Faith smiled. “Summer, are you two…”

“What!” Summer exclaimed. “No, no. He’s just here to…keep me from…” Summer tried explaining.

“I’m just here for support,” Patrick filled in.

“Oh, I see,” Faith told them as her doctor walked through the door.

“Faith, I see you have some visitors,” the doctor said.

“Yes,” Faith said. “This is my daughter, Summer, and her friend, Patrick.”

“Patrick Kane!” the doctor exclaimed.

“You’re a hockey fan?” Patrick asked.

“Yeah, I’m a Lightning fan. But, still, you’re pretty good, too,” the doctor told him.

“Pretty good?” Patrick questioned.

“Okay, can we get back to the topic at hand,” Summer interrupted, irritated at the two of them for caring more about hockey than her sick mother. “Does my mother have cancer?”

The doctor looked over at Summer. “Oh, well, we just got the test results back,” he said.

“And?” Summer asked impatiently.

“You do in fact have CML,” the doctor told Faith.

“What does that mean?” Summer asked. “What’s CML?”

“CML is chronic myelogenous leukemia,” the doctor explained. He went on to explain in further detail what it was, but Summer wasn't taking any of it in. All she could think about was the fact that her mother had cancer, just like her father had had.

“We are going to start you right away on a drug regimen,” the doctor told Faith. “Since we caught it early, we’re hoping all you’re going to need is the drugs, but we may have to go on to chemotherapy or a bone marrow transplant.”

“Okay,” Faith said.

“I’ll be back in a little while to check on you again,” he said as he left the room.

Faith looked at her daughter, who was close to tears. “Sum, don’t worry,” she told her as she reached for Summer’s hand. “I am going to be fine. They’re going to give me some medicine, and I’ll be fine.”

“You don’t know that, Mom,” Summer choked out.

“I do,” Faith smiled. “Listen, you look tired. Are you staying at the house or in a hotel?”

“Hotel,” Summer answered.

“Okay, well, why don’t you go back to the hotel? I’ll call you if anything changes, but you can go back and sleep for a while.”

“Okay, Mom,” Summer said standing up and giving her a hug. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Faith told her.

“I’ll see you later,” Summer said as she walked out the door.

“Bye. It was nice meeting you, Patrick,” Faith called out to him.

“You, too,” he smiled before catching up to Summer who was already halfway down the hall. “Summer, wait up,” he called, but she didn’t slow down. He finally caught up to her at the elevator.

They both got in, and Summer collapsed against one of the walls, allowing all the tears she had been keeping at bay just let go. “Summer,” Patrick tried comforting her, but he didn’t know what to do.

“Pat, just leave me alone, okay?” she told him as she walked out of the elevator.

“I’m not leaving you alone,” Patrick told her. He wasn’t exactly sure what she was capable of, but he knew he wasn’t about to find out.

“Why did you have to come?” Summer cried as the two of them got in a taxi, and Patrick gave the driver the address to the hotel.

“Because you shouldn’t have to deal with this by yourself.”

“I’m not dealing with this by myself. Liv’s going to be there for me,” she told him.

“Yes, Olivia’s going to be there for you, but she can’t be here physically right now,” Patrick said.

Summer put her head against the window, not feeling like arguing with Patrick anymore.

When they reached their rooms at the hotel, Patrick looked over at Summer. “Are you going to be okay?” he asked, not really wanting to leave her alone right now.

“God, Pat, I’m not a little girl,” she yelled. “I’m not going to do anything stupid. I’m going to go in my room, call Liv, and sleep. You can stop worrying about me!”

“Okay,” Patrick said quietly as he watched her go into her room and slam the door behind her. He only hoped that she was telling the truth.