Skinny Love

Dr. Kinley Jones sat down, with a damper look on her face. She met looks with the Malik parents as they pulled their children closer to their bodies, hoping that their mere touch and hug could protect them from the world.

“I have bad news,” she started. “Isabella’s leukemic count is high and…”

“Leukemic? She has cancer?” Jessica interrupted.

“Yes, Mrs. Malik. She has a rare form, causing the cancerous cells to develop rapidly and her white blood count to really falter and not work properly. I’m so sorry. She needs to be put into treatment immediately.”

It didn’t take a second for the tears to start. Zayn knew that he had to be a man. He knew that he had to comfort his family, but he needed to feel his emotions, too.

Hold me
Like the river Jordan
And I will then say to thee
You are my friend

“It’s okay, babe. We’ll get through this.” He placed his head on the top of Jessica’s as she rest herself in the crevice of his neck. He could feel her tears soaking his collar bone and a few of his filtered into her hair. He kissed her head.

“No matter what, she’ll be okay. We can do this, babe. We’re strong, yeah?” His voice fluctuated as he spoke. He asked the question more to himself, because in that moment, he didn’t feel strong.

“Why does this have to happen right now? I just want our little girl to be okay.” He hadn’t seen her cry like that besides the day the children were born and they didn’t think Landon would make it.

“God doesn’t put these situations on people that he doesn’t think could handle it. We’re the Malik’s, babe, we’re fighters.”

She pulled her son close to her and Zayn rubbed his daughter’s back.

“We have to be fighters, now.”

Carry me
Like you are my brother
Love me like a mother
Will you be there?

***

“Welcome, this is another segment on the Today Show. Here in New York is the power couple of the decade, Jessica and Zayn Malik.”

“Thank you for having us,” they both spoke softly. It felt like the world was dull and the set was no different.

“We all expected you two to come on and share news about a possible new baby. It seems that news isn’t in store for us. What is it that you came to say?”

Jessica rose to speak, “Recently we took our daughter into the doctor, because she had been getting bruises and was really lethargic all the time. We got sent to an oncologist from her pediatrician and we found out that she has acute leukemia.”

“We weren’t very familiar with things like this until this happened,” Zayn began. “She has one of the rarest forms of leukemia and it causes the cancerous cells to develop faster, because her white blood cells aren’t there to fight it off.”

“Wow,” the host Kate started. “I know this must be incredibly difficult for your five year old daughter, but how is it for you two?”

They displayed pictures of their little girl and the family, leaving the audience with no dry eye.

“Zayn has been amazing. I couldn’t ask for a better partner in times like this. He lets me feel every emotion that I want to feel. When I need to cry, he lets me. Right before we came on, I told him that I might lose it and I might start bawling,” she looked to her left to look her husband in the eye. “And he told me that I have every right to. I really need that. It’s so good to know that we are going through this battle with her together.”

“You guys seem stronger than ever,” Katie chuckled lightly. “What’s the plan for her treatment, if you don’t mind me asking?

“Izzy,” Zayn piped up, “has begun radiation and chemo. The predict that her kidneys are the target and that she’ll need a transplant. Everything has been running along smoothly and it’s looking up from here.”

But they told me
A man should be faithful
And walk when not able
And fight till the end
But I’m only human

***

It took the press 24 hours to have that program quoted and plastered across every newsstand around the world. Her hair was cut shorter and she cried when they gave her chemo shots. She had two bone marrow transplants and four blood transfusions. She was a fighter and the world felt the need to document. Every hospital visit was hounded with paparazzi. It only made her more anxious and more vulnerable.

“Get away from her,” Zayn growled at the newest bunch of paparazzi. He was carrying Landon who was trying to stay as close to his sister as possible. Jessica was buckling one baby into the car seat and Zayn had the other.

“Zayn, how is she?! Can I get closer? We want to wish Izzy well!”

“Step any closer and you’ll be six feet under in a heartbeat,” his jaw was tense and he was thoroughly pissed off. He had to be the protector, he was the man of the house. His family was his priority.

Isabella had dropped a couple pounds, nothing too drastic at that point, but it was well evident in her parent’s that she spent everyday with. They knew how she grew and how much she used to weigh. More than anything, they just wanted her back to normal.

By nine o’clock that night, the children were down and Landon was sleeping with his sister. They told him a condensed version of what was going on, but they somehow knew that he could understand the bigger picture. They just didn’t want to speak about it, because it would make it that much more real to them.

Jessica and Zayn lay in bed. He was stroking her hair as she pressed her body against his chest.

“Jessie, how are you holding up?” He spoke softly.

“I feel the worst for her right now.”

“I know that, but that wasn’t my question, love. How are you doing?”

She just shook her head, she swallowed her bottom lip, feeling the tears forming. He lifted his body so that they could sit upright.

“Look at me.” She slowly lifted her head to meet his gaze.

“Jessica Margaret Malik, what is going through that pretty little head of yours?”

She hunched her shoulders, but the tears read a whole other story.

“Please talk to me, love.”

“I just hate this, babe. Why does this have to happen to us? We do something good and something knocks us right back down. This is happening to our little girl. Our baby girl has cancer and I would do anything to take it away from her, but I can’t. She’s the most precious girl ever and she has to be taunted with the fact that her picture is on every magazine known to man. She’s splashed on the cover of all of them and she doesn’t have the opportunity to even pretend that she’s normal. She has cancer, babe. Everybody knows and so does she. She sees the other kids and she knows that she isn’t like them. She understands! What happens when she’s bald? What happens when she has chemo or radiation the day of her prom? She can’t live a normal life, because something in her won’t operate the way that ours does. We aren’t even matches for her kidneys. When she has to get one, no amount of money will push us up on the waiting list. Our little girl has a rare cancer and she’s only five years old. The nurses keep trying to give me hope, but I can see it in their eyes. They don’t believe any of the bullshit they’re telling me,” she was devastated and overcome with tears. He pulled her body into his to let her cry into him, “What am I going to do without my little girl?”

“You still have her, babe. You still have Landon. You still have me. I will do anything in my power to keep my family safe and strong. You guys are my first and only priority. You guys are the loves of my life and I will keep her with us as long as I possibly can.”

Everyone’s taking control of me
Seems that the world’s
Got a role for me
I’m so confused
Will you show to me
You’ll be there for me
And care enough to bear me