ONCE Chapter 2

[obvmluver.livejournal.com]

Title: ONCE
Author: obvmluver
Type: RPS
Pairing: Orlando/Viggo
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: These events never happened. I get no profit from this.
Beta: Not betaed
Summary: Orlando falls ill. Can he and Viggo survive through it together?
Author’s Notes: I read a wonderful story in the 90s that was in the Reader’s Digest. I can never thank the real people behind the original story enough. Send feedback to my address. Thanks.


The next doctor, Dan Baker, is young and he has a brown beard and wrinkled clothes. He talks way too fast. I can listen to him way too slowly. His eyes are examining us behind his glasses. My own eyes, red-rimmed and burning from being awake too long, can’t focus on anything. He is over effective. I’m so tired. Dr. Baker postpones the questioning and leaves to ready a bone marrow test. He’s determined to find what’s wrong with Orli. Suddenly he walks out leaving us speechless. Maybe we learn to like him.
While I unpack our bags, Orlando and his nurse try to make friends. Just then dr. Baker interrupts them and tells Orli how the bone marrow test is taken. A long and hollow needle is put to his hipbone and the marrow in it is sucked to the syringe. The sad part in this is that the procedure hurts. Dr. Baker inquires if Orlando has something to ask before we leave for the operation room. A fear shines in his eyes as he shakes his head.
When describing the procedure we feel like we’d been taken to a cliff and when taking the test we feel like something pushes us over it. Orli lies on his stomach a pillow under his waist. I can see he’s confused. I sit on a stool and hold his hot hand. I watch the wedding ring around his finger and I wonder how much I’d want to be there lying on that bed instead of him. I would give my life for him. It’s not possible so I do all I can – I’ll stay by his side. Dr. Baker tells us every time what he’s about to do next. “I won’t do anything unexpected, Orlando. I’ll disinfect your skin. It feels cold. I’ll start now.” Orlando startles and he’s snorting. He squeezes his weary brown eyes shut. He squeezes my hand and our tears wet the paper sheet. “Orlando. Let’s start.” The needle sinks in and Orlando cries out when it hits the bone. “Now I’ll pull the marrow in this syringe. This will hurt.” Suddenly the pain has latched his breath. Then it’s over. The syringe is full of liguid looking like clear blood. A lab technician leaves and the small wound is covered. Orli cries when I tell him how proud I am and that he’s brave to even come here. He stands up and pulls his boxers back on. He wraps himself around me and presses his wet lips on my cheek. I see how his eyes fill with tears. “Don’t cry, honey” I say and escort him back to his bed. With shaking hands he grabs my gown and pulls next to him. He’s not very strong anymore. Then he opens his mouth and says with a quiet tone: “Don’t go. Stay with me, please.” I say that I have no intentions of leaving him.

I am watching through the window fear clutching my heart and wait for the judgment. When dr. Baker returns, he wants to make sure that Orlando has understood everything about him being taken care of. Not hurt intentionally. The test has been the only way of finding out what’s wrong with him. Dr. Baker smiles and says: “We’ll come back soon.”
This is the second time when I leave with a total stranger. The room we walk in is on the third floor right beside a television room. Dr. Baker closes the door, walks across the floor and sits down. Then he drops the bomb. They have found leukemia from the sample of the marrow. I close my eyes and cover my ears but I can see and hear after all.
Dr. Baker tells me that there are three different types of leukemia in the world, Acute lymphocytic leukemia, Acute myeloid leukemia and Acute biphenotypic leukemia. ALL is the main type of leukemia affecting children. AML is usually known as the commonest leukemia in adults. There are 8 types of leukemia in the system: M0 – M7. ABL is a mixture of both types. Orlando’s sample has been sent to Washington D.C.’s University Laboratory to confirm the results. The opinion at the moment is that Orli most likely has M2 – the easiest to cure in adults.
We decide to tell Orlando the news together. I tell to dr. Baker that leukemia is familiar to Orlando. We start walking back to Orli with dignity.
Dr. Baker begins: “Orlando. We’ve come to realize that you have a leukemia.” A deep silence. Orlando’s gaze can’t focus on anything. “In your marrow the white cells can’t grow normally to fight back. You’d need strong medicines to make this go away.”
Orlando starts to pick up the lint and then he flashes a smile no one can resist. Then he says he feels fine and that he’d like to be with me alone. Dr. Baker is a bit confused but he has enchanted me. I watch his back as he walks away. Orlando says a serious expression on his face that he has a weird feeling but he doesn’t know why. Soon he forgets it and starts to think of the place where we met for the first time. It was the hotel we stayed in New Zealand. Soon he changes into the same young man beaten down by the disease. Later, after I have sung to him, he falls asleep. There’s a small couch in his room. I lie down on it and take a pillow to squeeze it between my hands. I’m awake and look at him. The pump in the IV-machine rustles from time to time as it portions out the medicines, the buzzer beeps every hour, Orlando moans in his fever and the night doesn’t ever end. Then I finally fall asleep. I dream about the time we drank tea watching the sunset after a hectic day of shooting.