“ Cancer?!”, TC asked, full of shock and fear.

Dr. Lardner nodded. “ I don’t know conclusively, but..”

” Well, then, my baby girl does NOT have cancer. She CANNOT have cancer!”

” TC”, Eve pleaded.

” Don’t ‘TC’ me! Our daughter does NOT have cancer!”

” Mr. Russell, I know you are upset. It’s understandable. And, though I don’t have absolute conclusions, I wanted you to know what I thought it was. I am bring Dr. Chu onboard. He’s one of the best oncologists in the East. “

” Wh..when will you know for sure?”, Eve asked.

“ Tomorrow morning. All of the tests would have been run by that time. I’m going to check in on Whitney, and then, I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

Chad, Simone and Theresa all are crying.

” My sister’s going to die.”, Simone sobbed.

” Simone, we don’t know if the doctor is right. Even if he is, Whitney’s NOT going to die. We’re going to help her fight.” Chad pulled Simone in for a hug.

Theresa felt her legs almost give out and sat down. Chad went to Theresa as Simone went to her mother for comfort.

” Theresa?”

” Chad, I can’t remember a time when Whitney hasn’t been in my life. There is NOTHING that I remember that doesn’t involve her. I remember when my father first disappeared and Whitney and I got into trouble because we went walking around Harmony, looking for him. I remember the first Father’s Day without my dad, and how Whitney helped me make a present that I never gave. Good times, bad times, she’s been there. How….why? Whitney is young, beautiful, sweet. Wonderful. How can this be happening?”

“ Look. Like I told Simone, we don’t know if this is the truth. She might have some other illness. But, even if it is cancer, we’re going to help her beat it. We’ll do whatever it takes.”

Theresa nodded. “ You’re right. Cancer or not, Whitney is going to be fine. We’ll make sure of it.”

Chad kissed Theresa. “ That’s my girl. That’s the spirit that I know and love.”

“ Whitney will be fine.”, Theresa said, trying to convince herself.

Simone lingered in her mother’s arms. “ Mom, what are we going to do?”

” We’re going to handle it as a family. You know, I think your father could use some of this. “

“ Ok”, Simone said through sniffles. She went over to her father, who stood staring out the window.

” Daddy?”, Simone asked quietly.

TC pulled Simone into a hug. “ Oh, Sugarbear. “ TC held onto Simone for dear life.

The next morning, The Russells, Chad and Theresa were all there, waiting for the doctor.

When Eve saw Dr. Chu with Dr. Lardner, she slumped to the ground, crying. TC knelt down to pull her up, yet he wound up on his knees with his wife. They finally got up and sat down on a couch in the waiting room.

“ Hello,  Dr. Russell. Mr. Russell.”, Dr. Chu began. “ I looked over Whitney’s test results, and I’ve come to a conclusion.”

“ Cancer.”, Simone muttered.

” Yes, acute myeloid leukemia.”, Dr. Chu replied.

” What are you going to do about it?”, Chad asked.

” The first thing we have to do is prepare Whitney for radiation and chemotherapy. And, start searching for a bone marrow donor.”

” Bone marrow?”, TC asked.

” Yes. We in essence kill all the bad marrow in Whitney’s blood, and then replace it when good marrow from a donor.”

” Take me! I’ll do it!”, TC offered.

” Mr. Russell, it’s not that simple. I will test you, your wife and daughter. But, a match isn’t automatic. A lot of times, matches aren’t found in families. We have to search the international bone marrow directory. I have to warn you, that Whitney is at a disadvantage.”

” Why?”, TC asked.

” Because of the limited number of African-Americans in the registry, TC.”, Eve replied.

” Yes. The number of African-Americans in the registry is relatively small. But, I will tell you it’s not hopeless. There are new, experimental treatments that we can try, if no donor is found.”, Dr. Chu offered.

” How will you know if I’m a match or not?”, TC asked.

“ We will need to test your blood. All of you. They’re waiting for you in the lab. “

Everyone left and did the blood test. They all then went back to the waiting area. TC looked at Eve. “ How do we do it, Eve? How do we go in there and tell our daughter that she has cancer?”

Eve took TC’s hand. “ Together.”

TC and Eve went into Whitney’s room. Whitney was reading a magazine.

” Mom. Dad.”

” Sweetheart, how are you doing?”, Eve asked.

” Better. I still don’t know what happened to me. Do you know what happened to me?”

TC sat down on one side, and Eve the other. They each took a hand.

” The doctors talked to us, Whitney. About your condition. They’re right outside to talk to you.”

“ Mom, what’s wrong with me?”

“ Honey, you have leukemia.”

Whitney looked from one parent to the other.” Leukemia? Isn’t that cancer?”

TC nodded with tears streaming down his face.

” CANCER? I have cancer?”, Whitney began to cry. TC held his daughter in his arms.

” I promise you, Princess. We’re going to fight this. We’re going to help you through this. You’re a fighter. I know you are. We’re gonna beat this as a family.”

Eve got into the bed too, and the three of them held one another close as they cried.