#clear cell sarcoma pictures | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

punksarahreese · 5 years ago

Text

Stars | Recurrence

Nosdecember day 17 | @neworleansspecial

Cancer!AU; A look back into Ava’s past

***

“Ma,” Ava rasped, “Chest hurts.”

Her mother glanced at her in the rear view mirror, a pitying look in her eyes, “I know, hartlam.”

Her mother didn’t often call her darling unless she was scared or feeling unwell. It was both this time, since the seven year old happened to be in the middle of yet another debilitating chest pain episode.

The episodes started about six months prior, the first one waking the child from a dead sleep. They would last between minutes to hours, a dull ache deep in her ribcage. She did her best to get through them alone, not the type of child to cry for help when she was injured, but it got worse. Each time she went to the emergency room, the doctors would tell her it’s just growing pains and she would be fine in a few weeks. When those weeks turned to months and their GP was no help, Ava’s mum booked her a paediatrician appointment. In the weeks leading up to the appointment date, Ava discovered a lump under her skin, one that didn’t hurt but was warm to touch. She had cried when she found the thing, about the size of a large orange and placed between two ribs. Her mother was immediately concerned, calling the hospital to bump up her appointment date due to the new occurrence.

They did X-rays and blood work, and said they would call her parents if anything came up. Something must have, because now the family was on their way to Red Cross children’s hospital at 8 PM. Ava just wanted to sleep, she wanted to be in her comfy bed and maybe ask her mum to cuddle until she fell asleep. Her mother’s hugs always helped ease her pain, maybe she would even sing for Ava; that would be nice.

The child couldn’t really remember much of how she got into the conference room in the peds ward. She must have dozed off because she was staring out the window one second and the next she was in her dad’s arms in an unfamiliar room. She protested weakly when he set her down in a chair alone, the plastic was cold and not comfy like his embrace had been. She was breathing shallowly, chest still aching, and she just wanted to go back to sleep.

Her parents and the doctor were talking. They were talking about her, Ava knew that, but she couldn’t focus on their words. She was sitting beside the big window that overlooked the hospital grounds, though it was too dark out to properly see any trees or benches. The stars were bright though, Ava could see them in the clear sky despite the harsh glare of fluorescent lighting on the windowpane. She always loved the stars, how they were little landmarks of space they could see from Earth. Space interested Ava, she had countless books talking about the wonders of the universe. If she looked hard enough, the child thought she could make out Orion’s Belt high up in the sky. Her favourite constellation was Cassiopeia though, she loved the idea of the Queen watching over the world every night.

“Her white blood cell count was abnormally high,” the doctor had a pretty accent, not like anyone from Cape Town Ava had met before. Her tone was soft even as she spoke those words, glancing at Ava in concern.

“What does that mean?”

“It suggests that there is some sort of infection or illness Ava’s body is trying to fight off,” she explained, “Paired with the x-ray results…”

Ava had to stand on her toes to see the film the doctor was holding up. She pointed to a spot on the image with her pen, a big white area that blocked out a large part of what Ava assumed was her chest. They had taken pictures with the big camera weeks before, she didn’t like the heavy apron she had to wear and the machine was scary. Still, she got a sticker after and wore it proudly on her t-shirt that day. She didn’t know what exactly the white spot was but she assumed it was bad, since the doctor looked upset.

“We want to do a biopsy to be sure, but this is almost certainly a tumour.”

That had Ava’s mum crying out, “Cancer?”

“We won’t know for certain until we biopsy the mass but, given Ava’s symptoms and age, it appears to be some type of sarcoma, yes.”

Cancer? Wasn’t that what old people got and passed away from? Ava didn’t understand, there was no way she could have cancer. The doctor must be mistaken, Ava wasn’t old like her auntie who went to Heaven that summer.

“What’s a b...biopsy?”

The kind doctor turned to her with an apologetic gaze, “The surgeons will put you to sleep with a special type of medicine and then do a tiny cut right here,” she shows Ava on her own rib cage, “And take a little piece of your lump. That way we can look at it and see what’s wrong. It's a simple surgery, no big scar.”

That made Ava upset. She didn’t need surgery; surgery was for sick people and Ava wasn’t sick. She just had a painful spot, but she didn’t want them to cut her open. She shook her head fiercely, trying to tell her parents she wasn’t sick.

“Ava,” her father hushed her, “Let the adults talk, okay?”

That made the seven year old fall silent. They must be joking, she was completely fine. She was tired, that's all, hoping they could go home so she could sleep. She wanted her stuffed animals, especially her big shark plushie because she always made Ava feel better. Maybe this was all a bad dream, she could wake up soon for school and the pain would be gone for good.

It was late when they finally got home and Ava immediately ran to her room. She shimmied into her favourite pyjamas and collected her shark from the couch, intending to read before her mum came to put her to bed. Her current favourite book was a popup one about constellations, she really loved seeing the pretty shapes the stars made.

“Ma!” Ava excitedly held up her book as her mother walked into the room, “Did you know stars have already passed away by the time we see them?”

Her mum didn’t answer, instead crossing the room and taking the book from her hands. Ava pouted but was less upset when she picked her up, holding her daughter close as she settled down on the small bed. She snuggled against her happily, hiding her face in her mum’s blonde hair that smelled of her familiar perfume. She always smelled sweet, like flowers and home.

“Mama?”

She shook her head and Ava could tell she was crying, her shoulder shaking slightly and small teardrops landing on Ava’s head. The child tried to pull away so she could look at her face, wanting to wipe away her tears and tell her things were okay. She didn’t know why she was crying, the doctor wasn’t right and Ava was okay.

“Mama, I’m ‘kay,” Ava promised as she wrapped her tiny arms around her neck, “Chest doesn’t hurt now!”

“Ava,” her voice shook with pain and that was enough to make the child want to cry too, “You must be good for the doctors, okay? Let them find out what’s wrong.”

“Nothing’s wrong! I’m okay.”

“Bokkie, no. You’re sick, my love.”

Ava’s lip trembled as she pulled back to look at her mother, searching for any indication of a lie, “No!”

“I’m sorry,” the woman held her daughter close, her heart breaking when she started to cry for the first time. She knew she didn’t understand, not yet. She Couldn’t know the severity of this and didn’t want to believe that she was experiencing anything more than growing pains. It would be hard to accept, especially since it meant countless doctors visits; Ava hated tests and procedures.

“Mama…” Ava sniffled and the fear in her voice was unlike any she had seen in her before, “I’m not old; too little to die!”

#this didn’t turn out how I wanted #hate the ending but anyway #Avey is only little :((#ava bekker #my aus #recurrence #cancer!au #my-writing #nosdecember #userglow #mutuals #neworleansspecial

9 notes · View notes

treatmentdisease-blog · 7 years ago

Text

New Post has been published on Details of the treatment of certain diseases. Human Diseases and methods of treatment

New Post has been published on http://bit.ly/2FuQ8Iu

Hemangiopericytoma ewing sarcoma relapse

#brain sarcoma #clear cell sarcoma pictures #ewan sarcoma #ewing sarcoma relapse

0 notes

digitalyogesh · 4 years ago

Text

Zoamates

Results Of ZOAMATES SACHET 7G

Symptoms Of Salt: Ubidecarenone

A portion of the normal incidental effects might be:

Looseness of the bowels,

Sickness,

Skin rash,

Gastric uneasiness,

Anorexia,

Heart consume

Look for sure fire clinical consideration if any of the accompanying side effects of genuine unfavorably susceptible response happens:

Rash, tingling, expanding,

Inconvenience relaxing

Results Of Salt: Lycopene

Lycopene is by and large composed by the bodies.

Results Of Salt: Taurine

None

Contraindications Of ZOAMATES SACHET 7G

Contraindications Of Salt: Ubidecarenone

If it’s not too much trouble, advise your PCP in the event that you have any of the accompanying conditions:

Pregnant, intending to get pregnant or bosom taking care of

Coronary illness

Diabetes

Kidney sickness

Liver sickness

Contraindications Of Salt: Lycopene

Kindly counsel your PCP prior to burning-through Lycopene in the accompanying cases:

Pregnancy

Prostate malignancy.

Contraindications Of Salt: Taurine

None

What Is Heart disappointment

The siphoning activity of the heart conveys blood wealthy in oxygen and supplements to the cells of the body. What’s more, when the cells get appropriate blood stream, they are fed and empower the body to work typically.

Otherwise called congestive cardiovascular breakdown, when the heart muscle doesn’t siphon the blood appropriately, cardiovascular breakdown happens. This condition is the point at which the heart can’t deal with the heap. Conditions like hypertension, a sickness of the coronary corridor (narrowing of the conduits), and so on makes the heart frail to siphon blood adequately. Cardiovascular breakdown is extremely a genuine and reformist condition and normally doesn’t have a fix. Notwithstanding, regardless of whether you have experienced cardiovascular breakdown, with legitimate drugs and a couple of way of life changes, the conditions can be overseen.

Cardiovascular breakdown might be because of an issue in the right ventricle (right side), left ventricle (left side) or may include both the sides. Regularly, cardiovascular breakdown happens because of an issue in the left ventricle, which is the principle siphoning side of the heart.

The various kinds of cardiovascular breakdown are:

Left side cardiovascular breakdown: The liquid can gather in the lungs bringing about windedness.

Right side cardiovascular breakdown: Fluid may gather in the legs, feet, and mid-region and cause expanding.

Diastolic cardiovascular breakdown: This is the point at which the left chamber can’t fill or unwind totally. This shows an issue with filling.

Systolic cardiovascular breakdown: The left ventricle of the heart can’t contract rapidly and this demonstrates an issue with siphoning.

What Is Migraine

Headache is an aftereffect of some strange exercises in the mind that cause a serious cerebral pain. This is joined by over-affectability to light, sound or specific sort of scents.

What Is Asthma

Asthma is a persistent incendiary state of the aviation routes in the lungs. Asthma can either be unfavorably susceptible (generally normal) or non-hypersensitive.

Unfavorably susceptible asthma is because of an unfavorably susceptible reaction known as a kind 1 extreme touchiness response. Individuals with asthma’s aviation routes are excessively touchy to specific triggers. The unfavorably susceptible response makes narrowing of the little aviation routes and leads “air catching” (known as an obstructive aviation route infection)

There are various kinds of asthma-youth beginning asthma (as a rule before the age of 5), grown-up beginning asthma, work out instigated asthma and anti-inflamatory medicine actuated asthma. Some asthma is known as occasional asthma and happens just at specific seasons, typically with the changing of seasons, for example, during fall or spring.

Asthma is determined to have lung work tests. A spirometer or a PEFM (Peak Expiratory Flow Meter) is utilized related to a bronchodilator. The meter is utilized to survey your lung work prior and then afterward breathing in an effective bronchodilator. A finding of asthma is made when there is an improvement in lung capacity of over 20% (PEFM) or more than 12%(when utilizing a spirometer) after the bronchodilator is breathed in.

Asthma is analyzed when a patient has interesting side effects and a positive bronchodilator test.

What Is Cancer

Malignancy is basically when there is a strange development of cells in any piece of the body. Ordinarily, the body shapes new cells to supplant the ones that bite the dust. At the point when new cells begin becoming regardless of whether you don’t actually require them and the old cells don’t pass on, the additional cells may frame a mass known as a tumor (leukemia is an exemption, as for this situation malignancy restricts the typical working because of the strange division of cells in the circulatory system.

These tumors are delegated considerate or threatening. Benevolent tumors are those that stay in one spot and don’t develop. These tumors are not destructive, while dangerous ones are carcinogenic. The phones from dangerous tumors spread through the lymphatic or blood frameworks and assault the adjoining sound tissues. These carcinogenic cells may likewise split away and spread to different pieces of the body.

There are more than 100 sorts of malignancies and disease can influence any piece of the body. The vast majority of the tumors are named after the piece of the body where they begin. For example, on the off chance that it begins from the lung, it is known as cellular breakdown in the lungs, and so on and when disease spreads starting with one piece of the body then onto the next, it is known as metastasis.

There are comprehensively 5 gatherings of malignant growths:

Carcinomas: They happen in cells that cover the outer and inward pieces of the body like colon, bosom and cellular breakdown in the lungs.

Sarcomas: These are caused in the cells situated in the ligament, bone, connective tissue, muscle, fat and other steady tissues.

Lymphomas: These malignancies for the most part start in the safe framework tissues and lymph hubs.

Adenomas: These are malignancies that begin in the pituitary organ, thyroid, adrenal organ and other glandular tissues.

Leukemia: These malignancies start in the bone marrow and accumulate in the circulation system.

What Is Cardiovascular illness

Cardiovascular illness (CVD) can be alluded to as coronary illness.

This term incorporates a scope of various conditions that would all be able to influence your heart and veins (the cardiovascular framework)

Numerous infections can be recorded under this term:

This incorporates physical or primary irregularities of the heart including intrinsic deformities and heart valve issues

Conduction issues of the heart, for example, strange heart rhythms-arrhythmias or atrial fibrillation

Illnesses of the veins, for example, atherosclerosis are additionally essential for cardiovascular infection

Hypertension may even be considered under this term, as it’s anything but an infection of the heart and veins.

Ischaemic Heart Disease (otherwise called Coronary Artery Disease) is a range of illnesses going from cardiovascular chest torment (angina) to myocardial dead tissue (respiratory failures). This additionally falls under CVD.

Various tests are utilized to analyze CVD. These incorporate ECGs (Electrocardiograms) where leads are set on the chest, and the electrical conduction of the heart is estimated. This is useful to analyze arrhythmias, and highlights of IHD.

A sonar done on the heart is called an echocardiogram. With this test, the heart’s capacity can be surveyed just as the valves and ventricles imagined. Heart deformities can likewise be seen.

A MIBI output can be performed to survey how well the heart’s muscle is working and if the blood supply is adequate (myocardial perfusion).

What Is Cataract

In waterfall, the normal focal point of the eye (which lies behind student and iris) gets blurred. The focal point is important for the eye, which assists with shining a picture or light on the retina. In a typical eye, light goes through the straightforward focal point to the retina, where the light gets changed into nerve signals, which are shipped off the cerebrum. To get a sharp picture by the retina, the focal point should be clear. On the off chance that there is a waterfall, the picture framed is obscured. A waterfall creates throughout the extensive stretch of time. The most ideal way is to stand by and watch, till it grows completely. Medical procedure is the most widely recognized therapy of waterfall.

It happens for the most part in individuals over 40 years old and is a fundamental driver of visual impairment around the world.

Indications Treated With ZOAMATES SACHET 7G

What Are The Symptoms Of Heart disappointment

The state of cardiovascular breakdown can be persistent for example progressing or intense for example begins unexpectedly and the side effects of cardiovascular breakdown include:

Shortcoming and weakness

Windedness (dyspnea) when you rests or endeavor

Edema or growing of feet, legs, and lower legs

Powerlessness to work out

Sporadic or fast heartbeat

Hacking or wheezing with pink or white mucus touched with blood

Ascites or expanding of midsection

Weight acquire because of maintenance of liquid

Criticalness to pee around evening time

Queasiness and absence of craving

Diminished readiness or trouble in fixation

Assuming cardiovascular breakdown is because of respiratory failure, you may encounter extreme torment in the chest

Intense windedness and hacking frothy, pink mucus

What Are The Symptoms Of Migraine

However not all the headache torments are comparable, scarcely any normal indications are: moderate to serious pounding torment in one or the other side of the head, which increments during any actual work, perspiring, temperature change of the body, stomach torment, sickness, torment in the eyes and so forth There might be affectability to commotion, smell and light.

What Are The Symptoms Of Asthma

Manifestations of asthma are ordinarily a wheezy or “tight” chest, windedness and intermittent or constant hacking that is more regrettable around evening time and early mornings. Hacking or tight chest are regularly additionally present after work out.

Exercise-actuated asthma commonly just creates manifestations after work out.

What Are The Symptoms Of Cancer

Unexplained weight reduction

Fever

Weariness

Agony

Changes in the skin

· Darker skin (hyperpigmentation)

· Red eyes (erythema)

· Yellowish eyes and skin (jaundice)

· Itching (pruritis)

· Excessive development of hair

Some different indications of disease are:

Change in bladder capacity or gut propensities (longterm loose bowels, clogging, torment or blood in pee).

Bruises that don’t recuperate.

White spots on the tongue or white patches inside the mouth ZOAMATES

0 notes

tawshadawn · 6 years ago

Photo

10 year challenge. ⠀ Design your life the way you want it. ⠀ The universe will take care of the rest. ⠀ ⠀ Both photos taken by @photosbyiasha ⠀ The first picture was one year before I was diagnosed with my first cancer. Stage 2 Myxofibro-Sarcoma. We fought as a family and we won the battle. Then in January 2018 I was diagnosed with Stage 3 Clear Cell Ovarian Cancer. We are now told my cancer is never going way and I’ll be on treatment the rest of my life. ⠀ ⠀ Our family has been through a lot but we stand strong as a force. Our love doesn’t ever waver. Every tear from pain and heartache is because of the intense love we share. When you love hard, you feel the pain even harder. Never regret.. always worth it. xo⠀ #justwanttosqeezethem #lovemyfam #10yearchallenge #2009 #2019 #ovariancancer #ovariancancercanada #clearcellovariancancer ⠀ (at Edmonton, Alberta) https://www.instagram.com/p/B5V8u9vgpn6/?igshid=k83pmt2ni80k

#justwanttosqeezethem #lovemyfam #10yearchallenge #2009 #2019 #ovariancancer #ovariancancercanada #clearcellovariancancer

0 notes

bluejello · 8 years ago

Text

Swan Queen Week Day 3: Medical AU

Title: Technically Pairing: Swan Queen Rating: G Summary:

“Excuse me, where’s Dr. Whale?” the mother, Emma, asked as she walked over to stand on the other side of the bed.

Regina ignored her and held up her pen. “Grab my pen.”

Henry’s arms stretched outwards, grasping at the air next to her pen.

“What’s going on?” Emma asked.

Regina finally looked up at the woman, brown eyes connecting with green. “I’m afraid you and your son won’t be leaving her anytime soon, Miss Swan.”

[in which Regina is a doctor trying to save Henry from a seemingly incurable disease]

FF/AO3

[medical jargon shamelessly stolen from an episode of House]

“New case for you, Doc,” the nurse from the station in the ER called out. Regina walked over to the desk and took the offered clipboard.

“What do we have?”

“Patient Henry Swan. Seven years old. Mom Emma Swan noticed blood all over his pants while they were out at the park.”

Regina glanced at the charts in her hands, her eyebrows furrowed. “Henry Swan? I thought he was Whale’s patient.”

“He is,” the nurse said. “Whale called out for the day.” She handed over another clipboard. “They just need your signature to go. Simple case of bloody diarrhea. He’s already been put on fluids—”

Regina stopped. “Bloody diarrhea?” The nurse nodded. Regina started walking towards the room listed on the chart. She entered the room with her usual heir of confidence, marching right past the blonde mother and over to the brunette child laying on the bed.

“Follow my finger,” she commanded, moving her finger from side to side in front of the child’s face.

His eyes followed her finger, but they were much more unsteady than they should have been.

“Excuse me, where’s Dr. Whale?” the mother, Emma, asked as she walked over to stand on the other side of the bed.

Regina ignored her and held up her pen. “Grab my pen.”

Henry’s arms stretched outwards, grasping at the air next to her pen.

“What’s going on?” Emma asked.

Regina finally looked up at the woman, brown eyes connecting with green. “I’m afraid you and your son won’t be leaving her anytime soon, Miss Swan.”

The lock clicked on the file cabinet and Regina slowly opened it, withdrawing from the bottom the old case file that had haunted her for years.

Bloody diarrhea. Coordination problems.

“It’s not the same case,” Dr. Kathryn Midas said. “It’s just gastroantilitis. Once he’s hydrated, he’ll be fine.” They both walked into the patient’s room. Dr. Midas gestured towards Henry Swan, who was sitting up in bed and looked perfectly fine. “See?”

Regina narrowed her eyes at the patient, looking over him and his vitals. “He won’t be.”

“Would someone care to explain to me what the hell is going on?” the mother demanded.

Kathryn put on her most professional smile. “Nothing is wrong, Miss Swan. Dr. Mills just thinks—”

“Your son’s brain is losing control of his muscles,” Regina interrupted. “Next step is kidney failure.”

“Next step?” Kathryn asked with a raised eyebrow. “Regina, it’s just dehydration—”

“Really?” Regina interrupted again, stepping forward and picking up one of the bags of fluids connected to Henry. “And what is this?”

Kathryn’s eyes widened at the bag, which was barely full and contained brown urine. “His kidney’s are shutting down.”

“But you can help him, right?” Emma asked.

Regina and Kathryn both looked at each other hesitantly. Kathryn put her famous smile back on. “We’ll do everything we can, Miss Swan.”

——

“Let’s test for Erdheim-Chester disease,” Regina told Kathryn after they left the room.

“Erdheim-Chester?” Kathryn asked. “No, it’s too rare. There are only, what, 200 reported cases?”

“It’s still a possibility. He had bloody diarrhea, ataxia, kidney failure—”

Kathryn stopped her with her arm. “And you think this magically means Erdheim-Chester? It could be anything— leukemia, sarcoma—”

“Then do a colonoscopy and prove me wrong,” Regina said. “Because I guarantee you’ll find purple papules.”

Kathryn sighed. “Fine.”

——

“It’s clean,” Kathryn said. “Purple blisters, yes, but no signs of the disease. “

Regina stared at the wall. “Run… a blood smear. I’ll run an MRI and see if we can find lymphoma.”

Kathryn sighed. “Regina—”

“Just run the damn test.”

——

“Why is she taking pictures of his brain?” Emma asked as she sat outside of the MRI room.

Kathryn sighed. “Dr. Mills… thinks this case might be like one that happened a few years ago. She’s just trying to confirm if it is or isn’t.”

Emma looked hopeful. “Well then if you know the case then you know how to treat it, right?”

“Not… exactly…” Kathryn said.

Emma crossed her arms. “Well then what do you know?”

“We know…” Kathryn slowly began, “…the course of the disease.”

“The… course?” Emma asked tentatively. “What… what happened? To the last patient?”

Kathryn looked down before forcing herself to look the mother in the eye. “He died.”

Emma put a hand over her mouth, tears coming to her eyes. Before Kathryn could provide her with a hopeful comment, Regina opened up the door to the MRI room.

“Miss Swan, I need you in here.”

——

After helping to calm her son down and keep him still for the MRI, Emma was promptly sent out of the room. She was sitting curled up in a chair right next to her son’s bed, watching him sleep while waiting for her son’s new doctor to come up with a diagnosis based on the MRI.

Kathryn Midas walked in at that moment. “There were no signs of lymphoma in the blood cells.”

“That’s a good thing, right?” Emma asked, keeping her eyes on Henry.

“Yes and no. It’s good that he doesn’t have lymphoma, but we now need to figure out what he does have,” Kathryn said, pulling up a chair on the other side of the bed. “We did find a small mass on the brain, which explains his low blood pressure… it all points to pituitary failure. Dr. Mills is looking into the next treatment.” Emma nodded, trying to process what the doctor was telling her. Kathryn leaned over and put a hand on Emma’s. “If anyone can solve this case, it’s Regina.”

Emma looked over at her. “Didn’t she fail the last time she had this case?”

Kathryn shook her head and leaned back in her chair. “She wasn’t the doctor for it. She wasn’t even a doctor at all.” She paused, contemplating something. “The patient… was her fiancé. Daniel. They were out sampling wedding cakes when he came down with the same symptoms as your son. The doctors tried… but they couldn’t save him.”

“Is my son going to die?” Emma whispered. She looked over at Kathryn with teary eyes. “He’s all I have.”

“Regina went to school to become a doctor because of what happened to Daniel,” Kathryn said. “She hasn’t lost a case yet, and I doubt she’s going to start losing anytime soon.” She smiled. “She’s stubborn like that.”

——

“How are you doing, Mr. Swan?” Regina asked as she walked into her patient’s room.

Henry shrugged. “Okay, I guess.”

Regina looked through his chart and checked the screens near his bed. “Your vitals are looking good so far, and your liver is doing just fine thanks to our treatment.” She trailed off as she continued reading the clipboard.

“Liver?” Emma asked. “I thought it was his kidneys that were shutting down…”

“They were,” Regina said, looking over at the mother before turning back to the charts. “Liver failure was the next step, and I prescribed a preventative treatment.”

Emma nodded. “Right. The old case.”

Regina looked up again. “I’m not letting your son die, Miss Swan.”

Emma smiled, but before she could respond, Henry started rasping.

“I… can’t… breathe…”

“Henry!”

——

“How’s he doing?”

“He had to be put on a ventilator. Now we can add respiratory distress to the list of symptoms.”

“One step more towards solving it.”

“No, one step back. We didn’t do anything except speed the process up. Now instead of twelve hours to live, he has two.”

——

“If we run the labs for Kawasaki’s Disease—”

Regina slammed down the clipboard. “We don’t have time for labs! Henry’s dying, Kathryn!” She started pacing across the room.

“I know,” Kathryn said calmly. “Regina, you need to clear your head. It was fifteen years ago—”

“Sixteen.”

“Obsession is dangerous,” Kathryn said. “You’re going to save Henry, Regina. You just have to keep your mind on him.”

Regina stopped pacing. “His arteries.”

“What?”

Regina started walking out. “We need to look into his coronary arteries.”

——

This time, Kathryn was doing the procedure on Henry, and Regina was waiting outside with his mother.

She didn’t like this part. In Med School she was told that she’d be a great doctor technically but not personally, because she wasn’t good at bonding with patients. Some of her professors (and patients) accused her of having a terrible bedside manner. She didn’t think that mattered as long as she got the job done.

“How did he die?” Emma asked quietly, shifting so her thigh rubbed up against Regina’s.

Regina turned, startled by the question. “What?”

Emma looked over at her. “Daniel. How did he die?”

Taken aback, Regina opened her mouth but didn’t say anything. “I… I don’t—”

“Was he in pain?” Emma asked as a tear rolled down her cheek. “I don’t… I don’t want Henry to be in pain. I don’t want him to suffer—”

Regina cut her off by grabbing the woman’s hand in her own, much to her and Emma’s surprise. “He’s not going to die,” she said matter-of-factly. “I promise.”

——

“What’s she doing now?” Emma asked as she stared into room where Regina was with her son.

“Dr. Mills is performing a biopsy,” Kathryn explained. “We found a mass in the atrium. She’s going to—”

She was interrupted by the beeps of the machines next to Henry as he went into cardiac arrest. Regina turned and yelled. “Code blue!”

——

“Regina, the biopsy almost killed him.”

“He’s alive Kathryn. And he’s not brain dead. Besides, I got what we needed.”

“And that’s enough for, what, three tests? Maybe? What are you going to do if none of the diseases you test check out?”

“They will.”

“And if they don’t—”

“They will.”

——

Emma was started as a cup of coffee was placed in her view. She accepted it and looked up to see Dr. Mills.

“He tested negative for histiocytosis,” Regina said softly as she took a seat in the chair beside Emma, looking over at her patient. “And tubular sclerosis.”

“What does that mean?”

Regina sighed, taking a sip from her own coffee. “It means we only have one more test with the sample I manage to get from the biopsy.”

Emma looked down, trying not to cry again. They sat in silence for a few moments before Emma spoke up again. “You know, I knew something bad would be happening to me soon.”

“You what?”

“It’s… a curse I have,” Emma said. “Every time something really good happens to me, something really bad happens too. Good thing: I was born. Bad thing: My parents abandoned me on the side of the road. Good thing: I became pregnant with Henry. Bad thing: His father left me with all of the money we had saved.” She sighed and licked her lips, blinking her eyes rapidly. “I’ve been… struggling to make ends meet lately. A couple coworkers invited me to a poker tournament at this weird bar they go to. I only brought the money I was going to spend the next day for lunch, and I ended up winning the entire tournament. Not that it was that big to begin with, but it was something.” She smiled. “Walked away with upwards of $800.”

“And now you think Henry being sick is your bad thing,” Regina finished. Emma nodded. “Well I can tell you from personal experience that none of this is your fault. No matter how much you think you could have prevented it, or done something more, or…” She paused and lowered her voice. “…or even how much you wish it was you lying in that hospital bed instead…” She cleared her throat. “Nothing will change the fact that you couldn’t have prevented it, and you have done all you can to help him…”

Emma smiled sadly. “I could’ve prevented my win,” she whispered. “I had two aces hidden up my sleeve.”

“Cheating in an amateur poker tournament did not put Henry—” She paused. “Two hidden aces…”

“Yeah,” Emma said with a shrug. “I used to have to cheat my way through games like that the foster system, I guess I thought I could cheat my way through this one, too, but—”

“Two hidden aces,” Regina said again. She stood up, putting her coffee down on the chair and walked over to Henry’s bed. “The disease is hiding.” She turned to the blonde. “Miss Swan, you may have just saved your son’s life.” Without another word, she bolted out of the room.

——

“Erdheim-Chester disease? We already tested for that—”

“Diseases lie. Try it again.”

“Regina, we only have one more sample—”

“Try it again.”

…

“Oh my God… It’s Erdheim-Chester.”

“Start the treatment.”

——

Regina slowly pulled the tube out of Henry’s throat, pulling it away from his body and setting it on the tray next to her. “There, does that feel better?” He nodded and she smoothed a hand over his forehead. “There’s someone who’s very excited to see you.”

The boy’s eyes lit up. “Is it Santa?”

Regina laughed. “No, not Santa. Not for another couple of months.” She turned her head towards the door. “You can come in now.”

Emma entered and a smile lit up her face as she looked at her son sitting up in the bed. “Henry!” She engulfed him in a hug. “Oh, thank God you’re okay.”

“No need to call me God,” Regina said sarcastically, a smile on her face.

Emma snorted, looking up at Regina over her son’s shoulder. “Someone’s a little full of themselves.”

“I think I’m allowed to be full of myself when I save a patient’s life,” Regina said. “And technically he’s not even my patient.”

“Yeah, where is Dr. Whale?” Emma asked, looking around as though he was going to show up.

“He was out sick yesterday. Unfortunately, he’ll be back today,” Regina said.

Emma smiled. “Worried he’ll come claim your victory?”

Regina snorted. “He wouldn’t even dare to try. Henry may be his patient, but this is my case.”

“Speaking of…” Emma said, trailing off as she looked up shyly at Regina. “You’re not technically our doctor.”

“Yes…”

“So… technically… if I wanted to thank you for saving my son’s life…” Emma gave a small smile. “Would I be allowed to thank you over dinner?”

Regina’s eyes widened in surprise. “Dinner?”

“Yeah, you know. People. Food. Sometimes conversation.”

Regina stood with her mouth open. “I’m currently your son’s physician—”

“You just said you weren’t technically our doctor,” Emma pointed out. She raised her eyebrows and tilted her head towards Regina. “So?”

“Technically…” Regina started, pausing for a moment. “I could accompany you to dinner after your son is given a clean bill of health.”

Emma smiled. “So that’s a yes?”

“You’d have to wait until all of his post-ops are done.”

“That’s fine with me.”

“It could be months,” Regina pointed out.

Emma smiled. “I’ll wait.”

——

“Have you ever thought that maybe instead of good things triggering bad things, it could be the other way around?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well… in your context, bad thing: your parents gave you up. Good thing: You grew up to be the independent, selfless woman that I love. Bad thing: Henry’s father abandoned you, but good thing: You were able to raise Henry without having to give him up. Bad thing: Henry became sick, but good thing…”

“What?”

“Good thing: you met me.”

“How do I know that’s not the bad thing?”

“Emma!”

“I’m just saying, you steal my french fries all the time. And you hog the covers.”

“I suppose I do. But I also saved your son’s life.”

“Mmmh.”

“How about this one… bad thing: you let me steal your french fries and hog the covers…”

“The good thing?”

“Good thing: you marry me.”

“…”

“…Really?”