Frank and Carla were keeping a close eye on Robert as they now seemed insuperable. John was in the living room marking mid-term exams and was making considerable progress. A few minutes later, Olivia came down the stairs and was dressed in casual clothes looking much more relaxed than earlier.
Olivia then said, “How’s my little man?” and Olivia picked up Robert and cuddled him in her arms.
Robert immediately recognized Olivia and started to smile and laugh. Olivia then played a few games with Robert and he was very easily amused.
Everyone could tell the time that they spent together was very special.
About half an hour later, Olivia said to Carla, “What’s for dinner tonight?”
Carla replied. “I’ve created a pot-roast for dinner with vegetables and sweet potatoes.”
Olivia then said, “It sounds delicious. How’s Robert been? Have you had any problems with him?”
Carla replied. “Robert has been very good, and I think he’s feeling just fine.”
Olivia smiled and said, “Carla, I’m so glad to hear that.”
Carla then took the delicious meal out of the oven and put it on the table. Needless to say, everyone was at the table in record time. Frank and Carla sat at the table beside each other, and John, Olivia and Robert were together at the other side. Everyone served themselves and they busily ate dinner, all except Frank.
Olivia couldn’t help but notice the way Frank and Carla were looking at each other and it put a smile on her face. Olivia had thought Frank was a confirmed bachelor. When dinner was over, without a word Frank and Carla cleared off the table and put all the dishes in dishwasher.
Olivia mentioned. “I seriously need some down time as it has been non-stop around the office. Could we play a game of Charade’s? We’ll need a group of four people, so Carla would you please join us.”
Carla replied. “Well of course,” and then she sat down beside Frank.
Little Robert was put into his play area nearby and then Olivia went over and sat beside John. For the next hour the four of them toiled at finding the words their teammates were trying to describe. Finally, they declared it a tie.
At the end of the game, Carla went into the kitchen with Frank and they made a pitcher of iced tea and a tray of cookies. Before they went into the living room, Carla and Frank exchanged a passionate kiss.
Carla put the pitcher of iced tea on the table and Frank put the plate of cookies on the table beside it. When Frank went to sit down, he all of a sudden gave a low groan and showed a clear pain in his abdomen. Olivia, John and Carla could see Frank’s discomfort and all of a sudden the atmosphere changed.
“Dad, I see that you’re in pain. What’s going on?
Frank said, “Oh Olivia, it’s probably nothing. I’ve been feeling a little bit of pain in my abdomen that seems to be radiating towards my back. I’ve also not had an appetite lately, been losing some weight and have felt a little down. It’s probably the flu.”
Olivia paused, and you could see that she was processing the information given and extrapolating the probably cause of the sickness.
“Dad, it could be the flu but I’m going to bring you into the clinic tomorrow and we will carry out some routine tests.”
Frank sat back and said, “Okay Olivia. In general I don’t like doctors, but I’ll make a exception in your case.”
They all had a good laugh.
The next morning Olivia got up and she wanted to see little Robert and couldn’t find him or Carla. Olivia became upset and went to John and asked him where Robert and Carla were.
John said, “Olivia, don’t worry. Carla has been taking Robert out to the grandpa suite at night and has been keeping a eye on Frank for the last two weeks. Carla noticed that your dad was a little sick for a while and didn’t want to overly concern you. We all know the stress you’ve been under and the time you’ve had to spend away from home.”
“Olivia,” John said, “Carla and Frank have become very fond of each other, and I think that they love each other.”
Olivia replied with a smile on her face. “I could tell by the way they looked at each other last night that they had become close. I’m so very happy for both of them.”
Olivia then paused, smiled and said, “Oh, okay.”
John added “The grandpa suite is better laid out than most normal houses. Robert has his play area, extra bed, diapers and anything else that he needs there. If your dad is sick then I really think that Carla and Robert are the best medicine for him.”
Olivia sat back on her chair in the kitchen and said, “John, I thought that I was the only doctor in this family, but you are absolutely right.”
John smiled and called Frank’s grandpa suite through the wireless intercom and asked him to go in with Olivia to the Waybury Institute this morning.
Frank let John know it would be about half a hour till he was ready due to him needing some breakfast and a shower. When Frank was done his shower and breakfast, Carla gave him a passionate kiss and wished him well for the day ahead at the Institute.
When Olivia arrived at work with Frank, she went to a senior Doctor that worked at the Institute and immediately ordered a whole slew of tests. That day, Frank had his blood and urine examined along with a complete physical.
On top of that, over the next several days, he had a abdominal ultrasound, CT scan, MRI and a endoscope examination.
A number of doctors had a meeting to look through all the scans and reports in order to come to a proper diagnosis. Finally, they came to a consensus.
The lead doctor then planned a meeting in Olivia’s office where Frank and Olivia would sit on the couch, and the senior Doctor would sit in the chair on the end.
Then the Doctor looked at Frank and said, “Mr. McNabb you have level two pancreatic cancer. There are three levels to this disease and it’s a killer. There are a variety of treatments for this disease including operations, chemotherapy and other alternative treatments.”
“You see, as Olivia has so amply spelled out, Medical advancements have been held back by sinister powers in the FDA and pharmaceutical companies. Me and many of my compatriot’s have done everything humanly possible to fight these diseases with some having limited success,” as he turned his head and smiled at Olivia.
“If this disease would have been detected earlier, then we could have started treatment earlier. This is a very difficult disease to quickly diagnose as it disguises itself as the common flu. By the time it has been diagnosed, this killer has advanced.”
Frank then asked, “How much time do I have left?”
After a pause the doctor said, “Mr. McNabb, we hope to completely kill this disease, but if we can’t prevail then you have six months to live.”
The expression on Frank’s face changed to extreme grief and Olivia felt his pain. Olivia thanked the doctor for his diagnosis and response, and then told him to plan, schedule and inform her and Frank of the next course of action by 4pm. The doctor left the room.
Frank sadly said, “Oh Olivia, I was so happy to be living with you and John. Then I saw it as a wonderful gift to become a grandfather with having Robert around, and I then fell in love with Carla. Why, oh why has this fallen on me?”
Olivia then lovingly went up to her father and held him in her arms, while he broke down grasping and crying. She then remembered that as a