A Love So Absolutely Clear {Crowen} ✔️

04: the rain has arrived

the next few days everything was the same. novella's fever did not go down. cristina was constantly leaving work early for the sake of her daughter. owen didn't even go to work.

they were getting worried. fevers don't last an entire week without getting better. but they were doctors, and were the biggest hypochondriacs. a fever is just a fever, they thought.

but they monitored her closely every second. not a single second went by that either owen or cristina were tending their daughter. she was their daughter. they loved her dearly.

"owen, she hasn't gotten any better and it's been like a week." cristina whispered, outside of her room. she glanced at her for a second. she looked miserable. her heart broke for her child.

he put a hand on her shoulder in attempt to calm her down. "a fever can take weeks to recover from. it happens to the best of us. it's happened to me as a kid. it probably happened to you, too." he said, his voice unbelievable. their doctor instincts said it wasn't anything more than a fever. but their parent instincts said it was much much more.

"and if it's something else, we're doctors. surgeons, even. we're not gonna let anything happen to her. you know that." her head that was looking down to the ground, was lifted with his knuckle. his hand moved up to her cheek, as they stared intimately at each other; like they knew their every thought and intention.

her eyes wandered between both his left and right eye, something she does often. then they close, as both their foreheads supported each other's, his other hand moving to her other cheek now.

both were scared. their guts contradict with logic. so what should they choose to follow?

"you need to take care of yourself, too." he finally said after a while. "hopefully this next baby is healthier and the pregnancy isn't as chaotic."

she sighed. "hopefully."

retching noises coming from novella's room fill the air, and cristina and owen turn their heads quickly toward the sight of novella vomiting all over her clothes.

"shoot." owen could muster out before they both ran toward her.

"hey, nov, are you okay?" cristina asked her in a worried tone. she pat her back and held her hair away from her face. owen stood beside novella with a trash can, as she continued to throw up the insides of her stomach.

owen and cristina made eye contact before resuming their focus on their daughter. after a few more minutes, when the trash can was obviously heavier but filling up no longer, cristina grabbed a tissue and began to wipe novella's mouth with it.

"okay, let's get you out of those clothes and give you a bath." cristina said, her clothes still clearly covered with her own matter. "could you start the bathtub, owen?" he got straight to the job and turned on the water, as they heard the faucet noises from the bedroom.

"raise your arms, now." she said, novella obeying, but still as sick as can be. cristina took off her shirt, reminding herself to get owen to wash it later, then something caught her eye.

she began to examine her unclothed body, looking around for more of what she saw.

"can you turn your back to me?" she said, almost in a worried tone. she did as she was told, revealing many more little blue and black spots around her back. her eyes widened. her jaw dropped. her heart stopped.

"holy crap." she whispered underneath her breath. after a moment's pause, she turned her head and called, "owen?" practically shouting for him to come. fear was evident in her voice. her expression was beyond terrified.

he came back, hearing the worry in her voice. "what's w—"

"she has bruises all over her body. how-how did we not see this before?" she panicked, her hand over her mouth.

he took a quick look, then she turned around to face her parents.

"oh my God." he whispered, staring right into his child's eyes.

"this can't be c—"

"i think it is." he told her, without blinking.

when he finally blinked, a tear fell out of his eye.

...

acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

when those words came out of the doctor's mouth and into their ears, they burst out crying.

they weren't gifted with the unknown. they didn't undermine how bad this illness was. they were doctors. they knew about it. and they knew about it well.

they knew that there was a sixty-eight percent chance of survival after getting diagnosed after five years. they knew it could very quickly be fatal. they knew their child had lower immune functions due to her i.u.g.r.. they knew the journey was going to be tough. and they knew it was going to be hell.

their child—the one they loved, the only one they fought for—was sick with a disease with no cure. there were treatments, of course, but how will those treatments assure a one hundred percent chance at survival?

she was barely six. she was nearly three years advanced in everything she did. she was bound for greatness like her mother and her father. why did someone so big yet so small, get an illness so giant with no remedy?

why would pouring toxins and poison through her veins have to be the only cure?

"she's just...a baby compared to this world." he said. "if we tell her she'll know."

"she'll be scared as hell..." she stared into nothingness, unsure of what to do next. their life was far from perfect to begin with, but right when things started to fall into place, everything around it seemed to fall apart. it happened every time.

novella was getting her well needed rest in the hospital bed. she got hooked up to numerous medications, and she was starting chemotherapy as soon as possible. they didn't want to see their child in pain, but they didn't want to see her die, either. it was her only option. their only hope.

"the world wouldn't put her through anything she can't handle." he told her, despite the worried look on his face. "we have to stay strong and stay positive. this is our daughter. it's gonna be tough and it's gonna be painful, but it's nothing she can't handle."

he looked at her assuringly, then. her crossed eyebrows were tense and her eyes swollen red underneath. "it's just the beginning, cristina. please let's not try to act like it's the end. there's still a lot of hope for her."

she buried her head into his chest as they were seated in a small couch in the lobby. his chin rested on the top of her head, kissing it gently as always. after a while, he heard quiet sobs coming from below, to which he pulled her as close to him as he could with no space between the two of them.

from above her, she heard the most inaudible sobs coming from his mouth. she felt tears slide down his cheeks and on the top of her head. this was news any parent would cry over. nobody wants to hear their child sick with cancer.

"i can't imagine losing her when we almost gave her up six years ago." she stuttered with her words, still holding on to him for dear life. for her right then, it really did seem like it.

"neither can i." he said, holding on to her even tighter.

"neither can i."

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a/n: wait whatt? i updated so quickly!! that's unheard of!! next chapter will hopefully be up soon! hope you enjoy!