Addison had always been one of those children who got sick quite easily. Whether it be a cold or the flu, she always seemed to be the one to catch it, even if no one else in the house did. Larken had never given it much thought and just assumed it would improve in time, but within the past week Addison had become so weak from the flu (even tho she had gotten a flu shot), Larken became increasingly concerned. After taking her to the doctor and having tests done, she learned the shocking reason her daughter caught things so easily: she had really low numbers of white blood cells, the cells necessary for fighting infections; along with this she also had low platelet numbers and low red blood cell numbers. With this news, came more tests which led to a diagnosis of aplastic anemia. Larken had heard of it but didn’t know much about it and went into research mode fast.
What she discovered was Addison’s best bet to overcome this was a bone marrow transplant and the most likely match would be a brother or sister of Addison’s. This worried Larken. Addison had three half-siblings, not counting the two Larken was now carrying, but no full sibling. A full sibling was the best chance of a match and Larken was mentally kicking herself for not having twins with Jake, not that she could control that; it was just irrational thinking. Reading on, she discovered that the next step for testing would-be parents, half-siblings, and extended family. Thinking about this for the rest of the night, it finally hit her, Addison may not have a full sibling…. but she did have a half-sibling that was related to her twice as much as the others. Jake’s son with Larken’s first cousin Amelita could prove to be a good match. The whole reason a full sibling is such a good bet is that the mix of cells would most likely match their other siblings perfectly. Now with Jake’s son, he would have Jake’s inherited blood cells and a good amount of Larken’s considering her and Amelita shared grandparents.
Larken had scheduled to get Jaisen and Kendall tested to see if there were a match. She had already had herself tested the day she got the diagnosis and was not a match. Jake, as well had already been tested and informed he wasn’t a match. Of course, there were numerous other family members that Larken knew would get tested, on both her side of the family and Jake’s. Kayla had already said, “tell me the time and place and I’m there, with the kids”. Kendrick had already been tested as well, as he isn’t just Addison’s step-father, he is Jake’s first cousin. But Larken knew her best chance for finding a match for her daughter would be asking Amelita to have Kayne tested. Asking Amelita anything was not something Larken wanted to do or had any thought she’d ever do again but her kid was more important to her than any grudge that could ever exist. Jake had even offered to call Amelita for her, but Larken refused. She had to do this herself, mother to mother, former best friend to former best friend.
As soon as morning arrived, Larken got herself ready and immediately headed over to Amelita’s place. She really wanted to go immediately to the hospital where Addison had been staying for the past four days as a precaution and to keep her in a sterile environment, but this needed to get done as soon as possible. It had been at least three years or so since Larken and Amelita spoke. After calling her uncle Fabiano and making sure she had Amelita’s address right, Larken arrived at her place and knocked on the door. She probably should have called first but Larken’s mind wasn’t exactly focused on the proper manners her mother had taught her.
