By Maureen J. Long
Sarah Pulcher lay in the intensive care center in the medical facility on Ceres-2. Her young son Evan was sitting in a chair nearby sleeping. She was dying and she knew it. Her breast cancer was discovered six months ago during a routine physical. Ed Spencer had immediately performed a mastectomy and removed both her breast. During the surgery it was discovered that the cancer had spread into her lymph modes and throughout her body. Spencer was unable to offer her any treatments other than those for pain management.
Sarah's everyday needs were bring taken care of by Richard Koenig. He was doing a rotation on C-2 and had been assigned to her case. Richard Koenig was a near replica of John Koenig except for his coloring, red hair and green eyes instead of his father's dark hair and blue eyes. He was tall and had his father's features if you looked past the coloring, and there was something about the tone of his voice, the way he spoke and moved. He was also as charming as his father. Having Richard near was almost like having the love of her life, John, with her during her final days. She'd asked Richard not to tell Evan about the severity of her illness. She wanted to tell him, but she was unable to tell him because she was in denial. She had allowed Evan to believe that Richard's treatments were working. But soon she would have to face the reality of her own mortality.
With tears in her eyes, Sarah looked over at her young son. She wanted to tell him about his father before she passed on. She hoped that one day John could except Evan and love him the way he did Richard and Alex. Evan stirred in his chair, rubbing his eyes with his hands and yawning. He looked over at his mother and smiled.
"Mom," he called moving to stand by the bed. "You're crying."
"Evan, there is something I must tell you ... " Sarah looked into her son's clear blue eyes.
"What is it Mom? Tell me." Evan was growing worried as he sat on the edge of her bed.
"I need to tell you the truth about your father. I want you to listen carefully to what I have to say." She took a deep breath and reached for Evan's hand.
"When I met your father, I took one look at him and fell completely in love with him. He was tall and dark, a very handsome man. But there was more to him than looks, he was also compassionate and concerned. Over the years, he met someone else and married. I knew that he really didn't love the woman he married. Every time he looked at me, I knew he really wanted to be with me. After several years, the man and his wife began to have troubles in their marriage. Many nights he would come to me with his problems. He told me that it was me he wanted not her. He promised to love me forever. On several occasions he made plans to leave his wife so that we could be married. Late one night, he called me to his office and professed his love to me. He promised me that the would leave his wife. Evan, that night was the greatest night of my life.
Evan looked at his mother totally captivated with the words she was saying. As she told the story her face had become flushed as if she was once again a young school girl in love for the every first time. Suddenly her expression changed to one of sadness and despair. Tears began to roll down her cheeks as she began to tell the rest of the story.
"After I found out I was pregnant with you. I went to the your father with the news. He became angry, shouting that I should have been more responsible. He threw me out of his office and threatened to kill me if I ever revealed that he was the father of my child. He went back to his wife two months later when their son was born. I tried to contact him when you were born to let him know he had another son, but he wouldn't take my calls. Several years later when you were about four, you started to look exactly like him so he sent us here hoping that no one would figure out that you were his son."
Tears rolled down Evan's face as he realized what his mother was saying. His own father disowning him, he'd never felt such pain in all his life. Soon his pain was replaced with anger. Evan was anger not only for disowning him but for the pain he could see his mother had endured all these years. "Mom, who is this man, my father?"
"Evan, your father is John Koenig." Sarah's time was approaching and breathing was becoming more difficult. "Richard is your half-brother."
The news was shocking. Evan sat completely paralyzed numbed by his mother's confession. He tried to speak but the words just wouldn't come. Finally he leaned back in his chair and stared blankly at his mother.
"I know this news must be a shock to you my son. I've kept this secret from you because I didn't want you to be hurt." Sarah's was now grasps for air as she spoke these last words to her son.
"Just remember I love you. Everything I've done in the past had been because I love you." With those final words, Sarah stopped breathing and died.
When Evan realized his mother had stopped breathing, he called out for Ed Spencer. Within seconds Spencer entered the room and tried to resuscitate Sarah, but it was too late. He turned to a distraught Evan and shook his head sadly. "She's gone Evan."
"No! She can't be gone. She told me that Richard was making her better!" He screamed, overcome with grief. Spencer moved over to Evan and embraced him. It was all he could do for young boy. Later, he would call Alpha with the news of Sarah's death. He would also assemble a grief counseling team to help Evan make the funeral arrangements. But for now he would simply hold the young man as he mourned the death of his mother.
Maureen J. Long
July, 1999