Reconciliation

Chapter 16:

Risky Proposition

After some time being consoled by Sandra and Carl Tennyson, Ben went into Albedo’s room after checking first with the doctors to be certain it was alright.

“Yes Ben, but try not to disturb him too much, we’ve sedated him as much as we dare, but he’s still in a lot of pain.”

“Ben are you sure you don’t want us to come with you?”

“Yeah, dad I want some time alone with him, we need to talk.”

Ben entered Albedo’s darkened hospital room “Albedo, you awake?”

“If I wasn’t, did you expect that I would answer?”

Ben heard the pain in Albedo’s voice, despite the sedative the doctor said he had given him; but also Albedo’s typical acerbic wit.

“Man, Albedo you’ve got acid for a sense of humor.”

“It…it’s served me well so far,” said with a wince of pain

“I may be a lowly human, but I did pick up on that, at least once or twice.”

“So I assume you are here because you know the situation.”

Ben sighed and said “Yes Albedo, they’ve filled me in, I told them to do whatever it takes to save you and the baby.”

“Just the same, I thought I should ask you how you feel about it.”

“You were correct Ben, but regardless of what happens to me, he or she is the one that must be saved.”

They had declined to find out the gender of either of the children, Ben’s or Albedo’s since they wanted it to be a surprise.

“Are you sure, Albedo if the baby dies, it’ll be tragic and neither of us are going to be able to get over it any time soon; especially you. But at least you’ll live and maybe have another chance.”

“No Ben,” Albedo said again wincing as another pain shot through his abdomen.

“You remember me saying that we Galvans are more like the amphibians of your world than we’d care to admit?”

“Albedo is this really the time to re-hash that conversation?” Ben asked impatiently.

“Ben you must understand, please hear me out.”

“Many of those species only have one chance to reproduce, so it is with Galvans.”

Seeing the concerned look on Ben’s face Albedo quickly added “We don’t expire after reproducing like many of those species but we do only have one chance at this.”

“Save our child Ben, please, what happens to me is secondary.”

“I never thought I’d hear my self say this, Albedo but what happens to you is not secondary, at least it isn’t to me.”

“Ben, please!” Albedo said again, but this time it sounded more like a demand than a plea.

“Alright, alright try to stay calm, at least as calm as you can be under the circumstances. The last thing we need now is for you to get yourself so worked up that you miscarry.”

“I’ll let the doctors and everyone else know what we’ve decided.”

Ben stepped out of Albedo’s room where Gwen, Kevin and Rook, Grandpa Max, Ben’s parents and Frank and Natalie Tennyson, Ben’s aunt and uncle were waiting nervously.

“Well, Ben,” Max asked the question on everyone’s mind.

“We know that there are dangers involved but Albedo wants to go through with the surgery and I agree with him.”

“Alright,” the chief surgeon said, “If you’ll all wait outside we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

He turned to his nurse, and said let’s get Albedo prepped and into O.R.”

“Azmuth could you assist in case there are unforeseen complications?”

“Of course I shall.”

Once out in the waiting room everyone else decided to go to the cafeteria for something to eat, but ben was going to wait here until they knew something.

“Do want us to bring you anything, honey,” Sandra asked her son.

“No thanks mom, I won’t feel like eating anything until this is over.”

“Are you sure son, it could be quite a while.”

“Yeah, dad I’ll be fine but thanks.”

The rest of the family walked away but it was impossible for Ben not to notice the concerned looks on all of their faces.