Chapter 51 The Immune Connection
The call with Dr. Cross happened the next morning. Damian put the phone on speaker. I sat beside him, gripping my coffee mug so hard my knuckles turned white.
"Thank you for calling back," Dr. Cross said. "I've finished reviewing the immune panel data. The pattern involves how your children respond to common viral infections. Specifically, Epstein‑Barr virus."
Damian's voice was steady, but I saw his jaw tighten. "What kind of pattern?"
"Rose and Lily show an exaggerated antibody response. Most people carry this virus without symptoms. But in your daughters, the immune system overreacts significantly. That overreaction may be contributing to their fatigue, joint pain, and even some of their dizziness."
I set down my mug before I dropped it. "What about Max and Leo?"
"Max has a mild response. Barely detectable. Leo has no response at all. His immune system handles the virus normally, like most people."
Damian rubbed his forehead, a gesture I had come to recognize as his way of steadying himself. "So Rose and Lily have another layer. Another thing to treat."
"Another piece of the puzzle. The good news is that we can manage this with antivirals and immune support. It won't cure the underlying conditions, but it may reduce their symptom burden significantly. I've seen good results in other patients."
We gathered the children after breakfast. Rose was reading on the couch, her legs tucked under her. Lily was brushing her rabbit's fur with a tiny comb. Max was building a tower of blocks that swayed dangerously. Leo was drawing a spaceship at the kitchen table.
Damian knelt in the center of the living room. The afternoon light slanted through the windows, casting long shadows.
"Dr. Cross found something else. It's about how your bodies fight off certain viruses. A virus called Epstein‑Barr."
Lily looked up from her rabbit. "Am I sick?"
"No. You already have the virus. Most people do. But your immune systems work harder than they should. They overreact."
Rose closed her book slowly. "What does that mean for me?"
"It means we might add another medicine. One that helps your immune system calm down. It's called an antiviral."
Max raised his hand without waiting to be called on. "Do I need it?"
"Not you. Your immune system is fine. You're handling the virus normally."
Leo looked at his chest, then at Damian. "What about me?"
"Also fine. Your body knows what to do."
Max frowned, his lower lip pushing out. "So Rose and Lily get another medicine?"
"Yes."
Rose nodded once, firmly. "Then we take it."
The new prescription arrived at the pharmacy the next day. An antiviral called valacyclovir. Rose and Lily would take it twice daily for six months, then reevaluate.
Lily stared at the bottle like it might bite her. "Another pill?"
"Another pill. But it's smaller than your other ones."
She sighed dramatically. "I'm getting good at swallowing. Too good."
Rose took her first dose without comment. She chased it with water and went back to her book. No hesitation. No complaint.
The first week on the antiviral was rough. Rose felt nauseous every morning. Lily complained of headaches that made her want to lie down in the dark. Dr. Cross adjusted the timing, splitting the doses between morning and evening, and added a recommendation to take them with food.
By the tenth day, the side effects faded. Rose noticed she had more energy in the afternoons. Lily stopped needing naps after school for the first time in months.
"It's helping," Rose said at dinner. She pushed her broccoli around her plate, but her voice was lighter.
"You feel different?"
"My legs don't ache as much. And I'm not as tired when I stand up."
Damian reached across the table and squeezed her hand. "That's the goal. One step at a time."
On the fifteenth day, Dr. Cross called with more news.
"We've been tracking Rose's antibody levels. They're already dropping significantly. This is a very good sign, better than I expected."
Damian exhaled, a long slow breath. "So the antiviral is working."
"Better than expected. We'll continue the current course and retest in three months. If the trend holds, we might reduce the dose."
I wrote down the date on the kitchen calendar. "What about Lily?"
"Her levels are also improving, though more slowly. That's not unusual. Every child responds differently. We may need to adjust her dose upward slightly."
Lily was in the room, listening from the couch. She looked at me with those wide eyes. "More medicine?"
"Maybe a tiny bit more. But it will help you feel better. Like Rose."
She nodded slowly. "Okay. If it helps Rose, it'll help me."
That weekend, we took the children to a lake. The weather was warm, the sky cloudless. The water was calm, reflecting the trees on the far shore. Rose sat on a blanket and read her book, her feet in the grass. Lily waded in the shallows, her rabbit tucked safely in a bag. Max threw rocks as far as he could, counting each splash. Leo tried to skip stones, getting frustrated when they sank.
Damian sat beside me on the grass, his shoulder against mine. "They look normal."
"They are normal. Just with extra appointments and extra bottles."
He took my hand. "Do you think we'll ever stop discovering new things about their bodies?"
I watched Rose turn a page. Lily skip across the water. Max cheer for a big splash. Leo finally get a stone to skip once.
"I hope not. Discovering means we're learning. Learning means we can help them. Ignorance is the enemy."
He kissed my fingers. "I love you."
"I love you."
The lake trip ended at sunset. The children were tired but happy. Rose had finished her book and started a new one. Lily had collected a jar of smooth stones. Max had thrown every rock within reach. Leo had successfully skipped three stones and was planning to beat his record next time.
On the drive home, the sky turned purple and orange. The children chattered in the back seat. Then Damian's phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen, pulled the car to the side of the road, and killed the engine.
"What is it?" I asked, my pulse quickening.
He turned the phone toward me. A text from Dr. Cross.
I've been reviewing the family's complete viral panel. There's another antibody response that concerns me. It involves a different virus, one that affects the nervous system. Please call me tonight.