Today though, today, he was going to have fun with his best friends, his brothers. This was a practice run, always fun. They had rented the pool for a few hours and the four friends were alone, just gathering ideas and goofing off as best friends are known to do. Joe needed this.
He and Q were in the otherwise empty pool, laughing and horsing around. Sal and Murr were in a dressing room, checking out the camera placements. Before long they would start shooting ideas to the other two guys, as a run through of the real deal.
Q and Joe had wandered to the deep end of the pool, discussing possible pranks, imagining the pool full of people. Eventually, both begin to make their way back to the shallow end, Q far in the lead. Sal and Murr were chatting amongst themselves, but Sal happened to look down at the screen showing his two friends. He noticed Joe far back, still in the deep end of the pool. He was treading water, in the seven foot deep pool, a dazed yet panicked look on his face. Sal could see the fear in the big blue eyes.
Almost immediately recognizing the frozen posture and look of fear on Joe's face, Sal screamed at Q through the headset.
"Get Joe out of the water!"
Murr then looked at the screen, both men throwing off their headsets and running out of the dressing room and to the pool.
Q, shocked and confused by the sudden excitement, turned around in time to see Joe's arms begin to jerk, causing his body to go under the deep blue water. Frantically, he dove towards his friend, making his way to where he saw Joe go under. In his panic, it felt like what took a considerable amount of time to find Joe and pull his head above water. His body was still jerking violently, a wet gurgling noise coming from his mouth. Q was terrified that he wasn't fast enough. Swimming as fast as he could towards the shallow end of he pool, he was met by Sal who took Joe's slippery wet and still constantly moving body from his arms and went the rest of the way out of water, laying him down.
All three men had learned how to care for a seizure victim. They had been through many epeleptic events with Joe, but most of them were small. This was a very large, long, and violent seizure and he had been under water with his body not working as it should, probably swallowing a very large amount of water.
Sal didn't know whether he should do chest compressions with his friend in the midst of a epeleptic fit, but felt they had to get the water out of his body. So he started compressions while Murr stood behind, nervously talking to 911.
"They said to do the compressions as best we can. They are on their way"
Water was gushing from Joe's mouth, the wet gurgling sound stil coming from his throat. Joe's body finally calmed, the jerking stopped and his limbs and body went limp under Sal's hands. This terrifed Sal even more.
"Oh my God, Joe! Joe!"
Tears were rolling down his face, his best friend, his brother, was limp and lifeless and he didn't know what to do to help him.
Murr, on shaking knees, knelt down and put his ear to Joe's mouth.
"He's breathing man. He's going to be okay, the ambulance is on the way. He's breathing!"
Sal could only see the expressive blue eyes, always laughing, after a hard life of trials. He stood beside Joe when he lost his father to alcohol poisening, watched him cry and hurt. He stood beside Joe's hospital bed after he had a traumatic stroke at the age of 33. He stood beside him as he struggled to learn how to walk and talk property again, to use his hands correctly again. Through all of this, Joe came out the other end smiling and laughing, kind, warm, and caring.
And now this.
He put his hand on Joe again, this time on the shoulder that he was sure was thinning by the week.
"Just hang with us buddy, we'll get through this"
He used the other hand to wipe a stray tear from his cheek.
"We've got this, just listen to our voices and stay with us. Please, Joey."
Q wiped his own cheek, pacing in the background.
"I could find him. Dammit! I couldn't find him."
A thin arm stopped his pacing. Murr looked into Sal's stricken face.
"You got him out, Q. He's going to be okay. We all just have to calm down. For our sake and for Joe's. He can probably hear us and if we sound terrified, he's going to be terrifed too.".
Sal's tearful voice broke through the silence that followed Murr's words.
"He's right, we have to calm down Q. You got to him as fast as you could, man."
Joe suddenly lurched and more water flew from his mouth. A coughing fit followed suit.
"That's it buddy, get it up." Sal gently patted his friend on the back while more chlorinated pool water spewed out of his mouth, running down his chin onto his friend's leg"
Blue eyes inched open, confused, tired and afraid.
"Oh thank you dear Jesus!". Q hit his knees beside his friends.
"It's okay, Joe. Just lay there, alright man. An ambulance is on the way. You had a seizure in the pool, but you're going to be alright."
Joe just continued to stare up at his friends, confusion etched on the handsome face.
"Joe? Look at me, bud. It's Sal. Do you know who I am?"
With a small nod, Joe acknowledged recognition, which helped immensely in settling Sal's nerves.
"Okay, great. Ambulance is on the way, my man. Just hang tight". He massaged Joe's shoulder, believing contact would help his friend relax.
Finally, after what seemed like hours but in reality was perhaps fifteen minutse the three men heard the welcome sound of an ambulance.
Murr ran out front to meet it.
CHAPTER TWO.
The ER waiting room was full and the wait seemed endless.
Finally, a tall older gentlemen in hospital white called the four men to a private confer room.
"First, Mr Gatto is stable. You gentlemen did a wonderful job, we would be a having a very different convesation right now otherwise. Job well done"
He shook each man's hand and set down.
"He still has water on his lungs which we can take care of, but there are bruises on your friend which I find concerning. Multiple degrees of bruising in present, some in the process of healing, others are fresh and all types in between. This is consistent with multiple problems and I will want to draw blood and run tests after we get over this current hurdle and his lungs are clear. But first, I see you are all listed as being allowed to sign for medical emergencies of your friend. But, does he have any immediate family that we need to call in?"
Sal, shaken by the Dr's obvious concern spoke up.
"Joe's parents are both deceased, his wife left him with his two small children, less than three months ago. That is all the family he had left. So we are it. I do want to add that he has been acting off for the last few months. He led us to believe it was sinuses and other minor issues. But, he has obviously lost a great deal of weight and tires very easily. He also seems to be in some kind of constant pain."
The Dr nods, thanks Sal, again shakes each man's hand and tells them Joe will be placed in a room soon, promising to get to the bottom of it.
The three men are left to resume their pacing, relieved that their pal has pulled through the near drowning, but now terribly worried about the Dr's concerns.
Three days later, Joe's lungs are clear, blood test, scans, and other tests have been run and all four friends are in Joe's hospital room awaiting the results.
The same kind Dr walks in, accompanied by a yet older Dr. Both smile an shake the hand of each man.
Both men set down and look each man in the eyes, stopping at Joe.
The first Dr speaks.
"This is Dr. Hinkle, he is a Cancer spcecialist and I will let him talk to you all. Don't panic, this can be treated, gentlemen."
Even as he said the last words, panic rises up in each heart in the room.
"Hello gentlemen, it's always nice to see friends support each other as you are doing. We got the results of the tests back, studied them in detail. "
His gaze falls on Joe, who looks down and looks back up again.
"Mr Gatto, you have adult on-set Leukumia. Lymphoblastic. This is an aggressive form of Leaukumia and we will begin treating it immediately. We have determined it has not reached your brain or bone marrow as of yet, so I feel confident we can beat it. It won't be easy, it will be a living hell. I won't lie. But we can do it.
I'm sure you will have your friends here by your side to help you get through."
Tears begin to pool in baby blue eyes as Joe looks up at the Dr pleadingly. He feels the heavy but soothing weight of a hand on his chest, does not look to see which of his friends it belongs to.
"Truthfully, Dr, what kind of chances do I have?"
Dr Hinkle looks down at the man on the bed, the open, friendly face and large blue eyes begging for an honest answer. He likes this man already, and has a feeling the feeling is mutual no matter where he goes or who he meets.
He reaches down and places his hand on the thinning shoulder.
"Mr Gatto, Joe, I do not believe in statistics, so I can't give you one, but I have every reason to believe that we have caught this monster in time to stop it. I won't lie to you,
it is an aggressive Leukumia and the Chemo that it takes to fight it is not easy for the person on the receiving end. But, we will fight it and I'm almost positive that we will beat it.".
Joe nods
"Okay. Thank You. When do we start?".
"We will check you over, make sure you are well enough to begin and if so, the first Chemo treatment will be tomorrow afternoon. You will stay in the hospital about 4 to 5 days afterward, then go home. After the initial treamtnet, unless complications arise, you will be able to go home within two days on following treatments. Though,
I don't think you should stay alone."
Q, Sal, and Murr all begin to speak at once. Q's voice wins over.
"That isn't a problem. He can stay with one of us at all times.
"What about my dogs?". This is Joe's first concern, which surprises no one.
All eyes, but those of the Dr, turn to Sal.
"Buddy, you can bring a Giraffe in my hosue if you want to. Whatever it takes to get you well and make you as comfortable and as at home as we can while doing it."
Joe smiles for the first time since the drowning accident and quietly thinks his friend.
Dr Hinkle studies the three men that are all now standing before him.
"Most Dr's bring the family or loved ones outside for this part of the discussion, but I believe in being completely honest with my patient. So I will stay here in the room,
as Joe deserves to know the truth. This is the most brutal form of chemotherapy on the market. It is the only one strong enough to fight Joe's decease. He will become very ill, possibly made so weak he won't be able to walk. Are you ready for that committment and are you ready to watch this happen? With the knowledge that in the end it will kill the Cancer that is threatening to take him from us?"
All three men are silent and just nod solemnly, and Dr Hinkle nods in return.
From the bed, Joe clears his throat to get attention, then grins. A small speck of of himself shining through.
"Will I loose my hair?"
Everyone chuckles along with the Dr.
"Actually, no sir, you will not. This drug does a lot of stuff, but in 75 percent of the cases, it has not caused hair loss."
He then walks around the room, shaking everyone's hand. He shakes Joe's hand the longest before telling him he will see him tomorrow and leaving the four men alone in the room.
Four sets of scared eyes meet each other slowly, finally Joe speaks.
"You guys don't have to do this. There are places for people to go until they are better. I can do that. Just please find someone to take care of my dogs until I get back."
Murr smirks playfully.
"Yea right, let me just google the nearest fucking care home now so we don't have to put up with your sick ass."
He very softly taps Joe's chest.
"Come on man, you know full well that we aren't going to do that."
Q speaks up from the corner he has went to, he is full of fear and worry but trying not to show it.
"You know Murr's right, Joe. We're going to get through this together. We'll figure it out. "
Sal only looks on, then looks his friend dead in the eye.
"That remark is just too stupid for me to respond to"
All four guys are quiet for a moment, until one by one, they burst out laughing.
So much so that Murr had to go close the door.