Disclaimer: I wished the characters belonged to me, but they don't.
Author's Note: Here's my fourth one! As you may know, this is a sequel to "When You're Not Strong." Once again, I would like to give massive thanks to all of you who've taken the time to read/review my stories. It means so much and all your attention is appreciated. If you would like me to read/review your story, just drop me a note and I will try at the very earliest to do so. I've been trying to write consistently lately, which leaves me very little time to read. ~ Thanks! ~
Title: I'll Help You Carry On
Chapter 1: A Fly On The Wall
He quickly finished tying the shoelaces on his black Nike sneakers, grabbed his backpack and headed out the swinging doors. As he stepped into the hall, he spotted his father sitting on a green plastic chair waiting patiently for him while flipping casually thru an old copy of a National Geographic magazine.
"Dad!" Ephram hailed as he approached his father. "I'm done changing."
"That was fast. You ready to go?" Andy said gathering their coats.
"Yea."
They walked to the out-patient nurse's station and awaited the clerk to hand them forms to complete.
"You know Ephram, you've become a favorite among the nurses." Andy spoke with sincerity.
"That's only because I've become somewhat of a regular here. They're used to seeing my face. It's no big deal." Ephram replied humbly.
"No, I've got to give you credit. You've been the model patient these several months. And when they learned you had an aortic aneurysm, they literally had tears in their eyes. They're blown away by how brave and smart you are. I think you're the pet now."
"Oh great. Just want I needed. Draw more attention to myself."
"Yeah. I mean, you can't help the fact that you are so adorable, now can you?" Andy humored.
"Phiff, was I supposed to laugh at that?" Ephram taunted. "Just as long as no one else knows about my condition, I'm happy."
It had been five months since the dreadful day Ephram was told he had a descending thoracic aortic aneurysm developing in his chest. The unfortunate news ultimately broke him but he learned to live with the medical condition that demanded constant medical updates and checkups. He also was required to make visits to the radiology wing of the hospital to have CAT scans done on a monthly basis. Being ashamed of his hereditary condition, Ephram swore to secrecy. Aside from his father, the only people who knew were Nina and Delia. His father had been most supportive throughout the entire ordeal. Andy had scheduled every appointment as well as accompanied Ephram to every CAT scan procedure. He kept Ephram's secret well hidden not only because he respected his son's wishes, but he also knew Ephram still wasn't strong enough emotionally to explain to people that a ruptured aneurysm can be fatal. Time was the key, so Andy kept his promise for the time being. Hence, earning Ephram's trust.
"Don't worry. Doctors and nurses know patient information is held confidential. I should know - I'm a doctor. Remember?" Andy assured. His son nodded.
Dr. William Sommers stepped out of the radiology office. As usual, his white lab coat flew with him as he took big strides. His stoic expression softened when he saw Ephram and Andy waiting by the desk. They exchanged greetings and minor chitchat.
"So, you know the drill Ephram. 48 hours for today's CAT scan results." Dr. Sommers said. "Bethie, the radiology technician, is totally in love with you. She tells me you have been a complete pleasure to work with."
"You see - even the radiologist thinks you're adorable." Andy input seeing Ephram blush a shade of pink.
"She says you follow all the breathing instructions perfectly and looks forward to next month's session." Dr. Sommers mused.
"Dad - make him stop!" Ephram whined jokingly.
Andy and Dr. Sommers laughed. They found teasing Ephram quite enjoyable.
"Alright kid." Dr. Sommers said turning more serious. "But honestly, you really have taken all this very maturely for someone your age."
"OK Dr. Brown, just need you to fill this out and sign right there." A clerk interrupted as she handed Andy a sheet of paper.
"You take care of yourself, kid. I'll see you and your father in two days for review. And says right here, you're due back on the 16th for the next scan." Dr. Sommers read off the patient appointment schedule on the nurse's station.
"I've taken in so much radiation that I wouldn't be surprised if I started to glow in the dark." Ephram replied.
"You're exaggerating. As far as medical science is concerned, CAT scans are safe. Radiation exposure with CAT scans is even significantly less than ordinary X-rays. There's nothing for you to worry about." Dr. Sommers explained.
"So, Ephram. To our usual place right?" Andy questioned as he scribbled his signature on the bottom of the form.
"Sure dad." Ephram smiled. "Oh, after every checkup and CAT scan, we go on a ice cream run." He said to Dr. Sommers, who had a confused look on his face.
"There's nothing like a cherry jubilee drenched with hot caramel and nuts on a cold Sunday afternoon." Andy grinned.
"Yea, I'm starving so bad I think I hear my stomach conducting a symphony right now." Ephram complained.
"You should be. You were not allowed to eat anything this morning because you know why." Andy reminded.
"You HAD to remind me of that gross contrast material I had to be injected with. I feel like such a science experiment." Ephram made a face.
"And doc, so goes a day in the life of the Brown's." Andy said to Dr. Sommers.
"Too much drama for you Andy?" Dr. Sommers laughed.
"We'd better get going cause Nina, Delia and Sam are waiting for us at the ice cream parlor." Andy stated. "Bill, it's been fun. See you in two days." The adults shook hands.
Andy and Ephram were coming down the hall when a doctor stopped to chat with Doctor Andy "The Miracle Man" Brown on an article he'd just read in the medical journal on neurologic complications of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
Ephram had waited the whole morning for food - another ten minutes wouldn't make a difference. He found his way to the front desk, which was swarming with nurses buzzing away at their important duties. He decided to kill some time by reading the bulletin board that was tacked with an array of multi- colored papers. A poster of a crying teddy bear that mentioned a statistic on children and chickenpox was taped to the adjacent wall. There were endless schedules with medical jargon that Ephram can only guess what they meant. He found all the long terminology quite amusing and started reciting them out loud.
"Um, I think it's pronounced 'Cer-re-bro-vas-cu-lar'." A voice corrected. Ephram spun around to find the owner of the voice. There stood Colin Hart in his spiffy looking red and yellow letterman jacket. Ephram turned pale.
"I'm getting good at this pronouncing stuff. I mean, it seems like just yesterday I couldn't even remember how to say 'water'." Colin continued. "I'm on a roll!"
"Colin! Wha-what are you doing here?" Ephram stuttered.
"That's a dumb question. I'm here for my MRI follow up. If you recall, I was in a car accident - flew head first thru the windshield - you know, was comatose for four months - ended up with amnesia. Ring a bell?" Colin teased jokingly. "I think I should be asking YOU what YOU are doing here. You stick out like a sore thumb."
"Uh. My dad, uh." Ephram was caught off guard. He never thought there would be a chance of running into Colin at the hospital on the same day. It really was a small world in Everwood.
"Um, I'm here for a physical." Ephram said at the spur of the moment. He tried to sound as convincing as possible but he was a terrible actor.
"At the radiology wing of a hospital??" Colin asked quizzically. "Come on Ephram, what's really going on?"
"Nothing! I'm really here for a physical." Ephram stuck with his story despite the fact that it really made no sense to have a physical at a hospital, especially at the radiology wing. 'Colin's gotten smarter' Ephram thought.
"I don't think so. I saw you with your dad and that doctor." Colin's attempt to read Ephram's eyes was in complete failure.
"Nope. It wasn't me. You must've mistaken me for someone else." Ephram avoided eye contact. He was never good at lying.
"Oh yes, it was you. I heard you guys talking. You said~"
"What exactly did you hear?" Ephram almost shouted cutting Colin off. Colin recoiled seeing how frightened his friend appeared.
"Is everything ok?" Colin quit joking around. "Are you ok?" His facial expression became more sensitive as he put emphasis on the word "you."
"What did you hear?" Ephram repeated firmly.
"Nothing much. Just something about you being hungry. Then you said you thought being injected with contrast material was gross." Colin stammered. "Ephram, why were you taking contrast material? They use that stuff for CAT scans and MRIs."
"Who said I was?!" Ephram's yell resulted in getting an annoyed stare from the desk clerk. "You shouldn't eavesdrop on people." Ephram lowered his voice.
"I wasn't! I was just passing by. Honest!" Colin was surprised by Ephram's defensiveness. "Were you here for a CAT scan?"
"Of course not! I was here for a physical and that's it. Don't go around spreading rumors about me. Got that?"
"Ok - you don't have to be so touchy. It was just a question." Colin replied as Ephram started walking away.
"Hey!" Colin called. Ephram turned around. "See ya at the game tomorrow." Colin waved.
Ephram didn't wave back. In fact, he said nothing at all. He dug his hands into his jeans pockets and walked back to his father. How much did Colin really hear? Did Colin suspect anything? Was the secret still safe? Questions without answers filled his head.
* end of chapter 1 *
Author's Note: Here's my fourth one! As you may know, this is a sequel to "When You're Not Strong." Once again, I would like to give massive thanks to all of you who've taken the time to read/review my stories. It means so much and all your attention is appreciated. If you would like me to read/review your story, just drop me a note and I will try at the very earliest to do so. I've been trying to write consistently lately, which leaves me very little time to read. ~ Thanks! ~
Title: I'll Help You Carry On
Chapter 1: A Fly On The Wall
He quickly finished tying the shoelaces on his black Nike sneakers, grabbed his backpack and headed out the swinging doors. As he stepped into the hall, he spotted his father sitting on a green plastic chair waiting patiently for him while flipping casually thru an old copy of a National Geographic magazine.
"Dad!" Ephram hailed as he approached his father. "I'm done changing."
"That was fast. You ready to go?" Andy said gathering their coats.
"Yea."
They walked to the out-patient nurse's station and awaited the clerk to hand them forms to complete.
"You know Ephram, you've become a favorite among the nurses." Andy spoke with sincerity.
"That's only because I've become somewhat of a regular here. They're used to seeing my face. It's no big deal." Ephram replied humbly.
"No, I've got to give you credit. You've been the model patient these several months. And when they learned you had an aortic aneurysm, they literally had tears in their eyes. They're blown away by how brave and smart you are. I think you're the pet now."
"Oh great. Just want I needed. Draw more attention to myself."
"Yeah. I mean, you can't help the fact that you are so adorable, now can you?" Andy humored.
"Phiff, was I supposed to laugh at that?" Ephram taunted. "Just as long as no one else knows about my condition, I'm happy."
It had been five months since the dreadful day Ephram was told he had a descending thoracic aortic aneurysm developing in his chest. The unfortunate news ultimately broke him but he learned to live with the medical condition that demanded constant medical updates and checkups. He also was required to make visits to the radiology wing of the hospital to have CAT scans done on a monthly basis. Being ashamed of his hereditary condition, Ephram swore to secrecy. Aside from his father, the only people who knew were Nina and Delia. His father had been most supportive throughout the entire ordeal. Andy had scheduled every appointment as well as accompanied Ephram to every CAT scan procedure. He kept Ephram's secret well hidden not only because he respected his son's wishes, but he also knew Ephram still wasn't strong enough emotionally to explain to people that a ruptured aneurysm can be fatal. Time was the key, so Andy kept his promise for the time being. Hence, earning Ephram's trust.
"Don't worry. Doctors and nurses know patient information is held confidential. I should know - I'm a doctor. Remember?" Andy assured. His son nodded.
Dr. William Sommers stepped out of the radiology office. As usual, his white lab coat flew with him as he took big strides. His stoic expression softened when he saw Ephram and Andy waiting by the desk. They exchanged greetings and minor chitchat.
"So, you know the drill Ephram. 48 hours for today's CAT scan results." Dr. Sommers said. "Bethie, the radiology technician, is totally in love with you. She tells me you have been a complete pleasure to work with."
"You see - even the radiologist thinks you're adorable." Andy input seeing Ephram blush a shade of pink.
"She says you follow all the breathing instructions perfectly and looks forward to next month's session." Dr. Sommers mused.
"Dad - make him stop!" Ephram whined jokingly.
Andy and Dr. Sommers laughed. They found teasing Ephram quite enjoyable.
"Alright kid." Dr. Sommers said turning more serious. "But honestly, you really have taken all this very maturely for someone your age."
"OK Dr. Brown, just need you to fill this out and sign right there." A clerk interrupted as she handed Andy a sheet of paper.
"You take care of yourself, kid. I'll see you and your father in two days for review. And says right here, you're due back on the 16th for the next scan." Dr. Sommers read off the patient appointment schedule on the nurse's station.
"I've taken in so much radiation that I wouldn't be surprised if I started to glow in the dark." Ephram replied.
"You're exaggerating. As far as medical science is concerned, CAT scans are safe. Radiation exposure with CAT scans is even significantly less than ordinary X-rays. There's nothing for you to worry about." Dr. Sommers explained.
"So, Ephram. To our usual place right?" Andy questioned as he scribbled his signature on the bottom of the form.
"Sure dad." Ephram smiled. "Oh, after every checkup and CAT scan, we go on a ice cream run." He said to Dr. Sommers, who had a confused look on his face.
"There's nothing like a cherry jubilee drenched with hot caramel and nuts on a cold Sunday afternoon." Andy grinned.
"Yea, I'm starving so bad I think I hear my stomach conducting a symphony right now." Ephram complained.
"You should be. You were not allowed to eat anything this morning because you know why." Andy reminded.
"You HAD to remind me of that gross contrast material I had to be injected with. I feel like such a science experiment." Ephram made a face.
"And doc, so goes a day in the life of the Brown's." Andy said to Dr. Sommers.
"Too much drama for you Andy?" Dr. Sommers laughed.
"We'd better get going cause Nina, Delia and Sam are waiting for us at the ice cream parlor." Andy stated. "Bill, it's been fun. See you in two days." The adults shook hands.
Andy and Ephram were coming down the hall when a doctor stopped to chat with Doctor Andy "The Miracle Man" Brown on an article he'd just read in the medical journal on neurologic complications of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
Ephram had waited the whole morning for food - another ten minutes wouldn't make a difference. He found his way to the front desk, which was swarming with nurses buzzing away at their important duties. He decided to kill some time by reading the bulletin board that was tacked with an array of multi- colored papers. A poster of a crying teddy bear that mentioned a statistic on children and chickenpox was taped to the adjacent wall. There were endless schedules with medical jargon that Ephram can only guess what they meant. He found all the long terminology quite amusing and started reciting them out loud.
"Um, I think it's pronounced 'Cer-re-bro-vas-cu-lar'." A voice corrected. Ephram spun around to find the owner of the voice. There stood Colin Hart in his spiffy looking red and yellow letterman jacket. Ephram turned pale.
"I'm getting good at this pronouncing stuff. I mean, it seems like just yesterday I couldn't even remember how to say 'water'." Colin continued. "I'm on a roll!"
"Colin! Wha-what are you doing here?" Ephram stuttered.
"That's a dumb question. I'm here for my MRI follow up. If you recall, I was in a car accident - flew head first thru the windshield - you know, was comatose for four months - ended up with amnesia. Ring a bell?" Colin teased jokingly. "I think I should be asking YOU what YOU are doing here. You stick out like a sore thumb."
"Uh. My dad, uh." Ephram was caught off guard. He never thought there would be a chance of running into Colin at the hospital on the same day. It really was a small world in Everwood.
"Um, I'm here for a physical." Ephram said at the spur of the moment. He tried to sound as convincing as possible but he was a terrible actor.
"At the radiology wing of a hospital??" Colin asked quizzically. "Come on Ephram, what's really going on?"
"Nothing! I'm really here for a physical." Ephram stuck with his story despite the fact that it really made no sense to have a physical at a hospital, especially at the radiology wing. 'Colin's gotten smarter' Ephram thought.
"I don't think so. I saw you with your dad and that doctor." Colin's attempt to read Ephram's eyes was in complete failure.
"Nope. It wasn't me. You must've mistaken me for someone else." Ephram avoided eye contact. He was never good at lying.
"Oh yes, it was you. I heard you guys talking. You said~"
"What exactly did you hear?" Ephram almost shouted cutting Colin off. Colin recoiled seeing how frightened his friend appeared.
"Is everything ok?" Colin quit joking around. "Are you ok?" His facial expression became more sensitive as he put emphasis on the word "you."
"What did you hear?" Ephram repeated firmly.
"Nothing much. Just something about you being hungry. Then you said you thought being injected with contrast material was gross." Colin stammered. "Ephram, why were you taking contrast material? They use that stuff for CAT scans and MRIs."
"Who said I was?!" Ephram's yell resulted in getting an annoyed stare from the desk clerk. "You shouldn't eavesdrop on people." Ephram lowered his voice.
"I wasn't! I was just passing by. Honest!" Colin was surprised by Ephram's defensiveness. "Were you here for a CAT scan?"
"Of course not! I was here for a physical and that's it. Don't go around spreading rumors about me. Got that?"
"Ok - you don't have to be so touchy. It was just a question." Colin replied as Ephram started walking away.
"Hey!" Colin called. Ephram turned around. "See ya at the game tomorrow." Colin waved.
Ephram didn't wave back. In fact, he said nothing at all. He dug his hands into his jeans pockets and walked back to his father. How much did Colin really hear? Did Colin suspect anything? Was the secret still safe? Questions without answers filled his head.
* end of chapter 1 *