Broken but Fixable? Ch. 7

BOOM! UPDATE! Told you I didn't forget!

Gordon was softly humming as he walked back to Tidmouth Sheds, carrying a sleeping Thomas in his arms. After about ten minutes he reached their home. With little difficulty, he silently opened the door, stepped inside, turned around, and shut the door.

"Hello Gordon."

Gordon nearly jumped out of his skin when his name was called. He turned around swiftly, jerking Thomas awake in the process.

Henry chuckled a bit as he saw the scared expression on his friend's face. "Calm down, Gordon. It's just me."

Gordon breathed a sigh of relief. "Hello Henry." He said.

Thomas groaned. "My head…" He sighed as he put a hand to his sensitive skull.

Gordon smiled a bit in embarrassment, remorse, and guilt at the fifteen year old. "Hold on just a minute Thomas." He said as he walked to the couch and placed Thomas down. Then he walked upstairs, and to the bathroom. After about a minute, Gordon returned to the living room, holding a glass of water, and a couple of painkillers.

Thomas grabbed them, and quickly took the medicine into his mouth, and drank down the water. "Thank you, Gordon." He smiled.

Gordon nodded, sitting down next to Thomas, and gently wrapped an arm around him. Thomas smiled.

"I'm glad you want to apologise Gordon." Thomas said. "Edward deserves it."

"So do you, Thomas." Gordon said, removing his arm from around Thomas, turning his body to see the boy better. "I've hurt you as well. I want to stop that."

Thomas chuckled. "That's good."

Gordon nodded. "I agree. Now you should go to bed. It's getting late. Besides, I think some rest would help your head."

Thomas nodded as well. "Alright." Then he slowly got up, and walked upstairs.

Gordon watched with a small smile on his lips, happy that everything was slowly going back to normal… for now.

"That worked out well." Said a voice. "I take it you apologised to Thomas?"

Gordon turned around to see Henry.

He smiled. "Yes, Henry. You were right. I was being too harsh. I resent myself for that. But slowly, I'm righting my mistakes."

Henry smiled, moving his silver hair out of his face, and walked up to the slightly taller man. "I'm glad Gordon." He said, putting his hand on Gordon's shoulder. "I do also believe the last time I spoke with Thomas, he told me Edward is getting better."

Gordon breathed a sigh of relief. "That is splendid. Very splendid indeed. The last thing I want is for everyone to lose a friend, and for Thomas to lose his mentor."

Henry smiled more. "As do I. Now, as you told Thomas, you should go to bed. Everyone else is already in bed."

Gordon wasn't one who took orders easily, but he understood why Henry was telling him, so he nodded. "Alright." He smiled.

Henry smiled back. Then did something unexpected.

He hugged Gordon.

Gordon become rigid- he wasn't used to hugs. But, slowly, he relented, and hugged back. He laid his head on Henry's shoulder as the two stayed connected for a while.

When they pulled away, they didn't pull away completely- they kept their arms around each other.

"I promise everything will get better." Henry said, looking at the man who was like a brother to him.

"I do hope you're right, Henry." Gordon said. "Cancer is a very serious illness."

"It is." Henry agreed. "However, I do believe you need to get Thomas looked at as well."

"What?" Gordon asked, removing his arms from around Henry. "What do you mean?"

Henry sighed, removing his arms as well. "I think Thomas might have something worse than what we had all originally thought." He said. "Not to mention, but on the day he fell, we heard that 'crack!' and his head started bleeding. Now, the doctor said that it should heal in about a week. Both the pain and the need for bandages. But it's been about three weeks and nothing has changed."

Gordon nodded thoughtfully at Henry's explanation. "I do suppose you're right… I'll have him checked tomorrow. We are going to a hospital after all."

Henry smiled as he walked up the stairs, with Gordon following closely behind. They quietly entered the room that all the boys shared, changed into their pajamas, and got into bed.

Before they fell asleep, Henry spoke up once more.

"Tell Edward I, and everyone else as well, said hello tomorrow, alright?" He asked.

Even though it was dark, Gordon nodded. "I will."

The next day, around seven o'clock am, everyone was awake, and leaving Tidmouth Sheds to start the day. As Gordon and Thomas were leaving, Gordon suddenly picked Thomas up.

"Ah!" Thomas exclaimed. "What are you doing, Gordon?" He asked.

Gordon smirked. "You're not walking all the way to the hospital in your condition." He simply said.

Thomas sighed before he smiled. "Alright, alright."

So the two then set off towards the hospital, quietly talking on the way.

When they reached the hospital, Gordon smoothly placed Thomas on the ground, then held his arm out. Thomas smiled, and gently took it, supporting himself as they walked into the building.

The two then silently walked up to receptionist desk. After a moment, a man walked up behind the desk, and smiled at Gordon and Thomas.

"Good morning, gentlemen." He said. "Please, state the reason you're here?"

Gordon nodded. "Yes, good morning. We're here to see Edward Pearsall."

"Ah yes." The receptionist sighed, picking up a clipboard and looking through the papers. "The one with Stage 2 lung cancer… and your names?" He asked.

Thomas answered. "Gordon Cader." He pointed to Gordon. "And Thomas White." He pointed to himself.

The receptionist nodded. "I see. Well, Edward is in room 302 on the third floor. Elevators are to your right." He said.

Gordon smiled a bit. "Thank you…" Then he held out his arm once more, and Thomas took it as they took the elevators up to the third floor.

They walked down the hall a bit of ways before reaching room 302. Quietly, Gordon knocked on the door.

"Come in." Came a soft voice.

Then Gordon opened the door, and both boys stepped inside.

But when they did, what they saw, shocked them.

While Edward was sitting up normally in his bed, he looked very different. He looked tired- he had bags under his eyes, he had a bucket next to him, most likely from throwing up, and, the most shocking thing of all- nearly all of Edward's hair was gone.

Gordon and Thomas both covered their mouths in bewilderment.

"Edward..." Gordon said unevenly.

But Edward quickly shook his head. "Now hold on." He said. "It's not as bad as it looks."

"Then- what is it?" Thomas asked.

"It's the chemotherapy." Edward said.

"But- I thought it was supposed to help you?" Gordon asked.

Edward nodded. "And it does. But, while chemotherapy targets cancer cells, it may also damage healthy cells and cause unpleasant side effects." Edward said. "Like nausea and/or vomiting. Hence the bucket next to me." He said, gesturing to the bucket on the floor for emphasis. "It also causes fatigue, and hair loss. And, possible mouth sores, which I don't have… yet." Edward mumbled.

"But don't worry so much." Edward reassured. "I still have services to help me prevent or manage my side effects throughout the treatment. I'll be ok."

Gordon nodded. "That's good. Now um… I have something important to tell you."

Edward smiled. "Go ahead."

Gordon nodded and took a breath. "Edward. I… I wanted to say, that I'm-" but he was cut off by the door opening.

Then a doctor and a nurse came into room, wheeling in a food tray. The doctor immediately went to check Edward's health, and the nurse brought the food.

"Hello Edward. I have what you asked for. Orange juice and fish." The nurse said as he placed the glass of orange juice on the counter next to Edward and was about to place the fish there as well until Edward intervened.

Edward smiled a bit. "Um- I don't mean to sound ungrateful or rude, but I ask for eggs…" He said it more along the lines of a question.

The nurse facepalmed. "No need to feel like that." He smiled sheepishly. "Forgive me, Edward. I must've misheard you. I'll fix it right away." Then the nurse wheeled the tray around about to leave.

Unfortunately, the nurse wheeled around in the opposite direction, where Thomas was standing and before the doctor could warn anyone, the tray was rammed into the fifteen year old.

Thomas cried out in pain and shock as the tray hit him. He stumbled backwards, and tripped on a backpack of Edward's, and fell back, hitting his head on the wall, knocking himself out, and fell to floor.

However, before Thomas hit the ground, Gordon caught him.

"Thomas!" Edward shot up in bed as he saw the scene unfold in front of him, but was quickly pushed back onto the bed by the doctor.

"I-I'm so sorry." The nurse said. "I didn't realize he was right there…"

Gordon shook his head. "Nevermind where you saw him. Thomas' head is bleeding!"

The doctor nodded, and ran to the other side of the room and grabbed bandages.

"Lie him down." The doctor ordered. Once Gordon did so, the doctor unwrapped the bandages already covering Thomas' head.

"Hm… it looks like his head already took a blow. Mind explaining this?" He asked as he gently examined the boy's head.

"Well," Gordon explained. "After he found out Edward had cancer, he changed drastically. I won't go into details, but one day, we saw him walking. He looked so upset, and so distraught. We were about to ask him if he was alright, but before we got the chance to, he collapsed." Gordon said.

"When he did, everyone heard a 'crack!' and his head started bleeding." Gordon mumbled. "The doctor said it was just a little bump, and that it would heal in about a week, but none of us were holding our breath."

"Indeed." The doctor said. "What we have here is more than a little bump." He explained. "Thomas was it?"

Gordon nodded.

The doctor continued. "Thomas has had a concussion this entire time. And because of the fall just now, it's gotten worse. I'll need to take him to another room for further examination."

Gordon nodded. "Alright." Then the nurse and doctor left with Thomas in their grasp.

Gordon got up and walked back to Edward.

"Oh Thomas…" Edward mumbled.

"It'll be ok." Gordon said. "Everything will be just fine…"

"I hope so…" Edward mumbled.

About an hour later, the same doctor came back into Edward's room.

"Well?" Edward asked.

"Thomas is awake." The doctor said.

"Can we go see him?" Edward asked again.

The doctor nodded. Then the same nurse came in with a wheelchair, still harboring a guilty look on his face.

As Edward was put into the wheelchair, he smiled at the nurse. "Hey. It'll be ok." He said.

The nurse nodded, a hopeful look in his eyes.

As they walked to Thomas' room, room 305, everyone was quiet.

When they reached the door, the doctor spoke up. "Now, there's something you must understand. Thomas has-"

But Gordon cut him off. "Please, can we just see him?" He pleaded desperately.

The doctor gave a sympathetic look before nodding, and opening the door.

Quietly, Gordon and Edward entered the room. When they did, they saw that Thomas was awake and looking around, as if trying to understand what was happening.

Edward and Gordon smiled, glad that Thomas was ok. They both breathed sighs of relief.

"Oh Thomas you're ok!" Gordon said in happiness as he looked at the fifteen year old.

Thomas stopped looking around, and stared at the two men in front of his bed.

"Huh?" He asks, staring at them, confused.

Edward smiled. "We said, we're glad you're ok."

"Why?" Thomas asked.

"Well, you're our friend, and we were worried for you." Gordon says, staring at Thomas, a bit oddly.

Thomas shook his head. "No. I'm sorry, but- you must be mistaking me for someone else. I don't know you."

Those last four words out of Thomas' mouth made Edward and Gordon's blood run cold.

"W-what?" Edward asked.

Thomas looked at them, raising and eyebrow, before repeating what he said.

"I… I don't know you…"