The rest of the week leading up to Friday flew by. Originally it was only supposed to be only Mom and me going with Johnny to chemo, but when we had told the guys about it, they had all wanted to go, with the exception of Darry, who had to work.
I figured this might be for the better, since chemo was supposed to be pretty miserable. It would be good to have people there to cheer Johnny up. I didn't know how much of that I'd be capable of while watching him go through this.
On Friday afternoon, by the time I'd gotten home from school, all the guys, minus Darry, were already gathered at the house.
Dally, Two-Bit, and Steve decided to follow us in Two-Bit's car on the way there. Soda and Ponyboy opted to go with us.
In the car, Soda was turned around in the front seat, telling Johnny some story that kept making him laugh. Ponyboy was filling him in on some new book he'd read.
I was glad they were distracting him, because I had the same feeling in the pit of my stomach that I got before taking a final exam, multiplied by one thousand.
When we got into the oncology ward, we were directed into a large clean room where there was a nurses' station and several beds separated by blue curtains.
I could see the patients getting chemo; the women flipping through fashion magazines, some of the men sitting with their curtains open, conversing amicably with each other like they were life-long friends.
Johnny got a sectioned-off space at the end, near a man in his late sixties or early seventies flirting with his nurse.
Our nurse, Barbara, a rotund, middle-aged black woman, chose to kindly look past the fact we were composed of far too many people to be with Johnny in here.
"Alright," she said, once everyone had gotten situated in chairs and Johnny in the bed.
"You're going to need this," she said knowingly to Johnny, handing him a basin. "You're gonna throw up, the question is when."
I liked her.
"Well shouldn't you know?" Steve asked snottily. "Isn't that in your job description?"
Barbara turned to him with a look that clearly said: you've made a mistake.
"Listen here, honeychild. I've been on my feet for twelve hours straight. What exactly can you accomplish in twelve hours time without taking a break that does not involve your hand being shoved in your pocket? Now, unless you wanna fight me, which I assure you will not end well for you, I suggest you back off, put some more of that French-fry grease in your hair, and be there for your friend, who's gonna need it."
With that speech, Barbara won me over.
She inserted the needle into Johnny's arm, and then gave him a genuine smile. Her white teeth were stunning against her dark skin.
"Honey, I've got a feeling you're one of the brave ones," she said in a sure voice. "You're gonna beat this, and you know why? You're gonna fight for your girl." She then directed the smile at me, making me feel warm and much less panicked.
"I'll be right out there," she said, gesturing to the nurses' station. "Call me if you need anything at all."
I moved my chair closer to Johnny's bed and clasped his hand, ready to take this on.
This is the first of probably three chapters I'm going to post about Johnny's first chemo treatment. Thanks for reading and please review!
