My Second Chance
Chapter XXVIII
=Normal POV=
[Friday, 6/1/2018; 11:00 pm]
[Berk; Raseri Home]
Everyone had a good time sitting in the living room and gaming. Hayden sat out any other Smash Brothers matches because it was an unfair advantage that he was VikingKing, top Smash player for Barbarchi Isle. Or at least he was until someone moved up in his absence. However, Ford mentioned that one game against the new champ would likely put Hayden back in his throne. Hayden declined, though; he indicated that he only did it for fun. The tournaments were to have fun and kill time during the Summer. Aria, Eliot, and Cole were already in bed at 10 pm. But Dex was just sent at 11 pm. The rest of the friends, plus the Raseri parents were still up.
"Getting late, son. Best be heading off to your room now, and keep it down," Dustin informed.
"Yes, Dad," Trayden nodded as he got up with the others to get down the hall towards Trayden's room. After 15 minutes of people using the bathroom, and changing into their nightwear; the friends were piled comfortably into Trayden's bedroom. Of course, Hayden was the last one to use the restroom and change.
"So, shall we just watch a movie?" Mindy suggested.
"Works for me. We'll wait for Hayden to join us so he can get in on the pick," Trayden nodded. Hayden finally came in and sat down on his sleeping area.
"You good?" Syrus asked.
Hayden nodded as he leaned back against the wall with his left leg laid out on his sleeping pad and bag; the right leg was bent upward as Hayden closed his eyes. "What now?" Hayden asked.
"We're gonna watch a movie, but waiting for you to help pick," Alyssa informed.
"Cool. I'm not picky, so whatever you guys and girls," he yawned. "I'll probably knock out soon," he added. The others started talking about what to watch as Hayden sat back, closing his eyes and relaxing. Trayden, though, noticed something a little off. Hayden was rubbing his left leg a lot, and it looked like he was in a bit of pain. Trayden moved next to him now, offering a light smile.
"Hey, are you alright?" Trayden questioned.
"Yeah, I'm okay," Hayden nodded to him.
"You sure? I've…Been watching you rub your leg for about five minutes now. Is it bothering you? I can get some aspirin for you," Trayden offered.
"N-No, it's alright, Tray. Thank you, but it wouldn't work anyway. It's just a random thing that happens now and then," Hayden shrugged a little, a small smile on his lips.
"Tray, can we watch Major Payne?" Bryan inquired.
"Yeah, that's fine," Trayden replied with a nod. After that, he watched Hayden check his phone for messages.
Uncle Gabe, 11:10 pm
Sry 4 l8 msg lad. R u still up? I'll call & give u details?
Hayden smiled a bit.
11:25 pm
Still up, Uncle Gabe. You can call.
Not more than 5 minutes later, Hayden's phone started vibrating as he saw the caller ID as Gabriel. Hayden got up and slid the icon to answer as he headed for the door to the room. "Be right back," Hayden informed. "Go ahead and start without me," he added. "Hi, Uncle Gabe," he greeted the call. After that, they heard nothing else. Shrugging, the friends started the movie and relaxed. Fifteen minutes later, Hayden returned quietly and navigated his way towards his setup.
"Everything okay with Gabriel, cuz?" Alicia asked.
Hayden nodded. "Yeah, he was just telling me about the new place," he replied.
"So you're moving on the 16th?" Katie inquired.
"Mmhm," Hayden nodded again. "Gabriel already wrote me my note to miss the last week of school so that I can pack," he added. While reaching his space where he'd spend the night, Hayden tripped over someone's bag and fell forward hard.
"Hayden?!" Syrus said quickly, going over to help him. Trayden flipped on the light quickly as someone else paused the movie. "Are you alright?"
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine…Tripped is all," Hayden said quickly.
"Oh, my Gods!" Mindy screeched, pointing. "Wh-What happened to your leg?!" Everyone's eyes fell on it now, seeing that it was turned in a way that it clearly shouldn't be. Hayden's eyes widened quickly as he backed away from the others.
"We heard a crash, what happened?" Rachel rushed in and Dustin right behind her.
"Hayden tripped and messed up his leg," Rylee informed.
"Oh, my. I'll call an ambulance right away," Rachel panicked.
"No! No…It's fine, seriously…" Hayden mentioned as he lifted his pant leg, showing a prosthetic in place; Hayden reconnected it and fixed his pant leg. "S-See?"
"I-I don't understand?" Alyssa said, shocked much like the rest of the people in the room right now after what they witnessed. Hayden sighed heavily; he couldn't very well keep it a secret now.
"If I tell you, will you not tell anyone else?" Hayden questioned.
"Of course, you know that. We're your friends, Hayden," Ford replied.
"What…Happened?" Tyler wondered.
Hayden fixed his pant leg, sitting back against the wall with his knees up to his chest and arms locked around them; this was followed up by another sigh. "It was the only way to keep cancer from spreading farther…"
"You have cancer?" Trayden stared, surprised and maybe a little scared.
"Not anymore, but yeah; I did a couple of years ago," Hayden responded softly. "It was two months after I turned 16, around April and in my Freshman Year at Archian Preparatory. I messed up my ankle with a grade one sprain, but after the recovery time ended and the doctor said I was good to go; my ankle kept bothering me. Mom took me to the doctor, and they did an X-Ray and found an early stage bone cancer, Osteosarcoma,"
"There was no saving your leg?" Rachel frowned.
"After a full body scan and determining the cancer was only in my leg, for the time being, I was given my options for treatment. Chemo, I was warned, would be extremely toxic and no guarantee of it even working, or losing the leg. So instead of dealing with chemo, I just told them to take the leg…" Hayden explained. "Surgery was done in May after finals, took an hour and a half. I spent the first two weeks just recovering, and then started working to strengthen my leg for prosthetic use. Five weeks total after the surgery; I started working with a basic artificial limb. I spent the entire Summer mastering it and by the time Sophomore Year. I still walked with a limp until about a year later from the operation; I could walk, run, jump, everything I could before they removed my leg,"
"But you were rubbing your leg earlier, does it still hurt?" Trayden asked.
"Now and then, just phantom pains. Sometimes if I trip or step wrong; the prosthetic pinches the stump or rubs wrong and it hurts," Hayden replied. "I had to do Adjuvant Chemotherapy after surgery," Hayden stated softly.
"Is…This why we never see you in shorts?" Hailey inquired.
"I-I don't like people knowing…I got bullied a lot at Archian Prep for it," Hayden looked down now.
"Hayden…We're your friends; we'd never judge you," Ford reminded.
"I know that now…But I didn't know when I started at Berk High…Even knowing you wouldn't judge me, though; I guess I just liked the feeling of people not knowing that left leg is fake. No one can ask about how no one can judge…And aside from the Clinical Depression and what not; I'm normal to others…" Hayden informed quietly.
"There's nothing wrong with what happened, Hayden. I heard teen years are where Osteosarcoma can peak," Dustin mentioned. "And you chose the option that had the best results overall," he added.
"That's what my parents said too. I'm not so much ashamed of the choice I man, I don't want to get bullied again over it," Hayden said.
"Understandable," Rachel nodded.
"We won't tell anyone, Hayden. And if anyone does try to give you crap; we're with you to stop it," Syrus stated firmly.
"Right on to that," Tyler added, Bryan nodded.
"Trust your friends, Hayden. We're not going anywhere, and you will be safe from all types of harm with us around," Trayden assured. Hayden nodded to him. "Everything is alright,"
"What is Adjuvant Chemo?" Alyssa wondered.
"It started two weeks after surgery; its chemo that is given to prevent any cells that may be starting to spread before they form clinically apparent metastatic disease. It's a couple of days in the cancer unit consisting of several courses or cycle that are three weeks apart. So around eight weeks after surgery; I was done with them, but they were tough to deal with…" Hayden explained.
"I've heard stories. Chemo for sarcomas is highly toxic; loss of hair, severe vomiting, sensitivity to sunlight, very weakened immune system, risk of anemia and abnormal bruising and bleeding during treatment due to effects on the bone marrow, possible damage to the heart muscle..." Rachel frowned. "You poor boy," she went over and hugged him carefully.
"I got everything it could do…But my hair came back pretty quickly after it was over. I-I wore a wig through most of Sophomore Year…I want to say around my 17th birthday; it was back fully," Hayden replied after Rachel let go of him. "I get regular checkups and scans with my Oncologist for the next…Eight years," he added.
"Yes, that's to make sure that there's nothing else lurking about in your body that could reform somewhere else," Dustin said.
"Why so long?" Syrus asked.
"Most people aren't considered cured for ten years post operation. So…I had the surgery in May 2016. Did my three rounds of chemo, and then the regular check-ups have gone in different sections. For a year following the last round of chemo; I was seen every three months. After that, I moved to every six months until the point of five years post operation. I'm still in that particular section since I won't be five-year post-op until May 2021. Then after that…Once a year until May 2026," Hayden stated.
"And…What do they do during those appointments?" Hailey asked.
"Run tests to make sure nothing is going to put me into remissions I guess is the way to put it. I only missed one appointment, but it wasn't my fault; it was the foster care moves…All my appointment reminders and stuff went to my house, but after July 2017; I wasn't living there. The next appointment was supposed to be November 2017, and while I was with my aunt and uncle…They didn't finish going through all my medical stuff until after it passed. And hadn't even remembered until Gabriel asked me about it when I stayed with him during the appendicitis recovery," Hayden shrugged.
"But you're good? Nothing happened in the year?" Trayden inquired. Hayden shook his head.
"The prosthetic is acting up because it's not a finalized model. When…Sophomore Year started; I just wanted something that would get me through the school year. I was supposed to have an appointment in July to get a prosthetic fit and built for me, but everything happened, so never got around to it…This leg likely won't make it through the Summer this year," Hayden shifted his left leg a little.
"You should get the more permanent one built," Rachel offered.
"I plan to, Gabriel and I are looking into it for after the movie," Hayden nodded.
"So…You are moving with him?" Alicia said in a soft tone. Hayden nodded again to her.
"A-Are you guys going far?" Syrus inquired.
"Why are you acting as you'll never see me again if I move?" Hayden wondered.
"I guess we've gotten used to having you with us these past seven months," Trayden smiled a bit. "Kind'a don't want to lose you," he added. Hayden stared at him a moment, feeling his heart begin to race slightly.
It was still something Hayden was struggling with; his feelings for Trayden. Hayden knew for sure that there was something there for Tray, but there were still other things he needed to figure out and thus far; he hadn't been able to do that.
"So, are you gonna be in the city, another town?" Mindy questioned.
"Is it a house or apartment?" Katie smiled.
"Are you still going to Berk High?" Syrus pushed.
"Guys!" Trayden told them. "Back off. You can't expect him to answer if you keep asking questions," he rolled his eyes. "And he doesn't have to reply if he doesn't want to,"
"No, it's alright. I don't mind; I only hadn't said anything before now because I didn't know when, where, stuff like that…" Hayden informed. "It's a house. We won't be in the city. Still going to Berk High next year…And we're going to be right here in Berk," he added.
"Really?" Alicia beamed.
"You're gonna stay in Berk?!" the other asked.
"Uh…Yeah? Why wouldn't I?...This is where my family and friends are…" Hayden reminded.
"This is…Awesome!" Tyler high-fived Syrus.
"Where ya gonna be living?" Trayden inquired.
"Uh…I think Gabriel said the address was Chieftain Road…Number one," Hayden shrugged. Trayden blinked a few times. "What?"
"Hayden…That's the next street over from here," Dustin chuckled. "About a ten-minute walk, less by car,"
"Well…I had told Gabriel that my favorite place in Berk was Raven Point, so Uncle Gabe has been trying to find something in the area; we didn't care if it was a house or apartment," Hayden said.
"So, what are the details on it?" Alyssa smiled. Hayden yawned tiredly.
"Tell ya tomorrow, or another day…I'm beat…" Hayden replied. "You guys finish your movie…Once I'm out; I'm out for the night typically," he added while scooting down more and into his sleeping bag. Hayden laid his head on the pillow, yawning again, and eyes beginning to droop almost instantly. "Night…" he managed.
"Night, Hayden," the others said quietly. Dustin and Rachel ended up leaving the room as it was nearing 11:45 pm. The friends unpaused the movie, finally, and Trayden shut out the lights again. By 12:30 am, the film was over and everyone was set up in their spots for bed, setting their phones down and beginning to drift off. In the silence, though, Hayden began to shift around a lot but remained asleep.
However, by 1 am; whatever Hayden saw in his dreams became clear to anyone still awake that it was, in fact, a nightmare. Hayden was whimpering in his sleep, gripping at the pillow and still moving a lot.
"N-No…Stop…" Hayden whispered weakly and afraid. Trayden finally sat up and flipped on his nightstand lamp.
"He hasn't had a nightmare in a while…" Syrus pointed out, rolling over and propping himself up on his arms.
"Different environment…He knows his bed at our house, and he has his dogs and cat as a grounding type thing, meaning they are close enough that Hayden knows they are there and where he is even when asleep. Hayden's never slept over here before," Mindy stated.
"And before anyone says it, my birthday doesn't count. My mom had him sedated," Trayden mentioned before someone tried to use it.
"St-Stop…No…I-I don't want this!" Hayden pleaded now. "I d-don't wa-want t-to!" he cried.
"He doesn't have anything here that can act as a grounding comfort," Alicia said.
"Le-Leave me alone…" Hayden said, still afraid. "I-I don't love you. I d-don't…Y-You hurt me…Go away…Leave m-me al-alone…!" he begged. "No! Stop! No, please!?"
Trayden didn't like that because he knew who Hayden was talking about; Bradley Holgerson. The guy who said he'd wait for Hayden to figure out his feelings, and when Hayden finally did so; Brad said he didn't feel the same anymore. Bradley broke Hayden's heart, but this sounded like something that might have happened in foster care because Hayden stayed with Olivia and Bradley's family. Trayden knew that Olivia hurt Hayden physically and sexually…But did Brad do it too? Had Bradley used Hayden for sexual pleasure also, since they had a history together and perhaps Bradley didn't like being rejected by Hayden?
Despite his theories and worries about the situation; Trayden knew that Hayden needed comfort right now, and since Hayden didn't have his Godfather, dogs, and cat, then it was his job. Trayden pulled off his covers and got to Hayden's level.
"Hayden…Hey, it's alright," Trayden said softly. "Ssh…It's just a nightmare. You're not with him; you're with your friends…Don't be afraid…" Hayden's movements seemed to slow a bit, and the death grip he had on the pillow released slightly. "That's it…You're okay, safe and sound," he continued, lightly putting his hand on Hayden's shoulder. "Just me, your best buddy, Tray…Follow my voice, come back…That guy isn't here, and he can't hurt you anymore, I promise," Trayden assured.
Finally, Hayden's eyes opened slowly, panting a little; he was in a cold sweat and blinked fast to focus on things around him. The first thing he saw was Trayden's light smile. "Tr-Tray?"
"It's me, and everyone else too," Trayden nodded. "Are you okay?" Hayden was quiet, but he nodded. Trayden got him a water bottle from the mini fridge that was under the drawer part of the nightstand. It wasn't very big, but it held about four soda cans and two water bottles. Hayden took a few sips, trying to calm down, but he was still shaking pretty bad.
"D-Did I keep everyone up?" Hayden asked, feeling ashamed and sorry. Maybe he needed to stop doing these sleepovers; he didn't want to ruin everyone else's good time with his nightmares or flashbacks.
"No, no," Rylee smiled.
"We all had just laid down to go to bed, but saw you in a nightmare, so we wanted to help," Katie offered.
"Do you wanna talk about it?" Ford asked. Hayden shook his head quickly. "Might help-," Ford tried again, but Trayden shook his head. "But your call," Ford added instantly. Of course, the friends had to know Trayden knew something about the nightmare; he was able to accurately tell Hayden not to worry about the other guy, whoever he was, and say that the man couldn't hurt him anymore. Trayden had to know what all that was about, but Hayden likely told Trayden in confidence, so they wouldn't harass.
"Feel alright to go back to sleep? I'll stay up with you if you want?" Trayden offered. "We can go in the living room?" he tried. Hayden shook his head again.
"C-Could you ma-maybe hold me again? Un-Until I fall asleep?" Hayden asked.
"Sure thing," Trayden nodded with a smile. Trayden laid on his side down on Hayden's sleeping bag with his left arm out and inviting Hayden to lay. Hayden scooted in slowly, lying against Trayden's chest. Trayden brought the left arm up to curl around and securely hold Hayden there. Trayden's right arm draped over Hayden's midsection as Hayden took a few deep breaths and began to relax there. By 1:30 am, Hayden was knocked out again.
"I don't know how you do it…" Bryan mentioned.
"Consider me another object that keeps Hayden grounded. This is what happened during the April sleepover; he had a nightmare and then just asked me to stay with him. It's comfort; I give off a safe and comforting aura that Hayden picks up on and clings to when he's scared, nervous, or upset. This helps him remained relaxed," Trayden said as he went to pull away, but like last time, Hayden gripped Trayden's shirt tightly.
"Stay…" Hayden mumbled tiredly, but as Trayden looked down; he could see that Hayden was still very much asleep.
"See?" Trayden chuckled some. "Whoever is closest, flip off the nightstand light, please?" This person ended up being Tyler. The lights went out, and darkness fell over the room, as did silence. Trayden stayed awake a little bit; he watched Hayden sleep. Just before Trayden settled himself to fall asleep as well; he lightly pressed a kiss to Hayden's forehead. Afterward, Trayden too, fell fast asleep holding Hayden in his arms.
