Chapter 5- Love,
Pure and True
I know
this is a weird subject, and I'm not a doctor (nor do I think I ever will
be). The closest I ever came to knowing
someone who had chemotherapy was my uncle who had leukemia. I don't want to talk about that right now,
thank you very much. I also don't know
what kind of car Carter owns, nor do I particularly care, so it's a Jeep. Oh,
uh. Docetaxel is an anticancer drug taken by Lung and Breast Cancer
patients.
Dave
headed off to his third radiation therapy appointment. He used to be scared, but he felt fine
now. He hadn't lost any of his hair
yet, saving his ego for the moment, but he knew that would change. He'd studied patients with cancers before,
and knew that after the first few treatments that the hair would fall out, and
that which grew would be dry, dull, and needing to be shaved. He disliked the thought of losing his
beautiful hair, but knew that the radiation might help him survive. He wanted to live. He wanted to have his friends, his family, and his
girlfriend. Dave smiled. The thought of calling someone his
girlfriend both amused him and made him feel needed. He loved Kerry and always would, but wondered if she had ever
wanted a baby. Dave had had a
girlfriend in college who got pregnant, but not by him. Stupid Jocks. They always took my girls away! He
thought to himself. He went into the
oncology wing and bumped into Luka. "Oh, Hey Luke! What brings you
into Onc?" He asked. "Kerry sent me to check up on you. She also said that Dr. Mannitesta isn't here
today. Instead, I'd like you to meet
Lurlene Jacobs. She's filling in today
and she will be giving you your treatment. I have to go and…have lunch with Abby." Luka said, motioning to a waving Abby. Dave Smiled and turned to Dr. Jacobs. "I'm Dr. Dave Malucci." He
introduced himself. "Yes, I know. I've heard about you. You know the drill, right?" She asked. He nodded and entered a small chamber before a Cobalt 60 X-ray
machine. He knew he'd only be there for
a few minutes, and he was to be treated twice before the day was through. She went into the control room for the
x-ray. He knew she was on the other
side, watching him carefully on a tv screen. He finished 'dressing for the occasion' and sat in front of the
machine. He preferred to close his
eyes. There was an intercom there in
case he needed to speak to her. He
didn't understand why his treatments made him so tired. The combination of Docetaxel and radiation
would often leave him too tired for anything. I wish it wasn't like this. I
only want to be okay. I want to live
not being worried about leaving Mom, Dad, Palidette, and Dominic with out a son
and brother. Most of all, I don't want
to leave Kerry alone. She needs someone
to love her. Be it me, or someone else,
this kind of love makes her a better person. He
thought. He sat there, trying not to
cry, but allowing tears to slip past his eyes. The intercom buzzed a little. "Dr. Malucci, are you okay? It
isn't supposed to be painful." Dr.
Jacobs said. "I'm fine. I'm just thinking about something totally
unrelated." He said, not entirely
lying. "Oh. Okay. Your therapy
session is over with. You may take your
drugs, and go rest in your lounge." She
said, entering after he had put his normal shirt back on. "Thanks Dr. Jacobs." He said, picking up his
rucksack and heading back to find Kerry.
He
found that he was getting pretty weak, and he sat in a chair and waited for
Kerry or Carter to take him home. Carter came along. "Hey! Kerry's working OT, so she asked me to take
you home." He said, pulling Dave up and
out of the hospital. On the ride home,
Carter began to talk. "So, You're
really in love with Drill Sergeant Weaver, eh?" He asked. "Yeah. I'm going to ask her tonight." Dave said. "Ask her? You mean..?" He asked, unable to believe it. "Marriage. Yeah. That is, when she gets
done with her shift." He said,
remembering she was still at work. Carter smirked to himself. "No
Gossip Carter! I Swear to God, I will
kick your ass, chemo or not if you tell one soul about this before Kerry and I
announce it if she says yes!" He
shouted, not caring if it didn't make a damn bit of sense. Carter nodded. "I will Dave. I
promise. But the rest of the staff are
spreading some vicious rumors about it already." Dave grimaced. He knew
that the day would come when his and Kerry's relationship would be criticized
and even worse, gossiped about. No! David Angelo Malucci! Stop caring about the lies and nurses
gossip! You know the truth, and so does
Kerry. You are the only two whose
opinion really matters! He scolded himself
silently. Carter's Jeep pulled into
Kerry's driveway. He helped Dave carry
his junk into the house. "I've got to
go pull a double for Benton, so, I'll uh, See you around." He said, turning and heading back to the
Car.
Dave
sighed. He'd had this night planned out
for weeks. He and Kerry would have a
romantic evening, complete with champagne, dinner, a dance, and a marriage
proposal. Now, it's hopeless. I'll never be able to ask her. He said, running his hands through his hair, finding it a bit
drier than usual. He pulled the little
velvet box out of his jacket and opened it. A gorgeous heart-shaped diamond glinted in the moonlight shining through
a window. A tear slipped out of his eye
as he wandered to bed alone.
He woke up as he heard a door in the house shut. He remembered he lived with Kerry and Carter, and it had to be one of the two. He forced himself up and walked into the living room. "Kerr-bear? Is that you?" He asked, groggily rubbing his eyes. "Yes, Dave. What are you doing up?" Kerry asked, concerned for his health. "I tried waiting for you, but I fell asleep. I-I had something I wanted to ask you." He said, helping her over to the soft couch. He took out the box and knelt before her. "Kerry? Will You Marry Me?"