The next morning when Adam woke up he looked over at Guy's bed and saw it
was empty. He sat up and looked over at the clock. 7:10 AM. He got out of
bed and got dressed in jeans and a long sleeved shirt to hide his bruises.
Then, he walked out of the room and down to the mess hall. He saw Guy at
the table all alone drinking a cup of coffee. Adam walked over and sat
across from him.
"Morning," Guy said to Adam as he sat down.
"Hey," Adam replied.
"When's your next..."
"Two weeks from now," Adam interrupted.
"Are you gonna tell Orion?"
"Yeah, I guess I have to if the doctor didn't call already.
Just then Connie and Julie walked into the mess hall and they stopped talking about it. Connie and Julie had both gotten hot chocolate and Pop- Tarts for breakfast. "That's healthy," Guy said sarcastically as Connie sat down and began to eat her breakfast.
"Well, coffee stunts your growth," Connie shot back.
"Look who's talkin' shorty," Banksie joked.
"Shut up!"
Julie rolled her eyes and looked at Adam, "Don't you want anything to eat?" she asked.
"No, I'm not hungry."
"You've got to eat something! You haven't eaten anything since lunch yesterday," Julie said. She grabbed his arm to lead him up to get something to eat but as she did so he yelped and pulled away. "What!?!?" she asked worried. He pulled his sleeve up to reveal that the awful bruises had gotten worse. I shouldn't have played street hockey yesterday, he thought to himself.
"You said it was no big deal," Julie said to him staring at his arm.
"It's not," he lied. He quickly pulled his sleeve down, but Julie didn't back down.
"Adam, is there something that you're not telling me?" she asked looking deeply into his eyes.
He took her hand, "You don't have to worry about me. If you want, I'll go back to the doctor's."
"Okay, that's good," she said calming down.
Well, at least this time I didn't have to lie, he thought to himself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Adam walked down the corridor to Dr. Barnes' office. "Hi, Adam," Dr. Barnes said opening the doors to her office.
"Hi," he pulled up a chair and sat down adjacent to her.
"We just gotta wait for your parents to come and we can begin talking about treatment," she smiled and went back to typing something on her PC. Adam sat back in the tan cushioned chair. He began to think about Julie and the events of earlier. He couldn't worry her about this... She had to worry about hockey and scouts and school ... the last thing she needed was to worry about Adam and his bruises.
"Adam? Adam?" His mom was tapping him on the shoulder.
"Huh? Oh, hi mom," Adam said. His parents sat down in the two seats to the left of him.
"Now Mr. and Mrs. Banks, we will begin treatment for Adam as soon as we get the okay from the hospital and we get the rest of your family medical history." Adam's dad pulled out a few papers from his pocket and handed them to Dr. Barnes. "Thank you," she said taking the papers away from him. She quickly began to type and jotted something down on Adam's record.
"It says here that your uncle, Mr. Banks, had leukemia," Dr. Barnes said reading over the papers. "As well as your aunt."
Mr. Banks nodded. "Yea."
Dr. Barnes nodded and went on typing. She clicked the enter key and the computer made a ringing sound. "Okay, you guys wait here I'm gonna make a phone call to the hospital to ask when the earliest they can start treatment."
"Alright," Mrs. Banks whispered.
"And I need your insurance card."
Mrs. Banks dug around in her purse for a couple seconds and pulled out a blue plastic card.
"Thanks," Dr. Barnes left the room and the family sat in silence.
"So how are you feeling?" Mrs. Banks said breaking the uncomfortable silence.
"I feel fine. Just the bruises hurt," Adam said almost unable to be heard. Mrs. Banks looked down at his arms repulsively.
"Are you sure?" Mr. Banks asked looking at his arms.
"I'm fine... just stop worrrying so much," Adam said standing up.
"Stop worrying?? You're our youngest son with a promising future... stop worrying, Adam?" Mrs. Banks stood up to meet Adam. "We love you... it's hard to not worry about someone you love."
"Sit down, Jen," Mr. Banks said, grabbing Mrs. Banks' arm. She sat down and Adam walked over to the wall and leaned against it.
"Mom... if I can't play hockey how will I have a future. I can't even play street hockey for godsakes," Adam began to pace back and forth around the room anxiously waiting the return of Dr. Barnes. What was taking so long? The sooner the treatment started the quicker he could pick up a stick again.
About 10 minutes later Dr. Barnes walked back into the room. "Good news and some bad. Which one do you want first?"
"GOOD!!" Adam blurted out.
"Okay... ummm... well you can start treatment as soon as tomorrow if you like," Dr Barnes paused and handed Mrs. Banks back her card.
"And the bad?" Adam asked.
"Well you're not gonna be able to play hockey for at least another 8 - 9 months."
Adam sighed and looked at the floor. How was he gonna tell the team or at least what excuse would he would use.
"I'm gonna call your coach and explain ... you can make the decision whether to tell your team," she said almost reading his mind. "You can go now, Adam. Be careful. I just gotta talk to your parents about insurance and stuff. I'll call you tomorrow about making appointments and stuff," Adam nodded and turned to leave. "Make sure you talk to your coach then.
"Okay. Bye mom and dad."
"Bye Hunnie," Mrs. Banks waved and Adam left for the Eden Hall dorms.
"Morning," Guy said to Adam as he sat down.
"Hey," Adam replied.
"When's your next..."
"Two weeks from now," Adam interrupted.
"Are you gonna tell Orion?"
"Yeah, I guess I have to if the doctor didn't call already.
Just then Connie and Julie walked into the mess hall and they stopped talking about it. Connie and Julie had both gotten hot chocolate and Pop- Tarts for breakfast. "That's healthy," Guy said sarcastically as Connie sat down and began to eat her breakfast.
"Well, coffee stunts your growth," Connie shot back.
"Look who's talkin' shorty," Banksie joked.
"Shut up!"
Julie rolled her eyes and looked at Adam, "Don't you want anything to eat?" she asked.
"No, I'm not hungry."
"You've got to eat something! You haven't eaten anything since lunch yesterday," Julie said. She grabbed his arm to lead him up to get something to eat but as she did so he yelped and pulled away. "What!?!?" she asked worried. He pulled his sleeve up to reveal that the awful bruises had gotten worse. I shouldn't have played street hockey yesterday, he thought to himself.
"You said it was no big deal," Julie said to him staring at his arm.
"It's not," he lied. He quickly pulled his sleeve down, but Julie didn't back down.
"Adam, is there something that you're not telling me?" she asked looking deeply into his eyes.
He took her hand, "You don't have to worry about me. If you want, I'll go back to the doctor's."
"Okay, that's good," she said calming down.
Well, at least this time I didn't have to lie, he thought to himself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Adam walked down the corridor to Dr. Barnes' office. "Hi, Adam," Dr. Barnes said opening the doors to her office.
"Hi," he pulled up a chair and sat down adjacent to her.
"We just gotta wait for your parents to come and we can begin talking about treatment," she smiled and went back to typing something on her PC. Adam sat back in the tan cushioned chair. He began to think about Julie and the events of earlier. He couldn't worry her about this... She had to worry about hockey and scouts and school ... the last thing she needed was to worry about Adam and his bruises.
"Adam? Adam?" His mom was tapping him on the shoulder.
"Huh? Oh, hi mom," Adam said. His parents sat down in the two seats to the left of him.
"Now Mr. and Mrs. Banks, we will begin treatment for Adam as soon as we get the okay from the hospital and we get the rest of your family medical history." Adam's dad pulled out a few papers from his pocket and handed them to Dr. Barnes. "Thank you," she said taking the papers away from him. She quickly began to type and jotted something down on Adam's record.
"It says here that your uncle, Mr. Banks, had leukemia," Dr. Barnes said reading over the papers. "As well as your aunt."
Mr. Banks nodded. "Yea."
Dr. Barnes nodded and went on typing. She clicked the enter key and the computer made a ringing sound. "Okay, you guys wait here I'm gonna make a phone call to the hospital to ask when the earliest they can start treatment."
"Alright," Mrs. Banks whispered.
"And I need your insurance card."
Mrs. Banks dug around in her purse for a couple seconds and pulled out a blue plastic card.
"Thanks," Dr. Barnes left the room and the family sat in silence.
"So how are you feeling?" Mrs. Banks said breaking the uncomfortable silence.
"I feel fine. Just the bruises hurt," Adam said almost unable to be heard. Mrs. Banks looked down at his arms repulsively.
"Are you sure?" Mr. Banks asked looking at his arms.
"I'm fine... just stop worrrying so much," Adam said standing up.
"Stop worrying?? You're our youngest son with a promising future... stop worrying, Adam?" Mrs. Banks stood up to meet Adam. "We love you... it's hard to not worry about someone you love."
"Sit down, Jen," Mr. Banks said, grabbing Mrs. Banks' arm. She sat down and Adam walked over to the wall and leaned against it.
"Mom... if I can't play hockey how will I have a future. I can't even play street hockey for godsakes," Adam began to pace back and forth around the room anxiously waiting the return of Dr. Barnes. What was taking so long? The sooner the treatment started the quicker he could pick up a stick again.
About 10 minutes later Dr. Barnes walked back into the room. "Good news and some bad. Which one do you want first?"
"GOOD!!" Adam blurted out.
"Okay... ummm... well you can start treatment as soon as tomorrow if you like," Dr Barnes paused and handed Mrs. Banks back her card.
"And the bad?" Adam asked.
"Well you're not gonna be able to play hockey for at least another 8 - 9 months."
Adam sighed and looked at the floor. How was he gonna tell the team or at least what excuse would he would use.
"I'm gonna call your coach and explain ... you can make the decision whether to tell your team," she said almost reading his mind. "You can go now, Adam. Be careful. I just gotta talk to your parents about insurance and stuff. I'll call you tomorrow about making appointments and stuff," Adam nodded and turned to leave. "Make sure you talk to your coach then.
"Okay. Bye mom and dad."
"Bye Hunnie," Mrs. Banks waved and Adam left for the Eden Hall dorms.
