Chapter 4
"Mr. Brown will Ms. Livington be joining us today?" Ephram's first hour teacher questions after the bell has rung a week later and the class has quieted down for attendance.
Ephram shrugs, "I'm not sure." and he wasn't he had talked to Joey the night before and she had had a slight cough but she had said that it was nothing and that she would see him in school the next day; and here it was not even 12 hours later and she wasn't at school. "I will be taking her homework home to her though." Ephram states once all of roll has been called.
"All right, thank you Mr. Brown."
Once again after school Ephram walked toward Joey's house, but instead of being greeted by Lucy sitting on the front porch Ephram walked up to the door and knocked. Surprisingly Meg, who should be at the office with Ephram's father, opens the door in responds to the knock.
"Ephram, come in Joey's been expecting you." Meg moves away from the door and Ephram can't help but notice that Meg looks tired.
"Is everything OK Mrs. Livington?" Ephram asks cautiously.
Instead of responding to Ephram, Meg lead Ephram up to Joey's bedroom and with a quick knock on the door she states, "Ephram's here to see you."
Joey pushes herself up in bed and Ephram can't help but notice she looks pale again with a slightly yellowish cast to her skin. Meg quickly hurries to Joey's side kissing Joey gently on the forehead and saying, "I will let you to talk, I've got to pick Sydney up from school."
"OK thanks Mom." Joey states before pulling her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them.
"Joey I'm worried about you, maybe you should go see my dad." Ephram states before sitting on the chair beside Joey's bed.
"No." Joey shakes her head.
"Or Amy's dad then." Ephram suggests.
Joey just shakes her head again, "No."
"All I'm saying that if you're sick you should see a doctor, find out what's wrong."
"No!" Joey exclaims, "I don't need to see a doctor."
"Jo-"
"Ephram we need to talk. There's something I need to tell you."
Ephram gives Joey a worried look and taking her hand he asks, "Jo what's going on?"
"I went to LA over Spring break I was there to see my oncologist..."
"Your..." Ephram's face pales, if there was one thing that Ephram had learned from being a doctor's son it was about all of the different branches of medicine.
Joey bites her lip and nods, "my oncologist. 2 years ago, right after my 14th birthday, I was diagnosed with stage for Hodgkin's Disease, Hodgkin's is a type of cancer that effects lymphatic tissue, basically your lymph nodes and similar organs. They treated me with chemo and radiation and put me in remission, I go back every six months so they can do a biopsy to make sure that it hasn't come back and spread."
"So that's what the trip over spring break was for?" Ephram asks and at Joey's nod he asks again, "has it come back."
Tears form in Joey's eyes as she nods, "and it's spread. They found it on both sides of my diaphragm, in my liver, spleen and bone marrow."
"So then more chemo and radiation?" Ephram asks his voice shaking with fear of what would come out of his girlfriend's mouth next.
Joey shakes her head as tears trace down her cheek, "it's progressed to far to rapidly. Chemo and radiation won't help it this time."
"So then something new?" Ephram asks his voice high, and he realizes he is gripping Joey's hand and drops it quickly.
Joey shakes her head her lower lip quivering, "no, nothing new. There's nothing left for them to do Ephram, they can't help me in anyway..."
Ephram is lying face first on his tear soaked pillow when the knock he has been expecting comes on his door. Andy's soothing voice comes from the other side, "Ephram can I come in?"
Ephram sits up in bed and calls for his father to come in, which Andy does. "Joey's sick." Ephram states immediately.
"I know." Andy nods.
"If you knew what didn't you..." Ephram begins, getting defensive.
"I just found out today." Andy interrupts, "Meg came into to talk to me."
"There's something you can do right?" Ephram asks getting to his feet and looking his father in the eye.
Andy shakes his head sadly, "I went over the files that Meg brought me, there isn't anything I can do."
"Dad, please, find a way to help her! Do something, anything, just please help her." Ephram's request brings tears to Andy's eyes.
Despite the tears, and the desire to help his son Andy has to shake his head, "there's nothing I can do for her. Except make her as comfortable as possible."
"No." Ephram shakes his head and backs away from his father, "you will do surgery on some stranger but you won't do it on someone you've gotten to know."
"Ephram..."
"I love her and you don't give a damn!" Ephram exclaims, and pushing past his father her rushes down the steps and out of the house.
"Ephram! There you are." Nina's voice greets Ephram when he walks into his kitchen several hours later. "You're father is out looking for you."
Ephram runs a hand through his hair, "I figured he was. I'm sorry."
Nina gives Ephram a sympathetic look before she places a glass of lemonade down before Ephram along with a sandwich. "I know this is hard for you..."
"Hard for me?" Ephram asks picking at the sandwich in front of him, "I can't even imagine how hard this has to be for Joey."
Nina lays a hand gently on Ephram's shoulder, "I'm sure it is Ephram. But you shouldn't blame your father Ephram, just because he can't cure Joey doesn't mean that he's not going to help her in anyway possible."
Ephram nods, "I know. And I should have yelled at him...it's just..."
"Hard to understand how some people came be saved by medical miracles and other's can't?" Nina questions.
Ephram nods, "yah I guess."
"Don't even think about it, all it can do is confuse you...make life seem more unfair that it all ready is."
"I guess." Ephram shrugs.
"Why don't you get some sleep and I will call your dad and let him know that you're home." Nina responds.
"Mr. Brown will Ms. Livington be joining us today?" Ephram's first hour teacher questions after the bell has rung a week later and the class has quieted down for attendance.
Ephram shrugs, "I'm not sure." and he wasn't he had talked to Joey the night before and she had had a slight cough but she had said that it was nothing and that she would see him in school the next day; and here it was not even 12 hours later and she wasn't at school. "I will be taking her homework home to her though." Ephram states once all of roll has been called.
"All right, thank you Mr. Brown."
Once again after school Ephram walked toward Joey's house, but instead of being greeted by Lucy sitting on the front porch Ephram walked up to the door and knocked. Surprisingly Meg, who should be at the office with Ephram's father, opens the door in responds to the knock.
"Ephram, come in Joey's been expecting you." Meg moves away from the door and Ephram can't help but notice that Meg looks tired.
"Is everything OK Mrs. Livington?" Ephram asks cautiously.
Instead of responding to Ephram, Meg lead Ephram up to Joey's bedroom and with a quick knock on the door she states, "Ephram's here to see you."
Joey pushes herself up in bed and Ephram can't help but notice she looks pale again with a slightly yellowish cast to her skin. Meg quickly hurries to Joey's side kissing Joey gently on the forehead and saying, "I will let you to talk, I've got to pick Sydney up from school."
"OK thanks Mom." Joey states before pulling her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them.
"Joey I'm worried about you, maybe you should go see my dad." Ephram states before sitting on the chair beside Joey's bed.
"No." Joey shakes her head.
"Or Amy's dad then." Ephram suggests.
Joey just shakes her head again, "No."
"All I'm saying that if you're sick you should see a doctor, find out what's wrong."
"No!" Joey exclaims, "I don't need to see a doctor."
"Jo-"
"Ephram we need to talk. There's something I need to tell you."
Ephram gives Joey a worried look and taking her hand he asks, "Jo what's going on?"
"I went to LA over Spring break I was there to see my oncologist..."
"Your..." Ephram's face pales, if there was one thing that Ephram had learned from being a doctor's son it was about all of the different branches of medicine.
Joey bites her lip and nods, "my oncologist. 2 years ago, right after my 14th birthday, I was diagnosed with stage for Hodgkin's Disease, Hodgkin's is a type of cancer that effects lymphatic tissue, basically your lymph nodes and similar organs. They treated me with chemo and radiation and put me in remission, I go back every six months so they can do a biopsy to make sure that it hasn't come back and spread."
"So that's what the trip over spring break was for?" Ephram asks and at Joey's nod he asks again, "has it come back."
Tears form in Joey's eyes as she nods, "and it's spread. They found it on both sides of my diaphragm, in my liver, spleen and bone marrow."
"So then more chemo and radiation?" Ephram asks his voice shaking with fear of what would come out of his girlfriend's mouth next.
Joey shakes her head as tears trace down her cheek, "it's progressed to far to rapidly. Chemo and radiation won't help it this time."
"So then something new?" Ephram asks his voice high, and he realizes he is gripping Joey's hand and drops it quickly.
Joey shakes her head her lower lip quivering, "no, nothing new. There's nothing left for them to do Ephram, they can't help me in anyway..."
Ephram is lying face first on his tear soaked pillow when the knock he has been expecting comes on his door. Andy's soothing voice comes from the other side, "Ephram can I come in?"
Ephram sits up in bed and calls for his father to come in, which Andy does. "Joey's sick." Ephram states immediately.
"I know." Andy nods.
"If you knew what didn't you..." Ephram begins, getting defensive.
"I just found out today." Andy interrupts, "Meg came into to talk to me."
"There's something you can do right?" Ephram asks getting to his feet and looking his father in the eye.
Andy shakes his head sadly, "I went over the files that Meg brought me, there isn't anything I can do."
"Dad, please, find a way to help her! Do something, anything, just please help her." Ephram's request brings tears to Andy's eyes.
Despite the tears, and the desire to help his son Andy has to shake his head, "there's nothing I can do for her. Except make her as comfortable as possible."
"No." Ephram shakes his head and backs away from his father, "you will do surgery on some stranger but you won't do it on someone you've gotten to know."
"Ephram..."
"I love her and you don't give a damn!" Ephram exclaims, and pushing past his father her rushes down the steps and out of the house.
"Ephram! There you are." Nina's voice greets Ephram when he walks into his kitchen several hours later. "You're father is out looking for you."
Ephram runs a hand through his hair, "I figured he was. I'm sorry."
Nina gives Ephram a sympathetic look before she places a glass of lemonade down before Ephram along with a sandwich. "I know this is hard for you..."
"Hard for me?" Ephram asks picking at the sandwich in front of him, "I can't even imagine how hard this has to be for Joey."
Nina lays a hand gently on Ephram's shoulder, "I'm sure it is Ephram. But you shouldn't blame your father Ephram, just because he can't cure Joey doesn't mean that he's not going to help her in anyway possible."
Ephram nods, "I know. And I should have yelled at him...it's just..."
"Hard to understand how some people came be saved by medical miracles and other's can't?" Nina questions.
Ephram nods, "yah I guess."
"Don't even think about it, all it can do is confuse you...make life seem more unfair that it all ready is."
"I guess." Ephram shrugs.
"Why don't you get some sleep and I will call your dad and let him know that you're home." Nina responds.