Chapter 4: Time Is Precious
[Dean]
"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" Rory asked, two days later.
"Yes, I'm sure," Dean said, grabbing the car keys.
"Positive?"
"If you freaked out when you heard about this, you're going to freak out even more witnessing the radiation."
"Okay. What time are you getting home?"
"Around dinner. I'm going to work afterwards."
"Okay, I'll have it ready for you when you get home. What do you want?"
"Whatever. I don't care. I'll see you later."
"Bye."
He gave her a quick peck on the lips and went back to the hospital. When he got there, Dr. Morgan saw him right away. Once he was done explaining the treatments, he shaved away the hair at the base of his skull. Then he used a small needle to make permanent dots at the based of Dean's neck. Dean winced. It didn't hurt, but it felt weird. It was in a weird spot. Dr. Morgan said they were little tattoos so that the technicians can align the machine precisely.
"I thought I wouldn't have to go through this again," Dean said to himself.
"Your case is very rare, Mr. Forester," Dr. Morgan said. "Almost one in a thousand."
"And I had to be the one," Dean whispered.
Once Dr. Morgan was done. Dean combed his hair over the bald spot, but had a lot of trouble covering it. This would be so much easier if I had longer hair, Dean thought.
"I just want to go over a few things before you go," Dr. Morgan said. "Be careful when you wash your hair. We can remark the dots, but don't get any soap on the skin. You'll lose some of your hair, but because the treatment is so localized, we're hoping it won't be that much. You could experience dry mouth and you may not be able to taste any food, but you should stop eating. Your skin will get red at the site, but don't use any creams."
"Why not?" Dean asked.
"They interfere with the rays," Dr. Morgan answered. "Towards the end of the treatment you may suffer from exhaustion, but all these symptoms will go away once the treatment is done."
"When am I starting?"
"Tomorrow."
Dr. Morgan showed him the equipment. It was a thick mechanical arm attached to a cone-shaped device. Dean didn't need Dr. Morgan to tell him that the cone was supposed to be aimed at the back of his head. He had seen a device like this one too many times. He hated it. He had nightmares about it until he was fifteen.
"I'll be back tomorrow," Dean said, shaking Dr. Morgan's hand.
Dean walked out and drove around town. He knew that he was going to try to make the best of this thing, but now he couldn't help being scared. He didn't want this thing growing in his head against his own will. He remembered looking at it on the x-rays. It looked so sinister and evil. Dean turned on the radio.
"I-I-I won't worry my life away," Jason Mraz sang.
Dean thought this song was kind of annoying, but it this time, as he listened to it, he felt better about the tumor. He walked into the office and waved to his co-workers.
"Mr. Forester," Mr. Douglass, his boss poked his head out of his office. "Can I see you for a second?"
Dean nodded and walked into his office and sat down. I hope I didn't do anything wrong, Dean thought. Mr. Douglass placed his hands on his desk.
"I've heard about your medical problem," Mr. Douglass said.
"How?" Dean asked.
"I called your doctor," Mr. Douglass said. "We've been concerned about you. We've noticed you taking Advil and we wanted to check up on you, so we called your doctor."
Dean nodded, feeling a little uncomfortable that they did that.
"I think you should take some time off," Mr. Douglass continued. "I think that if you continue to work here, your problem will get worse."
"Are you firing me?" Dean asked.
"No," Mr. Douglass said. "You are one of my best workers. But, that's why I think you should take some time off. You can take as much time off as you need."
Dean nodded. "I understand, sir," Dean said.
He stood up and shook his hand. "Stay well, Mr. Forester," Mr. Douglass said, before he left. "I can't afford to lose one of my best workers."
"Thank you, sir," Dean said, walking out.
Dean walked towards the car and drove home.
[Rory]
Lorelai sat at the kitchen table while Rory made dinner. Lorelai got up and walked over to the counter where Rory was chopping vegetables. She took a knife and grabbed a tomato.
"No," Rory said. "Go sit back down."
"But, I want to cook!" Lorelai whined.
"Well, when I make soup you can help out," Rory said. "You can only make soup."
"Since when did you learn to cook anyway?"
"I took a cooking class on the summer of my sophomore year."
"Well, you can teach me."
"No. You can only make soup. Now sit down."
Lorelai stuck out her tongue and sat back down at the kitchen table and stuck out her tongue, which made Rory laugh for the first time in twelve days.
"I have some news," Lorelai said. "I went to the doctor yesterday, and it seems that I'm pregnant."
"Really?" Rory said.
Lorelai nodded and they two of them shrieked and hugged.
"That's so great!" Rory exclaimed.
"I know!" Lorelai squealed.
"Boy or girl?"
"Not sure yet."
After another round of shrieking Rory went back to her post at the stove.
"So, what about you?" Lorelai asked. "Last time I heard from you, you and Dean were at the hospital. What's going on with that?"
Rory's good mood suddenly darkened. She had forgot about Dean and his tumor. She had forgotten that she had called Lorelai the night he fainted.
"Oh," Rory said. "Um.....I really don't want to talk about it."
"Come on, Rory," Lorelai said. "This is me. You tell me everything."
"Mom, please," Rory said.
"I'm going to keep bugging you until you do."
Rory sighed. She knew she had to tell her mother eventually. Plus, she knew she would feel a lot better if she did.
"Dean is having a reoccurrence of a brain tumor he had when he was ten," Rory said.
Lorelai's eyes widened and she covered her hand with her mouth. Rory thought she was mocking her at first, but there was always a gleam in Lorelai's eyes when she mocked something and that gleam wasn't there.
"Oh, my god," Lorelai said.
"I know," Rory said. "He started radiation today."
"What's that?"
"They use a machine to shrink the tumor so there's a possibility that they can remove it. The doctor said it sometimes work."
"How's he handling it?"
"He's trying very hard to be brave, but I know he's scared."
"How are you handling it?"
"How do you think I'm handling it? I'm scared!"
Rory sat down at the table and buried her head in her hands and a single tear trickled down her cheek.
"Honey, come here," Lorelai said, taking Rory in her arms.
Rory didn't sob, but tears rained down her face. She knew she shouldn't be the one crying, but she couldn't help it. Aside from her mother, Dean was the most important person to her.
"You know, he is going to get better," Lorelai said. "The doctor said that the radiation could work."
"What if it doesn't?" Rory asked, wiping away her tears.
"You'll have to cross that bridge when you come to it," Lorelai said.
"I don't want to lose him."
"I know. That's why you should take advantage of the time you have with him. Don't mope around the house. Do things you enjoy together. Have some fun. Enjoy your time together."
She was right. Rory knew she was right. She got up from her chair and heard the door slam. Dean walked into the kitchen. He didn't look happy.
"Hi," Rory said. "You're home early."
"Yeah," Dean said, then turning his attention to Lorelai. "Hi, Mom."
"Hi," Lorelai said. "Umm......I heard what happened and all I can say is I'm sorry and I hope you get better."
"Thank you," Dean said.
Lorelai gave him a quick hug. "I have to go," Lorelai said. "I'll see you guys tomorrow."
"Okay," Rory said.
Lorelai walked out the door.
"Tomorrow?" Dean asked.
"Dinner at my grandparents'," Rory replied.
"Oh, that."
"Yeah."
Rory went back over to the counter and chopped the tomato that Lorelai had picked up.
"What's for dinner?" Dean asked.
"It's 'make your own taco' night," Rory answered.
"Can I help?" Dean asked.
"No kiss for your wife?"
"Only if she lets me cook."
"Done."
Dean gave Rory a kiss and then started chopping lettuce. He didn't look happy. He looked scared and upset.
"What's wrong?" Rory asked.
"I'm on sabbatical," Dean said. "That's why I'm home early."
"Is that why you're upset?" Rory asked.
"No. I like not working. It's a hard job and I was thinking of quitting."
"And do what?"
"I don't know."
"I make enough money for the both of us, Dean."
"Yeah, but you know that I like to pull my own weight."
"Yeah, I know. But, why are you upset."
Dean put down the knife and stared at Rory. "I took a look at the equipment they're going to use for the radiation treatments," he said. "It's horrible. That thing scared me to death when I was ten. I had nightmares about it until I was fifteen. It scared me all over again just looking at it."
Dean suddenly stopped talking when he saw the look on Rory's face.
"You find this weird," Dean said. "You don't love me anymore do you?"
"No," Rory said. "I still love you. I think it's very cute that you're scared of a machine."
"Ha, ha, ha," Dean said. "If you saw this thing, you'd be afraid of it, too."
"I'm sorry," Rory said. "I do think it's cute though."
Dean nodded and continued to chop the lettuce.
"Dean," Rory said. "Remember what you said about how you didn't want the tumor to rob you of your life? Well, now I feel the same way. I think we should enjoy our life together, especially now that you're on sabbatical. So, can we just try to have as much fun as we can?"
"I guess so," Dean said. "I guess if we just keep running scared of this thing, we'd just be wasting our time together."
"So, you can do that?"
"Hell, yes."
To Be Continued...........
A/N: I know it was horrible, but it'll get better. Chapter 5 is coming soon.
[Dean]
"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" Rory asked, two days later.
"Yes, I'm sure," Dean said, grabbing the car keys.
"Positive?"
"If you freaked out when you heard about this, you're going to freak out even more witnessing the radiation."
"Okay. What time are you getting home?"
"Around dinner. I'm going to work afterwards."
"Okay, I'll have it ready for you when you get home. What do you want?"
"Whatever. I don't care. I'll see you later."
"Bye."
He gave her a quick peck on the lips and went back to the hospital. When he got there, Dr. Morgan saw him right away. Once he was done explaining the treatments, he shaved away the hair at the base of his skull. Then he used a small needle to make permanent dots at the based of Dean's neck. Dean winced. It didn't hurt, but it felt weird. It was in a weird spot. Dr. Morgan said they were little tattoos so that the technicians can align the machine precisely.
"I thought I wouldn't have to go through this again," Dean said to himself.
"Your case is very rare, Mr. Forester," Dr. Morgan said. "Almost one in a thousand."
"And I had to be the one," Dean whispered.
Once Dr. Morgan was done. Dean combed his hair over the bald spot, but had a lot of trouble covering it. This would be so much easier if I had longer hair, Dean thought.
"I just want to go over a few things before you go," Dr. Morgan said. "Be careful when you wash your hair. We can remark the dots, but don't get any soap on the skin. You'll lose some of your hair, but because the treatment is so localized, we're hoping it won't be that much. You could experience dry mouth and you may not be able to taste any food, but you should stop eating. Your skin will get red at the site, but don't use any creams."
"Why not?" Dean asked.
"They interfere with the rays," Dr. Morgan answered. "Towards the end of the treatment you may suffer from exhaustion, but all these symptoms will go away once the treatment is done."
"When am I starting?"
"Tomorrow."
Dr. Morgan showed him the equipment. It was a thick mechanical arm attached to a cone-shaped device. Dean didn't need Dr. Morgan to tell him that the cone was supposed to be aimed at the back of his head. He had seen a device like this one too many times. He hated it. He had nightmares about it until he was fifteen.
"I'll be back tomorrow," Dean said, shaking Dr. Morgan's hand.
Dean walked out and drove around town. He knew that he was going to try to make the best of this thing, but now he couldn't help being scared. He didn't want this thing growing in his head against his own will. He remembered looking at it on the x-rays. It looked so sinister and evil. Dean turned on the radio.
"I-I-I won't worry my life away," Jason Mraz sang.
Dean thought this song was kind of annoying, but it this time, as he listened to it, he felt better about the tumor. He walked into the office and waved to his co-workers.
"Mr. Forester," Mr. Douglass, his boss poked his head out of his office. "Can I see you for a second?"
Dean nodded and walked into his office and sat down. I hope I didn't do anything wrong, Dean thought. Mr. Douglass placed his hands on his desk.
"I've heard about your medical problem," Mr. Douglass said.
"How?" Dean asked.
"I called your doctor," Mr. Douglass said. "We've been concerned about you. We've noticed you taking Advil and we wanted to check up on you, so we called your doctor."
Dean nodded, feeling a little uncomfortable that they did that.
"I think you should take some time off," Mr. Douglass continued. "I think that if you continue to work here, your problem will get worse."
"Are you firing me?" Dean asked.
"No," Mr. Douglass said. "You are one of my best workers. But, that's why I think you should take some time off. You can take as much time off as you need."
Dean nodded. "I understand, sir," Dean said.
He stood up and shook his hand. "Stay well, Mr. Forester," Mr. Douglass said, before he left. "I can't afford to lose one of my best workers."
"Thank you, sir," Dean said, walking out.
Dean walked towards the car and drove home.
[Rory]
Lorelai sat at the kitchen table while Rory made dinner. Lorelai got up and walked over to the counter where Rory was chopping vegetables. She took a knife and grabbed a tomato.
"No," Rory said. "Go sit back down."
"But, I want to cook!" Lorelai whined.
"Well, when I make soup you can help out," Rory said. "You can only make soup."
"Since when did you learn to cook anyway?"
"I took a cooking class on the summer of my sophomore year."
"Well, you can teach me."
"No. You can only make soup. Now sit down."
Lorelai stuck out her tongue and sat back down at the kitchen table and stuck out her tongue, which made Rory laugh for the first time in twelve days.
"I have some news," Lorelai said. "I went to the doctor yesterday, and it seems that I'm pregnant."
"Really?" Rory said.
Lorelai nodded and they two of them shrieked and hugged.
"That's so great!" Rory exclaimed.
"I know!" Lorelai squealed.
"Boy or girl?"
"Not sure yet."
After another round of shrieking Rory went back to her post at the stove.
"So, what about you?" Lorelai asked. "Last time I heard from you, you and Dean were at the hospital. What's going on with that?"
Rory's good mood suddenly darkened. She had forgot about Dean and his tumor. She had forgotten that she had called Lorelai the night he fainted.
"Oh," Rory said. "Um.....I really don't want to talk about it."
"Come on, Rory," Lorelai said. "This is me. You tell me everything."
"Mom, please," Rory said.
"I'm going to keep bugging you until you do."
Rory sighed. She knew she had to tell her mother eventually. Plus, she knew she would feel a lot better if she did.
"Dean is having a reoccurrence of a brain tumor he had when he was ten," Rory said.
Lorelai's eyes widened and she covered her hand with her mouth. Rory thought she was mocking her at first, but there was always a gleam in Lorelai's eyes when she mocked something and that gleam wasn't there.
"Oh, my god," Lorelai said.
"I know," Rory said. "He started radiation today."
"What's that?"
"They use a machine to shrink the tumor so there's a possibility that they can remove it. The doctor said it sometimes work."
"How's he handling it?"
"He's trying very hard to be brave, but I know he's scared."
"How are you handling it?"
"How do you think I'm handling it? I'm scared!"
Rory sat down at the table and buried her head in her hands and a single tear trickled down her cheek.
"Honey, come here," Lorelai said, taking Rory in her arms.
Rory didn't sob, but tears rained down her face. She knew she shouldn't be the one crying, but she couldn't help it. Aside from her mother, Dean was the most important person to her.
"You know, he is going to get better," Lorelai said. "The doctor said that the radiation could work."
"What if it doesn't?" Rory asked, wiping away her tears.
"You'll have to cross that bridge when you come to it," Lorelai said.
"I don't want to lose him."
"I know. That's why you should take advantage of the time you have with him. Don't mope around the house. Do things you enjoy together. Have some fun. Enjoy your time together."
She was right. Rory knew she was right. She got up from her chair and heard the door slam. Dean walked into the kitchen. He didn't look happy.
"Hi," Rory said. "You're home early."
"Yeah," Dean said, then turning his attention to Lorelai. "Hi, Mom."
"Hi," Lorelai said. "Umm......I heard what happened and all I can say is I'm sorry and I hope you get better."
"Thank you," Dean said.
Lorelai gave him a quick hug. "I have to go," Lorelai said. "I'll see you guys tomorrow."
"Okay," Rory said.
Lorelai walked out the door.
"Tomorrow?" Dean asked.
"Dinner at my grandparents'," Rory replied.
"Oh, that."
"Yeah."
Rory went back over to the counter and chopped the tomato that Lorelai had picked up.
"What's for dinner?" Dean asked.
"It's 'make your own taco' night," Rory answered.
"Can I help?" Dean asked.
"No kiss for your wife?"
"Only if she lets me cook."
"Done."
Dean gave Rory a kiss and then started chopping lettuce. He didn't look happy. He looked scared and upset.
"What's wrong?" Rory asked.
"I'm on sabbatical," Dean said. "That's why I'm home early."
"Is that why you're upset?" Rory asked.
"No. I like not working. It's a hard job and I was thinking of quitting."
"And do what?"
"I don't know."
"I make enough money for the both of us, Dean."
"Yeah, but you know that I like to pull my own weight."
"Yeah, I know. But, why are you upset."
Dean put down the knife and stared at Rory. "I took a look at the equipment they're going to use for the radiation treatments," he said. "It's horrible. That thing scared me to death when I was ten. I had nightmares about it until I was fifteen. It scared me all over again just looking at it."
Dean suddenly stopped talking when he saw the look on Rory's face.
"You find this weird," Dean said. "You don't love me anymore do you?"
"No," Rory said. "I still love you. I think it's very cute that you're scared of a machine."
"Ha, ha, ha," Dean said. "If you saw this thing, you'd be afraid of it, too."
"I'm sorry," Rory said. "I do think it's cute though."
Dean nodded and continued to chop the lettuce.
"Dean," Rory said. "Remember what you said about how you didn't want the tumor to rob you of your life? Well, now I feel the same way. I think we should enjoy our life together, especially now that you're on sabbatical. So, can we just try to have as much fun as we can?"
"I guess so," Dean said. "I guess if we just keep running scared of this thing, we'd just be wasting our time together."
"So, you can do that?"
"Hell, yes."
To Be Continued...........
A/N: I know it was horrible, but it'll get better. Chapter 5 is coming soon.
