More than Existing
Author's Note: For some reason, this chapter gives me a whole new respect for Kurt and Kitty.
Disclaimer: Are you tired of me saying I don't own anything? Good, cause I'm tired of saying it.
Chapter 8 – "Visitors"
Janine looked around the mostly empty hospital room. There was an a little kid in the corner talking to his dad. The kid couldn't have been any older than 8. Janine remembered seeing him once before. 'He was here during my first treatment. He's probably stuck living in the hospital during his treatments.' She couldn't help but stare at his mostly baldhead. He was most likely in the first couple of stages of treatment because he still had a few clumps of hair clinging to his scalp. She thought of her own bare scalp. Since the school had found out that she had cancer, there wasn't a point in hiding it anymore. She had recently gotten rid of the wig because it was hot and itchy. She'd been wearing hats, simply because they were more comfortable, but Kurt had surprised her a few days ago by giving her a beautiful blue silk scarf. He'd bought it for her because he found out she was going in for more chemotherapy. The silk felt wonderful against her scalp, so nice in fact that she'd worn it every day since he'd given it to her. Janine smiled a little at her mental image of Kurt. After a moment though, she return attention back to the little boy. He was reading his father a book. Janine squinted a little to read the title. 'Where the Sidewalk Ends' by: Shel Silverstien. Janine cracked a little smile, she used to read that book when she was his age. Sadly she turned her attention back to her IV. The little bag hanging from the hook was still mostly full. Janine sighed; she was going to have to be here for at least another hour. She hated being here. It was cold and the IV in her arm was beginning to itch. 'Chemotherapy sucks.' She thought to herself, and the idea of going home, and puking until she passed out didn't make her feel any better. 'I wish I wasn't allergic to the anti-nausea drugs...'
Suddenly, the door cracked, and Kitty's face appeared. "Hey Janine." Kitty said, opening the door slightly, and slipping in the room. "Kitty?! What are you doing here? Only family members are allowed to visit during treatment." Janine said, completely astonished to see her friend there. Before Kitty could respond, Kurt slipped into the room. "Hey." He said. Janine couldn't believe it.
"We came to see you." Kitty said.
"Why? And how did you get past nurse Nancy?" Janine asked
"Ve zhought you might need some company." Kurt said with a smile. Janine couldn't resist his grin, she couldn't help but smile herself.
"I still don't understand how you got past the nurse."
"Security here is pretty loose. After the nurse wouldn't let us see you, Kurt teleported us just outside your door." Kitty explained. Janine's smile widened, 'I've got some crazy friends.'
"You don't mind do you? That we came to see you?" Kitty asked tentatively.
"No! Of course not! I was bored stiff!" Kurt and Kitty smiled widely, and sat down in a few chairs.
"So, 'ow much longer do you 'ave to sit zhere?" Kurt asked, looking at the IV sticking out of her arm.
"At least another hour. I was about to go nuts, I forgot my book today." Janine said. The three were quiet for a moment. Kurt looked around the room. His eyes came to rest on the little boy. Quietly, he asked Janine, "Vat is he 'ere for?"
"Chemotherapy. See the IV sticking out of his arm?" Janine answered in a whisper.
"You mean, he's, like, got leukemia too? But he's so young." Kitty said.
"He might not have leukemia. He may have another type of cancer for all I know. Though leukemia is the most common for kids. He could have a tumor or something though. I haven't really talked to him." Janine explained. None of them said a word, until Kurt turned his attention back to Janine. "Does it hurt?" he asked.
"Kurt! Don't ask her stuff like that." Kitty scolded.
"No, Kitty, it's fine. You guys can ask me whatever you want, I don't really care." Janine said. After a moment Kurt asked again, "So...does it hurt?" Janine nodded, "A little."
"So, how long do you have to do zhis?" he asked.
"I've got treatment all this week, and each time I've got to stay here for around an hour and a half. After this week, I've got to come back about once a month, for the next year."
Kurt's eyes grew big, "A year? That's a really long time." Janine nodded. "So will you be cured after that?" he asked. She shook her head, "No, right now they're killing off the bone marrow because that's the part that has the cancer. The problem is that when you use chemotherapy to kill the cancer, it doesn't just kill the cancer, it kills all of the marrow, so after they kill off the marrow, I'll have to get donor marrow." They sat in silence for a moment. Kitty finally spoke up, "Do you have a donor?" Janine looked away, and shook her head. Suddenly, the door burst open. Nurse Nancy came in wagging her finger at Kurt and Kitty. "What did I tell you two?! You can't come in here unless you family! How did you get past me?!" Realizing that the game was up, Kitty gave Janine a quick hug, and whispered, "Bye." Nurse Nancy was making her way over to the two to drag them out of the room, but before she could lay her hands on them, Kurt grabbed Kitty's arm, and they teleported out of the room. Nurse Nancy was stunned. "Where'd those hoodlums go?" Janine smiled and shrugged her shoulders. The nurse wagged her finger at the patient and said, "You tell them, if they try sneaking in here again, I'll have them thrown out." Janine nodded her head. Nurse Nancy gave the girl one more hard look and then started out of the room. Janine couldn't help but giggle a little. Her friends were really something else.
Author's Note: For some reason, this chapter gives me a whole new respect for Kurt and Kitty.
Disclaimer: Are you tired of me saying I don't own anything? Good, cause I'm tired of saying it.
Chapter 8 – "Visitors"
Janine looked around the mostly empty hospital room. There was an a little kid in the corner talking to his dad. The kid couldn't have been any older than 8. Janine remembered seeing him once before. 'He was here during my first treatment. He's probably stuck living in the hospital during his treatments.' She couldn't help but stare at his mostly baldhead. He was most likely in the first couple of stages of treatment because he still had a few clumps of hair clinging to his scalp. She thought of her own bare scalp. Since the school had found out that she had cancer, there wasn't a point in hiding it anymore. She had recently gotten rid of the wig because it was hot and itchy. She'd been wearing hats, simply because they were more comfortable, but Kurt had surprised her a few days ago by giving her a beautiful blue silk scarf. He'd bought it for her because he found out she was going in for more chemotherapy. The silk felt wonderful against her scalp, so nice in fact that she'd worn it every day since he'd given it to her. Janine smiled a little at her mental image of Kurt. After a moment though, she return attention back to the little boy. He was reading his father a book. Janine squinted a little to read the title. 'Where the Sidewalk Ends' by: Shel Silverstien. Janine cracked a little smile, she used to read that book when she was his age. Sadly she turned her attention back to her IV. The little bag hanging from the hook was still mostly full. Janine sighed; she was going to have to be here for at least another hour. She hated being here. It was cold and the IV in her arm was beginning to itch. 'Chemotherapy sucks.' She thought to herself, and the idea of going home, and puking until she passed out didn't make her feel any better. 'I wish I wasn't allergic to the anti-nausea drugs...'
Suddenly, the door cracked, and Kitty's face appeared. "Hey Janine." Kitty said, opening the door slightly, and slipping in the room. "Kitty?! What are you doing here? Only family members are allowed to visit during treatment." Janine said, completely astonished to see her friend there. Before Kitty could respond, Kurt slipped into the room. "Hey." He said. Janine couldn't believe it.
"We came to see you." Kitty said.
"Why? And how did you get past nurse Nancy?" Janine asked
"Ve zhought you might need some company." Kurt said with a smile. Janine couldn't resist his grin, she couldn't help but smile herself.
"I still don't understand how you got past the nurse."
"Security here is pretty loose. After the nurse wouldn't let us see you, Kurt teleported us just outside your door." Kitty explained. Janine's smile widened, 'I've got some crazy friends.'
"You don't mind do you? That we came to see you?" Kitty asked tentatively.
"No! Of course not! I was bored stiff!" Kurt and Kitty smiled widely, and sat down in a few chairs.
"So, 'ow much longer do you 'ave to sit zhere?" Kurt asked, looking at the IV sticking out of her arm.
"At least another hour. I was about to go nuts, I forgot my book today." Janine said. The three were quiet for a moment. Kurt looked around the room. His eyes came to rest on the little boy. Quietly, he asked Janine, "Vat is he 'ere for?"
"Chemotherapy. See the IV sticking out of his arm?" Janine answered in a whisper.
"You mean, he's, like, got leukemia too? But he's so young." Kitty said.
"He might not have leukemia. He may have another type of cancer for all I know. Though leukemia is the most common for kids. He could have a tumor or something though. I haven't really talked to him." Janine explained. None of them said a word, until Kurt turned his attention back to Janine. "Does it hurt?" he asked.
"Kurt! Don't ask her stuff like that." Kitty scolded.
"No, Kitty, it's fine. You guys can ask me whatever you want, I don't really care." Janine said. After a moment Kurt asked again, "So...does it hurt?" Janine nodded, "A little."
"So, how long do you have to do zhis?" he asked.
"I've got treatment all this week, and each time I've got to stay here for around an hour and a half. After this week, I've got to come back about once a month, for the next year."
Kurt's eyes grew big, "A year? That's a really long time." Janine nodded. "So will you be cured after that?" he asked. She shook her head, "No, right now they're killing off the bone marrow because that's the part that has the cancer. The problem is that when you use chemotherapy to kill the cancer, it doesn't just kill the cancer, it kills all of the marrow, so after they kill off the marrow, I'll have to get donor marrow." They sat in silence for a moment. Kitty finally spoke up, "Do you have a donor?" Janine looked away, and shook her head. Suddenly, the door burst open. Nurse Nancy came in wagging her finger at Kurt and Kitty. "What did I tell you two?! You can't come in here unless you family! How did you get past me?!" Realizing that the game was up, Kitty gave Janine a quick hug, and whispered, "Bye." Nurse Nancy was making her way over to the two to drag them out of the room, but before she could lay her hands on them, Kurt grabbed Kitty's arm, and they teleported out of the room. Nurse Nancy was stunned. "Where'd those hoodlums go?" Janine smiled and shrugged her shoulders. The nurse wagged her finger at the patient and said, "You tell them, if they try sneaking in here again, I'll have them thrown out." Janine nodded her head. Nurse Nancy gave the girl one more hard look and then started out of the room. Janine couldn't help but giggle a little. Her friends were really something else.