"What are you doing here" Jess said slightly annoyed at the sight of Jason, Trent and Sonny at the front door the next morning
"Heard that you have a doctor's appointment, and that Luca is unavailable" Jason said making his way past Jess and into the living area
"That he's seeing a specialist at Duke University and is gone for the night" Trent said following Jason's example, Luca had spoken to Trent on the sly last night about what type of behaviour could be expected from Jess today, if anything at all
"So you lot decided that I need a babysitter with a guard" Jess said slightly frustrated over the fact that they had ganged up to make sure she was going to the appointment
"So what if we did" Sonny asked chuckling
"Dad and Alie put you up to this by any chance" Jess asked curiously
"They may have mentioned it last night before you two came down, so grab your gear cause your chariot awaits" Jason said confirming that Jay and Alie had been talking to the team the night before about the appointment
"Jay's asked us to take you out to the warehouse when you've finished with Doctor Shah, then you're both going to be going to Zah's training session this afternoon" Trent said as he saw Jess grab her usual bag that went to doctors appointments with her, Jess was clearly under the impression she was going to the appointment then coming home
"So I need to grab everything for the day, great, they couldn't have told me last night this was the plan" Jess said frustrated over the fact she didn't have what she needed to have ready to head out for the day, Zah's session today meant that they wouldn't be getting home till 2100 at the earliest
"That's why we're here early, just tell us what to grab, we'll help you get it organised" Jason said assuring Jess they were there to help her get what she needed together
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"Well Jess, you've had a rough few weeks, how you feeling" Doctor Shah asked looking at Jess who was perched on the examination bed, ignoring the 6 other tier 1 operators that were present in the room
"Okay I guess, still trying to work out some stuff" Jess said softly not looking at anyone in the room
"If you need to talk privately, I'll clear the room" Doctor Shah said putting her hand gently on Jess's shoulder and squeezing gently to let her know she was there for her
"Please" Jess said quietly still not wanting to look at anyone, she didn't want everyone there for this appointment and was glad for the chance to have them all out of the room
"Okay, everyone out, I'll let you know when you can come back" Doctor Shah said immediately ushering the rest of the team out of the examination room
"Jess, you can have everyone else leave but I'm" Jason said trying to stay in the room
"Get out Jason, I'm serious" Jess said suddenly snapping at him
"Come on brother, you heard her" Ray said escorting Jason from the room, Jess hadn't snapped like this for a long time, despite everything that had happened lately, Jess was clearly having some issues that they didn't know about
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"Trent, who are you on the phone to" Clay asked curiously as Trent had pulled his phone out as soon as they walked out of the infirmary
"Luca, letting him know that Jess has kicked us out, you think Jay was the only one who wanted a spy in that room today, talked to him last night" Trent said explaining the reason for him being on the phone
"He give any indication as to why she'd possibly kick us out" Brock asked curiously
"He didn't, Aubree did however" Trent said recalling the conversation he'd had with her when he got back from the barbeque last night
"So what did Miss Aubree say about Bookworm" Sonny asked looking at Trent concerned, Jess's sudden outburst had really thrown him
"That don't be surprised if she doesn't allow any of us in the room, Jess hasn't seen where the doctor removed her breasts yet, she hasn't wanted to look, she would close her eyes when they done the dressing changes in the hospital, today the bandages are coming off and not being replaced, and the drains are coming out most likely" Trent said explaining what he'd spoken to Aubree about
"And we couldn't have been told this earlier, think it's why Luca was so adamant about being here, and cancelling his own appointment"
"Most likely, she said she's probably feeling extremely vulnerable, and that was probably why Luca was so adamant about going with her today, but considering this specialist has a long weighting list for the initial consultation Luca needed to take it, longer it's left, more pain he's in and the greater risk of the vertebrae breaking and potentially damaging the cord" Trent said looking at the group, it definitely helped clear up some things
"And Jess's appointment couldn't be delayed because" Jason asked wanting to make sure he understood everything
"Increases her risk of infection the longer the drains are left in" Trent said confirming that they had to come out
"So no matter how they looked at it, it had to be done, regardless of how much Jess was struggling to cope" Ray asked, they were in a no win situation
"Exactly, us knowing that wouldn't have changed the fact, Luca had to go to this appointment, Aubree also said that this could be a case of Jess wanting to talk about the menopause situation, they had to stop her hormone replacement therapy remember, that's what she was using to help control the symptoms after surgery last time, but she can't have it now because of the tumour being estrogen positive" said Trent, he'd spoken to Aubree for a few hours discussing various things
"So what, she just has to deal with it, she deals with enough" Jason asked looking at Trent frustrated
"There's herbal remedies she can try, or that's what Doctor Ambrose said, she just needs to ride it out till the worst of it passes, it will get easier in time" Trent said, he was equally as frustrated over the fact that Jess had had to stop the hormone replacement therapy and was now dealing with issues women weren't supposed to be dealing with till they were in their 40's or 50's, Jason had said it, Jess was dealing with enough as it was
"How long will that take, for the worst to be over" Ray asked curiously
"Could be 6 months, could be 2 years, or it could be longer, there's no way to know for certain, Aubree also said that Doctor Shah may be examining her private area, doubt any of you would want the rest of us in the room looking if you'd had everything chopped of and stitched up" Trent said informing the others of more of the situation that had taken place between them, Aubree had been wanting to make sure that they all understood if Jess acted out in the appointment, that there was no clear reason she'd be doing it, but a bunch of reasons
"Actually now you put it like that, maybe it's a good thing we got asked to leave" Sonny started to explain to them as they were making their way back to the team room
"Sonny" Brock asked interrupting him
"I just had an image of Bookworm's Israeli friend tieing me up and" Sonny said continuing his train of thought
"Alright, don't think we need you developing another phobia Sonny, it's hard enough to keep up as it is" Ray said to him
"Yeah, I don't know if that's something that would cause Sonny to develop a phobia about something, think that might be a fantasy" Jason said jokingly
"Besides, there'd be so many disappointed ladies in the world if that happened" Clay said slapping Sonny on the back grinning, Sonny Quinn developing a phobia of women getting kinky, the local male entertainment industry wouldn't recover from the loss
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"Okay Jess, you can sit up now, how does it feel, take your time" Doctor Shah said gently as she helped Jess sit up and move so she was sitting on the edge of the examination bed, Jess had been laying down so she didn't have full vision of Doctor Shah removing the drains and dressings, Doctor Shah had noticed a few silent tears roll down Jess's cheeks, Jess sat there in silence for a few minutes as she gently touched the pink scars on her chest where her breasts had previously been a few weeks prior
"No, no, no, no, no, I want them back, I want them back, what did I do" Jess screamed as her body started shaking and she began hyperventilating
"Shhh, it's okay to be upset and angry about this, but they had to go Jess and you know that, we simply acted early before it got worse" Doctor Shah said trying to calm Jess down as she started hitting herself in the chest
"The pain, it hurts, so, bad, like, a, burning" Jess yelled as she continued to hit herself
"Okay, Jess I know this is hurting you, but this behaviour is only making it worse, you need to try and breathe through it, can you rate your pain" Doctor Shah said trying to restrain Jess from hurting herself and getting Jess to focus on her so she could get Jess through the pain
"10, make it stop, please" Jess pleaded looking at Doctor Shah, Doctor Shah could see the severe pain and extreme fatigue in Jess's eyes
"I need to speak to Doctor Carmichael first, are you okay with me doing that for a few minutes" Doctor Shah asked keeping her eye contact with Jess, she wanted to confirm what the best options were now to get Jess through this pain
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"Doctor Shah, you called me" Trent asked walking into the infirmary 5 minutes after receiving the call from the infirmary
"You're looking after Jess this afternoon once she finishes with me" Doctor Shah asked looking at the medic
"She's going to her dad's warehouse, he'll be looking after her, why" Trent asked suddenly curious as to why Doctor Shah was now keen to know where Jess would be spending her time after this appointment
"I've had to give her a ketamine injection, Doctor Carmichael gave the all clear to have it, he wants her in his office at 0830 tomorrow morning and to bring an overnight bag" Doctor Shah said explaining the conversation she'd had with Doctor Carmichael
"Jess having the nerve block done" Trent asked curiously, Jess having ketamine was only usually for severe pain
"Blocks, as in plural, she had a episode of severe pain once everything was removed, Doctor Carmichael thinks that the sensation of the bandages may have been providing enough sensory stimulation to the nerve endings to satisfy the input that there's still something there, even though there isn't obviously" Doctor Shah said
"When you removed that input" Trent said starting to piece together what was going on
"Her body went into overdrive and freaked out intensifying the pain signals" Doctor Shah said, she was not going to mention anything about Jess hitting herself while she was freaking out
"Anything else" Trent asked curiously
"She's not sleeping, whether that's the phantom pain, the side effects of her treatment, or the menopause, or a combination of all 3, it would be making her less tolerant to what's going on inside and outside her body" Doctor Shah replied
"She asleep now" Trent asked looking around
"She's resting in one of the observation rooms, I've drawn the blinds, dimmed the lights and dropped the room temperature, if we can get her core body temperature down" Doctor Shah said assuring Trent that Jess was resting comfortably
"She'll find it easier to sleep, we may have to try and find a way to replicate those conditions for deployment, we've got the stretchers, but if the room already has bunks we'll need something else" Trent said thinking the situation out loud
"You're a smart man Trent, you'll work something out with her father, in the meantime I want her to remain put for another hour, just to make sure there's no adverse reaction to the medication, Doctor Carmichael has given the okay for her to have another dose tonight if needed, or she can try this, it's a herbal supplement she can crush up to 6 and put through her tube, Doctor Masterson has given the okay for her to try it, it could cause her blood pressure to drop slightly, so she'll need to watch getting up in the morning, and Doctor Ambrose has suggested this as well, she can have up to 6 teabags a day if she's really struggling, and he's suggested that Jess may benefit from seeing a naturopath to work in conjunction with what we're doing in a supportive role, it's entirely up to Jess of course to make that decision, but it may be worth looking at, this woman is local and comes highly recommended from other cancer patients, as well as people dealing with chronic medical issues, he thought that she may be able to work with this company, Jess has ordered from them before" Doctor Shah said retrieving some items that she proceeded to hand to Trent as she briefly explained each item, a bottle of pills, a large box of teabags, and some paper handouts
"They make the custom nutrient dense energy bars and powdered drink supplements she likes" Trent said recognising the name of the company on the handout about the drink supplements on one of the handouts, he dreaded to think what the cost was either Jess or Jay most likely payed out to get them, it would probably be cheaper if Jay produced them himself, maybe he did and Trent just never realised
"Doctor Ambrose thought that the naturopath might have a better idea on some of the herbal ingredients that may benefit Jess that could be incorporated into the powdered drink supplements, which would make a more portable option for active duty" Doctor Shah said explaining the benefits that Doctor Ambrose had seen, Jess already added sachets of electrolytes to her canteen in the field, if the naturopath did have some ideas on supplements that could be added to her diet, it would make sense to see them combined with the electrolyte powder where possible, create an all in one sachet to eliminate packaging, waste and time adding multiple sachets to one canteen
"It's worth a shot I guess, what's this one about" Trent asked flicking through the other handouts that were there to familiarise himself with the contents, they were used to help keep a paper trail to show what was being done and talked about in case the higher ups tried to question them about it
"Her psychologist sent them to me, it's a non traditional support group she's found for females who have been affected by cancer that operate in the area, they do a variety of social activities each week, Joanna thought that it might be beneficial for Jess to attend, she's under no obligation to attend the sessions each week, but it might help her to have other women to talk to that have experienced similar issues that she's experiencing as cancer does affect females differently to males, and her job is a male dominated area, and the chances of Jess openly discussing her emotions and feelings to another female on base who's potentially had cancer" Doctor Shah said explaining the email she'd received from the psychologist that Jess had been seeing since she'd been injured the first time
"Is non existent" Trent said, this base, females were greatly outnumbered by the male population, Jess was even more isolated being a tier 1 operator, the only females she had any form of contact with on a semi regular basis on base was Lisa and Mattie, and neither of them could help support Jess with everything emotionally she was dealing with, sure there were a couple of male operators who had dealt with cancer Trent knew of, but they hadn't been to the level Jess had had it
"For females, we feel the added pressure to be strong all the time, even when things are tough, we've got to push past it and move on like our male counterparts" Doctor Shah explained
"So you think by taking that discussion of base completely, Jess would be more likely to find the support she needs" Trent asked sceptical about whether this would work
"Don't get me wrong, you all do a great job supporting her, but Joanna feels that ultimately something is still missing, and it's something that none of us can provide her, simply because we've never dealt with it ourselves in the way it affects her, she's still going to need the support from Bravo team and her family, this won't replace that aspect, you aren't being replaced by Jess attending these sessions" Doctor Shah said assuring Trent that what they were doing wasn't wrong by any means, this simply was a chance for Jess to hopefully get some extra support she was currently lacking, particularly with regard to her body and self confidence issues
"So you want us encouraging her to attend these sessions" Trent asked curiously, trying to work out how Jess would be expected to commit to the sessions
"When she's home, and as long as they're not interfering with her medical treatment or duties on base we'd like her to be strongly encouraged to attend, Joanna has identified which activities she feels that Jess would benefit from, and she's noted why she thinks Jess would benefit, she's also sent some information on how to approach the phantom pain issue, just so everyone is on the same page in case she mentions anything" Doctor Shah said outlining the plan that had been made for Jess to incorporate the sessions into her schedule as Trent noticed a section of dot points on the phantom pain handout, he liked having this information to read, that way he could ensure that everyone on Bravo was following the same guidelines that the medical team were using so Jess wasn't getting mixed signals
"Remind her that the pain she's feeling is legitimate" Trent said reading the first dot point out loud
"That's the big thing you all need to remember, some people have actually ended their lives because people convince them that they're insane because they think there in pain when there's nothing there to cause it, that type of thinking can be even more damaging in the long-run and cause a host of psychological trauma that can tip the patient over the edge, and at the moment, that tipping point is extremely small" Doctor Shah, the tone of her voice indicating that this time was critical, mixed signals were the last thing Jess needed
"I'll make sure everyone is aware of what's going on, and reads this document, she right here for a bit longer on her own" Trent asked his voice now serious and filled with concern, he wanted to talk to the others before they saw Jess this afternoon, get a plan in play for tomorrow, he could tell her head space wasn't the greatest, last thing Bravo needed was to be adding to it
"She's fine Trent, she's not going anywhere, go" Doctor Shah said assuring him Jess was fine to be left alone while he dealt with bringing Bravo up to speed on the current situation, Trent turned to leave before realising that Doctor Shah hadn't answered one question yet he was sure he would be asked
"Oh, what was the results from her bone marrow biopsy and blood test" Trent asked curiously looking back at the doctor
"She's back in remission, the induction therapy was a success, and her kidneys are back in the normal range as well, she'll have the consolidation therapy in a few weeks, if all goes well then she's back when she feels ready" Doctor Shah said with a small smile on her face, it was the results that everyone was hoping for, a ray of hope in what was still a dark place at times for Jess
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"Thought you were picking Jess up from the infirmary" Eric asked surprised to see Trent walking back towards the team rooms carrying some information and a bottle of pills and an unidentified box
"She's not ready yet sir, Doctor Shah just called me over to give me some information to read why we're waiting and explain a couple of things that will be happening in the next few weeks, so everyone from Bravo is on the same page with how things are done" Trent said explaining that Jess wasn't ready yet
"It's a good idea, you going to talk the others through it" Eric asked curiously, his own plans could be postponed for half hour if Trent was going to be running the others through the current situation, he'd be able to listen in
"Yes sir, Doctor Shah will release Jess in another hour, so no time like the present to do it" Trent said confirming that he was going to do the talk right now instead of putting it of, Eric indicated for Trent to lead the way back to the team room, so he could listen in
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"Thought you were collecting Bookworm from Doc Shah" Sonny asked surprised to see Trent walking back into the team room without Jess and having Eric in tow
"She's not ready yet, there was an issue with Jess's pain levels, they spiked and Doctor Shah had to give her an injection of ketamine to bring them back down again, so she wants Jess to stay put for another hour, just to make sure that there's no detrimental side effects" Trent said explaining Jess's absence still
"So Jess is" Brock asked curiously
"Currently sleeping in an observation room in the infirmary, the ketamine works by altering her brain chemistry so she doesn't react to the pain" Trent said explaining the medication and how it affected her
"So basically she's high" Eric asked curiously, he'd heard the medication mentioned a couple of times, but he had assumed it worked like all other pain relievers
"In a sense, it makes her feel sleepy at a certain level of potency, it is used as an anaesthetic after all, and in sedation in the ICU" Trent asked pulling out a folder from his own cage where he kept all the handouts that Doctor Shah and Aubree had given him in regards to Jess's medical care
"So why not give her actual pain relief" Jason asked curiously
"She can't have a lot of them remember, they are to hard on the digestive tract or kidneys, or both" Trent said as he flicked through and found the information with regards to the ketamine
"So this medication is safe for her to have" Clay asked suddenly interested
"Yes, she's participating in a study being run by Doctor Carmichael examining the benefits of ketamine in front line combat medication, which could see in the not to distant future, operators who have been injured being given ketamine instead of morphine, and considering that there's less side effects, less chance of becoming addicted to pain killers, and it doesn't depress the respiratory system like morphine does" Trent said explaining the benefits of the medication and pulling out the information on the trial
"You think the change is a good idea" Ray said finishing the medics sentence
"I do, the drug has the ability to be prescribed for anything from post surgical pain, to an anti depressant, to sedation, and general pain relief, they're also working on a wearable pump that feeds the medication directly into the body, the idea is that the device will be filled by a doctor or pharmacist who's trained to do it, and it's then pre programmed to release a certain amount of medication at certain intervals of the day, therefore increasing compliance with pain relief, reducing the side effects and the chance of a person becoming addicted or self medicating, there's the information on the trial in case anyone is interested" Trent said putting the handout on the table for the rest of the group to read, he's had trouble coming of the pain killers they'd dosed him on with his arm, they never gave him a choice on taking them in the beginning, and by time it came to bring him of them, the damage was done so to speak and he had to detox himself to come of them, the symptoms he experienced during the withdrawals were worse than being on the medication, and he'd seen other guys going through the same issues anytime they had a serious injury, or they would refuse to take the medication and try to tough it out, if this medication could get approved by the military and they could get the pump designed, it would be a lot easier for everyone involved
"So we'd get operated on, docs would put one of these devices on us which we'd wear why we recover, and we wouldn't have to worry about taking pain medication, or the side effects from it why we recovered" Brock asked curiously examining the handout with Clay
"Basically yeah, there'd still be some side effects but nothing as severe as what we'd normally have, the dosage would be smaller and more frequent, and get straight into our blood stream, not get absorbed going through our digestive tract and expelled from our bodies before it has a chance to really take effect" Trent said explaining the benefits
"Ain't that a bit star trek" Sonny asked sceptical of the whole situation
"Not really, I mean there's already wearable insulin pumps" Eric said looking at Sonny
"Not to mention that Luca may be getting an implantable pain pump to help with his back, that's what they're testing him for today with the medication, if it works it will sit under the skin in his abdomen and feed the medication directly into his spinal column, it will go straight to the source of the pain, he'll just need to get the device refilled every 3-4 months via injection" Trent said reminding Sonny that the technology was clearly already available, they just needed something that could be modified to work with this particular medication, the medication Luca was being trialed on was so strong, it could only be administered through intrathecal access, so the plan was to trial Luca with a wearable pump they'd fit this afternoon while he was getting the scans done, and see if over the next 7 days his pain improved and tolerated the medication, if it did, he'd be having the implantable one put in
"Thought they were looking at regeneration therapy" Jason asked concerned
"They are, but the chances of him becoming completely pain free with it are very slim and it would be probably 12 months before he'd notice any drop in pain levels, providing it works which is no guarantee, and it's not guaranteed as being a long term option" Brock piped up, he'd spoken to Luca about the pain he was dealing with, wanting him to understand that Brock was more than happy to help him pick up the slack when things were bad around home, he was basically living there now rent free with Laura, getting fed by them, he wanted to pitch in and help where he could
"So how are they going to do this regeneration therapy anyway" Ray asked
"He told me that they were going to use his own stem cells to do the procedure" Brock said looking at Trent
"They'd give him a medication to increase his body's production of them, then they'd be harvested and condensed into a series of injections that the doctor would inject around the damaged vertebrae and herniated discs in the hope that the stem cells would form new bone and cartilage, and reduce the amount of inflammation, all tasks that they can do individually in a lab" Trent said giving the more detailed explanation about what would be happening
"It's just whether it can work in practical application" said Clay
"Exactly, I mean the Chinese, the Russians, they already use stem cell therapy to help treat a variety of issues" Trent said, theoretically the therapy should work, but there was a fair bit of damage there, and medical science had only come so far
"So what's the information there near your other hand you brought in, I doubt it's on the ketamine and stem cell therapy" Clay asked pointing to the handouts Trent had brought in with him
"It's not, it's information about some things that are being recommended for Jess to try in the next few weeks, and information about dealing with people who are experiencing phantom pain, Jess's psychologist thought it might be helpful if we are aware of how they're approaching the phantom pain issue so we're all following the same procedure and not accidentally putting our foots in our mouths and unintentionally causing more damage, not handling the situation correctly could cause further psychological issues like severe depression or suicidal behaviour to develop as patients can develop a belief that it's all in their head, that they're crazy, they'll always have to live with it as no one believes them, and it just piles up until the patient becomes so messed up in their thinking" Trent said explaining the contents of the handouts Doctor Shah had given him
"Yeah, we don't want that, things are messed up enough already in her head at times, she going to go and see that doctor, get those tests done" Jason said indicating to Trent to hand the information over, last thing any of them needed was for Jess getting completely messed up in the head so severely that none of them could reach her, she needed this pain issue sorted out
"She's got an appointment first up in the morning and she'll be overnighting, Jay's obviously going to need to take Zah to school with Luca and Alie away, and so's Laura still isn't she Trent" Trent said looking at Brock for confirmation on Laura's availability while confirming to the group that an appointment was now booked for the pain management specialist
"She won't be back for another 48 hours probably, by time they get back and do intake, I don't mind taking Jess through to the appointment, road trip with your Jess hey Pep" Brock said smiling as he scratched Pepper around the ears, she gave a happy yap in response to her handlers question, and Brock knew if Jess was feeling lousy, that snuggling up with the Dutch shepard would help make things better, even if it was just a small improvement
"You and I are going along as well Trent, what time does she need to be at the hospital" Jason asked looking at Trent so he could plan their departure
"0830, I'm sure that Jay will organise something for accommodation"
"Right, so you, Brock and I will go with her for the appointment, you think Jess would object to us taking the party bus"
"No, or I highly doubt it, and we will need to find accommodation for the night"
"Kahleed should be able to help us, he did arrange that room for use why Jess is having treatment, I can check with Jay tonight in private" Brock said volunteering to talk to him
"Okay, Brock you do that, then tomorrow morning you can pick Trent and I up on the way, rest of us can stay put for the day, Ray, you can run some drills with these 2, is that all Doctor Shah suggested Trent" Jason asked looking at the medic
"Not exactly, this Doctor Ambrose has recommended that Jess see a naturopath" Trent said holding up another handout
"He trying to turn her into some hippie who does all that coocoo hogwash" Sonny asked slightly annoyed at the possibility of Jess being changed into someone she wasn't
"No, but there are some areas where Jess may benefit from including some eastern medicine in her treatment, like the menopause situation, western medicine can't help ease the situation, but the eastern side of this may offer some relief for her, it wouldn't be replacing anything or turning her into someone she isn't" Trent said trying to make Sonny understand that this suggestion wasn't as foolish as it sounded
"Actually it's not as stupid as it sounds Sonny, it's often been used in medicine longer than what the mainstream drugs have been, and there are western medications today that are developed from traditional eastern origins" Clay said laughing slightly at the look of disgust on Sonny's face he'd developed, if anyone was anti eastern medicine in the group, it was Sonny Quinn without a doubt
"If she needs an escort for that appointment I volunteer Blondie over there to take her, ain't stepping anywhere near that joint" Sonny said sensing the joy on Clay's face at his own discomfort
"To worried they might convert you hey Sonny" Ray said joining in on the small joke laughing at Sonny's discomfort
"Also the psychologist she sees has recommended that Jess join a local support group for women who have been affected by cancer" Trent said putting the information about the group from the psychologist on the table so anyone of the group could read it
"You really think that Jess is going to willingly agree to attend a meeting each week and sit there talking about her feelings with people she doesn't know" Eric asked now being sceptical about the whole idea, sure Jess benefited from attending the individual sessions with Joanna, and you could usually get her to talk with people she was comfortable and familiar with on her terms, outside of that, there was no hope in getting her to do something like this
"No, and neither does her psychologist" Trent said confirming that they were already agreed on that issue
"So why suggest it" Jason asked curiously
"Because it's not that kind of support group, apparently they do various group activity sessions throughout the week that they connect through, Joanna said that Jess would be under no obligation to attend the sessions each week, and she's identified some sessions where Jess may find that she enjoys the activity and therefore feel more comfortable attending, and she'd get a chance to talk to other women who have been dealing with similar issues to her, as Doctor Shah said, none of us can truly understand what she's going through, and her attending these sessions will not replace the support she gets from us" Trent said explaining the benefits of this group, Ray picked up the handout and started laughing
"What's so funny Ray" Jason asked curiously
"Actually Naima suggested this same group for me to pass on to Jess" Ray said explaining what he felt was so funny, he'd already had Naima try to sell him on the benefit of Jess attending these sessions
"Naima really thinks Jess would benefit from this group" Clay asked, if Naima and Jess's psychologist were both suggesting the same group, then it was obviously something worth exploring
"Yeah, she really does Spenser" Ray said confirming that Naima was all for the support group
"Can't argue with that" Sonny said knowing that Ray's wife was not the type of woman you said no to in these situations, she thought it was a good idea, then it was a good idea
"Did Doctor Shah say anything about whether the induction treatment was successful" Jason asked curiously, it was one subject that Trent hadn't spoken about yet, there would have been some idea by now surely he thought
"It was successful, she's back in remission, and Jess's kidney readings are back in the normal range as well, she's got another round of treatment in the hospital, then all going well, she's back to duty once she feels ready" Trent said now smiling, he'd deliberately kept this bit of news to the end as he wanted the team focused on the other issues first, the team were now laughing and cheering at the knowledge that the treatment Jess had just endured was successful at killing of the leukaemia cells in her body again, this next dose would simply be to make sure they were all gone, then the treatment would be to make sure that they stayed away and couldn't get a foothold in Jess's body again for hopefully a very long time
"Think that's the best news we could hear Ray, don't you think" Jason said looking at his number 2 for confirmation, Jess was the only teammate he'd been on the same team with who'd had to deal with cancer while being on active duty, some he knew had been diagnosed after they retired, others had had it in their younger years, Jess was the only one he knew had been diagnosed while on active duty meaning that he was playing an active role in supporting her through the battle, beating cancer twice in 7 months
"Amen to that brother, amen" Ray said confirming that the news of remission was the best news of all, there were plans to deal with the other issues, she'd see the pain management specialist tomorrow, she'd see this naturopath, things would surely start improving now she was back in the clear, hopefully things could stay that way for a very long time
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