Thanks everyone for the continued support! I always love to hear your thoughts on how things are going.
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I woke up to the sound of voices talking near me. I recognized the voices of my brothers and when I opened my eyes, I saw they were talking to Dr. Sheldon, who was holding a clipboard. I hoped it wasn't time for another pill yet; I was feeling a bit better after sleeping for a while and I wanted to keep it that way. "Hello, Soda," he said, seeing I was awake. "How are you feeling?"
"Better than I was," I answered, sitting up. The bed was half way between a flat and upright position.
"I'm glad to hear that. Your brothers told me you were sick about an hour after your first dose of medication. Did you have any other symptoms?"
"Yeah, a headache."
"How is it now?"
"It's not as bad, but it's still there."
He made some notes on his clipboard. "Good, that's what I wanted to hear." What? He wanted me to be sick? I musta looked confused, cause he chuckled. "Sorry, I should explain. Since you still have a headache now, that means the pills didn't completely leave your system when you were sick. It makes me more hopeful that you can continue taking your meds orally." Oh. Well, his reaction made a lot more sense now. "It's time for your next dose. Are you ready?"
I laughed nervously. "No, but I'm not gettin' any closer to ready."
He smiled and got the pills out of the cupboard again. "You may react faster to this dose since some of the medication is already in your system. Again, everyone is different, so we'll have to wait and see." I took the pills from him and swallowed, tryin' not to think about what he said. At least I knew what to expect this time.
Darry spoke up. "Should we come get you if he reacts?"
"There's no need. I'll come by and see how he's doing in a couple of hours. You can tell me then. If you need anything before that, there's a nurses' station just outside your door."
"Thanks, doctor," Darry said. Dr. Sheldon nodded and left. Darry turned to me. "You're feelin' better?" he asked, sounding a bit hopeful. I knew he hated to see either me or Pony sick.
I nodded. "Yeah, I am right now."
He looked relieved. "Do you wanna keep playing poker?"
"Actually, I wanna hear how Pony's track is goin'." I turned to my little brother. "You gonna be back in shape in time for your meets?" I knew he had some big races comin' up and had been worried he wouldn't be ready after everythin' that had happened in the fall.
Ponyboy smiled at me. "Yup, coach says I'm almost back where I was last year. He figures another couple weeks trainin' should do it." As I listened to him talk about track and then move on to his classes, my stomach started turnin' again. I tried to ignore it—I wanted to hear how Pony's science project was goin'—but after a couple minutes it was no use. I grabbed the container again and got sick. There wasn't much left in my stomach this time; I hadn't eaten since breakfast. It didn't seem to matter, though, cause I kept getting' sick. Finally, when I was just dry heavin', my stomach started to calm down.
I put the container away and leaned back on the bed with my eyes closed. Suddenly, I felt something soft and wet on my face. I opened my eyes to see Darry with a wet towel in his hand. "Where did that come from?" I asked.
"I went and got a few after you were sick last time. Thought you might want them," he answered.
"Thanks, Dar." I gave him a small smile. "It feels good."
"Are you feeling any better, Soda?" Pony asked hopefully.
"Actually, I am. Pone, can you keep tellin' me about your project?"
He grinned. As he kept talking, I started to get sleepy and eventually found myself dozing off. I hope he didn't mind that I wasn't listening anymore, but I couldn't help it. I woke up when Darry started shakin' me. "Soda, time to wake up. The doctor's here." Ugg. Did that mean it was time for more pills?
I opened my eyes and sat up. "Hello, Soda," Dr. Sheldon greeted me. "I heard you were sick again. How are you feeling now?"
"I feel okay, actually. A lot better than before." He frowned and I felt my spirits drop. I forgot—it's bad if I feel better, isn't it? That means I threw up all the medication.
"The nausea and the headache are both gone?" he questioned.
"Yeah." I looked at him worriedly. "Does that mean the pills won't work?" I was really hopin' I was wrong. I didn't like the pills, but I'd sure as hell rather take them then have more needles.
He sighed. "I'm afraid so. After two doses you shouldn't be feeling fine, especially given how you felt last time I spoke to you. If you were sick so quickly this time, you likely won't be able to fight the nausea enough to let the pills enter your system."
"So now we switch to an injection?" Darry asked. He glanced over at me to see my reaction, but I tried to keep a good poker face on. I didn't want him to worry more than he already was.
"Yes, that's the next step. What we'll do right now, Soda, is get some food into you first. The injection is designed so that it only needs to be taken once a day. That allows you to continue the treatment at home more easily. However, you probably won't be able to keep any food down for a few hours after I administer the treatment. If you eat now, it should give your body a chance to digest some of the nutrients so you can keep your strength up. I'd like to avoid having to give you an IV to keep you healthy."
"I'm really not that hungry," I told him.
"That's one of the symptoms of the leukemia. You need to eat, though, if you're going to have any chance of beating this. Your body needs as much strength as you can give it."
I knew I really didn't have a choice, even if I wasn't hungry. "Alright then, what's for lunch?"
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I couldn't concentrate in school at all that day. I kept thinkin' about Soda and wonderin' how he was doin'. I still couldn't believe all this was happenin'. When the last bell rang I jumped outta my seat and headed straight for my truck. Two-Bit and I had gotten Ponyboy's homework before school so we wouldn't have to waste time at the end of the day. We were both anxious to see Soda.
When we got to the hospital I started to get nervous. I wasn't sure what kind of condition I'd find my best friend in. I was surprised when we got to his room and found him playing poker with Darry and Pony. "So, you're just taking the day off to play cards?" I joked.
They all looked up when they heard me. "Hey guys," Soda greeted. He sure sounded okay. Maybe we'd been worried for nothin'.
"Hey buddy," Two-Bit said, walking over and clapping Soda on the back. "You're lookin' good."
Soda made a face. "Only cause I threw up all the meds."
"Well, that's no way to get better!" Two-Bit chided.
"Try telling that to my stomach," Soda laughed. It was a pretty weak laugh, though, and I knew he wasn't tellin' us somethin'.
"So, what are they gonna do now?" I asked, grabbin' a seat on the end of his bed. "Since you're not keepin' the pills down, I mean."
His face darkened a little. "They're switchin' to injections."
Uh-oh. He wasn't gonna like that. I decided to distract him and change the subject. "Pony, we've got your homework for ya," I said, passing it to him.
"Gee, thanks Steve," Pony replied sarcastic ally.
I laughed. "Don't worry, there's not too much. The office told your teachers the deal and I guess they went easy on ya."
He frowned, but didn't say anything. I guess he wasn't happy everyone knew, but it's not like they weren't gonna find out eventually. Just then, a guy in a lab coat walked in. He looked at me and Two-Bit and smiled. "You must be Soda's friends. I'm glad you stopped by to see him." He turned to Soda. "We're going to have to start the next round of treatment now. Are you okay having everyone here?"
Soda looked kinda uncomfortable, like he didn't really want us to see him sick but he didn't want to ask us to leave. Two-Bit must've figured it out, too, cause he saved Soda the trouble of deciding what to do. "I've gotta go, anyway. Mom's workin', so I've gotta watch Magan. Steve, can ya give me a lift?"
"Yeah, sure," I answered. I turned to Soda. "I'll come by later tonight to see how you're doin', okay?" He nodded and Two-Bit and I left, giving the Curtis' some privacy.
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I watched Soda's face as Dr. Sheldon got the injection ready. He looked perfectly calm, but I knew it was an act. I knew he was scared of the needle and of what would happen when the meds took effect. Throwing up wasn't gonna help this time. I felt completely helpless. I was supposed to take care of him and keep him safe, but I couldn't do anything to make him better. Dr. Sheldon walked over to the bed. "Are you ready, Soda?" he asked. Sodapop nodded, but didn't say anything. He squeezed my hand as the needle went into his arm. After Dr. Sheldon had put away his equipment, he turned to me. "I want you to have me paged if his symptoms are any worse than earlier. They might be magnified now that the medication will completely enter his bloodstream. I have pain medications ready, but I'd like to wait to administer them until I know how strong they should be. I don't want to be putting any more narcotics into his system than I have to."
I nodded, but I couldn't seem to find my voice to say anything. Instead, I gripped Soda's hand tighter; he had tensed up at Doctor Sheldon's words. After he left, we all sat in silence. I don't know how much time passed, but after a while Soda started to look pale. "Soda, what is it?" I asked.
"My headache is coming back," he said. "It's worse than before. And my stomach--" He didn't finish his sentence. He grabbed the container from beside his bed and started gettin' sick. Pony rubbed his back, looking concerned. Soda was always taking care of him and I think he was at a loss for how to handle this whole situation. He was doin' a good job, anyway. It was a few minutes before Soda put the container back. He curled up on his side, facing us. "Darry," he said in a small voice, closing his eyes. "My head hurts. Can you get the doctor?"
"Of course, little buddy. I'll be right back." I glanced at Ponyboy, who was holding Soda's hand and starin' back at me with a scared look in his eyes. This was much worse than before. I left the room and went to the nurses' station. "I need Dr. Sheldon paged to Sodapop Curtis' room," I told the young woman behind the desk. She nodded and announced it over the P.A. system.
When I joined my brothers again, Pony looked up at me. "He was sick again when you were gone," he said.
I stared at him. "I was only gone a minute, though."
Pony didn't say anythin'. There was nothin' to say; we both just sat silently while we waited for Dr. Sheldon. When he came in the room, he got right to business. "Did he have the same symptoms this time? Nausea and a headache?"
"Yeah, but a lot worse than before," I answered.
"Soda, on a scale of one to ten, how badly does your head hurt?" he asked gently.
Soda kept his eyes closed, but said, "an eight." He usually tolerated pain real well. He had to, growin' up in our neighborhood. I knew it must be bad if he gave it that high a ratin'.
Dr. Sheldon nodded and went to the cupboard. "Do you think you can keep some pills down?"
"I dunno," Soda said in a tight voice. "I'll try."
Dr. Sheldon got some pills ready and walked over to Soda. "Try and take these without water, if you can. Putting anything in your stomach will make it more unsettled." Soda leaned up on his elbow. He took the pills and dry swallowed them, then lay back down and closed his eyes again. Dr. Sheldon turned to me. "They'll take about twenty to thirty minutes to take effect," he told me. "If he isn't able to keep them down, have me paged again. Try and get him to sleep," he added kindly, then left us alone. Pony was still holding Soda's hand. When I took his other one, he clutched my hand tightly. Eventually, I felt his grip loosen and heard his breathing even out as he fell asleep.
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When I woke up, my headache was still there, but it was a lot better than before. It didn't feel like my head was gonna split open anymore. I opened my eyes, expecting to see my brothers. Instead, I found Steve sitting beside my bed, staring into space. "Steve?" I asked. My voice was raspy cause I hadn't had anythin' to drink in a while. "Where are Darry and Pony?"
He snapped outta his daze when he heard me. "Hey, buddy," he said cheerfully. "They went to get somethin' to eat. The kid's stomach sounded like it was gonna eat itself if he didn't get some food into it." I managed a smile at that. I realized then that I hadn't been to the bathroom in hours. Even though I hadn't had much to drink and I'd thrown everything up, I still felt like I had to go. I sat up slowly, testing myself, and found that I felt pretty stable. I didn't feel like I was gonna be sick, anyway. I started to put my feet off the bed when Steve spoke up. "Where're ya going?"
I looked over at him. "Just to the bathroom. I'll be right back."
"You need any help?" he asked, concerned.
I rolled my eyes. "It's five steps away. I think I can make it that far."
He sat back, but he still had a funny look on his face. Darry must've told him about what happened earlier. As I made it into the bathroom, I realized I was gonna have to get used to people worrying about everything I did. I couldn't say I really blamed them; I would be worried if it was one of them in this position. When I was finished, I washed up. I didn't bother drying my hands, though. I was startin' to see spots. I opened the bathroom door, but by then my vision was swimmin' so much I couldn't see the bed. I gripped the doorknob tightly for a second, then let go and tried to make it to the bed anyway. I felt the world spinning and heard Steve call my name, then everything went black.
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As always, reviews are greatly appreciated! I'll try to get the next chapter out as soon as I can. :)