Sara felt like it was her first day of school again as she sat in the passenger seat of Catherine jeep. Catherine had leant her jeep to Grissom and Sara after her own car was in the shop. They had been driving now for twenty minutes in complete silence neither one knew what to say or wanted to say anything, they were both inside their own heads. They were on their way to Desert Palms for Sara to start her chemotherapy, they expected to be there around five hours with it been the first time they needed to do tests before Sara could start the treatment and all that meant extra time waiting, getting more and more anxious. It took ten minutes to get parked once they reached the hospital and then another five to get oncology so by the time they got to reception it was time to go in, which was probably a blessing. Grissom and Sara were taken into a large doctors office with a desk at one end where they were sat and a table the other for examinations. They were left alone for around thirty painfully long seconds before a tall brunette entered.
"Sara Sidle," the woman asked sitting down at the desk and flipping at a file.
"Yes, replied Sara.
"Always good to check your talking to whom you think, I'm Dr Kay and I'll be overseeing your treatment," she said shaking hands with both Grissom and Sara as Grissom introduced himself. "Right first thing have you read the information pack?"
"Yes," replied Sara.
"I'm impressed," smiled Dr Kay nodding, "most people manage the first page then have to have someone else tell them, it's easier to hear it from a stranger sometimes than been forced to admit it yourself," she explained to which Sara nodded fully understanding having to force yourself to read.
"Right first is there any questions you have concerning your treatment?"
Both Grissom and Sara sat in silence, Sara afraid that if she opened her mouth she wouldn't be able to form a coherent sentence and Grissom would realise just how scared she was. "Ok in that case well get started on the tests we need to run before we begin treatment, you've had the basic checks height, weight," she mumbled reading from the file, "I'm going to send you to urology first for a kidney function because as you know cisplatin can cause kidney damage so we need to closely monitor that, also we'll need a pregnancy test as standard procedure," she added seeing Grissom's little shift in the seat at the pregnancy test.
"So take this down to urology then come back up the main reception here and one of the nurses will sort you out," said Dr Kay standing and handing Sara a slip of paper.
"Thank you," said Sara slightly bewildered as she and Grissom left.
"So any idea what a kidney function test involves?" asked Sara as they walked down the corridor back to the elevators.
"Not really," replied Grissom looking over the hospital plan for urology.
"I bet I'm going to have to pee in something," sighed Sara.
Urology was on the fifth floor and the waiting room deserted as they rang the bell for attention.
"Hello," came the brisk reply of a passing nurse from the other side of the window.
"I urm was told to bring this here," said Sara taken back by the hassled look of the woman as she took the slip of paper.
"If you'd like to take a seat Miss Sidle someone will call you in a minute," she said her voice softening on reading the slip, Sara suspected it had cancer written in big letters across it that got the softened look and denier from the lady. Grissom and Sara took up the two plastic seats closest to the little window, something Grissom suspected he was going to get used too. As it turns out the kidney function test wasn't nearly as dramatic as it sounded all Sara had done was a blood and urine sample then they were sent back to oncology where they were left to sit in the reception for ten minutes.
"Miss Sidle," said an older nurse coming out through the pair of large white double doors.
"Sara," she replied standing.
"Right Sara were ready to start so if you'd come with me," she said smiling, "is your friend coming?" she asked clearly choosing her words as to what she should call Grissom.
"Yes," replied Grissom standing.
"As I'm sure you've been told we don't really have a visiting policy for the treatment area as many people for as long as you want," the nurse said leading them down a corridor into a large room at the end that was sectioned into two areas. In the first it was open plain with chairs and tables, rather like a waiting room but with people hooked up to machine occupying the chairs. The second which was where they were lead into had beds in with curtains sectioning off each one.
"I'm Michelle I'll be your named nurse for today, before I start do you have any questions?"
"No," answered Sara quietly because suddenly everything had become real, not which it hadn't before but now she was sat on the edge of a hospital bed about to start chemotherapy.
"Right well your free to wander around, you can leave the ward just as long at you have someone with you and you let us know, I can tell you now after an hour you'll be go going stir crazy from been in these four walls," she smiled as a tray was wheeled over, "you can sit," she said looking round at Grissom who was stood tensed.
"Right your first cycle will take three hours after which you will be free to go barring any side effects which if you have any let us know because there may be something we can do," she said which putting on a pair of gloves and picking up a needle.
"Ready," she asked as Sara eyes the bag of clear liquid that was about to be pumped into her body.
"Yeah," said Sara looking away as the needle was placed into her arm then the IV attached.
"Ok I'll see you in three hours," smiled Michelle as she punched something into the drip and left. Sara looking down at the tube going into her left arm the liquid dripped down from the beg so innocently but really she was dripping poison into her body.
Three hours later and it wasn't quite as Sara expected for some reason in the back of her mind she expected the second the drugs were pumped into her she would feel like crap but she felt ok as far as things go, she had a weird sensation and taste n her mouth which she had been told was one of the weird side effects but asides from feeling tired, which for her wasn't that unusual she felt out as the drip was finally removed. Grissom had done his best to try and keep her entertained for the three hours taking walks with her talking but three hours and Sara was very grateful of the rest of the teams offer to take it in turns coming to chemo with her. Sara could only hope that she stayed feeling as good as she did.
TBC………………