Chapter 5 enjoy! Sorry about the two day delay, I'm packing and shopping for my year long trip to Asia.

Warning: None

Disclaimer in chapter 1

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Nurse Me!

Chapter 5

"Jesus, Cupcake, you're just coming in, it's 2 in the morning," Joe's irritated, but sleep filled voice startled Stephanie as she came through the front door of the house, "Where in the hell were you?"

"Work," Stephanie said, sliding off her coat and hanging it up, "And I'm sorry for getting home so late, one of Claudia's charges had a seizure and went into a coma, I've been helping the team with that issue."

Stephanie turned to Joe, who was sitting in an arm chair, that was facing the TV, which was on and showing a rerun of some sports game. Stephanie frowned and said, "You didn't have to wait up for me, Joe, I should have called, but my hands were tied up."

Joe turned off the TV and let out a sound, getting up from the arm chair and making his way over to Stephanie, saying, "I thought that your job would be like how it was, like when you were at the clinic."

"That's different, that had set times," Stephanie said, placing her hands on Joe's waist, "The hospital is always open and those children are always going to need my help, and I want to help them."

Joe sighed and said, "It kind of sucks to come to a dark, empty house, do you at least have the weekends off?"

"Every other weekend," Stephanie said, with a shrug, earning a grunt from her husband, "Joe! I'm supportive of your job, why can't you have a bit of tolerance for my job?"

"Cupcake, I, at least, knew that you would be home," Joe said, with a sigh, looking at Stephanie, "And, even with my erratic hours, I knew you would be home."

Stephanie let out a sigh and then said, "Joe, I'm tired, and I have work at 9 in the morning, I know you have work in the morning as well."

Joe turned to Stephanie and said, "Cupcake….."

"I'm tired, I'm going to bed," Stephanie said, walking past Joe and going up the stairs, "I'll see you in the morning, Joe."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"First I.V. is always the worst one," The sentence had Heidi looking up to see Brittany in the middle of her doorway, with a mask covering her face and her hand gripping a rolling IV stand, "The first one, it always hurts and the feeling the fluids going through your arm, sucks dick."

"I won't lie," Lula said, as she prepped Heidi's hand for the I.V., "It does kind of sucks, but, it only hurts a bit, though it's not going to hurt much, since I'm numbing your skin."

Her father always told Heidi to keep busy if something she didn't like was about to happen. She didn't like shots, and needles, so, Heidi turned to Brittany and asked, "Why are you all covered up, you looked fine yesterday."

"Well, one of the kids in the Kindergarten Room seemed to have caught Strep throat and so, I can't help but protect myself, just in case," Brittany said, shrugging, "As for the IV, well, I'm on some experimental drug treatment, and it makes me get sick easily, so the IV is for me to not get dehydrated."

"Oh," Heidi said, just as Lula clucked and stated, "Done, didn't even feel the needle, did you?"

"No," Heidi said, looking at Lula with a smile, "Thanks, I have a phobia of needles."

"Better get over that," Brittany said, shuffling past Lula and sitting down on the couch in Heidi's room, "Blood work is done every other day, and for you, they're going to want to do a biopsy, which requires you to get like a head mount screwed in your head so whe-"

"Brittany," Lula said, rounding on the girl, "Can't you wait at least a week before scaring the girl?!"

"No," Brittany said with a smile, crossing her legs and pulling them up on the couch, "I like being blunt."

Heidi smiled and said, "I like it, I remember, when my momma had cancer, everyone seemed to tiptoe around her, and she didn't like that, only Papi treated her normally and that's because she begged him to."

"Beside, Lula," Brittany said, with a smile, spreading her hands out in the air, "We're all in the Serious Illness Ward for all the same reason; we're one step away from meeting our maker!"

"Please, Brittany," Jeanne said, walking into Heidi's room, "Don't scare her, not until Karaoke night."

"Aw," Brittany pouted, before she leaned back on the chair, "Is Diesel out from Radiation yet?"

"Give him a few minutes," Jeanne said, turning to Brittany, "We have him on Systemic Radiation Therapy, and he's very ill, right now."

"Wimp," Brittany muttered, before she smiled and said, "Jeanne, when are we going on our date?!"

Jeanne looked over to Brittany and said, "Brittany, where in the hell would we go, you're on lockdown."

"Well, it's better than you saying we're never going to date," Brittany said, crossing her arms, "I know you like women, and I'm all woman enough for you."

Jeanne walked over to Brittany and plucked her nose saying, "I know you are, but, let's worry about Heidi, who is starting her chemo treatment in a few minutes."

Heidi perked up and looked at Jeanne, "How long am I going to be in chemo?"

"Well, you're going to be doing chemo for 3 hours a day and radiation for 3 hours every other day," Jeanne said, running a hand through Heidi's hair, "Other than that, you'll be here, with your hall mates."

"Hey, where's your father?!" Brittany asked, tugging at her pajama sleeves, shivering slightly, "He was here all night long and yesterday, where'd he sneak off to?"

"He owns a business called Rangeman," Heidi said, watching Jeanne check her vitals, "He had to go in and meet some clients, but he'll be back in time for my chemo."

"Rich, sexy business man," Brittany said, leaning back in her seat, "Too bad I don't like men, I would surely become your stepmother."

"Oh god," Jeanne said, rolling her eyes and patting Heidi's arm, "Stephanie will be here soon to get you for chemo."

Jeanne squeezed Heidi's arm, rounded on Brittany and said, "Come on you, let's get you started on your chemo, and that other medicine. I think Lula bought up some Ice cream for you."

"Good, I hope it's chocolate, I'm getting sick of vanilla," Brittany said, getting up and going over to Jeanne, "Hey, I got some Stevie Wonder, and I have a new favorite song from him."

Heidi giggled as Brittany looped her arm through Jeanne's, singing, "I got jungle fever, she's got jungle fever, we've got jungle fever, we're in love….!"

"Heidi," Stephanie said, entering the hospital room, rolling in a wheelchair, "I'm here to take you down to the chemo room, Brittany's going to be there as well, I don't know about Diesel, he's still down from his round of radiation."

"Where's Papi," Heidi asked, looking at the nurse, "He said that he would be in there with me, for my first chemo round."

"He called and said that he was on the way," Stephanie answered Heidi, helping her into the wheelchair, "He'll be here as soon as he can."

"I don't want to be alone, when I get my first does," Heidi said, as Stephanie wheeled her out her room, "Is it going to hurt?"

"Some people are affected by chemotherapy in different ways," Stephanie said, pushing Heidi down the blue colored hallway, "I know it's scary, but if there's pain, we'll find ways to elevate it."

Stephanie squeezed Heidi's shoulders and said, "Besides, I'm going to be with you, Heidi, don't worry, I'll be with you and Brittany will be with you as well."

The chemo room was a large white room, with pictures of cartoon characters on the walls and TVs mounted on the wall showing cartoon shows, tween live action shows and MTV. There were currently 11 children in the chemo room all ranging from tiny 3 year olds to the oldest patient in the Serious Illness Ward; Brittany. Stephanie wheeled Heidi over to Brittany, who was in a comfortable chair, looking at some documentary and eating an ice cream cup. She barely gave Heidi a glance, intently watching the mating habits of some kind of lizard.

Stephanie got Heidi into an empty arm chair and got her IV hung up. Stephanie pushed the wheelchair out the way and said, "Okay, Heidi, I'm going to get your chemo and then get you all situated, I'll be back in a moment."

Stephanie walked away from the girl and then, only then did Brittany turn to her and say, "Hey, it's alright, if you cry or anything like that, it's rough, trust me, but, at least you got your father."

Heidi nodded her head and settled in the armchair, "Stephanie said that your parents are in New England, is that true?"

"Yeah," Brittany said, sucking on her spoon, "They're a bunch of rich snooty sons of bitches, who were ashamed that I somehow managed to catch leukemia, like it's a fucking common cold. They shipped me to the one of the best hospitals that's far away from their sailing boats and Martha Vineyards yet close enough for them to come see me and act like caring parents. They also didn't like the fact that I chased after the maids, instead of the stable boys, so this was a win-win for them."

"That sounds horrible," Heidi said softly, her eyes wide, "Why would they just….do that to you, when you're this sick."

"They're old fashion and black, they would tell me that….black people don't get these white diseases nor do they go for the same sex and so…" Brittany said, shrugging her shoulders and looking back to the TV, "They've wash their hands of me, for now."

Brittany went back to eating her ice cream, turning her body so that her shoulder was turned to Heidi, signaling to the girl that Brittany was done talking.

"Okay, here we go," Stephanie said, walking back to Heidi with an IV bag, "Now, I'm going to slip this in your free catheter and we'll let the medicine do its job."

Heidi let out a sound as Stephanie hooked her up to the chemo medicine and then leaned back, to let the medicine work. Stephanie pulled up a chair and held out her, which Heidi promptly took. The medicine felt weird going through her veins, but, an hour later, the weird feeling melted away into something else; pain.

"It hurts," Heidi said softly, looking over to Stephanie, "Stephanie it hurts."

"Can you tell me what kind of pain it is?" Stephanie asked, sitting up and leaning over to Heidi, who gripped her hand tightly, "Sharp and shooting or dull and throbbing?"

"Sharp, all through my arms and traveling through my body," Heidi said, twisting her body, "It hurts real badly, why does it hurt?"

"You must be on that extreme chemo," Brittany said, turning to Heidi, leaning over to the side to dig through her bag, "That shit is the worse, I had to get on it, after my bone marrow transplant failed, here, this will take your mind off the pain, cause you're going to have a lot of it."

Stephanie and Heidi yelped as Brittany gave Heidi a Playboy magazine. Stephanie grabbed the magazine saying, "She is not an adult, Brittany, don't give her that kind of stuff!"

"Yeah, really shouldn't have given it to her, while her father is walking into the chemo room as we speak," Brittany said, with a giggle, pointing to Carlos, who was walking into the room, dressed in protective gear and a mask, "I'm sure he'll like the magazine!"

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Thank you for choosing us to secure your shops," Carlos said, with a smile, shaking the hand of his newest client, "My men will be out, Monday, to do a walk through and began installing the security system."

The client thanked Carlos and then left the meeting room, while Carlos pulled off his tie and looked down at his watching cursing softly, Heidi's chemo began in a half hour ago, he would have to rush to get over to the hospital.

Carlos pulled his phone out and called the number Heidi's nurse gave her. Stephanie picked up in one ring.

"Carlos, Heidi's asking for you," Stephanie said in the phone, making Carlos smile, "She has Brittany for company, right now, and Brittany's been known to corrupt some people."

"Dios," Carlos muttered, earning a laugh from Stephanie, "I'll be there soon, she'll be in the chemo room, right?"

"Right," Stephanie said, before she sighed and said, "The first session is always the hardest."

"I know," Carlos said, before he hung up the phone. He hadn't wanted his child to face this horror, she had to see it with her mother, and now she was going through it.

"Hey, Carlos," Carlos turned his head and found his friend and co-owner of Rangeman, Tank, in the doorway of Carlos's office, "Are you about to head off to see our Heidi?"

Tank and Carlos had been buddies since the beginning of Carlos's military career. Once they were out of the military and Carlos was looking for a way to support his wife and child, the two men, decided to set up a security firm, which was so successful that they opened up four firms.

"I am," Carlos said, pulling his coat on, "She's staring Chemo, and I want to be with her."

Tank nodded his head and said, "Go on ahead, Lester said he wanted to come see Heidi, we'll meet you there."

Carlos nodded his head and then walked out his office rushing to the Cayenne. He made it to the hospital 20 minutes later, and was rushing up to the Chemo room, but was stopped by Lula, who told him to dress in protective gear, since the children in the chemo room were more prone to illness. Carlos put on the paper gown, mask and cap, before walking into the chemo room and spotting his child in an arm chair, with Stephanie holding her hand and scolding Brittany, while holding up a skin magazine. Carlos watched the three women turn to him, and then Brittany giggled loudly and went back to watching TV.

"I don't want to know what's going on," Carlos said, once he was over by Heidi, "How you feeling, Bella?"

"I'm in pain, Papi, but I expect it, right, Momma had to go through this pain too…" Heidi said, turning to look up at her father, "I'm just glad you're here…"

Carlos saw Stephanie smile at that sentence and then said, "I'm glad to be here too, thank you, Stephanie, for being here with my child."

"As long as she wants or needs my help," Stephanie said, with a wink, "I'll be with her."

TBC….

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