A/N: This fic contains potentially triggering subject matter including but not limited to: suicidal references, gun violence, sexual trauma, homelessness, drug abuse, depression, homophobia, and cancer. It may contain inaccuracies. No copyright infringement intended. Thanks for reading!
BOOK THREE - PART ONE - CHAPTER SEVENTY-NINE
"That's it, we're just about done," the nurse was saying.
Sam was reclined in a chair with her arm hooked up to an IV pole at the hospital. The hanging bag of medication was almost empty—she'd been here for an hour already. It didn't hurt, but it made her feel dizzy and sick almost immediately. Cat and Melanie were seated in chairs on either side of her.
The last little bit of liquid drained out of the bag, then the nurse removed the IV and wrapped Sam's arm in a red, stretchy bandage. "There we go. Now, no driving for another eight hours at least. Try to take it easy—just go home and rest. Lots of liquids. If you have any concerns, just give us a call, okay?"
"Uh-huh," Sam grunted unenthusiastically. She was still angry about the nurse from this hospital who had told the world about her medical situation, and now she was wary of any nurse who came near her.
"You have a nice day now," the nurse kindly told her. "We'll see you again for your next session."
Together, Sam, Cat and Melanie made their way back out into the waiting room, then out the front doors. They headed over to where a black Jaguar XS was parked in the parking lot. Dice was seated in the front seat, looking at his phone. He put it down and smiled when he saw them walk up. "Hey," he greeted as they all piled into the backseat. "Everything go okay?"
"Yeah." Sam clearly wasn't in the mood for talking, but nobody else answered. Luckily, it was only a ten-minute drive back home. Cat took Sam's hand and held it tight.
Dice pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road. "You guys need me to stop anywhere on the way there?"
"No, just home is fine," Cat replied.
"Try to hurry," Sam requested with a bit of urgency in her voice.
"No problem," Dice answered.
A few minutes later, Cat noticed how clammy Sam's hand was. She was looking a little pale. "Are you okay?" she quietly asked her.
Sam shook her head.
"Why? What's wrong?" Melanie asked in concern as she overheard them.
Sam didn't immediately answer that. She let go of Cat's hand and leaned forward a little. "Dice?"
"Yeah?" Dice glanced at her in the rearview mirror.
"Can you pull over?" Sam requested desperately.
They were currently driving through a residential area where cars were lined up along the curb on both sides of the street. "Uh, it might be a minute. I'll try to find a spot," Dice replied.
Sam swallowed wetly. "Quickly, please."
There was no available place to stop. Dice wasn't about to pull into some random person's driveway.
Cat could sense Sam's growing panic, and she exploded, "Just anywhere! Come on, Dice!"
"I'm sorry, I'm—"
Sam's shoulders lurched, and she slapped both hands over her mouth.
"Oh, jeez—!" Melanie exclaimed, "Sam needs to get out now. Like, right now!"
Finally, Dice located a vacant spot along the curb and pulled over. Sam rushed to get her seatbelt unbuckled—but she lost it right before she could get the door open. She gagged and threw up all down her front, on the seat and on the floor of the car. Meanwhile, Cat was practically in Melanie's lap to avoid getting hit.
"Ah, nah..!" Dice exclaimed in horror. "Dude! In my fucking car? Seriously? Do you know how much I paid for this interior?"
Sam threw the door open and lost the rest of her breakfast on the street curb. Finally, she caught her breath and sat up. She looked down at herself and gave out a choked sob. "Fuck."
"Man, that's so fucked up," Dice complained. He looked at the mess and cringed. "Ugh, did you have to get it everywhere?"
"Stop," Cat said firmly to Dice. Sam had tears in her eyes and looked utterly mortified. Cat climbed out of the car and gently rubbed her back. "You okay? Feel a little better now?"
"I'm sorry," Sam said shakily, "I really tried to make it—"
"It's okay," Cat murmured, "It was an accident. Let's just get home and get you cleaned up."
"Um…" Sam looked down and hesitated.
"Just get in," Cat told her. "We can deal with the mess once we get there."
Sam reluctantly slid back into the car seat. The front of her shirt was covered in vomit, and there was a shallow puddle on her lap.
Melanie gagged, rolled down her window, and then covered her nose and mouth with both hands. "Oh, my God, the smell—"
Cat reached over and rolled down the window on Sam's side as well, then slid over a bit further from her. Dice glanced in the rearview mirror one more time, rolled down his own window, and pulled out onto the road.
"It's okay. Home's only, like, two minutes away," Cat told Melanie.
"I'm sorry about your car," Sam croaked to Dice. "I'll clean it up."
"I'll pay to have it cleaned," Cat offered, and then looked at Sam. "You don't need to worry about that. It's not a big deal."
It was a pretty big deal—this was a very expensive car. But Dice grit his teeth and drove silently the rest of the way there. The second they stopped, Melanie practically jumped out of the car, gasping for air. Cat scrambled out next but disguised her disgust the best she could so she wouldn't hurt Sam's feelings. Sam got out last, and the mess dripped down her front. Some of it splattered onto the driveway around her feet. She stood there with her arms out, unsure what to do.
"Okay, um… here. Let's take you around back. You can get rinsed off with the hose before you go inside," Cat decided. "Do you remember where it's at? Melanie, go with her."
"Where are you going?" Sam asked.
"I'm gonna go find you a towel and some clothes and run you a bath," Cat replied. "I'll meet you guys out back, okay?"
"Uh, is someone gonna do something?" Dice questioned incredulously, horrified at the mess all over the car seat and floor.
Cat sighed. She pulled out her wallet, took out two hundred-dollar bills, and handed them to Dice. "The place over on 27th and Central is really quick. Tell them I sent you and they'll give you a discount. That should cover it and then some."
Dice sighed. "Cat, you know I can't take your money." He could very easily afford to pay to have his car cleaned. He handed it back. "Just—this is a really expensive car, y'know?"
"I'm really sorry, kid," Sam weakly said again. She was extremely embarrassed, and she felt horrible—she knew how much this car was worth.
"You should go," Cat spoke up, "I think they close early on weekends."
Dice sighed dramatically. "Whatever. Uh—feel better, Sam." He backed his car out, and they could hear him angrily muttering under his breath through the open window.
"I seriously didn't mean to," Sam sobbed again. "He wasn't pulling over, and—"
"It's not your fault, Sam," Melanie assured her sister. "I didn't realize the chemo stuff was gonna work that quickly. It… probably would've been better to have a lighter breakfast, huh?" she said with a forced smile.
Sam just looked away, ashamed.
"You guys go around back. I'll meet you there in a couple minutes," Cat told them.
"Let's go," Melanie said to Sam. "Can you walk okay?"
"Yes," Sam snapped. "I'm not fucking broken."
Melanie just sighed. She had learned a long, long time ago that it was best not to try to reason with Sam when she was in a bad mood. The two of them headed around the side of the house in silence.