My buddy Kyle only woke me up once. Angie was grateful when she came in and found me changing him. She gave me a kiss on the cheek, handed me a baby bottle to heat, and went back to bed. I fed him and got him back to sleep. Of course, he puked on me when he burped. I about puked on him in retaliation. I was asleep shortly thereafter.
Friday January 17
WHEN WE WERE GETTING ready to go to school, there was a knock on the door. It was Barb Knoll with a young man.
“Hey, Barb, we’re just getting ready. Would you like some coffee?” I asked, ushering them in.
“David, I’d like you to meet your security for the weekend. This is Chuck Lowery.”
We shook hands. Chuck looked to be in his early twenties, about five-ten and 180 pounds with short brown hair. He had a quick smile and firm grip, and gave off a ‘cop’ vibe. I took Barb and Chuck into the kitchen and got them coffee. Uncle John and Greg joined us.
“Morning,” Uncle John said.
“This is Chuck, who’ll be going with me today. Chuck, this is my Uncle John, and my brother Greg,” I said. Angie and Kyle made an appearance. “This is Angie, and Kyle who puked on me last night.”
“That means he likes you,” Angie quipped. “Thank you, by the way. Greg and I’ve decided that now that you can handle the changings and feedings, Kyle will move in with you. That way we can get some sleep.”
“I don’t think so. I’d be worried he’d be stealing all my girlfriends. He’s a little chick-magnet.”
Angie handed him to me so she could cook breakfast since it was her turn. I handed him to Uncle John, who looked like he’d just been handed a live grenade.
“I need to take a shower and pack.”
I noticed Chuck followed me. When we got to the apartment, he made me wait while he checked it. When he was satisfied, I took my shower and packed. We came back to find two new off-duty police officers. One would be with Angie, and the other with Greg. Uncle John was on the phone with a contractor to get the doors and windows taken care of.
Barb wanted to talk to us when I returned to the house. She handed us each what looked like a small black piece of plastic with a button. It had a metal ring so you could attach it to your car keys.
“This is your panic button. It has a GPS tracker in it that will alert us to your location. Do not hesitate to use it if you think you’re in trouble.”
She demonstrated how to push the button. I saved the smart comments that jumped into my head. One of the benefits of having security, which became instantly clear, was that Chuck had a car. He drove me to school. Our first stop was the office to explain the security. Luckily, Coach Hope had smoothed the way. I wasn’t looking forward to going another round with the office secretary who’d declared me dead.
When I got to my locker, Cassidy and April were waiting for me. April didn’t look happy.
“David, when were you going to tell me that you were breaking our date for tonight?”
Oops. I turned to Chuck.
“Get ready to earn your money.”
“Sorry, you’re on your own,” Chuck informed me.
What was I spending all this money for?
“Ah, I guess now would be a good time. I’m sorry April, but I need to go see my mom and dad.”
She gave me a pout and then kissed me on the cheek.
“I’ll forgive you this time.”
Cassidy rolled her eyes.
“Give it up, sister. You’ll never get this one trained. Might as well accept that he’s going to do whatever he wants,” Cassidy told April. Then she looked at Chuck. “David’s so rude. I’m Cassidy, and this poor girl is April.”
“Hi, I’m Chuck.”
The bell rang and I grabbed my math book and tablet. Pam had Chuck sit in the back of the room where the teacher’s aide would normally sit. I could tell that Pam was interested in him. They had to be about the same age. I even caught him checking her out.
I CONVINCED CHUCK TO join us for our afternoon workout. He was being cocky before it started, yet he only lasted thirty minutes. Cassidy got in his face.
“Get up, maggot! You’ll not lie down while others are working. You will finish, do you hear me?!”
Chuck got unsteadily to his feet and joined us. I tried not to smirk because at some point he might have to protect me.
When we were finally done, Chuck was sucking air, trying to get his lungs working correctly. I sauntered up and made his day.
“Almost done, we just need to do a quick five-mile warm-down run,” I said with a straight face.
He got up to his elbows so he could look me in the eye.
“We do that, and I’ll off you myself. How you talked me into this, I’ve no idea,” he complained.
“Come on, let’s go shower and catch a plane.”
I half carried him to the locker room.
OKAY, I ADMIT IT, I’M becoming a wimp. Flying coach sucked. The flight from Chicago to San Francisco was too long to have your knees buried in the seat in front of you. The man in front of me decided to recline his seat the whole flight. I was never so happy to get off a plane in all my life.
Chuck rented a car and we were off to Palo Alto, about forty miles southeast of San Francisco. After leaving Chicago’s frigid 17 degrees, I was enjoying the temperature being in the mid-60s.
We took US 101 south in silence, as I prepared myself to see my mom. I talked to Dad last night and he said that Mom’s new treatments seemed to be working. He also told me that she was weak and had lost some weight. The GPS system had us get off the highway and wind us through town until we found an apartment complex.
Dad answered the door, and I gave him a big hug. I made a quick introduction of Chuck. Seeing I was safe and sound, Chuck went to his hotel. He made me promise that I would call him before I even thought to leave the apartment.
Dad took me into a nice two-bedroom apartment where we sat down in the living room.
“So, where’s Mom?” I asked.
“Right here,” she answered, walking in the door.
I noticed she had a scarf on her head. Dad had told me that she had him shave her hair off. I could tell she had makeup on, trying to hide dark circles under her eyes. I got up and she gave me a bear hug. We both had tears in our eyes when she finally let me go. We sat down so we could talk.
“Tell me,” I started.
“The new treatment is working,” Mom said with a big smile. “It’s still early, but we received some very positive blood-work results today. I’m by no means out of the woods yet, but if my condition keeps improving, they say I can go home in a week or so. Once my condition has stabilized, they can continue my treatment at home.”
“That’s great news. Everyone’s been asking about you. We’ll have to throw a big party when you get back.”
“Speaking of parties, we’re having some people over tonight,” Dad said. “We ordered some pizzas, and people from the complex are stopping by to celebrate your mom’s news.”
“The Cancer Center has made arrangements for this wing of the complex to house families getting treatments. I’ve made some friends while I’ve been here,” Mom said.
“Sounds like fun, plus I’m hungry. What do you need me to do?”
“Go unpack. People should be arriving soon. I’ve been bragging on you, so go put something fun on so you can show them the old Dawson charm,” Mom instructed me.
I looked at Dad and he just shrugged. While I changed, the pizza came. My parents’ apartment was a ground unit that backed up to the pool area. I found them in lounge chairs, relaxing and talking to several people. You could almost feel the stress coming off this group. They were all here facing a nightmare. I found the pizza and a cooler with sodas. I grabbed a chair at a table and began to eat.
“You must be David?” I heard, as a girl my age sat down beside me.
She was bald and had scars where she must have had surgery before. I smiled at her before answering.