Chapter 10
"We twist and turn and we avoid/ All hope of salvage now devoid/ I see the truth inside your eyes/ So take this noise to your brain/ And send it back again/ I'll bear the cost, shed my skin/ Call you up and then.../ I'll say the words out loud…" ~Savage Garden ("A Thousand Words")
Life pretty much
returned to normal for the couple. They regularly went for doctor's visits and
check-ups and religiously took their prescribed medication. Sara eventually
received a call from her mother apologizing for the way she had acted towards
her daughter and the man she considered to be her son. The Carters took the
news considerably better and called the house at least once a week to see if
their son needed help of any sort, etc.
Then there were the fans. That was a totally different story. There had been
tears, as there were even when Nick was healthy, angry cries, and a backlash
at Sara because supposedly it was all her fault because 'my Nick would never
do anything that stupid!' Others were more accepting, realizing that Nick had
now entered the realm of human, not superstar or superhuman.
"I'm home," Sara called as she closed the front door behind her. She
took a step into the house and heard the echoes of her own footsteps. "Nick?
Nick, where are you?"
Nick moaned from his position on the couch. Her was lying flat on his back,
one arm dangling off the side while the forearm of the other limb laid across
his eyes to shield off any light. "I'm in here," he grumbled.
He heard the sound of her steps come close to him as he continued to lay there.
Soon after he felt her cool hand brush some hair off of his forehead. "You've
got a fever," Sara said softly.
"I know," Nick muttered.
* * *
"That's what
I thought," Dr. Matheson said as he finished examining Nick.
"What's going on?" Nick asked weakly. Since he had gotten sick he
hadn't had much energy for anything.
"It looks like you've got a classic case of pneumonia."
"That's not good, is it?" Nick asked as his face displayed his emotions.
Dr. Matheson shook his head. "Not at all."
Nick coughed in response.
"Have you been taking your meds?" the doctor questioned. Nick nodded.
"Every day?"
"Haven't missed one yet. Neither has Sara," Nick responded.
"Then I'm putting you on anti-biotics. They might help kill the infection.
We'll have to see what happens."
"But I thought that…"
"Pneumonia was a gateway," Dr. Matheson finished for his patient.
"It is," he replied quietly.
"So could this be the beginning of the end for me?" Nick asked, his
eyes shining.
Dr. Matheson felt a twinge in his heart. He couldn't lie to him, but at the
same time, telling the truth was almost as bad.
"It might be."
Nick eased himself off the examining table and onto the floor. "How advanced
is it?"
"Which one? Your T-cell count or pneumonia?"
"Both I guess."
Dr. Matheson reached for Nick's chart and look at the figures from the past
four months. "Your T-cells have dropped considerably from last month and
the new illness is right on top of you."
* * *
Nick got home,
up to his room, and didn't so much as look at the bed before he fell asleep.
His body worn out, Nick was unable to keep his eyes open enough to see Sara
help get him settled.
Seeing as her job of getting Nick in bed was finished, Sara wandered into family
room, picked up the remote, turned on the TV, and eased herself onto the couch.
The past three and a half months hadn't been that bad. In fact, things were
just about as normal as they had been previously. But for the past two weeks,
Sara noticed Nick's decline in health. He was more lethargic, more despondent,
but more disturbing than either of those were his sleeping patterns.
Nick had always been a sound sleeper. As of late, though, everything started
to change. He woke up at the drop of a pin. He was sensitive to any sort of
noise. He screamed in his sleep…
The screaming was the worst. All he did was lie there and yell. As sensitive
as he was to noise, Nick never woke up. He had no recollection in the morning,
but always awoke to a sore throat.
* * *
The sound of the
phone ringing woke Sara. She opened her eyes, almost disbelieving that she was
asleep to begin with.
"Hello?" she answered groggily.
"I didn't wake you did I?" a voice sounded on the other end.
"No," Sara said running her hand through her hair. "No, not at
all, Kev," she fibbed.
"How're you doing?" he questioned, his dark, Southern voice providing
comfort.
"I'm doing OK. How's everybody over by you?" Sara asked in return.
"Everybody's fine over here. How's Nick?"
Sara grimaced. "I'm glad you called."
"What happened?" he asked, immediately picking up on the fact that
something was wrong.
Sara let out a breath that she wasn't conscious she was holding. "We just
came back from the doctor."
"But I thought everything was OK," Kevin said questioningly.
"That was last month. This month, well, things could get real ugly real
soon."
"Explain."
"Nick's got pneumonia. It attacked his T-cells, which are the ones that
help stop infections, which means that his immune system is vulnerable and open
for more diseases."
"Kinda like an open wound," Kevin added.
"Exactly," Sara replied. "He's got antibiotics to take, but there's
no guarantee that they're going to work."
"So he's not full blown?"
"Not as of yet," Sara said. "He's only got one infection on him
now. Full blown is when your immune system basically shuts down and you're susceptible
to almost anything."
"You think this is a gateway?" Kevin questioned.
"Oh G-d I hope not, but Dr. Matheson thought it might be."
Kevin swore. Things like this weren't supposed to affect him. "This isn't
supposed to happen."
"I didn't plan this either," Sara said. "Stuff like this happens."
"I know but… Not to Nick. He doesn't deserve this."
"Nobody does. But it just happens and you have to accept it."
"Nick's only a kid though. What about you? You're even younger than him
and you're pregnant," Kevin vented. "It's just not fair."
There was an awkward silence as the two reflected on what had been said.
"I'll let you go back to sleep. I just wanted to make sure everything was
OK," Kevin said quietly.
"Thanks," Sara responded. "It means a lot to the both of us."
There was another pause. "It would also mean a lot if you and Kristen came
for a visit. I think you two are the only ones who haven't been out here for
a while."
Kevin swallowed hard. The truth was that he was terrified to visit. It would
be too painful to see two people, almost three at this point, whom he considered
to be his siblings sick and in such a sorry shape.
"I'll talk to Kristen about it and we'll see. In the meantime, go back
to sleep. I'll call soon."
"Promise you'll visit us soon. We both miss you," Sara said.
"I miss you guys too. Take care of yourself, OK?"
"Sure, Kev," Sara said a little disheartened at the avoidance of the
topic. "I'll talk to you soon then."
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