Let me live | Hardzello♡

Chapter 4

"So, the moment you came in here we did a full check up. And we found out that you have a heart murmur. Usually that's innocent, but since you fainted we did some deeper tests. And it turns out that you have aortic valve stenosis. It's a heart condition in which the heart's aortic valve is narrowed. That means your heart valve doesn't open completely. This reduces or even totally blocks the blood flow from your heart into the main artery to your body. Your blood pressure is very low, as well as your heartbeat. That's the reason you fainted." The doctor pauses for a moment to give Joe time to process.
But the boy is far away from processing. 
"Have you ever felt nauseous in the past couple of days?" The doctor asks.
Joe nods, still totally in shock. "Y-yes. But- but I just thought that was because of the nerves. W-we had an exam today." He stammers. 
Gwil and Rami share a quick look, both getting more worried with the second.
"Will it kill me?" Joe asks after a few minutes of silence. He sees both Rami and Gwil swallow the moment he asks that question. But it's a question that he thinks needs to be asked.
The doctor gives him a reassuring look. "It's not as flat as that. It will be fatal if we don't treat you. Thankfully, this can be solved by a surgery. For the next two weeks we'll give you special medication. Those meds will prepare your body for the surgery. In that surgery we're going to replace your heart valve, which will solve everything. You'll be moved to another ward this evening, where we can keep better track of your heart rate and your blood pressure. The doctor there also knows more about this specific condition. You'll have your own room, where you can make it a bit cosy and comfy for yourself. Do you understand?" The doctor explains.
Joe nods, as a sign that he understands.

When the beeper of the doctor goes of, he walks towards the door. "I'm afraid I'm needed somewhere else. But for any questions you can press the red button, then one of the nurses will be right with you." He says before leaving the room. The heavy door closes, the sound echoing through the silent room.
A single tear makes its way down Joe's cheek. He feels like someone just dropped a bomb onto him. A bomb full of bad news.
Gwil and Rami don't need to exchange any words to know Joe needs them right now. Gwil is the first one to walk over to Joe's hospital bed and sit down next to him. Rami immediately follows his actions, sitting down on the other side of Joe.
"This can't be happening." Joe whispers as he wipes away his tears.
His two friends don't really know what to say to that, and just hug the boy.
"Wanna see something cute as distraction?" Rami whispers after a while.
Joe gives him a questioning look, but nods anyways.
"Look down." Rami says with a smile.
Joe does what Rami tells him, and immediately smiles. Because of the sudden bad news he's totally missed that John had fallen asleep on top of his chest in the meantime. Joe closes his eyes, and just gently rubs his hand over John's back. 

After a while a knock on the door is heard.
"Hi honey." Joe's mom says as she and her husband enter the room. She walks over to her son, hugging him tight. "Thank god you're awake." She whispers.
Joe puts his arms around her, swallowing harshly when he can feel his mother shake a little.
Ginnie frowns when she notice the tense atmosphere.
Joe takes in a shaky breath. "The results came in. It's not great." He mumbles, answering the questioning look of his stepdad. He sees his mom's eyes widen slightly, concern reflecting in her eyes.
Gwil and Rami get up from the bed, and walk towards the door. "We'll give you some time." Gwil says before closing the door behind them.
Joe's parents both sit down next to the bed.
"How bad?" Ginnie whispers with pain in her heart.
Joe thinks for a moment, trying to remember the name of the condition. "Aortic valve stenosis." He mumbles. He has to make an effort not to start crying again. He's actually still hoping this is all one big nightmare.
"But... that's a congenital heart defect. How come we haven't noticed it until now?" Joe's stepdad says with a frown.
Joe shrugs. "I don't know. All I know is I'm gonna be stuck in here for a while." He sighs.
Suddenly a soft groan is heard from the little John. "Will you be home on time to read me a bedtime story Joey?" The four-year-old looks up, his eyes barely open yet.
Joe bites his lip. "I'm afraid not, sleepyhead. I'm sorry."
John starts pouting, tears slowly appearing in his eyes.
Joe runs his hands through his brother's hair, hoping to keep him from crying. "Don't be sad Johnny. I'm sure Dad is even better at reading stories than I am." Joe says to the little boy. He smiles a little when he realizes he just called his stepfather 'Dad' for the first time. He looks up, seeing his stepdad smiling widely.
"Did you... did you just call me Dad?" Will whispers softly.
The ginger nods. "I think I did." Joe smiles through his tears. "You deserve the titel."
Will jumps up from his chair, hurrying over to the boy's bed. He throws his arms around Joe, feeling the ginger smile against his chest.
Their little moment is interrupted by John. "But Joey, I'll miss you." John says with a soft sniffle.
Joe lets go of his stepdad, and looks down at his brother. He swallows. "Please don't cry John." He whispers before hugging his little brother.
Will runs his hand through John's hair before he carefully lifts up John. "I think someone's getting tired." Will says with a wink to Joe when John yawns.
"You guys should go home." The ginger says.
Will nods. "Yeah. I'll go to the car with John, give you two a moment together. See you in a minute." He says to Joe's mom with slight smirk around his lips.
She nods with a smile. 

"Mom? Can I tell you a secret before you go?" Joe asks his mom, slightly nervous.
She smiles and nods. "Always honey, you know that." Ginnie says as she sits down next to her son on the hospital bed.
Joe puts his head on her shoulder. He takes a sharp breath in. "I- I think I'm gay. Well, I'm pretty sure actually." He blurts out. He bites his lip when his mother stays silent.
Ginnie gently runs her hand through her son's hair. "Can I also tell you a secret?" She asks.
Joe looks up, already a bit more reassured when he sees the smile on his mother's face. He nods, quite curious.
"I think I'm pregnant. Well, I'm pretty sure I am." Ginnie says with a grin.
Joe lets out a loud gasp. "What! Really?!" He exclaims happily.
His mom lets out a soft giggle and nods.
Joe hugs his mother, happy to finally hear some good news on a day like today. "I- I can't believe it! Does John know?" He asks.
His mom chuckles and nods. "Yeah. But he doesn't really understand it yet. The first thing he asked was if she will read him stories just like you do once she's here."
Joe looks up in surprise. "She?"
Ginnie giggles softly, only now realising that she just gave away the gender of the baby. "You'll get a baby sister in about seven months." She says with a huge smile on her face. 
Joe immediately hugs her again when he hears that. "I'm so happy." He whispers during the hug.
His mom smiles, putting her arms around her son. "Joe? Please never be nervous about things like being gay. All I care about is your happiness. Whether it's with a boy or a girl. As long as they treat you right, that's all that matters" Ginnie presses a kiss onto her son's cheek.
The latter smiles widely. "Thanks mom. That means a lot." Joe says.
It stays silent for a while.
"You should go home. It's getting late." Joe mumbles.
His mom frowns. "It just feels weird, leaving you here." She says softly.
Joe takes her hand in his own. "I'll manage mom, really." He assures her.
"Okay then." Ginnie says with a sigh. She places a kiss on Joe's cheek before getting up. "I love you."
Joe smiles. "I love you too."

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I promise the writing will get better, lol. I just didn't really remember the details of this day, since my headache was pretty huge🙃

Anyways, it will get better!

Kisses from me xxx