under the orange sky

chapter 12

Chemotherapy and cold caps

The two weeks of her chemotherapy had begun. It felt lonely without her back home. Lockdown struck, and we were all forced to stay at home and abide by the rules. We knew bringing Kady home right now would only result in her falling sicker.

As I walked out of my window and into hers, I sat on her bed thinking about a distinct memory.

"Kady, look at this boy." she approached me and pulled the phone from my hands to take a closer view of him

"and done!"

"What was it that was done?" I raised my eyes, unaware of what she had just done. "Kady?"–"Earth to Kady?" She refused to hand over my phone "What did you do?"

I asked as I chased her around the room and tossed her on the bed, climbing on top of her and holding her down.

"He won't think you're a weird stalker, so don't you worry"

"Kady, I swear to god." I say getting extremely pissed "forget cancer, I'll kill you myself," I say as I begin punching her back and tickling her.

She'd finally figured out how to get the upper hand over me. She twisted my legs and was suddenly she attacked me and tickled me everywhere- until tears trickled down my cheeks and my stomach began to get sore from laughing.

"guess you've started with the cancer jokes"
"well handover my phone, and maybe I'll tell you all the jokes I have in my mind"
"aha!, guess my influence really rubbed off on you"

"Oh shut up and just give me back my phone"

She throws the phone back to me and I immediately see the nonsensical bullshit she just did- and oh no, too late.

That was a great day, Kady just being Kady and well me being me. We sat on the bed, laughing and then crying as we remembered the movie parent trap.

As I push that memory away from my head. I begin to clean her room. It was filled with memoirs and things that reminded me of her. I missed her. I didn't know what I would do without her.

I heard footsteps approaching the door as I was cleaning her room.

"sweetie, Kady wants to go ahead with cold caps"

I look at her disappointed. "it's going to hurt"

"I guess she's okay with that as long as she's got her hair"

****

Cold caps are a type of cap that has a cooling effect and lowers blood flow to the scalp, lowering the amount of chemotherapy medicine that reaches this area. It keeps the hair from falling out. and apparently, that's what she wants.

majority of your scalp goes numb, after the cap. Headaches, coldness or uncomfortable sensations, disorientation, and, to a lesser extent, claustrophobia were all noted as side effects of wearing it. I was obviously disappointed with the choice she made. Kady didn't deserve more pain than she was already in.