JUSTICE TOUR: THE BACKSTAGE

09: Treatment

Pattie entered the room quietly, quickly followed by Hailey, Scooter and Allison, after the nurse told them that the exam was done. Justin was still in a deep sleep, covered by a thin white sheet, laying on his side as a pillow supported his left cheek. His IV was still on but now, he had his grey hoodie on top of the hospital gown, as he complained about being cold once the doctor woke him up when he got to the room. He wasn't knocked out, but the medicine was still making him super tired and sleepy.

A minute or two passed and the doctor entered back Justin's hospital room. He greeted everyone before saying in a gentle, but steady tone:

"The exam went totally fine, he slept during the whole procedure so everything went smoothly. After the test, we got him to go to the bathroom so he could expel the enema, but he may have some solution still inside"- he explained slowly- "Now about the results; the bacteria are, in fact, compromising his stomach tissues and we'll have to be careful not the aggravate it".

"But how do we treat it?"- Scooter asked- "And how's this impact his schedule and touring?"

"I will start him on some antibiotics, and we'll see what difference it makes. Also, we may have to make some changes to his diet and make sure we give him some medication to contain the symptoms. He's going to be prone to constipation with the medication that I'll prescribe, also expect him to run fevers and his stomach not be much controlled. There will be some good and some bad days, but he can keep on going with the tour and his commitments, as long as he feels up to it"- he said, and they all nodded- "I will keep him overnight and order some medication to contain the Epstein-Barr that it's manifesting. We'll see how he's going to wake up tomorrow and discuss if he's free to go home".

"That's great, thank you, doctor"- Scooter said and shook his hand as Hailey and Pattie went to the side of Justin's bed.

It took him a while, a wave of drowsiness taking a big toll on his whole body, but he finally managed to open his eyes. He looked up at Hailey and his mom and smiled weakly as he realized he felt much better than before, as the medication kicked in.

"How're doing, babe?"- Hailey asked, grabbing his hand as he was trying to get a little bit more awake- "Are you feeling any better?"

"Yeah"- he said in a raspy tone- "It doesn't hurt anymore".

"That's great, Justin"- Dr. Martin said, turning to face Justin- "The medicine is finally working, you shouldn't feel much pain for the next few hours, but don't heist to tell the nurses if you need a refill of medication, alright? They will keep an eye on you during the night".

"When can I go back to tour?"

"Let's see how you're going to do tonight and tomorrow we can talk about you being released, okay? But as long as you stick to your regiment and take your medications, you should be alright for now"- Justin nodded as he said- "Well, I'm going to leave you now, but the nurses are going to come and check on you during the night. I need you to try and eat a bit before your first antibiotic dose. The first doses are going to be injected and then we can switch to oral medication after your release".

"Am I taking more shots?"- Justin asked and Hailey giggled at his cuteness. He was deathly afraid of needles and that's just been part of him for as long as he can remember. He was sure that that's not changing ever.

"No, buddy"- even the doctor laughed at his question, noticing this was his only concern- "You'll take thru the IV that's in your hand. No more shots for now, alright?"

With that, the doctor left the room and Hailey turned the TV on so Justin could be a bit more entertained. Scooter was solving some schedule stuff, Pattie quickly massaged Justin's dietician so she could readjust and create a diet that would benefit him while Hailey and Allison chatted with Justin a little bit. They noticed him getting more and more tired with every minute of conversation, but he couldn't sleep without eating.