Meet Again

Treatment

One morning in the beginning of April, Rory was sitting in her kitchen with Stephanie. Grace was at school, Logan was at work, and Nicky was playing with Sammy in the playroom.

"Nicky's mad that they won't let him go back to school" Rory said.

"Why can't he go? Because of the cancer?"

"Not necessarily because of the cancer. He can go to school while he does chemo, but he had brain surgery 3 weeks ago. He needs time to heal" Rory said. "I think I'll take him to a bookstore when he's able to leave the house more. He wants to go to school so badly because he likes to learn. I figure I'll let him pick some books on whatever topic interests him and maybe some new Lego so he has something to do while he's stuck at home all day. Then hopefully in a few weeks he'll be cleared to go back to school"

"Do your kids not watch TV or something?" Stephanie asked. "I feel like mine would spend the whole day watching SpongeBob if I let them"

"My kids do watch TV but honestly they get bored of it pretty quickly. Besides, right now Nicky can only watch for a few minutes before he gets a headache. Actually, they've been really quiet for a while. I'm just gonna go see how they're doing" Rory said. She got up and went upstairs to the playroom where Nicky was trying to teach Sammy how to build Lego. Although Sammy was really only interested in playing with the little Lego people. "How's it going in here?"

"Mama, it's a ouchie" Sammy said.

"What's an ouchie?"

"Nicky's ouchie" Sammy said and pointed to Nicky.

"He thinks the thing hurts" Nicky said.

"That's how Nicky gets his medicine" Rory said. Instead of sticking Nicky with needles all the time, the doctors recommended that he get a small device called a port-a-cath implanted in his chest, just below his collarbone. That way they could give him his various medications and draw blood when needed without having to constantly stick him with needles. For the most part his clothes covered it, but depending on the shirt he was wearing sometimes it was visible.

"There's a needle it in" Nicky said.

"No! Nicky, it's an ouch!" Sammy said

"It's ok, baby" Rory said. "It doesn't hurt. Right Nicky?"

"Yeah, I don't even feel it anymore"

A few minutes later Rory sat back down at the kitchen table across from Stephanie.

"What's so funny?" Stephanie asked.

"Sammy is very concerned about Nicky's chemo port thingie" Rory said. "It's hilarious"

"It's sweet. He's worried about his big brother"

"He's not the only one" Rory sighed.

"Stressed?"

"It's not even just Nicky" Rory said. "I mean, obviously I'm really worried about him, but there's also Grace. She's has an audiologist appointment next week because he processors aren't working like they should, and Sammy has a check up with his pulmonologist because he had a lung transplant and they need to make sure that everything's still ok with him, and we're potty training, and we got rid of his crib but now he hates his bed, and there's just way too much going on"

"You need some stress relief, and I happen to know the best thing for that"

"What?"

"Orgasms"

Rory chuckled. "Ok"

"You're laughing, but I'm serious. It helps"

"Duly noted"