Serendipity (Book 2)

iShould've Told You by Edio

Chapter 10

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The nurse just finished unhooking the empty I.V. bag from Freddie's PICC line. Her name was Rosario, a stout, cheerful Filipino woman. Freddie had gotten to know her very well during his stay. Rosie, as she preferred to be called, was definitely the mother-hen type. She watched over her charges carefully and was very attentive of their needs. "How are you feeling?" she asked with a thick accent as she started putting the equipment away. Her voice always carried a sincerity that made you drop your defenses and listen to everything she said.

"I'm a little cold," he admitted.

"Have you been cold this whole time?" She placed her palm on his forehead while he nodded. Immediately she reached into one of the cabinets and pulled out a blanket. "You should have said something earlier," she reprimanded him gently as she peered at him over the rim of her glasses.

"Thanks Rosie," said Freddie after she draped the blanket across him.

"You young people sometimes, I swear," she shook her head and made a clicking sound with her mouth. "You always act bravely and suffer though it." She started to look through the equipment drawers and kept talking to him over her shoulder. "You are not alone, you know? You should always reach out and ask for help when you need it." After she got what instruments she needed, Rosie asked, "How are Sam and Carly? It has been a while since I have seen them." Rosie hit it off with the girls the first time they visited. They became as thick as thieves and when they were all together, they had fun taking turns brow-beating Freddie - always in good fun.

Fun really wasn't in the forefront of his thoughts right now. "They're back home in Seattle. They're too busy with school right now. We haven't had time to talk lately," Freddie lied.

"Oh nonsense," she scoffed. "Those two would always make time for you. Sam made me promise I would keep an eye on you, in fact," Rosie teased. "She is a beautiful girl. You make sure you hold on to her."

Freddie didn't really want to dwell on the subject too long. "Rosie, have you seen my mom around?"

"Hmm," she pondered. "I think I saw her leave the hospital, but that was a while ago. I have not seen her since. Did you want me to have her paged?"

"No that's fine. I think I could rest a bit more anyway," he said, glad he was able to distract her. "If it's ok, I'd like to just sit here close my eyes for a while."

"Sure - sure," take all the time you need. "I will go ahead and take your vitals and let you relax a bit."

"Thanks. Could you shut off some of the lights when you leave?"

"No problem."

The rest of the time passed in silence while Rosie worked on him. She took his pulse and blood pressure to make sure it was stable. Then she asked him to breathe into a plastic tube to test his respiratory system. When she was satisfied that all was well, she shut off the main lights and left Freddie alone in the dimly lit room.

He was glad to be alone again. It wasn't that he didn't like Rosie or anyone else for that matter, but polite conversation required at least the pretense of interest. There was just not much that Freddie was interested in talking about anymore. It was difficult to keep up the charade. That was one of the reasons Freddie requested this private room. There was actually a different area for chemo treatment that was more open and bright. The chairs were arranged around the room so all the patients and visitors could converse during the long hours of treatment. During the first sessions, he didn't mind it at all, but now knew he wouldn't have been able to endure it.

He also didn't want Rosie to remind him about his friends anymore. After he talked to Sam that night, he avoided any contact from them. Freddie unplugged himself from everything. He drained the power from his cell phone and his laptop. The phone in their bungalow was left off the hook whenever his mom wasn't looking. Whenever a call did make it through, he told his mom he couldn't take it because he wasn't feeling well. It didn't take much convincing - his mom wouldn't really push him on anything lately. He'd said what he needed to say. It was over.