Tattoos and Soul Mates

Fate Leads One Way, the Heart Another

A/N~ Alright so I had to Google a lot of things for this part because even though I (possibly) want to go to med school I know nothing about Emphysema.

"Andy. Andrew. Andy, wake up. Andy, I need you. C'mon man, wake up!" The voices became more and more frantic, more worried. But, amongst them, one was becoming clearer and louder. It was his.

My eyes flew open. An oxygen mask was over my face, my breathing laboured and painful. I saw Jinxx and Jake above me, looking terrified. A doctor was standing above me as well, writing on a chart and messing with the apparatus around me. He noticed my eyes were open and helped me sit up.  "Here, let's get you a nasal cannula." He removed the mask and quickly placed a tube hooked around my ears and into my nose. I breathed in deeply, feeling as if I couldn't get enough air.

"What happened?" I croaked out, soon after breaking into a coughing fit. "Don't talk, it's dangerous right now. Andy, from your smoking, you have Emphysema. Emphysema gradually damages the air sacs, or alveoli in your lungs, making you progressively more short of breath. Emphysema is one of several diseases known collectively as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD for short. You've smoked so heavily for such a long time, since you were, what, 14, and your foster parents smoked heavily. Because of that, you have such a bad case that you might have to be on an oxygen tank for the majority of the day, every day." The doctor calmly explained, as if it were no big deal.

I just sat there, staring at him as his words fell on half deaf ears. From their faces, I could tell Jinxx and Jake already knew. The doctor continued. "There are ways to treat Emphysema, but they can't undo the permanent damage to your alveoli. Now, these treatments can be very expensive. I'll leave you three to talk this over." With that he turned on his heel and walked back into the hallway.

"I...I heard a voice. Danny's voice. Was he here?" I choked out, looking to Jinxx with watery eyes. "What? Andy, no! That's crazy." I could hear the lie in his voice and in the look Jake cast him with a halfhearted glare. "He was here, wasn't he?" I broke out coughing, not able to breathe. "Andy, Andy, Andy. Just calm down and focus on breathing. We'll tell you everything, alright?" Jake said calmly, easing me down into a better position. I nodded, gripping my throat.

"Danny apparently heard about what had happened. He heard you were shot and in critical condition. He stopped by to see how you were, and that's all. Jinxx and I made him leave a few minutes later. You're safe. I promise, we would never let him back near you. After what he did, I'm surprised he had the nerve to show his face." I nodded at Jake's words, not really believing them.

A few minutes later, the doctor came back in. "Now, about treatment. There are medications you could try, but there is one treatment option I think would be best for you. If you have severe emphysema with low blood oxygen levels, like you do, using oxygen regularly at home and when you exercise may provide some relief. Many people use oxygen 24 hours a day. It's usually administered via narrow tubing that fits into your nostrils, like the one you're using right now." He paused.

"Since you've been mute for so long, it would be a good idea to stick to sign language and writing down your words until we get you on a good oxygen schedule. If you ever feel out of breath, just put in the nasal cannula. This can be a stressful thing to go through. Just take it slow, one day at a time. We're also prescribing you one pill a day of Spiriva®, and one tablet of Xopenex® as needed for shortness of breath." The doctor said, scribbling something down onto his prescription-pad-thingy.

Well, this is going to be fun.

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I AM SERIOUSLY REGRETTING THE WAY I WENT WITH THIS AND THE SAME WITH THE DEMON'S PET HELP