Andy's POV
Nicky and I were busy playing Space Invaders when my phone started buzzing. I whipped it up and answered it, it was Larry. "Hello?" I said upon picking up my phone. "Hi Andy, how are you doing?" Larry asked. "Doing alright, I don't know what alright is at that point but I'm not sick right now, just playing Space Invaders with my big, I mean, little-not-so-little brother," I said. Larry just chuckled. "Sometimes I forget Nick's younger than you, you're so bony and short," Larry said. "So are you," I said. Well, Larry and I are the same height but we're also very skinny and bony. We're barely gaining weight due to our illnesses. "So, I wanna tell you that me, Nick, Stu, Dave, Mart, Richard, Jon, Sarah and Keren are going to sleep over at your house," Larry said. Sleepover? At our house?
I put the call on hold and nudge Nicky for a bit to make him pause the game. "What's up?" Nicky asked. "Our friends are sleeping over at our house," I told him. "Hold up, what? Does dada allow this?" Nicky asked. Now that I'm questioning it, dada's very overprotective. Well, he's not always that way but he became more overprotective ever since I got sick. But I have a bad feeling about dada's reaction towards Larry when he visits. He has cystic fibrosis and when he gets sick, I'll get sick. "I don't even know, but we gotta ask dada," I said. "Alright, I'll ask for you, you can talk to Larry more if you want to," Nicky said, standing up in order to go up to dada. I then continued the call. "So?" Larry asked. "We'll let our dad know, he's a bit overprotective," I said.
"He actually has the right to be a little bit overprotective but not too much, look we're both suffering from life-threatening terminal illnesses, sometimes there's a reason to. My dad, Bono, became overprotective of me when you were diagnosed with cancer because he's worried that you'll get my bug. But since you're now allowed to get out and even go to school, I'm not sure what your dad would think of me, going into another sick person's house," Larry said. I thought about it for a bit before I continued the conversation. "If any of our dads is not okay with it, it's okay if you can't come," I said. "Yeah, but boy, your dad is much stricter than mine, my dad had to convince your dad before allowing me to come in," Larry said. "But okay, if my dad doesn't allow it, it's fine, okay?" I asked.
"Okay, but I was also wondering, how come uncle Fletch and uncle Alan weren't overprotective towards Dave?" Larry asked. "Dave's cancer is stage 2 and isn't severe, he isn't on chemo thankfully because the tumour shrank and was removed," I said. "That's not fair, I mean, that's good for Dave that he's not as ill as we are, we cannot breathe properly without our oxygen tanks and we're so thin and weak but that cannot define us, we should live like normal kids, we just breathe differently," Larry said. "Yeah, you're right Larry," I said.
Nicky's POV
I went up to dada who is washing the dishes if our friends can come over. "Hey dada, can my friends Dave, Mart, Nick, Stu, Richard, Larry, Jon, Sarah and Keren come over?" I asked. "Of course, Nicky, but not Larry," dada said. "Not Larry? Why? He's literally Andy's best friend," I asked. Andy really wanted Larry to come over but Larry also suffers from cystic fibrosis so it's gonna be a challenge. Especially because they both suffer from terrible lung problems. "Larry has cystic fibrosis, if Andy catches the germs he has in his lungs, he'll die," dada said. "Oh," I said. I needed to find a way to convince him so I grabbed my phone and called uncle Bono. "Oh, hi Nicky, you alright?" Bono asked as soon as he picked up the phone. "Hi uncle Bono, I have a question," I asked.
"Go on," Bono said. "Will Larry spread his germs to Andy? We're worried about him because my dada wouldn't allow it," I asked. "Actually, you don't have to worry too much about it, the bacteria Larry has in his lungs isn't severe enough to infect Andy so he's all good," Bono said. "Can you convince him or something? It's so hard to convince an overprotective father," I asked. "Sure, I've actually been there before, I was overprotective towards Larry but the thing is, it won't help him no matter how sick he is," Bono said. "Really?" I asked. "Yeah, but all I needed to do is trust in God, and that He would protect Laz, so I did and Laz is really the most innocent and joyous little boy I've ever seen," Bono said. "He really is," Nicky said. "Okay, I'll tell your dad about it and convince him that Larry isn't contagious," Bono said.
I feel so relieved, Andy isn't in danger whenever he's with Larry. I went back to the spot Andy and I were in, playing Space Invaders and continued on playing. I just hope at least dada will allow this sleepover to go on with Larry. Larry means so much to Andy, I can sense that they love each other too. I may be imagining it but hey, at least it's acceptable here. Andy soon hung up his call with Larry and continued playing Space Invaders with me. "So, did you talk to uncle Bono?" Andy asked. "Yeah, I had to get him to convince John that you're not in danger when it comes to Larry," I told him. Andy gave me his small smile which is very cute if you ask me. I'm glad I got him as a big, no, little brother.
John's POV
I was finishing up the dishes when my phone started ringing. I dried my hands and then picked it up, it was Bono. "Hi John, may I talk to you?" Bono asked. "Of course, what is it, Bono?" I asked. "Well, I know you are worried about Larry sleeping over at your house while Andy has cancer but I wanna tell you that you're not in any danger," Bono said. "What do you mean? Larry has cystic fibrosis and Andy has cancer, they're weak and they can get sick easily," I asked, still worried because both of our sons are terminally ill and if they get each other's bugs, it would be deadly. "There's nothing to be worried about, the bacteria Larry has isn't too severe and it won't be able to reach Andy's lungs, in fact being too overprotective wouldn't help," Bono said.
"How do you know that?" I asked. "I was overprotective towards Larry before, because he gets sick way too easily thanks to cystic fibrosis, but all I get is him crying and wanting to see the world," Bono said. "That's what I've been getting from Andy ever since he got respiratory failure," I said, recalling the most painful memories. I recalled trying to get Andy to do his treatments just a week after he was released from the hospital. But Andy was so stubborn because he wanted to go out instead of being stuck at home being a sick boy. Andy wouldn't talk to me for days after that. "But you need to know that Andy doesn't have much time left and just refraining him from having fun would turn his life into a ticking time bomb. He wouldn't have much time to be a kid again," Bono said.
"I'm just worried about Larry," I said before Bono cut me off. "Look, let Andy and Larry be together, they had no problems and were fine even though they sat next to each other in Nik's class. In fact, they were meant for each other, they want to be together until they die so you need to let them," Bono said, which formed a knot in my stomach. I didn't know Andy started falling in love with Larry. But they're only kids, they're too young to fall in love. But I guess I should accept that fact and just let them be because Andy is 13 and no longer a kid anymore. "You mean, they're in love?" I asked. "I'm not sure, but Larry has always been talking to Andy on the phone, he always talks to me and Edge about him, I'm pretty sure Andy feels the same way too," Bono said.
"Wait really?" I asked. "I'm positive, also, you need to let your kids have fun without any interruptions, this sleepover would mean so much to them as long as you let them," Bono said. "Okay," I said before I hung up. It is official, I'm letting Larry sleep over at our house.
Andy's POV
It is soon sunset and Nicky and I were preparing the living room for the sleepover when the doorbell rang. I opened the door and all our friends were here. "Nicky, everyone's here," I yelled out before Larry ran up to me and hugged me. "Can't believe we persuaded your dad to let me sleep over," Larry excitedly said. "Yeah, but as long as you brought your medical stuff," I said. "I actually did," Larry said. "Good," I said, letting Larry in. "What's Larry's deal with you?" Dave asked. "He's lovely, that's his deal with me," I said, slightly blushing. "Uhhh okay then," Dave said. "You gotta make your move, man," Mart said. "Same for you, I think you like my brother," I teasingly said. We soon settled down and tried to think of what we should do before it's completely dark.
"So, what do you want to do?" Nick asked. "Larry and I will set up his medical equipment he needs for the night, you guys can play in Nicky's room," I said, secretly wanting to spend time with Larry even though I know all the stuff he needs. "Of course Andy, but you'll need to join us too," Nicky said. "Okay," I responded. Nicky and his friends left the living room leaving me and Larry. "Okay, so where are you going to sleep?" I asked. "Uhh right here," Lrry said, pointing to the floor where he put his bag and sleeping bag. "Right, guess I'll sleep here too," I said, moving my sleeping back and oxygen concentrator next to Larry's. "You have an oxygen concentrator?" Larry asked. "Yup, I only use it when I'm at home, whenever I go out I use the tank," I told him.
"Well, so do I," Larry said, taking out his BiPAP mask and ventilator. "Did you bring yours?" I asked. "Uhh no, do you have any spare oxygen concentrators for my BiPAP?" Larry asked. "Yeah, I'll get it for you," I said. I went to the storage closet to get one of the spare oxygen concentrators and gave it to Larry. "You also have a ventilator, right?" I asked. "Yeah, I brought it with me, it's just that I also needed oxygen whenever I sleep so that's why I use the oxygen concentrator," Larry said, connecting the oxygen concentrator to his ventilator. "Guess we'll be BiPAP buddies tonight," I said, giving a small nudge to Larry. "Yeah, I hope nobody sleeps tonight because of us," Larry said. "Well, Nicky knows how to tolerate it, but I'm not sure for everyone else," I said.
"I mean, I hope they do," Larry said. "Okay, so what else needs to be set up?" I asked. "My night feeds, so I brought my NG tube, tape which I sometimes use for my nasal cannula and my feeds for the night," Larry said. "Yeah, I need to get a few IV poles for that, one from my room and two others from the storage room for you and Dave," I said, getting the IV poles for not only me but also Larry. "You use an NG tube?" Larry asked. "No, g-tube, it goes straight to my stomach like Dave's," I said, showing him my g-tube. "Wish I got one so that I wouldn't be pulling mine out of my nose every morning, it's very uncomfortable," Larry said. "Why wouldn't you get one?" I asked. "I actually had one but it got infected so I had to get it removed, and the infection also went to my lungs and we didn't want to risk anything so that's why I had to switch to NG tube," Larry explained.
"That must've sucked," I said, patting Larry on the shoulder. "So I'm the one who gets sick easier than you, I can't catch germs from you since you have cancer but I can catch germs from other people," Larry said. "Hey, we both get sick easily and we're weak as well, but that cannot stop us from having a relationship," I said, almost regretting what I said. But Larry just took my hand. "You know, I already told your step-dad that I liked you," Larry said. "Really?" I asked, blushing more, my face even redder than whenever I get a fever. "Yeah, it was a shock to not only him but also your real dads, John and Simon but they actually let me. Sure your dad, John was overprotective towards you but he had already accepted the fact that you're not a kid anymore, you're 13," Larry said.
"But you're 11," I said. "That doesn't mean I'll be 12 next month on Halloween," Larry said. "Guess we'll be going on a trick or treat date on your birthday," I said before Larry kissed me on the cheek which made me blush more. "Yeah, now come on, your brother needs us," Larry said, standing up while I followed because he helped me up. We both went into my room which I'm sharing with Nicky. Larry connected his nasal cannula to the extension tube that's connected to one of my spare oxygen concentrators before we went into my room. We gotta be careful not to trip over each other's tubings, or better yet, everyone must be careful. "Oh, hey guys," Nicky greeted. "Hi," I greeted back. "So, how are the medical stuff going?" Stu asked.
"He has a lot," I said. "I mean, when you have cystic fibrosis, you'll have to deal with this stuff your entire life," Larry said. "So, what are you guys up to?" I asked. "Nothing much, just talking about games and stuff," Nicky said. "Yeah, all he ever talks about is Space Invaders when there are better games like Mario, Legend of Zelda and stuff like that," Sarah said. "But those games are cool, Sarah, I always wanted to try Space Invaders," Keren said. "All boys talk about are video games," Sarah said. I took offense. "Uhh not all boys do that, all Laz and I could talk about is how lousy our organs are," I said. "Yeah, I agree with that," Dave said. "Except that I was born with lousy organs, you guys got it because of cancer," Larry said. "Oh well, let's hang out in the living room," Nicky said.
We were sitting on our sleeping bags, watching something on TV before my step-dad came home from work. "Guys, I'm home," papa yelled out. "Hi papa," I greeted. "So, it seems like all of you were having a sleepover here tonight," papa said. "Yeah," Stu confirmed. "It's gonna be the best sleepover ever," Richard said. "I agree," Jon said. "You're just in time Rog, dinner's ready," dada said, putting today's dinner on the table. "So, what do you have for dinner?" Larry asked. "Lasagna, dig in, guys and Larry, you are free to eat a lot of it because you cannot absorb nutrients," dada said. "That's great," Larry said. "How do you eat a lot without gaining weight?" Stu asked. "It's just that my digestive system doesn't work properly and absorb nutrients when it's supposed to," Larry said, eating his lasagna.
"That's cool, I sometimes lack appetite due to the Phalanxifor," I said, eating my lasagna. "I feel you," Dave said. We continued eating dinner before we're done. We changed into our sleepwear and got ready for bed and I had to help Larry insert his NG tube because he doesn't know how to put it on himself. "Okay, got the tape?" I asked, placing the stuff on the side of the sink. "Yup," Larry said. "Okay, look up and you gotta swallow some water so that you could swallow the tube," I told him. "I know how it works, just insert it right now," Larry said. I inserted the tube until I reached the mark which was already placed beforehand. I then taped the tube against his cheek and we're good to go. "Wow, how do you know how to do this perfectly?" Larry asked. "I dunno, but it's a skill I picked up after seeing doctors do that when I was in the hospital," I said, grabbing Larry's hand.
We went back to the living room as Nicky was picking a movie for us to watch. "So, we put on our BiPAPs, right?" Larry asked. "Yeah, but let me do yours first," I said. I grabbed the nasal mask that belonged to Larry, it looked similar to mine. I fastened it for him, making sure it's tight so that the air won't leak out and then connected it to the tubing. I then turned on the oxygen concentrator and then the ventilator. This is my first time seeing Larry with the BiPAP but honestly, he looked cute. "Okay, your turn," Larry said, helping me put on the BiPAP. Can't believe he knew what to do because Nicky or dada would usually do that. After that, I connected Larry's NG tube to the formulated food so that he could receive nutrients overnight. I did mine as well and connected it to my g-tube.
"Okay, I found the movie we're gonna watch," Nicky said, showing us a VHS tape of Nightmare On Elm Street. "Really? Does dad actually allow that?" I asked because I actually hate horror movies. "Oh, oh yeah, I remembered dad giving us a lecture about horror movies. Oh well, guess we should choose a different movie," Nicky said, looking for another movie. "What about Back To The Future or The Princess Bride?" Stu asked. "Those are really good films," Jon said. "Let's do Back To The Future," Nicky said, settling on a movie. "That's a good idea," Sara said. Nicky placed the VHS tape into the player as we watched the movie. The room remained silent apart from the TV playing and the sound of Larry and I's ventilators. Larry just leaned into my shoulder and continued to breathe through his ventilator.
"You guys sure love your ventilators," Jon said. "Yeah, we only have them at night because our lungs are terrible," I jokingly said. We were only halfway through the movie when I was feeling sleepy. "Hey Laz, can I lie down?" I asked. Larry immediately blushed because of the nickname I gave him. "You called me Laz? That's new," Larry said but allowed himself to lie down in his sleeping bag, careful with his ventilator. "Goodnight Laz," I said, caressing his cheek. I mean, he's so adorable. "Goodnight," Larry said before we both decided to go to sleep.
Nicky's POV
I was paying attention to the movie until I heard snoring, a bit louder because of the BiPAP machine. I turned around and noticed that Andy and Larry were asleep. I couldn't help but smile, they were really meant for each other. I went up to Andy's sleeping form and brushed his bangs away. "Good night Andy, I'm proud of you," I whispered. Can't believe I'll have a future brother-in-law, an Irish brother-in-law. I then went back to my sleeping bag where I was sitting and continued watching the movie. "What a sweet moment, Nicky," Mart said, sitting next to me. "Uhh yeah, I'm proud of Andy for finding the right person," I said, tucking Andy in. "No fair, can't believe he had Larry, I liked him for a while too you know," Dave said, blushing. "It's okay Dave, there's plenty of fish in the sea," Richard said.
"What about we finish this movie? It's about to end," Sarah said. We all agreed and continued watching the movie. Soon, Nick and Stu fell asleep followed by Jon and Richard so me, Dave, Mart, Sarah and Keren were still up. "Will you guys fall asleep?" Dave asked. "Maybe after this movie," I said. But then, Sarah and Keren fell asleep too. The movie soon ended and I took out the VHS tape and put it back in its case. Then, Mart and Dave fell asleep. I then fell asleep, feeling satisfied with the sleepover I have with my friends. And I'm also glad that dada allowed Larry to sleep over too.
John's POV
I went out of my room to check on the kids upon noting how quiet it is. I looked at the living room and it was dark except for the lamp that's lighting up the room. I checked on Andy first and he's peacefully asleep, breathing through the BiPAP. And I didn't know that Larry also needed it too. I'm glad Andy found the perfect person to be together with, even though he's also terminally ill. I then checked on the other kids too, I'm glad they were able to tolerate the ventilators. Though I also felt pity that they'd have to deal with it. Anyways, I went back to my room and laid on my bed, next to Roger. "So, how are the kids?" Rog asked. "They're doing fine, they're peaceful," I said. "Glad they're okay, including Larry, he liked our eldest," Roger said.
"I know, but Andy's 13, he deserves it even though he's still young," I said. "Andy cannot live long, but he still deserves Larry," Roger said. "Well, let's go to sleep, good night Rog," I said, before kissing Roger. "Good night," Roger said before we both fell asleep. Today was a good day, our kids are spending time with the other kids in the village. Including the kids they met in school. I shouldn't have been way too overprotective towards Andy, I didn't realise how much fun he'll have whenever he's with his brother and his friends. Sure he is very sick with cancer but there's no point wasting the little time he has left.
Author's Note
Okay, so this isn't a request, just something I came up with myself. I'm going to publish this before I publish another Stuck In The Box book. Also, feel free to drop in your requests here as Instagram requests for this one shot series are closed. But if you drop your requests here, it'll be a bit slow because I'm also going to be working on Stuck In The Box. So yeah, I hope you enjoy this chapter and I'll see you soon.