Date: Sat, 17 May 2003 17:42:02 EDT
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: The Castaway Hotel - Book 6, chapter 18

Legal Notice:
The following story contains descriptions of graphic sexual acts.
The story is a work of fiction and has no basis in reality.

Don't read this story if:
**You're not 18 or over,
**If it is illegal to read this type of material where you live,
**Or if you don't want to read about gay/bi people in love or having sex.

The author retains copyright to this story.  Placing this story on a
website or reproducing this story for distribution without the author's
permission is a violation of that copyright.  Legal action will be taken
against violators.

I wish to extend my thank you to Ed for his editorial assistance with this
chapter, and Art for his additional input on each chapter.

E-mail responses to the stories, story suggestions, or other 'constructive'
comments or advice may be sent to: bwstories8@aol.com.

                 *    *     *     *     *     *     *     *

Although the boys in these stories have unprotected sex, I strongly urge
all of you out there to be smart and protect yourselves from various
sexually transmitted diseases by using condoms when having intercourse.

                 *    *     *     *     *     *     *     *

The Castaway Hotel-Book 6-by BW (Young-Friends).  Copyright 2000 by billwstories
Chapter 18 - A turn for the worse.                November 2002

Now that the graduations were over, I knew it was time to prepare for two
new events, Nick's going to Brazil as an exchange student, and our summer
vacation.  Nick had left to spend time with his parents before he was
scheduled to leave, so he would be with them and fly out of Oklahoma to
Brazil.  He was going to stay in South America until the following May, and
we had scheduled a few side trips for him, to other South American
countries.  He was really excited, before he left, and I was proud of how
hard he had worked to get ready for it, as he has been studying Portuguese
on his own, learning it from a program I bought for the computer.  He said
it wasn't that hard, because he had learned Spanish in school and there
were many similarities between the two languages, but I was still amazed at
how much he seemed to be willing to do to make the most of this
opportunity.  He was growing up, and much different from the young boy who
ran away from home and then came to live with us, and I was more than
pleased by his progress.

Before he left to visit his parents, I prepared him for some other things
he would need to be aware of, while he's away.  We sat down and had a
little father to son talk one day, and I informed him of the fact that AIDS
is a major factor in Brazil, even more so than most other nations.  I
advised him about what he should do to protect himself, and provided him
with condoms to use, if he couldn't control his urges.  I also told him to
check out the local laws concerning sexual issues, as I didn't want him
having to spend time in a Brazilian prison for breaking some law he didn't
know about or didn't understand.  He assured me he would do this, and
promised me that he would be extremely careful.  I took him to the airport
when he left, but he said good-bye to everyone else before we drove off.
Before he left to board his flight, he thanked me for worrying about him
and making sure that he was aware of all these things before he left.  He
started off toward his gate, but then ran back to me, giving me a big hug
in the process, and he told me he loved me.  I kissed him on the forehead,
told him I loved him too, and made him promise that he'd write, email, or
call, as I had also provided him with a couple of pre-paid calling cards
too.  He said he would, and took off again, stopping before he went through
the metal detector, to turn and wave good-bye to me once more.

On the vacation front, this summer I had planned to take the boys to see
the northern mid-west, starting in Wyoming, touring the Dakotas, and then
doing some camping and canoeing in Minnesota.  First we'd do the typical
sightseeing things, like seeing the Yellowstone National Park, the Black
Hills, and Mount Rushmore, and then we'd spend a couple of weeks camping
and canoeing on the many lakes in Minnesota, just taking our time, enjoying
nature, relaxing, and having fun.  I thought it would be nice for all of
us.

We were busy discussing our plans, and pinpointing the things that everyone
wanted to do, when something else popped up.  It was Cody, and the issues
surrounding his health.  Suddenly he seemed to be getting tired a lot
again, he kept running slight temps every now and then, and he seemed to be
having problems with his breathing.  I called the doctor and set up an
appointment for him, figuring this was just one of those minor setbacks
that often occurred when recovering from a devastating disease, but then
Graham stepped into the picture, complicating it slightly.  He came up to
me one afternoon, when we were alone, and he desperately wanted to talk.

"Dad, I think it's happening again," he told me.

"What's happening again?" I asked him.

"My gift," he stated somberly, while giving me that 'why do I have to have
this' look.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you know Cody has always had kind of a gray haze around his body
when I look at him?"  This wasn't a comment, and he seemed to be putting
this in the form of a question, so I thought I'd better respond.

"Yes, you've told me that before."

"Well, it's changing.  It's getting darker now," he informed me, looking
slightly unnerved by his observation.

"What do you mean, darker?"  I wanted some clarification.

"It's already as dark as it was around you, before you had your heart
attack," he told me, but now it's getting even darker.  I'm afraid it's
going to turn black, like it did with Brent."  He now had tears in his
eyes.

"It hasn't got that dark yet, has it?"  I asked him, slightly panicked, but
he shook his head in response.  "Good, and it doesn't necessarily mean it
will.  Don't push the panic button just yet, okay, little buddy?"  I was
trying hard to reassure him, but now I was also trying to calm myself.  Up
to this point, his accuracy on predictions like this had been amazingly on
target.  Therefore, I was quite concerned by his proclamation, and
concerned about Cody's well-being.  At this point he looked up at me, and
not only were there tears in his eyes, but he had this extremely pathetic
look etched on his face.  It almost broke my heart just seeing him that
way.

"Dad, I'm not sure what I'll do if something happens to him.  I've never
felt this way about anyone else before, and I really don't know what I'd do
if he wasn't around.  Yeah, I love my brother, Cole, and you a whole bunch
too, but it's not the same thing.  I love him differently, and I don't want
to lose him."

I reached out and took a hold of Graham's arm, pulled him toward me, and
then I hugged him.  "Hey, little man, let's not put the cart before the
horse.  Nothing has happened to him yet, so let's not start worrying about
what we'll do if something does.  I think it best if we spend our time
loving him, trying to make him feel better, and seeing if there is anything
we can do to help him instead.  I've set up an appointment for him with his
doctor tomorrow, so I'll take him there and see what the doctor has to say.
I'm sure he'll be able to tell us if anything is seriously wrong with Cody.
Okay?"

He looked at me and nodded, but not convincingly, and I knew I hadn't
really been able to make him feel better about this situation.  I hugged
him some more, hoping that maybe I could somehow magically absorb all of
his worries and take them away, but I knew that wouldn't happen, because I
harbored the same fears myself.  After staying like that for a few more
minutes, he finally announced he wanted to go spend time with Cody, to see
if he was feeling any better.  I told him I thought that was a good idea,
sent him on his way, and then considered how I would deal with him later,
if we discovered that something WAS wrong with Cody.  However, as I didn't
expect that to happen in the near future, I too would focus on the here and
now.

When I took Cody to his appointment the following day, the doctor checked
him over very carefully, took some x-rays, ran blood tests, and ordered
some other tests too.  I stayed with Cody the whole time, as he didn't seem
to want to be left alone.  While we were sitting by ourselves in the
examination room, he started a conversation with me.

"It's back, isn't it?" he asked me.

"I'm not sure, Cody.  That's what we're here to find out."

"I know it is.  I feel just like I did when we first discovered I had it."

"Well, if that's the case, then I'm sure that the doctor will begin another
treatment regimen for you.  We knew this might happen."

"Do you think I'll ever get any better?" he wondered, looking at me with
this quizzical expression.  I wanted to reassure him, but I also didn't
want to give him false hope.

"Cody, the doctor will do all he can to make you better, and none of us
will give up until we've done everything we can do to get you healthy.
Does that answer your question?"

"I guess, but I'm not so sure I'm going to get better."

"Why do you say that?"

"I dunno.  It's just a feeling I have."

"I want you to let go of all those negative feelings and get them out of
your head, because I want my boy to get better and live a long and happy
life."  He smiled at me, though weakly, and then we sat and waited for the
doctor to return.  It wasn't much longer before he came in to speak to us.
He had a concerned look on his face as he entered, and I became fearful he
had bad news for us.

"Josh, maybe we should speak in private," he said, looking concerned.

"No, I want to know what's going on," Cody barked out, before I had a
chance to respond.  I looked at him, and then looked at the doctor, and
then I nodded my head, letting the doctor know that he should tell us
whatever news he had, together.

"If you think that's best," the doctor began, not looking comfortable with
Cody hearing this at the same time.  "The x-rays show some tumors on Cody's
lungs.  These are going to complicate his recovery, and I really think he
should be taken to Sloan-Kettering in New York City.  They're much better
equipped and staffed to handle this sort of condition."

"Okay, I'm familiar with them."  I didn't say more than that, because I
didn't want to alarm Cody.  I knew the proper name was Memorial
Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and I knew they usually tackled the tough
cases, the ones that couldn't be handled elsewhere.  I didn't want to say
anything that might alarm Cody, so I was very careful in choosing my words.
"What should we do next, doctor?"

"Nothing right now.  I'll contact them and make the arrangements for you,
and then I'll contact you and let you know what you should do next."

"Are you sure there's nothing I can do to help?"

"Yes, I think it best I speak with them and make the arrangements
personally."  He glanced over at Cody, after saying this, and I think he
did this to make sure he wasn't getting overly excited about what was being
said.  "They're very good there," he told Cody, "and they have many things
at their disposal, which I don't.  I think it's best you go there and get
checked out by them now."

I knew he was sidestepping what he really wanted to say, and how he wanted
to say it, just because Cody was in the room.  Realizing this, we talked a
little more, to give Cody the impression he was being fully apprised of his
situation, and then we sent him off with a nurse, to undergo weighing,
measuring, and things like that.  Once he had left the room, the doctor and
I talked more openly.

"Josh, this isn't good.  In fact, it's quite a setback.  Those tumors on
his lungs will complicate things significantly, and I'm not sure if they'll
be able to remove them or do anything to eliminate them in any other
manner.  I'm quite concerned about all this."

"I know you are, and so am I."  I hesitated a second, before I asked the
doctor a question.  "Doc, what are his chances?"

"Josh, I won't try to bluff you or give you false hopes.  I'm highly
concerned about what we've just discovered, and this is a major setback.
I'm not sure there is anything that even Sloan-Kettering will be able to do
for him."

I don't think either of us was ready to mention the fact that Cody might
possibly die, but we both knew this was very serious.  Now I'd have to go
home and tell Jake, but I wasn't sure I wanted to tell the boys any more
than I absolutely had to.  I didn't want to panic anyone, and I certainly
didn't want the boys to start treating Cody differently, because then he'd
know something was up.  I wanted to try to keep him calm, and I'd only tell
the others that we were taking him to Sloan-Kettering to be examined.  I'd
have Jake fill them in better, once we'd left, so they'd understand how
serious this was.  I thought this would be best for everyone concerned.

Once we were able to be alone, I sat down with Jake and explained
everything to him, in detail.  He was concerned too, but he also thought it
best we not tell everything to the boys.  After talking this over in more
detail, we called the boys together, for a little meeting, so we could fill
them in all at once.  It was now the end of May, so everyone was home for
the summer, and we gathered in the family room, were I would explain to
them about Cody's current condition.

"Boys, I just wanted to let you know that the doctor thinks I should take
Cody to Sloan-Kettering Medical Center in New York.  Cody has some growths
on his lungs, and the doctor thinks they would know best what to do next.
He's making the appointment for us, so Cody and I may be gone for a while.
I just wanted to let you know what was happening."

"Is Cody going to be okay?" Andrew asked next.

"I don't see why not" I replied, trying to ease his concerns.  "This is
just a little setback, and the doctor thinks it would be best if the
doctors there look at him."

"Why's that?" Sammy asked.

"The doctor says they do this more often, so he thinks they'll know better
how to take care of him, that's all."

There were a few more questions, which I answered as best I could, and then
the boys went about their business, but Graham stayed behind, wishing to
talk to me alone.  "I'm going with you too," he said quite forcefully, once
the others had left the room.

"I think it would be best if you stayed here, with the others," I told him,
trying to retake control of the situation.  I barely got the words out of
my mouth, before he shouted back at me.

"NO WAY!  I'm going with Cody.  I'm not going to let him be there all
alone."  I could read the determination on his face, but I still didn't
think it would be wise for him to go too.

"He won't be alone," I advised him.  "I'll be with him."  He seemed to calm
down a bit before he responded to me.

"I know you will, but I meant I don't want him to have to be there without
me.  Dad, you must know how close we are now, and if he's sick or in
trouble, I want to be there for him."

"I know you do, Graham, but there won't be much you'll be able to do for
him.  He'll have plenty of doctors and nurses to look after him, beside
me."

"But the doctors and nurses won't be hugging and kissing him, or holding
his hand.  I know you will, but that won't be the same thing.  I think
he'll do better if I'm there with him."

"Graham, I'm not sure if you'd even be allowed in.  They might want to
limit his contact with others as much as possible, until they get a handle
on whatever this is."

"Dad, I have a bad feeling about this, especially after seeing the haze
around him getting darker.  I'm afraid if I don't go with him, I might
never get to see him alive again."  This cut me to the quick, because I
wondered the same thing, and I now understood why this was bothering him so
much.

"Okay, I'll call the doctor and have him check with the hospital.  If they
say it's okay and they'll allow you to be there, then I'll let you go.
Otherwise, you'll have to stay here with the others.  Deal?"

He didn't want to agree to this, fearing that he still might get left
behind, but I think he figured that this was going to be the best offer he
was going to get from me.  Reluctantly, he gave in and agreed to my offer.
"Okay, deal, but they'd better let me go."  Once again he had a determined
look on his face, but he turned and left after he said that, and I was sure
he was going to find Cody next.

The next day, I got a call from the doctor's office, and the doctor told me
he had set it up for us to take Cody to Sloan-Kettering the day after
tomorrow.  When I asked him how he got it set up so quickly, he just said
that he explained the situation to them, and the doctors decided it would
be best to err on the side of caution.  Recognizing that fact, they wanted
to see him as soon as they could, and they pushed his name to the top of
the list.  Although he made this sound innocent enough, I believed there
was much more behind this rush job than met the eye, and this made me a
little nervous about Cody's condition.  When I told him about Graham's
request, I only mentioned it was because those two boys were very close,
and he said he'd call and check on whether that would be acceptable, and
then he'd get back to me about it.  I thanked him, and told him I would
await his next call, and then we hung up, and I went to find Cody, so I
could tell him to pack up what things he wanted to take with him.

When I reached Cody's room, he and Graham were talking, and Graham had just
finished telling Cody that he wanted to go with us and why.  The only
difference between what Graham told Cody and what he told me, was that he
omitted the part about maybe not seeing him alive again.  He also skipped
telling him about the haze he saw around his body, or explaining about the
other times that had happened.  As soon as I informed Cody about when we'd
be leaving, and I advised him to begin packing his things, Graham asked if
I'd check yet, to see if he could go too.  After I told him I had, but the
doctor had to call and check with the center, he told me he'd pack his
things too, as he believed they were going to allow him to go with us too.
I told him that was fine, as long as he didn't complain if they did say no,
and he said he wouldn't, though I feared at this point he'd tell me
anything to get me to let him join us.

That night I hardly got any sleep, as various scenarios concerning Cody's
condition played out in my mind.  I don't want to go into all the things
that my brain was able to conjure up, but the scenes ran the gamut of what
might happen, even if it was only a remote possibility.  I did not get much
rest because of that, as these visions continually flashed before my eyes,
and I guess I tossed and turned most of the evening.  The next morning Jake
wanted to know what had been bothering me, because he said he had never
seen me do anything like that before.  He said I flipped, flopped, jerked,
jumped, and moaned all night long, and said he almost woke me at one point,
but decided against it, when I began to settle back down.  Now, he was even
more tired than I was, if that were possible.

Later that day, sometime in the late afternoon, Cody came up to me and
wanted to talk.  I imagined he wished to discuss the trip or possibly even
what might happen there, but boy was I wrong.  What he asked me caught me
totally unprepared, and set my world spinning.  "Dad, I'm going to die,
aren't I?" he asked seriously, but he didn't seem panicked by the thought.
I guess I probably just stood there for a few moments, with my mouth open,
unable to respond to his query.  Finally I regained my composure and
answered him.

"Cody, there's no need to think the worst will happen.  The doctors at
Sloan-Kettering are some of the finest cancer specialists in the world.
They're just going to assess your situation, suggest treatment options, and
then we'll go from there.

"Dad, that's okay.  I'm not scared.  I just wish that I could stay here
with you longer.  I've never been this happy before."

"Cody, you've got to fight this thing, if you want to get better.  Don't
give up and don't give in to these feelings.  We'll see what the doctors
have to say, and then we'll fight it.  We'll do everything they tell us to
do to help you through this, and we won't give up hope, because I'm
enjoying having you as my son too, and I want to continue enjoying this
feeling for many years to come."

He smiled at me when I said this, and then he spoke again.  "Thanks, Dad,
and I'd like to spend more time with you and Graham too."

Up until this moment, I hadn't realized he actually harbored the thought
that he was dying, though I had been concerned he might be thinking about
that.  Any time a person faces a serious illness, whether as an adult or as
a child, it is only normal it would make him think about his own mortality.
Although it is often harder for a younger person to consider his own
vulnerability, and accept the fact he is not immortal, he would seldom be
called upon to face such a prospect.  Although such a confrontation with
the specter of death doesn't usually affect a young person in the same way
it would an older person, it is not something he can brush away with that
general youthful nonchalance he would use when dealing with other issues.
Now I realized that Cody and I would have to do some serious talking on
this trip, so I could help him deal with the issues he had to confront and
demons he had to battle.

The next day, when it was time for us to leave, everyone was there to see
us off, including our extended family.  The boys all gave Cody a very
special send off, making sure they let him know that they loved him, would
be praying for him, and were looking forward to having him there for a
long, long time to come.  They gave him a couple of little gifts to take
with him, one being a small guardian angel pin, which he could wear on his
collar.  Their second gift to him was a large, framed family photo, which
had been taken after one of the graduation ceremonies.  They felt the
picture would help him remember that they were all behind him, and that
they would be there for him in spirit, if not in person.

Although everyone tried to keep their emotions intact in front of Cody, I
could see individuals wiping their eyes, once Cody had turned in a
different direction.  He received plenty of cards, some money (so he could
buy magazines, games, or other things to help him occupy his time), and a
few other essentials, like some new pairs of pajamas, so he hopefully
wouldn't have to wear any of those hospital gowns that showed off your
behind. He made sure he thanked everyone for everything, and then told them
he hoped to see them again soon, and then he, Graham, and I packed his
gifts in with our other luggage, and we were ready to leave.

We were taking the Grand Am on this trip, so Cody and Graham decided to
ride in the back seat together.  When they asked me if I minded, I simply
told them, "No, the chauffeur is used to riding alone in the front."  At
first they thought they had made me feel bad, and tried to apologize and
explain it wasn't like that at all.  When they finally realized I was
teasing them, they decided they'd have more fun playing along, so they
began to discuss what they should do next.  When we made our first stop, to
stretch and use the restrooms, they didn't get out of the car right away,
and I didn't understand what was wrong.  Thinking there was a problem, I
went back to open their door, to see what was wrong, and they told me it
was about time I did my job and opened the door for them.  As they walked
by me, Cody looked over his shoulder and spoke to me.  "That will be all,
James, until we are ready to leave," and then he started to laugh.  As I
was not ready to let him get away with this, I made a fast move in his
direction, but he saw me do that and he began to run toward the restroom,
laughing as he went.  I stopped at that point, as I didn't want him to
exert himself or possibly cause him other problems, but I knew this was not
the last of this silliness.

We all did a little stretching, after we relieved ourselves, and then we
went back to the car.  I intentionally walked ahead of them, so I could
open the door for them, and I bowed and said, "After you, young sirs," as I
waited for them to enter.  Cody giggled, and then he let Graham get in
first.  He got in right behind Graham, telling me, "Continue on, James,"
after he was seated.  I closed the door and hopped back in the front seat,
ready to continue on our journey.

We had been riding for approximately another hour or so, when I looked in
the rearview mirror and only saw one head looking back at me.  I turned to
see what was up, and I noticed Cody had fallen asleep, with his head
resting peacefully on Graham's lap.  Graham smiled at me, and then stroked
Cody's head and hair, and then I turned forward again, to pay attention to
my driving.

The trip actually took several hours to complete, and we arrived at
Sloan-Kettering late in the afternoon.  We parked the car in the parking
garage, leaving most of our things in the trunk, and then we made our way
toward the main entrance.  I knew we would need to check Cody in, and then
we'd have to wait and see if they planned to do anything with him before
tomorrow.  Seeing we were expected, they had our paperwork ready, and it
didn't take long to fill it all out.  When that had been completed, we were
told to wait right there, until they could contact the doctor, so he could
come down and meet with us.  We took seats in the little waiting area, but
not before we had a chance to look around and check everything out, and we
hadn't been seated very long, before someone came out and paged Cody's
name.  We were asked to follow that person to an examination room, where we
were left to wait for the doctor.  I think the person was shocked when all
three of got up to go with her, and I quickly explained that we were here
for support and we planned to stay together through this whole experience.
She smiled and said she understood, and then she closed the door behind
her, as she left.

When the doctor arrived, he wanted to know why Graham was there too, and we
quickly filled him in on our reasoning.  He seemed fine with that, as long
as Graham was just there for support, and then he spoke to both Cody and
me, asking us questions about Cody's condition.  It seemed he wanted to
make sure he knew all that had happened so far, but he also wanted to get
our perspectives on Cody's progress to this point.  After he finished
questioning us, he told us he was going to give Cody a complete physical,
run some blood tests, take some tissue and bone marrow samples, and then
send Cody to have more x-rays taken.  After asking Cody if he'd prefer the
physical be done in private, Cody informed him that wouldn't be necessary,
and the doctor had him strip down, so he could check him out.  After that
examination was over and the other procedures had been carried out, we
waited in the examination room again.  We assumed this was to give the
doctor time to look at the x-rays, after they were developed, so he could
determine if anything had changed much since the last x-rays were taken.
We knew our doctor had forwarded all that information to him, using
overnight express.  Once the doctor had evaluated those latest pictures, he
returned to speak with us.

"The x-rays show multiple tumors in the lungs, and I'd like to learn more
about them.  I'm going to schedule Cody for an MRI, but they probably won't
be able to squeeze him in for a couple of hours."  He went on to tell us
that we should go and unwind for a couple of hours, and he'd schedule us
for an evening appointment.  We thanked him, and left the building, as I
concluded I should get Cody away from there for a while, to keep him from
thinking about his situation.  I thought it best we just go for a walk, and
Graham and I could carry on a conversation with him, to keep him from
worrying about what the doctor might find.

When we walked outside, we discovered it was quite warm, but not yet hot.
We merely decided to walk down the street, and we talked about the things
we had seen on our previous triips to the city, pointing out the general
location of where those things might be.  We also spent time wondering what
the rest of the boys might be doing at home, just to keep Cody's mind away
from his illness.  This seemed to do the trick, and didn't give him time to
focus on his own problems, but to be safe, we also pointed out things we
passed along the way, hoping this might distract him even further.  It all
seemed to be working as planned, however all of our walking seemed to be
tiring Cody out.  We had to stop many times along the way, so he could rest
briefly and regain some strength, but I still thought it was better we
weren't just sitting around a waiting room, where he could dwell on his
problems.  As we approached the two-hour mark, we headed back toward
Sloan-Kettering, knowing it would soon be time for his MRI.  After a few
more brief rest stops, we made our way to the area where the MRI would be
done.  I tried to give Cody a quick explanation of what would it would be
like for him, though I was definitely no expert on this subject.

"Cody, this scan is done with powerful magnets, and it will allow the
doctors to get a better idea about the tumors they discovered on your
lungs.  You'll probably lie on a tray of sorts, and then they'll slide you
inside a large opening, so the magnets can move around your body.  It won't
hurt, and it shouldn't take long for them to do this.  If it bothers you
being inside that tube, just close your eyes and pretend you're in your own
room at home.  We'll be waiting here for you when you come out."

He just nodded his understanding, but didn't ask any questions, and I saw
Graham squeeze his hand, as we walked back through the doors that would
lead us to where the MRI would be given.  We continued to try to reassure
Cody, but I think maybe we were more nervous about this than he was.  Soon
we were told we couldn't go any farther, and Cody would have to do this on
his own, and for the first time I noticed how pale and weak Cody now
looked.  It almost broke my heart to know he'd have to go through this part
without us, especially now that he seemed so fragile, and I really wanted
to be there for him as his body was slowly glided inside that tube.
However, there were very good reasons why Graham and I were not allowed to
be in the room when this would be done, and most of it had to do with the
powerful magnets they used in that machine.  Anything metallic located
within that closed area would become a projectile, as it was drawn toward
the magnets, endangering anyone in the room, but especially the patient.
Therefore, the room was carefully screened, entry was limited, and everyone
was protected.

When Cody came back out, after the MRI had been completed, he looked very
weary, but he still had that never-fading smile on his face.  Once we were
back together, we were led to a waiting room, where we were told we could
stay until the doctor was ready to talk to us.  We thanked the person who
brought us there, and then we went in, sat down, and tried to get
interested in some of the old magazines lying on the tables, but that was a
difficult thing to do.  After a few minutes of this fruitless effort, we
put the books down, realizing none of us felt like reading just then.  At
that point Cody came over and sat on my lap, with Graham moving over to sit
beside us, and he put his head on my shoulder, almost like he was going to
take a quick nap.  We sat like that for many minutes, with no one saying a
word, just sitting there and being close.  After a while, Cody stirred and
then moved off my lap, so he could sit next to Graham.  At that point they
just held each other's hand, until the doctor came back in to speak with
us.

"All right, here's the situation," he began.  "There are a very large
number of tumors on Cody's lungs, and they are in areas where we can't
operate, and we have also discovered tumors forming on his liver and
pancreas."  He paused and looked at us, and I knew he was trying to find a
way to explain what would come next.  Eventually he continued with this
explanation.

"If there weren't so many tumors, or they weren't located in such strategic
areas, I would have recommended radiation therapy to deal with them.
However, I'm not sure CCody's body could handle that at this point."

"If there is no other way to handle those tumors," I asked him, "would
organ transplants be a possibility?"  He looked at me, giving me a chance
to read his expression, and I knew his answer before he spoke.

"No, I'm positive that Cody's immune system couldn't deal with that,
especially with the very powerful anti-rejection drugs that we'd have to
administer to him.  I'm also not sure his body is strong enough to deal
with the operation either."

"Then what can we do?" I wondered aloud.

"Not much," the doctor replied.  " We will start Cody on some chemotherapy,
though it will have to be a mild treatment plan, to see if we might be able
to shrink some of those tumors.  Once we see what that does for us, we'll
decide what to do next."

I thanked the doctor for the information, and he patted Cody on the
shoulder, before he left the room.  I followed him out of the waiting room,
so I could ask him a few more questions about Cody's condition, but out of
earshot of the boys.  Once we were alone, I approached him again.  "Doctor,
will he make it through this?" I asked him, quite directly.

"I wish I could tell you he will, but I think there's just too much working
against him.  We will do our best, but I'm afraid I can't offer you much
hope.  I want to keep him here, so I can monitor his progress.  I'll
arrange for a room for him, and I'll have an extra bed put in there, if you
want to stay with him.  If you'd like for me to arrange for you to see a
clergyman, I will be happy to do that for you too.  Just let me know which
denomination you'd prefer."

I nodded, and told him my preference, and then I almost collapsed on the
spot.  Unless a miracle came along, it looked as though Cody probably
wouldn't make it to his next birthday, and possibly not even until next
month.  It appeared that Graham's vision had been right on the mark once
again.  Some times I just wished he didn't have that gift, or that there
was a greater margin of error in what he saw.  However, that wasn't the
case, so I'd have to deal with the realities of the situation, and take
care of Cody and the rest of my boys in the process.  As I went back into
the waiting room, I had to come up with what I would tell the boys.  I
tried to put a less worried look on my face, so I wouldn't alarm them, and
then I walked up to the pair, and spoke.

"Boys, it looks like we'll be staying here for a while, so I'll go to the
car and get our things.  You wait here, and I'll be right back."

                  *    *     *     *     *     *     *     *

If you have enjoyed reading this story, you will find other stories by me
by clicking on the Nifty author link and scrolling down to "BW".  This will
give you the links for everything I have posted there.

E-mails may be sent to: bwstories8@aol.com.