**basketball:6th period**
You and the varsity team are all practicing drills and today for some reason, you feel really out of breathe and dehydrated. On your water break, you gulp down your whole water bottle but you still feel dehydrated. You feel dizzy and you fall on your knees.
Coach: Sullivan!! Get your behind over here!!
You try to get up but you can't. You just fall right back down to your knees and the assistant coach goes to you, Tommy.
Tommy: What's wrong Jamie?
Jamie: I feel dizzy.
Tommy: Why don't you sit down. Do you need water?
Jamie: Y-yah...
Tommy gets you cold water and you gulp it all down, still feeling dehydrated AND bloated from the water. You put your hand on your head and you can't take it. You can't stand another minute in the gym when you remember what your doctor said...
**
Doctor: If you ever feel sick Jamie, dizzy or anything, quickly go to the hospital and get a check up.
**
You quickly pack up your stuff and you walk out of the gym. You don't see Shawn and you forget it. You quickly go back home and you don't see your grandma there. You guess your grandma is still at work and you put your stuff down. You change into regular clothes and you head to the hospital by walking. It's just a few blocks away anyways so it's not a big deal. You quickly head into the main desk and you ask for the emergency room. They point it to you and you go there. You sign up for a check up test and when it's your turn, you go in to the room. It reminds you of the same room in Florida where you first got diagnosed with leukemia.
Dr: Jamie Sullivan?
Jamie: Yes.
Dr: So you've been diagnosed with leukemia I see.
Jamie: Yes. I came for a check up. My doctor in Florida said if I feel dizzy I should head to the hospital and get a check up right away.
Dr: When did you feel dizzy?
Jamie: 6th period. I have basketball.
Dr: Oh. Although excercise is recommended, you're a little too sick for it, don't you think?
Jamie: ...
Dr: Well lets get you checked up and we'll see the results soon....
***
Dr: Oh...
Jamie: Is something wrong?
Dr: You seem to have gotten worse.
Jamie: What?
Dr: Have you been taking your medication daily?
Jamie: Not daily but sometimes...
Dr: Medications are important for you Jamie. You can't ignore them.
Jamie: ... how bad did it get?
Dr: Results are obvious but it's not too drastic. I'll assign you more doses of your medication. You'll probably feel a bit more nauseated and dizzy for a while because your body has to get used to the doses. You might also get severe headaches. I'll assign a new medication for that one.
Jamie: *sigh* More medication...great.
Dr: Well Jamie they are important for you so that you can live longer.
Jamie: I know...how long do you think I have?
Dr: Excuse me?
Jamie: Well I know I'm not gonna die of old age...how long do you think? The doctor from Florida said I had maximum 30. What do you say now?
Dr: ...I don't enjoy saying a limited age you're going to live.
Jamie: Please...can you tell me?
Dr: ...I'm guessing...maximum would be 25.
Jamie: Minimum?
Dr: Exaggeratingly, 18. (you just turned 17)
Jamie: A year?!
Dr: Exaggeratingly I said.
Jamie: Oh....
Dr: I'll give a note so you can give to your basketball coach. It's just going to say if you feel dizzy to let you sit out for the rest of the time until you feel better...
**home**
You get the phone and you call Shawn.
Shawn: Hello?
Jamie: Hey Shawn. It's Jamie.
Shawn: Hey.
Jamie: Hey I went to the hospital today.
Shawn: For what?
Jamie: You know.
Shawn: Oh...THAT.
Jamie: Yah. I got a check up.
Shawn: Ok.
Jamie: ...the doctor said I got sicker.
Shawn: Oh...
Jamie: Is that all you can say?
Shawn: ...well...I don't know what to say.
Jamie: ...ok...*tearing up* Well uh I gotta go. My grandma came back.
Shawn: S-sure.
You hang up and a tear drops down your cheek. You can't believe it! You and Shawn have been going out for more than a year and he knows about your leukemia. All he can say is "oh" when you tell him you got sicker? You get so pissed at that and you plop onto your bed, crying yourself to sleep...
You and the varsity team are all practicing drills and today for some reason, you feel really out of breathe and dehydrated. On your water break, you gulp down your whole water bottle but you still feel dehydrated. You feel dizzy and you fall on your knees.
Coach: Sullivan!! Get your behind over here!!
You try to get up but you can't. You just fall right back down to your knees and the assistant coach goes to you, Tommy.
Tommy: What's wrong Jamie?
Jamie: I feel dizzy.
Tommy: Why don't you sit down. Do you need water?
Jamie: Y-yah...
Tommy gets you cold water and you gulp it all down, still feeling dehydrated AND bloated from the water. You put your hand on your head and you can't take it. You can't stand another minute in the gym when you remember what your doctor said...
**
Doctor: If you ever feel sick Jamie, dizzy or anything, quickly go to the hospital and get a check up.
**
You quickly pack up your stuff and you walk out of the gym. You don't see Shawn and you forget it. You quickly go back home and you don't see your grandma there. You guess your grandma is still at work and you put your stuff down. You change into regular clothes and you head to the hospital by walking. It's just a few blocks away anyways so it's not a big deal. You quickly head into the main desk and you ask for the emergency room. They point it to you and you go there. You sign up for a check up test and when it's your turn, you go in to the room. It reminds you of the same room in Florida where you first got diagnosed with leukemia.
Dr: Jamie Sullivan?
Jamie: Yes.
Dr: So you've been diagnosed with leukemia I see.
Jamie: Yes. I came for a check up. My doctor in Florida said if I feel dizzy I should head to the hospital and get a check up right away.
Dr: When did you feel dizzy?
Jamie: 6th period. I have basketball.
Dr: Oh. Although excercise is recommended, you're a little too sick for it, don't you think?
Jamie: ...
Dr: Well lets get you checked up and we'll see the results soon....
***
Dr: Oh...
Jamie: Is something wrong?
Dr: You seem to have gotten worse.
Jamie: What?
Dr: Have you been taking your medication daily?
Jamie: Not daily but sometimes...
Dr: Medications are important for you Jamie. You can't ignore them.
Jamie: ... how bad did it get?
Dr: Results are obvious but it's not too drastic. I'll assign you more doses of your medication. You'll probably feel a bit more nauseated and dizzy for a while because your body has to get used to the doses. You might also get severe headaches. I'll assign a new medication for that one.
Jamie: *sigh* More medication...great.
Dr: Well Jamie they are important for you so that you can live longer.
Jamie: I know...how long do you think I have?
Dr: Excuse me?
Jamie: Well I know I'm not gonna die of old age...how long do you think? The doctor from Florida said I had maximum 30. What do you say now?
Dr: ...I don't enjoy saying a limited age you're going to live.
Jamie: Please...can you tell me?
Dr: ...I'm guessing...maximum would be 25.
Jamie: Minimum?
Dr: Exaggeratingly, 18. (you just turned 17)
Jamie: A year?!
Dr: Exaggeratingly I said.
Jamie: Oh....
Dr: I'll give a note so you can give to your basketball coach. It's just going to say if you feel dizzy to let you sit out for the rest of the time until you feel better...
**home**
You get the phone and you call Shawn.
Shawn: Hello?
Jamie: Hey Shawn. It's Jamie.
Shawn: Hey.
Jamie: Hey I went to the hospital today.
Shawn: For what?
Jamie: You know.
Shawn: Oh...THAT.
Jamie: Yah. I got a check up.
Shawn: Ok.
Jamie: ...the doctor said I got sicker.
Shawn: Oh...
Jamie: Is that all you can say?
Shawn: ...well...I don't know what to say.
Jamie: ...ok...*tearing up* Well uh I gotta go. My grandma came back.
Shawn: S-sure.
You hang up and a tear drops down your cheek. You can't believe it! You and Shawn have been going out for more than a year and he knows about your leukemia. All he can say is "oh" when you tell him you got sicker? You get so pissed at that and you plop onto your bed, crying yourself to sleep...