Before I knew it, it was morning. I got woken up by Dawn's alarm on her phone, which was set at 7 a.m. I guess that was her usual wake-up time, but she looked so happy and peaceful in her sleep that I couldn't wake her. I guess it wouldn't be too much of a problem if she slept more since that would be helpful for her immune system.
Apparently, I didn't really need to worry about it. She slowly opened her eyes around 8 a.m., and I could tell she was happy from the amount of rest she was able to get. She had a small smile on her lips, and met my eyes, holding the gaze a bit longer that I started to blush.
It got a bit awkward and I didn't know how to break the silence. However, I gladly didn't need to worry, as her nurse entered, holding the tray of her breakfast. The tray contained a plate of spring pasta salad, clam chowder, three slices of fruit - tangerine, apple, and pear - and a purple liquid. I guess it's one of the fruit juices Dawn mentioned last night. There was also a brown bag on the side of her platter.
"That's your breakfast, Lucas. They would be prepping yours along with hers just for the breakfast, but you'd need to get the lunch and dinner downstairs. I'll be there with Dawn during that, so you can at least have your meals in peace without having to worry about her.
"There's mac and cheese, a banana, grape or apple jelly, and a stick of prebiotics in there I believe. The jelly is random, so I don't know which you've got. They both taste fine, but if you don't want it you could give it to Dawn." She plopped down on the chair beside the bed, the space I hadn't bothered using; the chair was too stiff and too upright. However, she hadn't bothered to lean on the back of the chair, so I guess it wouldn't matter to her. She watched Dawn eat, and it was nice to see her eat most of the breakfast given to her in the medium speed she likes. She always sped up when eating with her friends, afraid they'd end up waiting for her longer.
By the time she finished, I had finished mine, too. I didn't really like eating jelly, so I gave her the apple jelly, which she passed on to Catherine. I guess she doesn't like them. "I don't really like apple jelly. I prefer grape over it since the grape is kind of a flavour that is hard to taste weird. Some of the other flavours' textures tend to feel a bit weird while the grape's doesn't." Dawn explained; I guess I looked a bit hurt that she refused.
"Then maybe I should have given you mine. The texture's nice; very chewy. The flavour is pretty strong and on point." Catherine said between bites of jelly.
"Huh, then maybe next time, Catherine." Dawn spoke and smiled slightly at her.
"The chemotherapy should start soon. We'll be working with the combination I've told you before and the doctor will come to talk about it."
"It's the irinotecan and cisplatin, right? Isn't there a risk of hearing loss?" I voiced the concern I'd been worrying about.
"It's not that common, and you don't need to worry too much about that, Lucas, you'll scare her."
"Now aren't you just saying that 'cause you're worried I might scare her, not because the actual percentage of getting the disease is low?" I asked, noticing a small fault in her comment.
"It only affects 5% of the people who have SCLC anyways. You won't need to worry too much about it since me and the doctor will be monitoring her constantly for any side effects and we'll be changing the drug combination if things become worse." Catherine assured me, trying her best to not make me worry and thus prevent Dawn from getting worried because of me, although I didn't think that would be plausible.
"Hello, everyone. Catherine, could you go and get the IV prepared?" My uncle entered while speaking and Catherine gave him a quick nod and walked out of the room to get everything prepared for the chemotherapy.
Catherine soon returned with a nurse following close behind. She was carrying a tray with a small metal bowl (presumably holding alcohol wipes), alcohol cleanser for the doctor, the IV cannula, a pair of gloves, saline, a suitable plaster, syringe, disposable tourniquet, and a clinical waste bin. He first sanitised his hands with the cleaner and positioned the arm so that it was in a comfortable place for Dawn and also good enough to insert the cannula. The insertion procedure took a bit of time, but it hadn't taken long. To be honest, I probably could have done it with my eyes closed, but it's just that my uncle wouldn't allow me to do it. Since even Catherine, a skilled nurse who has been doing her work for more than 5 years wasn't allowed, I guess it wasn't much of a surprise.
The almost forgotten nurse who had entered with Catherine was attaching the IV pole for the wheelchair and kept a pole near the bed for further usage if necessary. I noticed the logo from the Downy Cancer Hospice, the place where Dawn will be staying for the rest of her life.
The nurse left quickly, not finding any need to stay long. I guess they had provided her with the poles, although this doesn't happen that often.
After the IV was attached to her, Catherine took the things with her and left, securing the door shut behind her. "Lucas, just make sure she doesn't feel too awkward. If you notice signs of side effects, send me a message with the symptoms listed. If I don't respond within ten minutes, hit the call button and Catherine will come."
I gave him a quick nod and my uncle left to fetch the package containing the drugs. He then hung it on one of the hooks at the top of the pole beside her bed and connected it to the IV line.
The liquid began to drop down, drop by drop, and the chemotherapy began for real.