I thought maybe she was feeling sick, so I speedily put down my book and asked, "Yeah? Does somewhere else feel off?"
"No… It's just…" Dawn was deliberating for some reason, quite torn between a few decisions(I think).
"Tell me. You know you can tell or ask me anything you want, right?" I spoke, trying to encourage her to speak what was on her mind.
"Yeah… I think my period began." Dawn said, blushing slightly. "Could you take me to the bathroom?"
"Yeah, sure. Do you have what you need?"
"It's all in my bag, but I might need extra underwear. It's in the second drawer across from you."
I quickly went and opened the door, to find all of her underwear in it. I took out a black one and shut the drawer, handing it out to Dawn.
"Thanks," Dawn spoke and I nodded, gathering her up in my arms again. She picked up her bag on the way to the restroom and I placed her down on the toilet seat just like before.
Dawn then tried to lift the top portion of her body a little bit and succeeded. I had my arms out near her, just in case, and closed my eyes shut, letting her do what she needed to do.
She tapped my arm, letting me know she was done but didn't tell me if I could open my eyes. So I whispered, "Can I open my eyes?"
"Oh, yeah." She chuckled a little then, noticing her mistake.
I opened my eyes and helped her to stand in front of the basin. "Is this okay?"
She nodded and took out the headband from her bag. I had nothing to do except stand still and support her body. She cleaned herself up and notified me she was finished so I could take her back to her bed,
I nodded and gathered her up in my arms, waited for her to stop feeling too dizzy, and walked over to her bed. But before I could place her there, she spoke up. "Could I go outside? I mean, the doctors won't be making any visits and there's sometime before dinner. The weather looks amazing."
"Yeah, I think that'll be alright. The weather isn't too cold and this is as good a time as any to put that wheelchair to the test." I nodded at that and smiled.
Dawn smiled and nodded in agreement while I sat her down on the bed, so I opened the closet to find three shawls inside. They all looked hand-knitted, reminding me of Dawn's hobby. "Are these the ones you knitted?'
"No, I've never made shawls. The blankets folded are the blankets I crocheted, but those are Courtney's job."
Courtney Lewis was our friend and in the same classes with us in school. She and Dawn got close through their shared hobbies and introduced her to me and the rest of her friends; Michael Davis and Stuart Moore. Courtney was an energetic soul so the four of us were soon close as if we'd known each other forever.
That comment made me remember Dawn's fifteenth birthday, the first time we celebrated as a group of four. Courtney had given her those three shawls, all beige. Their only difference was thickness according to weather: summer, winter and spring and autumn. "Oh, the ones from your fifteenth birthday?" I asked her for verification and she nodded.
I took out the medium-thick one and asked her, "Do you need me to get some Tylenol for the pain?"
Dawn momentarily looked confused but then understood my meaning. She smiled and said, "No, my cramps aren't that bad."
I nodded and gathered her in my arms again, setting her down on the chair. I then wrapped the shawl around her shoulders and wore my jacket. "Could you carry my drink as well?" I asked her, nodding in the direction of our unfinished drinks.
"Sure." She answered before I even had a chance to explain the reason behind it. It was simply because controlling a wheelchair with two hands was much easier than one.
So I handed her the two cups and rolled her chair outside her room.
Just outside, we ran into Dr Jones. She had her iPad in her arm, so I could tell she was making rounds. I was planning to just pass her quietly but she locked eyes with me. "Now, young man, what are you doing!"
I knew why Dr Jones was more or less furious. To her point of view, this may not help Dawn's recovery or cause other effects — cold, flu and things like that — that could interfere with the course of her chemo. Of course, she knew I knew a lot about chemo and basic treatments and such that I wouldn't be making this sort of mistake, but she also knew I have a soft spot for Dawn that I would agree with if she requested anything.
"Dr Jones, I asked Lucas for this, so don't blame him too much. I thought it'd be alright to go out for a walk because the weather forecast told me it's warm and I have a shawl as well."
I didn't expect Dawn to take my side. Okay, since I didn't do anything wrong — at least, by her standards — and it was something she did request, there was no reason why she wouldn't take my side. However, I knew I had done something wrong when I saw Dr Jones's expression.
"Of course, it was you who suggested this and because it was you he agreed to your plan. Since the weather outside isn't too cold, the chances of you catching a cold or something is very low, yes, but low doesn't mean zero. You can't be sure of that, and that tiny percentage may end up making things complicated for your treatment in the long term."
She had a point. A very good point, to be exact. That was why I was confident she won't let us go. But she surprised me this time. "However, I see you're equipped with a good thick shawl. That would help you, so I will let you two go if you promise to return within two hours. Can you promise that?"
Dawn smiled and said, "Of course! We can't stay very long since the dinner will be in my room."
I believe Dr Jones thought we would be having our meal outside since she looked a bit shocked at Dawn's comment.
So with our promise to Dr Jones for our return time, we finally made our way out of the building.