Only Human

Chapter 3

Next thing I knew, we were in the glee room, Blaine and Puck sitting down on either side of me. I could feel the gazes of both boys on me. Looking up at each of them, I could tell they were just worried, and I think Puck was a bit scared of the situation. Well I guess this was one way of impressing a new boy that I like, way to go.

"I'm fine guys. If you stare at me any harder you may start shooting laser beams through my head."

"You're my sister, I will always be worried about you, you know that," Blaine replied while pulling the meter out of his bag again. "Now, give me your finger, let's see where you're at," he stated while I have him my carefully selected middle finger. "Well, I see you're whit is back in tact, thanks," he smirked while pricking my finger. Within a few seconds, a beep could be heard. "80, good. If you hit at least 120 before practice and promise me you will come off the field if you start feeling low you can go to practice. If you aren't, you are staying in here with me during glee rehearsal and we will go home from there."

"Fine," I replied while rolling my eyes. "Puck, thanks for taking care of me earlier. You were more help than you realize. I could have passed out and ended up on the floor of the classroom before anyone realized something was wrong if you hadn't been paying attention."

"I'm glad I could help, besides, it's hard to pay attention in class when there is a cute girl sitting right next to you." I blushed at his comment, while I noticed Blaine now rolling his eyes. "At least now, I know some of the signs to watch for in case it happens again. I can start carrying snacks and stuff too just in case, this way Blaine doesn't have to be called every time."

"Thanks very kind of you Puck, but not necessary. I do keep snacks and things in my bag and locker and my meter is usually with me in my bag as well. Today has just been an off day and I usually know sooner when my sugar levels are dropping so I can do something about it. I think the headache I was ignoring at the start of class was my first warning sign. I shouldn't have ignored it. I know better than that, I just wasn't thinking."

"Alright. Blaine, I will be skipping glee today because I promised coach that I would help with the first practice. I'll be out on the field, I can keep an eye out on Katie if it would make you feel better about going to practice today."

"Sure, Puck, that sounds good, thanks. I still don't want her practicing unless her numbers are at least 120 though. She'll be working hard out there and it would only cause her to be lower if she isn't high enough to start. Speaking of which, Katie, do you think we should either turn off your pump or disconnect it for now. I noticed your delivery rate is only set to 0.5 an hour and you were pretty low for that. I know you take it off for practice anyway."

"Not a bad idea, Blaine. Yeah I think I will, it will only help my levels to go up faster and stay there anyway." Why didn't I think of that before, duh. I turned my pump off and unclipped it from the insertion site on my abdomen. After doing this, I put the pump in my back pack.

"What exactly is your pump, I mean what does it do? If you don't mind me asking," Puck asked.

"I don't mind Puck, but if it's alright, I will let Blaine explain it to you while I go get ready for practice," I answered while finishing up the crackers that Blaine had given me in the hall, and glancing up at Blaine for confirmation that it was okay.

"Sure Shorty, go get ready and we will test you again before you head out the field," he smiled back at me. I shook me head in agreement while leaving the glee room to head to my locker to get my soccer bag and heading off to the girl's locker room to change. "Puck, her pump is an insulin pump. It basically takes over the function of her pancreas when it comes to producing and delivering insulin. For whatever reason, when she was ten years old her pancreas stopped working. Her sugar levels were through the roof, I remember the doctors saying it was over 900. Her goal range is 80-120. Depending on what her activity level is or what she may be doing gives an indication of what we want her range to be so that she isn't running too high or too low. Anyway, the pump has a few parts to it. The insertion site on her abdomen is actually where a small canula, or tube, that is inserted just under her skin. There is another piece that connects into it that is connected to tubing that is attached to the pump itself. The pump is filled with insulin and can be programmed to give a certain amount consistently through the day and also has the ability to bolus, or give an extra amount for a one time occurrence if needed."

With all this information, Puck had a clear look of confusion on his face. "Why does she need the insulin anyway?" he asked.

"Well, without it she would die. There is a no cure for diabetes, just a treatment. Insulin is her lifeline so to speak. If she didn't get enough of it, her sugar levels will rise. If they are too high she can go into diabetic ketoacidosis, or DKA. That's when her blood becomes acidotic, which is very dangerous, and her organs can begin shutting down. On the flip side, if she is getting to much or she is just running low, it could put her in a coma if not treated enough. That's why she has to test her blood frequently throughout the day to constantly monitor what her levels are. She is usually in tune enough with her body that she can tell if she is high or low, sometimes it just sneaks up on her before she realizes what's going on. Kind of like today."

"Are the symptoms different when she is high or low?"

"Yes. She tends to have a headache whether she is high or low. When she is low, she tends to become very pale and shaky. Those are her main signs. She may become hungry or dizzy or have a combination of symptoms. If she is high, her attitude changes, she tends to become depressed. She goes to that bathroom a lot, her body tries to rid itself of the extra sugar through urine. She drinks a lot, constantly. She tends to feel nauseous when she's high as well," Blaine explained.

"Wow, you really know a lot about this stuff."

"Comes with the brother territory. Especially so after our parents died. We only have each other now, so we look out for each other. She's a stubborn one though so I really have to read in between the lines. She tries to keep things hidden, like if she isn't feeling well, so that Coop and I don't worry about her."

"I see, I can understand that. I'm sort of like that with my mom. It's just the two of us and I'm always worried that she is working herself too hard. Can I be honest with you for a second?"

"Sure, what's up? Sounds serious," Blaine replied.

"Please don't hate me when I say this, but I think I'm falling for your sister. I know that we just met today, but I feel drawn to her, like I need to protect her. I can feel my heart beat faster when ever she is around. When the time is right, would you be upset if I asked her to be my girlfriend?" Puck nervously shifted in his seat."

"Oh, I don't know. That's kind of a big deal. I guess it would be alright, I know that you are good guy and not quite the womanizer that you are made out to be. Just know that if you ever hurt her, it won't be just me you will have to be worried about, but Cooper too. Which quite frankly, Cooper alone, I wouldn't wish upon anyone."

"Fair enough," Puck replied while shaking Blaine's hand. "I think I'm going to go get ready for practice, I will see you after glee."

"Sure," Blaine responded with a grin. I think Puck could be good for Katie, get her to trust someone other than me and Coop, maybe even realize that not everyone is going away or will be taken away from her. No longer had the conversation ended Katie returns to the glee room.

"Alright, just so you know I waited to test again so you could see for yourself that I will be fine."

"Well, lets do this then," he said while pulling the meter out and repeating the process of testing her sugar, only this time, allowing Katie to do it on her own.

"There, see, 130, I'm good to go. I will see you in about 2 hours Blaine. Since you have Puck out there too, don't worry, if something happens, I'm sure he will call. Cooper packed stuff in my soccer bag so I'm prepared."

"Alright, go, I will see you in a little while."