Without needing it, he had no choice but to get the treatment. His family was greatly pushing for the treatment, so he really had no choice.
In jedvahtherapy, one thing was certain. Giovanni Jurgen was to expect a large array of side effects. Not all side effects effected each person, and each person would have varying degrees of all the different side effects. The one Gio was looking forward to the least was the hair loss, but he wasn't fond of the muscular atrophy either. He could become totally weak, but first, he needed to find an MD dumb or brave enough to give the treatment to someone who didn't need it in the slightest.
His search took him all the way to Tatoodeen, one of the last habitable planets in the Stzock galaxy. Questions were raised why they had to go so far to seek treatment. There would have been plenty of options for him in Ohörg, but the doctor wasn't estranged enough in any of the in-network options. They would have to pay out of pocket for the treatment.
Emile didn't care. She would sacrifice her entire life's work to have Gio around for the rest of her life. So, they all moved to Tatoodeen. Emile insisted they live close to each other, so she bought two houses in the same luxurious neighborhood and Gio and Kat lived in the smaller one without a pool. They were neighbors in a manner of speaking, and everyone was anxious about Gio's first day of treatment the next day.
Gio felt terrible. He was about to get treatment for one of the worst diseases to have without having it. All to keep his front going. The treatment could be deadly on its own. It could cause him so much discomfort and rupture organs and whatnot. But it was a proven way to beat jedvahaj, despite being deadly.
The hospital looked ran down in appearance. But Gio, Emile, and Kat all walked in towards the treatment center. Gio did all the talking. He didn't feel weak enough to have his mother or girlfriend advocate for him. As they were waiting for someone to come get Gio, they casually browsed magazines.
Then, the most beautiful nurse came out to retrieve Gio. Her neck was so long like Gio liked, but she was still human. She was the embodiment of beauty to Gio, and Kat started acting weird. She could tell Gio was eying the nurse, but he never flirted with her. He maintained professionalism with his mother and girlfriend following in behind them, but the entire time, he was eying the nurse's badonkadonk.
They made it into their room, then the nurse said, "the doctor will be with you shortly."
And Gio knee better than to be the one to reply to her, so no one ended up saying anything, because Kat was jealous, and Emile was sorta an asshole, who was buried in the addition of Cosmopolitan.
Mere awkward minutes would go by before the doctor arrived. "Gangbare," he said, "I understand you are here for treatment. We shall start right away. Take this pill once a day with food; take this pill three times a day with food; take this pill twice a day twelve hours apart; take this pill every four hours; take this pill once a night, and finally, take this pill once a week. Got it?" He said as he handed Gio full bottles of medicine, "okay, to the treatment machine! It shakes all your fat. It's practically a large centrifuge."
"Doctor!" Emile said as he turned away to leave.
"Yes, Mrs. Jurgen!"
"Do we know his chances?"
Gio gave him a look, "I'd say pretty poor," he replied almost on cue.
While Kat was still pouting about Gio's clear attraction to the nurse, his mother jumped up and gave him a hug on his way out. "You'll be okay, my beautiful, sweet baby boy."
"Mom, I'm already at ease. I'll see you two in an hour."
She gently rubbed his face, "we'll be here, baby."
If Gio knew jedvahaj was all it would take for his mother to start to show him some love, he would've pretended to have it long ago. When he was younger, he constantly yearned for her attention. The only way he could get it was being the best on the field. So, he made sure no one outworked or outperformed him. His career, while brief, was all in the name of love and attention.
Gio asked the doctor once they got to the radiation chamber. "I'll pay you double if you don't actually make me go through this."
"A deal is a deal, Mr. Jurgen. You told me you needed the procedure without having any scans or anything— you don't even have it. And I want to see what happens to healthy patients admitted and administered the treatment. I'm curious, and you have something terrible planned. We could, no no no, that would make matters worse."
Gio bit, "what?"
"We could march back down to your room and tell them you're totally jedvahaj free."
"No! We should do this," Gio confirmed.
Then he put on something to protect his eyes, laid down on the table, and slid into chamber where he laid for a full hour before feeling sick. Another hour went by, and his hair was starting to fall out already. He looked like a mad scientist, without the science. Then finally, the last hour passed, and he wouldn't be able to hold the vomit in much longer. Luckily, Dr. Jerkov was waiting with a trash can.
"You did good!" Jerkov laughed, "most only last an hour before they have to come out for a vomit break. Already losing hair, that's interesting."
"Is that not normal?"
Jerkov laughed, "usually takes a few weeks to start, not a few hours."
Gio looked pitiful. He didn't know if he could face his family. But he had to, this would seal any doubts they may have had. The doctor opened the door, and "ahh, ugh," came from the inside at the sight of Gio.
"Doctor?" Emile asked, "are the effects really supposed to be this immediate. He only has tufts of hair now.
"There can be adverse effects," Arrow Gant Jerkov replied without looking up from his clipboard. But that didn't seem to be enough, "few patients lose hair as early as this, but this can be a good sign. His body is accepting the radiation."
"I barely even threw up," Gio bragged.
So Dr. Jerkov gave all the medicines and a quick rundown of each one. He then sent them back to their homes to bask in the sunlight for a few hours before lunch. Weeks of radiation would go by, but Gio couldn't beat his imaginary disease. In fact, he had just gotten weaker and paler. Gio was getting everything he bargained for: an ass whipping he couldn't get up from.
With his blaster tucked away for a rainy day, Gio knew he wouldn't be able to withstand this too much longer, but he couldn't make it look like suicide. The treatment alone was lethal to many, but it was the only proven way to beat jedvahaj.
He got weaker and weaker in days to come, needing now to use a walker. He felt no pride at all... he was fading. He knew it too. Breaths became slow and clunky. Movement lacked swiftness. He didn't look at all to be his former glory.
One night, they were all watching television together. Everyone was laughing at the sitcom. Everyone, but Gio. Gio hurt too much to laugh. So, he sat there with a smile on his face. Everyone he cared about and Callum was there. He felt at peace with himself. He closed his eyes for a second, never to open them again. He flatlined and died only days before his birthday.
