Reno and Weisz

chapter 23: weisz gets his results

chapter 23: weisz gets his results

~weisz~

       I don't know how long I've been sleeping for when I finally wake up. I've been feeling so weak that I basically have been sleeping on and off. There's no much I can do while I'm sitting in the hospital, waiting for my results. If I watched videos on my phone, I would only end up getting very dizzy.

       Honestly, I don't even need to hear the results to know what it is. I'm feeling the exact same way I did when I was first hospitalized and then diagnosed. And it scares me. It really scares me. I beat it once, but that doesn't mean I can beat it again.

       Grandma walks into the hospital room after getting something to eat from the cafeteria. She has been here with me all morning while both my parents are at work. Celine tried convincing Mom and Dad to let her skip school to come with me, but I told her to go to school.

       Mainly because of how suffocating she can be when I'm sick. I love her and I appreciate her taking care of me, but it gets too much at times. She'd fluff my pillow multiple times no matter how much I told her it's fine. She'd put a lot of blankets on me if I even so much as slightly shiver. I love her for it, but I also would like to have my space at times.

       Grandma sits down in one of the chairs. "Your parents texted me," she says. "They'll be here in time to hear your results."

       "They should stay at work," I say. "I don't need them here."

       Grandma sighs. "You're doing it again, Weisz. You can't push everyone away. Besides, your parents are in charge of your health care. They need to be here."

       "Right."

       Grandma rests her hand on my arm. "Everything is going to be okay, Weisz. You just have to be it."

       "Yeah, and I also have to be realistic. I can't live in this fantasy that everything is going to be okay because I don't know that it will be. And whatever treatment I'm going to have to do is never an easy thing."

       "That's if it's back," Grandma says.

       It is back. I know it is. There's no way I'd feel the exact same way I did when I first was diagnosed and just not have it again. And I really wish everyone around me would not try to feed me false positives. It's all about 'if it's back' and not 'what we'll do to move forward'.

       There's a soft knock on the hospital door before it opens. Reno peeks his head in to see if I'm awake. "Hey," he says as he fully enters the room.

       I furrow my eyebrows. "What are you doing here? You should be at school."

       "I know." Reno walks over and sits on the edge of the bed. "But you did kind of hit that you wanted me here with all your texts like 'It would be easier if you were here'. It's not a big deal if I miss fourth period."

       "Oh, I see," Grandma says. "So Weisz, you don't want your parents here but you want Reno here?"

       "I never said that," I say. "He's lying." He's also the only person who's thinking about both sides. He tries to tell me that everything is going to be okay and there's a chance it's not leukaemia, but he also tells me that he'll be here with me every step of the way if it is. He's hopeful, but also realistic.

       "You shouldn't be skipping school, Reno," Grandma says.

       "I can leave," Reno says, pointing to the door.

       "No, no, you should stay," Grandma says. "Thank you for being here for Weisz."

       Reno looks at me and gives me a small smile. "Of course." I try to smile back, but it feels a bit very weak since I feel like I'm too weak to do anything.

       Mom and Dad show up shortly before two, which is when my doctor told me that he would most likely have the results. They're not surprised to see Reno here. After meeting his yesterday, which I was admittedly worried about, Mom ended up texting me to tell me how much she appreciates Reno staying all the way until visiting hours were over.

       It's more than Marie ever did.

       When my doctor, Dr. Valberg, walks into the room, I can tell what the answer is before he says it. It's the expression on his face. It's a bit solemn, just like the first time he told me. Even though I know it's coming, I hold Reno's hand for support.

       "The results came back," Dr. Valberg says. 

       "It's back, isn't it?" I ask.

       Dr. Valberg nods. "It is. But it's not completely rare for leukaemia to return during remission. The good news is because of your regular check-ups, we caught it early enough for me to feel confident you'll beat it again. And since you've had it before, you already know what to expect."

       Right. Weeks in the hospital. Chemotherapy. Weeks at home without going anywhere. Feeling like I'm losing out on my social life. Wondering where the hell my girlfriend was after she promised to visit me in the hospital and never showed up.

       Okay, I don't have to worry about the last part, but I know the next few months are going to absolutely drain me, both physically and mentally.

       Dr. Valberg starts going over the treatment, mainly talking to my parents about it, so I zone out. I'd probably zone out if he was only talking to me because of how weak I am. I feel like I can barely keep my eyes open as it is.

       I'm so out of it that I never even noticed Dr. Valberg has finished discussing my treatment and has left the room. What snaps me out of my daze is Dad resting his hand on my shoulder. "You heard what Dr. Valberg says," Dad says. "He's confident you'll beat it again. You responded well to the chemotherapy last time, so chances are, you'll respond well again."

       "R-Right," I say quietly.

       "You're going to get through this," Dad says.

       Reno has sat beside me on the hospital bed, so I rest my head on his shoulder for a bit more comfort. "Mhm," I mumble. "I just need to rest."

       "Okay," Dad says. "Rest all you want. We'll be here if you need it."

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this is my first time writing about a character with a type of cancer, so i'm going to try my best to make sure it's done accurately.

(i'm also going to make sure neil gets hit by a car)(i mean what?)