Valley Fever | Lawrusso

Valley Fever Chapter 2 / 6

They weren't at the hospital long. In and out in just over an hour and most of that was spent sitting in the waiting room.

Johnny had a chest x ray, and after a tired looking doctor looked it over, he announced that Johnny had Pneumonia.

"So it's not cancer?" Johnny asked. "My mom died of lung cancer and she used to cough up blood."

"Nope," the doctor said, stifling a yawn. "I'm going to give you some different antibiotics. You need to go home and you need to get plenty of rest and stay hydrated."

Daniel was livid on the car ride home.

"I can't believe they let you go so quickly," he said, his hands gripping the steering wheel so tight he knuckles turned white. "They must have spent a total of five minutes looking at you and that guy was barely awake!"

"It's Saturday night, LaRusso," Johnny said. "The place is busy with all the drunks. I should know. I used to be one of them."

"You were coughing up blood, Johnny," Daniel snapped as he changed gears. "If you're no better tomorrow we're going to a different hospital. I want a second opinion from someone who isn't half asleep."

"They said I didn't have cancer, Daniel," Johnny said, trying to calm him down. "If it happens again, yeah I'll go back, but they said there's no need to worry."

Johnny looked over at him. Daniel looked upset, even though he was trying to concentrate on driving. He still had his hand on the gearstick, so Johnny reached out and placed his hand over Daniel's.

"I'm going to be fine," Johnny said again. "It's just a stupid chest infection."

"Sorry," Daniel said, his voice wavering. "After my dad and Mr. Miyagi. I just worry. I couldn't bare to lose anyone again."

"You won't," Johnny said softly. "I'm gonna live to be like 150, just you wait and see."

Daniel let out a snorting laugh. "150? Yeah, right."

"Is that a challenge?" Johnny asked with a smile. "You know I like a challenge."

"Well, if you're gonna live to 150 then I'll live to be 151," Daniel said with a grin. "You know I can't let you win."

Johnny laughed, even though it made his chest wheeze.

He let out a sigh and said, "Imagine being that old. You'd probably only be able to get it up about once a year."

"Um, you remember I'm back here, right?" Robby asked nervously from behind them.

It went against Johnny's nature to allow anyone to fuss over him, but after Daniel's almost breakdown in the car, Johnny decided to let him act like a 1950s housewife for a few days.

Daniel took some time off work and spent it looking after Johnny.

He let Daniel make his food and keep his glass topped up with cool water. He drank when Daniel told him too and ate when he brought him bowls of freshly made home cooked soup.

He didn't complain when Daniel brought him clean pyjamas or helped him take a shower. He didn't try to squirm away when Daniel massaged gentle circles into his aching ribs. He didn't whine when Daniel brought his medication and reminded him to take it.

It was nice really, having someone take care of him.

If this had happened just a few short years ago, when he was on his own, he'd probably have been laid in bed, drowning in a pool of his own liquefying lungs because he had no reason to care whether he made it through alive.