SPINE [Completed]

CHAPTER 3

           

One week had passed since James had been diagnosed with leukemia. He was free to visit the school, but had to return to the hospital for treatments. Paying for the medical bills became the biggest challenge for James and his mom. Money has always been hard to come by and since treatments were extremely expensive, they had to play their cards right and pray for the best. He had not seen his friends at school since the game and the night at the hospital so he was very excited to see them again. Taylor came by and drove both of them to school. "You ready?" Taylor asked as she looked over at James. He nodded. Taylor rushed over to the passenger side of her car and helped James out. It had been awhile since James had walked after being in bed for a week so he needed Taylor to help guide him. "Easy babe, there's no rush. Since when do you want to be on time for school?" She was right. It was Taylor who was always on time and ready to go for school, not James.

            When they headed inside, it was extremely quiet. Too quiet for the beginning of a school day. "Where is everyone?" James asked as he looked around. Taylor took his hand and started walking towards the gym. Like déjà vu, there were screams that filled the air. The all too familiar anthem of the basketball team started to play. "Ladies and gentlemen...please welcome...your 4-time reigning MVP of the Red Hawks...your senior captain...number 24...James Turner!" His entire team was there on the court. James could not stop smiling. Everyone was on their feet. "I wanted to give you the proper celebration for winning the championship. I love you JT. Go and celebrate!" Taylor said as she hugged him tightly. James kissed Taylor on the forehead and squeezed her back. "Hey JT! Come here! Look at the new championship title!" All of his teammates were calling his name. Coach Daniels was holding the title and something else in his other hand. "Hey coach, what is that?" James asked as he came over to his team. "It's for you James." The crowd settled down and coach Daniels took the mic and had James take a seat in front of him. "This here, JT, is a medal for you. If we had known that you were experiencing that much pain, I would've pulled you in a heartbeat. But you never do quit, do you? It's a medal to honor your true courage and grit James. Thank you for everything." Coach Daniels came over to hug James. The crowd got back on their feet. "The team got you a little something too." James looked back at his teammates. There they all were. His best buds. "Well JT, we know the fight you gotta win. We got your back, you know that. So we made this banner for you." Quincy said. Ricky and Sam came out from behind Quincy and pulled out the banner. As they slowly unraveled it, James could not help himself from crying. They had compiled the best moments of their 4-year career in a collection of pictures. And on the bottom it read, "JT STRONG." Triumphantly, James hoisted the championship title in his hands and raised it all the way up. He was more than ready to start the fight and get back on the court.

            The search for a bone marrow transplant donor began immediately after hearing the news. All of his teammateshad undergone private testing to see whether or not they were a match for James. They all knew that if they became a match, they would have to undergo surgery and most likely spend a week to a month recovering depending on theperson. Taylor and James's mother also went through some testing as well. Meanwhile, James sat in his hospital room patiently waiting for the good news of having found a match. He was getting ready to go through chemotherapy and all of the nerves started to kick in. Although he was very little when his father had passed, James still had nightmares of remembering his dad fade away right before his eyes as the cancer deteriorated him into a hollowed figure of a man. Basketball was also on his mind. Now that the season was over, he was supposed to start training for UConn and getting to meet the coaches and team to start in the upcoming school year. Before that would be graduation. As things were coming to an end and all new adventures awaited, James, for the first time in his entire life, sat motionless. "What's wrong sweetheart? Do you need some water?" His mother had not left his side. "Mom. How are we even paying for this treatment?" James asked. "James, there's nothing for you to worry about. We will figure it out. You getting better is all that matters." He looked back at her. James could feel his mother's trembling lips and shaky heart as she lied through her teeth. There was no way that the money was not a factor in all of this. The sad reality that a family must sacrifice all lifesavings to extend the chance of survival was one filled with remorse and relentless feelings of doubt and hardship. "I'm not going to lose you. I cannot watch you go through what your father had to go through. You'll make it through, do you understand me?" James had never seen his mom like this. Herentire existence now hinged on his survival and treatments. "Now, go to bed. You're going to need all the strength you can muster up for tomorrow."