The Phan in Our Stars

Part Five

The next two weeks were a total blurr. Three days after the near-pancake burning, Dan and Phil went apartment shopping. After a long day of touring flat after flat, they had finally decided on a one-story one in Wembley. The days after consisted of a lot of packing boxes and going to doctor's visits. On Tuesday, Phil had gone to hospital to get a chemo PICC emplanted in his arm.

After his first round of chemo, Phil had seemed for the first time like a real cancer patient. He had to stay in the hospital overnight, so Dan met him in the lobby Wednesday morning. He looked so much more frail and weak than when Dan had left the night before he couldn't believe it had only been one night. He had been weak and trembling as Dan had helped him slowly climb the stairs to their lounge. Phil sat on the sofa most of the day that day while Dan packed box after box. He didn't look like the happy, laughing Phil who Dan had seen watching 'Friends' a week earlier: he was much paler and thinner, his movements were shakey and his breathing trembled.

Around lunchtime, Dan took a break from packing. He went to the lounge and sat on the edge of the sofa next to Phil. "Hey, I'm gonna make some lunch soon," he said, smiling, "You want something?"

"I'm not hungry," Phil said, "but thanks."

"Are you okay, Phil?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied, "Just really worn out."

"Chemo's that rough on you is it?" Dan asked, concerned.

"It's not just that," Phil said, sitting up a bit, "Hospitals are exhausting! It's always bright and theres always a million people checking up on you and waking you up. It's full of sick people and sad people and dying people and it just takes the life out of you!"

Dan smiled, "No Mario Kart either, probably."

"No," Phil laughed, "No Mario Kart. And this thing," Phil motioned to the pump in his arm, "This thing is uncomfortable as hell! Like, you'll forget it's there for a while and it's all fine, but as soon as you remember it, you can feel it and nothing is comfortable any more!"

"Yeah, that looks like it really sucks," Dan eyed the pump.

"It does. But thank goodness I only have to have therapy once a month! I talked to a girl with leukemia for a few minutes while I was waiting to get my PICC, and she has to have chemotherapy every week."

"Well," Dan reassured him, "Don't worry, because I am personally going ot make sure that that never happens to you."

"Are you?" Phil teased.

"Yes. We're gonna get out of here next week and then no more stairs for you!" Dan said, "But first, I am going to make you lunch."

"Dan, I told you I wasn't--"

"Shh! No! Doctor's orders. You have to eat lunch! I'm making stir fry and you're going to eat it," Dan teased.

"I do like stir fry," Phil sighed, smiling. It was so sweet how much his best friend cared for him. Dan was so determined to make Phil comfortable and happy that Phil couldn't help but feel comfortable and happy around him. When Dan had showed up at the hospital this morning, it had brightened Phil's entire day, and now, here he was, packing boxes and making stir fry to make him feel better. He was being so selfless and kind and caring. Everytime he entered the room, Phil's face lit up. He was beginning to wonder if this was because of how much he cared or something else.

No. That was silly. Phil had read some phanfiction on tumblr last night in an attempt to laugh off the gloominess of the hospital; some of it must have just gotten in his head. He didn't have feelings for Dan. That was silly. He was his best friend. Besides, he had cancer. Even if it was a possibility, which it wasn't, Dan meant more to him than anyone in the entire world. He could never hurt him like that.