Room 138

Chapter 13

Have you ever waited for news? Doesn't matter if it was good news or bad news; just waited. That's one thing I'm terrible at. Just ask the guys. They'll be the first to tell you.

Andy had been in the OR for almost 4 hours now. I know the doctor said probably , maybe more but I couldn't think about anything else.

CC had managed to fall asleep, and I was glad someone was able to get some rest. I knew that wouldn't happen for me until I was back with Andy.

Jake had been dozing off and on, and poor James....I felt so bad for him. I felt like I should be worrying about him. I should be focused on him. I knew he understood, but it was something I couldn't stop worrying about.

I sighed and rested my head against the wall, letting my eyes close as the double doors came open once more. I didn't bother opening my eyes this time, because it was never for us.

"Biersack family?" I heard one of the doctors say.

I jumped up quickly and all but ran over to him. "How is he?" I asked.

"He made it through the surgery with no problem. The tumor was a lot bigger than we'd once thought. We got a great deal of it, but there's still a lot there." He began. "The next step is to do chemo and radiation. Hopefully with those two things, the tumor will shrink even more and he can have some kind of normal life for the time he has left."

I nodded.

"When can we see him?" Jake asked.

"As soon as he gets out of recovery and into a room. He'll probably be in recovery for an hour- hour and a half. As soon as he's moved, someone will come and get you." He said, offering us a small smile. "Is there anything we can do for you, do you guys need anything?" He asked.

We shook our heads. What we needed was lying on a hospital bed.

"Thank you." Jinxx said, extending his hand to shake the older mans hand.

"If you guys need anything, don't hesitate to ask." I heard the doctor say as he walked back through the double doors.

"So, he did good." Jinxx started with a smile. "That's promising." He added.

I sighed and went back to my seat.

"Ashley, I'm sure everything is going to be okay.

"I know." I started "I just wish he didn't have to go through this alone. I know he was scared."

CC nodded, patting me on the shoulder "Yeah, but he knows you're here now and that's what matters." He said. 

I nodded. Deep down, I knew he was right. I just wanted Andy to be okay. I wanted to wake up from this nightmare and everything be the way it was. Now, everyday was uncertain. I didn't know when the day I was spending with Andy would be my last. I had to make sure everyday now was good. I wanted to make sure he never had anything but a smile on his face. There were so many things I wanted to do with him. So many places we still wanted to see. 

I took a deep breath, my eyes scanning the waiting room. There was a couple in the corner. They'd been there since we got here. They hadn't moved from that same spot. They were waiting for word on a loved ones surgery too. 

A few moments later, a group of doctors came out, walking toward that couple in the corner. They sat down in the chairs, pulling their seats up around them. I couldn't hear all they were saying but I did make out the words. 'Didn't make it'

Come to find out, the loved one they were waiting to hear about was their 8 year old daughter. She'd been fighting cancer for 3 years now. They thought she was in remission, then all of a sudden, it came back. And this time, it was out of their hands. They did the best they could. I could see the hurt on the faces of those men. 

The woman broke down. The man screamed. It really broke my heart to see two people in so much pain. Kind of made everything else seem so small. We always think our problems are the worst. No one else has problems as bad as we do. 

Then, you see things like this happen and wonder when is it all going to stop? When will people stop getting sick? When will the dying stop?

There were so many unanswered questions running through my mind. Why did we just lose 4 of our best friends/brothers? Why was Andy sick? Why was all of this happening around the same time? It wasn't something I had answers for, and deep down I knew I never would have those answers. 

I was just about to go outside for a smoke when I heard the doctor. "He can have visitors now."