It was hours later, after the nurse told them Colby has leukemia, we're all huddled around Colby's bed. He was struggling to keep his eyes open. They gave him some sort of shot to relax his body, to try to get the cells to start fighting the infection. The shot made Colby loopy and out of it.
Sam was still a crying mess, curled into Colby's side, running his fingertips down Colby's arm trying to soothe him. When Sam heard the news, his whole world came crumbling down. His heart seemed to drop to his stomach. He cried for a solid hour while Jake and Corey tried to calm him down. At this point, Colby had fallen back asleep and didn't see Sams breakdown. Aaron had to leave, he couldn't handle the news and had to go home. The boys understood, news like this was heartbreaking.
"I just can't believe it," Jake whispers. He was sitting in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs in the room, his head was resting on Colby's bed.
"No one was expecting this kind of news," Corey says. He was sitting next to Jake, leaning back in his seat. They arrived at the hospital, hopeful that Colby would be treated for his sickness, not be diagnosed with cancer. Sam had been quiet the whole time. Colby hadn't spoken a word either.
But now that they knew, they understood why Colby hadn't been eating recently, they understood why he was losing weight so fast, they understood why his fever never broke, they understood why he slept all the time. And it makes sense. He was fighting an infection that couldn't be stopped.
A new nurse walks into the room, she's older with long black hair, and is shocked to see the three boys surrounding the patient. She grabs Colby's clipboard and Sam watches her face fall once reading the details.
"Hi, my name's Janet, I'll be Colby's nurse for the next few days. We're actually moving him to a different room so he's more comfortable," the nurse, Janet says. Jake and Corey get up so Janet can unhook some of the wires.
"Where?" Sam finally spoke, his voice rough. He was still laying on the bed.
"We're moving him upstairs," Janet says quietly.
Everyone knew that once a patient is moved upstairs, there's no going back. Once on the second floor, there was no way any patient could leave. They were a permanent resident at the hospital. Sam chokes back sobs as Janet waits for him to get off the bed. He stumbles over to Corey who instantly embraces the small boy. Colby was never going to leave this hospital.
"He won't get to come home?" Jake asks, even though he already knew the answer.
"Unfortunately, no," Janet sighs. "Unless a miracle happens."
Sam watches as another nurse comes in and helps Janet. The bed moves, so they kick the brakes up and start rolling him down the hall. A machine that was hooked up to him following behind. He watches his best friend go to the second floor.
It took the nurses three hours to get Colby situated into his room on the second floor. The boys were all waiting anxiously downstairs. Sam was once again biting his nails. Janet collects them from downstairs and says, "Visiting hours are over in five hours."
Sam checks the time, it was 5pm now. His stomach rumbles at the thought of dinner but he pushes them aside. Colby was all he was worried about.
Colby was laying comfortably in his bed, pillows propping him up. His eyes were open as he looked around his new room. Sam glided over and collapsed on his bed, pulling him into a hug.
"I'm so sorry Colby," Sam cries into his shoulder. Colby rubs Sams back.
"It's not your fault Sammy," Colby whispers, not trusting his voice at the moment.
