Jake sat in the waiting room of the Riverdale Memorial Hospital, proud of how well he had adjusted to waiting rooms, and endless doctor’s visits. The last month he had been to more doctors than he had in all his twenty-nine years. He looked beside him, at his mother, her glasses sat on the tip of her nose as she tried to recite the prayers in her book. He had to laugh as she wasn’t even looking through the lenses, but over the rim of the glasses. He leaned in and pressed a smacking kiss to her cheek. She looked up at him, returning the smile, as her glasses almost fell off her nose.
“What was that for?” Deb asked her son.
“It’s so good not to see you crying.” He said honestly. For the first two weeks after he had been diagnosed, he couldn’t look at his mother, without her bursting into a fit of tears. He wasn’t sure what eased her, but it seemed as after they had committed to a treatment and an oncologist, she turned around. She was the bull, that she had always been when her kids needed her. Stage Four Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, wasn’t going to be a walk in the park, but he was determined to kick the son of a bitch’s ass, and that made his mother proud. It didn’t matter that the odds were against him, he was going to live this life he had been given to the fullest, whatever the outcome of this fight, and no one would be able to say that Jake Lanza didn’t have a will to live.
When they had first met with Dr. Capernick, he had told him the road before him was not going to be easy. He needed to undergo chemotherapy. It would take about six months. Each dose he would stay in the hospital for four or five days after the drugs were administered. Then he would be able to go home and rest his body for two to three weeks before the cycle began again. He’d suffer from side effects. After all, they were shooting chemicals into him to kill all the evil, and destroying the good in the process. He may never be able to have children. His organs could suffer. His immune system will be compromised due to the chemotherapy, he was going to lose his hair, and he still may not be healed. He could still hear the doctor’s optimistic voice as he said, “And if the chemo doesn’t work, we’ll exhaust every other possible treatment. I’ll worry about the course of treatment. You just leave your fears behind you.”
Jake put his life in the doctor’s capable hands and went with the plan. Today was his first round of chemotherapy. His family would rally around him, and his beautiful Cara. She had been the rock in all of this, and he still kicked himself for underestimating her strength. After he had told her, the following day they went to his tattoo parlor, and on their left ring fingers, they had Pete inscribe strength. He glanced down at his left hand; the script lettering of the word mimicked a wedding band. It had been Cara’s idea, and he had been blown away by the sentiment behind it. Her words rang in his head, “I’m married to the fight and so are you.” He smiled. Yeah, he was going to fight. He was going to win too and when he did, he was going marry her.
He looked up as his father bounded into the waiting room with his Sam. He laughed as he watched Sam unravel their father’s scarf from his neck. It was May and the man still wore a scarf. His father had seemed to be doing better as well, back to teasing his mother viciously.
Joe sat beside his son and patted his back. “You ready, Balboa?”
Jake grinned at him, before putting up his fists and moving them like a boxer.
“That’s my boy.” He leaned back in the uncomfortable seat. “How long we gotta wait?”
“Joe, don’t you dare start. I know where the psych floor is.” Deb shot her husband a glare over the rim of her glasses. Jake bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing, and instead looked at his sister.
“Why aren’t you at work, Miss?” He couldn’t help the smile that teased his lips. She was wearing a lime green T-shirt. Lime Green supported Lymphoma Cancer. He knew that now because Sam had looked it up. She had been giving out little green ribbons to anyone and everyone in Riverdale, in support of him. She was his little advocate, and he was moved by her.
“Like I could teach a bunch of kindergarteners today?” She rolled her eyes. “I’m not letting you get your first dose of chemo without your green cheerleader.”
The siblings laughed and she leaned down and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Love you, Jake.”
“Love you too.” He pulled her ponytail to validate his big brother card.
His phone vibrated in his pocket, and he lifted his hips to pull it out. He stared down and smiled at the text before averting his eyes back to his unsuspecting sister.
“Lover boy text me,” He said as he waggled his eyebrows.