Chapter
15
Over the next few months, Brian worked hard to get back into shape.
Nick was always there to help him. They would play basketball together for
hours.
Meanwhile, Brian and the guys worked on songs for their next album,
which was due out at the end of October, only a few months away. They had
fallen behind since Brian had gotten sick, but Brian was determined not to push
back the release date. He hated being a burden to the group.
***
In late August, Brian had a doctor's appointment. Leighanne had a photo
shoot scheduled for that day, so Nick offered to go with Brian. Brian had told
him that he didn't need anyone to come with him, but secretly, he was glad his
best friend was going. He had been feeling great, but he was still nervous.
What if the cancer came back? Brian didn't know what he would do if that
happened.
Brian spent most of the day at the hospital, going through many tests,
some simple, others very painful. The last test was a bone marrow test. That
was one of the worst tests of all. He had had one before, when he was first
diagnosed, and it had been horribly painful. But at least then, he was ignorant
about what the doctors were going to do to him. This time he knew what to
expect, and he knew how awful it was going to be. The doctors were going to
shove a huge needle into his back. Brian felt sick to his stomach just thinking
about it.
When he was taken back to the examining room to have the test done,
Nick asked if Brian wanted him in the room with him. Brian was first inclined
to say no, but then he realized that it might help a little if he had someone
there with him. The first time, he had been all alone.
Nick watched as Brian crawled onto the examining table and lay on his
stomach. Dr. Benson rubbed some iodine on Brian's lower back to clean it. Then
he gave him a shot containing the anesthetic that would numb his back.
Brian cringed and clenched his teeth together because he knew what was
coming next. Nick, however, was completely oblivious. When he saw the needle
the doctor was planning to stick into Brian, he gasped. It was huge! Luckily,
Dr. Benson was careful not to let Brian see it. He hadn't seen it the first
time either. The doctor knew that if he saw how big it was, he would start to
panic.
Nick grabbed Brian's hand and winced as Dr. Benson slid it into his back.
Brian's eyes went wide, and he squeezed Nick's hand so tightly he was afraid it
was cutting of his circulation as he felt a lot of pressure. Then the pain
came. It was horrible. He gripped Nick's hand even tighter, and felt tears come
to his eyes. Finally, it was over. Brian let go of Nick and wiped his eyes
quickly. He glanced up at Nick, hoping he hadn't noticed. Nick's face was pasty
white.
"Nick, man, are you okay?" Brian asked, looking at his friend
in concern. "You don't look so good." Dr. Benson looked at Nick.
"You'd better sit down, son," he said. He turned to a nurse.
"Annie, will you take him out to a chair?" The nurse nodded and
guided Nick out of the room. Dr. Benson taped a gauze bandage on Brian's back
and helped him off the table.
"Okay, you can go get dressed and wait in the waiting room. I'll
call you down to my office in a little while to discuss the results of the
tests with you," Dr. Benson said, leaving the room. Brian changed out of
his hospital gown and hurried out to see Nick.
***
