//------------------------------// // Chapter 36: Distractions // Story: Through Crimson Eyes // by Level Dasher //------------------------------// “So buddy, how’s the new stuff treating you? Other than the obvious, I guess, but you’ve been used to that for a little while, so I can’t imagine that’s a huge problem.” I watched through the screen as Dad rubbed his head in a circular motion. The new chemo they’ve given me for the past few days made me lose any trace of my mane again, which sucked. It did give me back my lucid dreaming cue, but I wasn’t able to do much of that, either. Any sleep I managed to get was pretty crummy; I kept getting woken up to have my temperature and blood pressure taken, or other hospital stuff done to me— such a hassle. A good night’s sleep was next to impossible, and my attitude reflected it. “Not great,” I answered him. “I mean, I guess I’ve finally gotten used to the tube, but it wasn’t easy. Now I’m just tired, I’m hungry, and I never wanna really do anything… even though I wanna do something…” Dad pointed a hoof at the screen. “You’ve got a bunch of games in there that I brought for you before I ended up over here! Surely there’s something you can think of to do! I know you like playing with me on a bunch of those, but I can’t always be there to play multiplayer. Single-player can be just as fun!” I thought about those words for a second, but only until Gramma pushed her head into the picture; whenever Dad and I chatted, Mom went over to him with her laptop and Gramma stayed with me. “That’s not what he means, dear— don’t you remember? He wants to do something, but he doesn’t want to do anything.” Dad’s mouth opened and he simply said, “Oooooh.” He nodded and said, “Right, I remember. I’m sorry, Champ. I hate seeing you like that— it makes me feel so helpless. I’m really sorry I can’t be over there with you right now, but they won’t let me out of here. They say it’s too soon for me to leave my room.” I groaned. “I know, it’s the only thing they ever say. Why won’t they tell you anything else?” Mom and Dad keep saying the doctors aren’t telling them much— they just have him on ‘observation.’ “They won’t let me leave, either, not with this stupid tube in… not like I feel like getting up anyway. And playing board games and cards with Gramma has gotten boring— no offense, Gram.” Gramma shook her head. “None taken, sweetheart. From what I’ve seen the past few days, along with what you’ve told me, I’d likely be tired of playing, too.” At that moment, I heard another voice from the other side of the screen. Then Dad said, “I’m sorry, buddy, looks like I’ve gotta go. One of the other doctors is here to talk to me. I think I’m gonna keep your mom with me, too. Always good to have a second pair of ears around.” I nodded. “Okay, Pop. Talk to you later. Feel better.” Dad smiled. “Thanks, Champ. You too.” Both of us hit a button on our respective sides of our screens and I shut the laptop. “So what’s the deal with the chemo, dude? Is it doing its job?” “Hasn’t been long enough. They said they’re gonna finish this first round, then send me in for a test to see if it’s doing anything.” “Anything I— we can do?” Tess asked. “Just chillin’ is fine. I need a distraction more than anything else.” Tess had come by as usual, and she brought Starry with her. Starry said he would make a point to visit more often, but it was still the first time he had come by since Dad’s heart attack. I hadn’t expected him to come every day like Tess did, but I think he’s still holding some of that ‘third wheel’ mentality. “Hey guys, I’m gonna head out. I’m almost done with my latest, and my mom yelled at me to go to sleep last night before I could finish it. That okay?” I nodded. “S’all good, dude. Go ahead— I’ll talk to you later.” Yeah, he’s trying to leave Tess and me alone again. The door slid shut before Tess could protest, so she just sighed and climbed up on my bed with me. “He just won’t get it through his head, will he?” I chuckled, “Probably not, but I won’t say it’s not nice having some alone time.” I smiled at her and leaned back against my pillow. Tess smiled back and snuggled into my wing. “Agreed.” As I laid on my bed with a wing around her, Tess’s smile faded into a frown. I asked her, “Everything okay?” She sighed. “Yeah, I guess. It’s just that… some of the stuff your mom’s said…” I let out a little huff. “You’re not still mad at her, are you? I thought you’d gotten over all that.” She nodded and looked over at me as she said, “Well, that’s the thing— I did, and I get it. But… I can’t really get over it. What you and your mom said finally sunk in. I know you’re fighting really hard, but…” She sniffed and finished, “…what if something does happen? I wanna— what’s the word Miss Turner said? Carpidum?” I couldn’t help but chuckle. “You mean ‘carpe diem’? ‘Seize the day’?” I put my hoof around her shoulder. “Well, that’s why you’re here now. Seize away.” I rested my head on hers and pulled her in tighter, then closed my eyes as I let out a sigh. I felt her hoof wrap around my torso, and I let it lay there. “Believe me, you’re not the only one.” When I glanced at the door for a moment, I saw shades of yellow and purple quickly vanish from the glass, and I smiled. Spies... “Well, this is a little more like it; good to see I can still walk. I guess I just have to deal with the tug from the tube, but at least I made it over here.” I smiled a little as I looked through the eyepiece of my telescope. It had been a few days—right around when they started the new chemo—since I had gotten out of bed, so I finally worked up the strength to do it. It looked clear enough outside to get a good view of the stars, so I figured tonight was my chance. I had the usual bag on the pole, but the tube was just long enough that I could make it to my telescope. I just had to deal with my nose being attached to the wall, so I shifted it back a little bit. Tesla did keep me distracted for a little while, but eventually she went home. When she did, Mom and Gramma came in about ten minutes later. I called them out for spying on me, and they didn’t deny it. Mom went over to hang with Dad, so Gramma helped me out of bed and led me over to my telescope. “It’s good to see you smiling, sweetheart. We don’t get to see much of that during the day, except when Tesla and Starry are here, of course.” Gramma sat next to me while I peered through my telescope to get a look at Princess Luna’s latest work, with that small tug still on my nose. “You’ve been going through so much, and I know you have plenty of reasons not to, but I do love it when you smile.” She gently pressed a hoof into my cheek. “I’m sure Tesla does, too.” I leaned back and tilted my head toward her, as much as the tube would allow, so she could see my face. I honestly did find it hard to smile lately, and not just physically, especially when I wasn’t being distracted by anything. Even with all the stuff available to me—TV, video games, puzzles, books—real distractions were hard to come by with everything I’d had to deal with recently. The only things that really distracted me lately were Starry, Tess, and Dad, but particularly the night sky, even if I wasn’t using my telescope. It always made me think of Princess Luna, and the times I would get to talk with her. When I finally felt well enough to stand up and walk to my telescope, despite the fact that I was still attached to a pole and stuck to the wall by my nose, I actually felt some sense of freedom. The huge openness above and the possibilities of what could be out there pushed any other thoughts from my mind, and I actually felt… normal.