//------------------------------// // Chapter 50: Think Positive // Story: Through Crimson Eyes // by Level Dasher //------------------------------// “So…” Starry started, “if you’re stuck in bed, what are you gonna do in here all day?” “Well, I spent most of my time in bed before the surgery anyway,” I said, “so probably most of the same stuff: cards, puzzles, video games…” I looked over to the window and had a realization. “…but I can’t get up and go to my telescope now!” I’d traded in the NG tube and lost my telescope! Shoot! “Couldn’t we just bring it over to your bed?” Tess asked. “It’s not the same,” I answered, shaking my head. “It’s not as bad when you’re right in front of it, but looking through a window from a distance makes the picture all blurry.” “Bummer,” Starry said. “Yeah… Guess I’ll stick with the games,” I quipped. “You should have plenty to consume your time,” Gramma said. “It won’t be so bad.” “I know,” I replied, “but they can get… repetitive sometimes.” I felt like saying ‘boring’ would be an insult to Dad. Before anypony could say anything else, there was a soft knock at the door before High Flyer walked in, followed by one of the doctors. “Hey, buddy! You doin’ alright? How’s the tube feeling?” I groaned. “Annoying. It still hurts sometimes, but it’s mostly just uncomfortable.” “That’s not surprising,” the doctor said. “Could you describe the pain for me?” “Well, it comes and goes, and it’s usually just for a couple seconds. It feels like something’s pulling at my skin,” I answered. “I’m not sure if it’s actually the tube, though.” “I was about to say the same thing. It’s likely the stitches that are causing you discomfort right now. We need them to make sure that tube stays in place while it clears out your stomach acid,” High Flyer said. “I’m guessing you’ll want to know the next steps before we let you out?” When I nodded, he looked toward the doctor and said, “I figured as much.” The doctor turned to Starry and Tess and asked, “Would you two mind stepping out for a moment?” “Oh… yeah, sure,” Starry hesitated. Tess followed him out, wearing a frown. After the door shut, the doctor explained, “Well, Crimson, I’m sorry to say, we won’t be able to just let you out and have everything go back to normal. It’s going to be a bit of a process. I’ll explain all the specifics later, but for now I’ll give you the most important ones. After your intestines are healed, and you’re able to eat again on your own, if everything else looks good, we’ll give you what we call a ‘button’ to put in the G-tube’s place. It won’t be draining your stomach acid anymore—it’s more like a plug—so instead of having a tube flowing all the way out of you to that jar, it’ll just rest right on top of your coat. If everything runs smoothly for a day or two, then we’ll discharge you; with the button, you’ll be able to walk around like usual, but you can’t participate in any aggressive physical activity. We do that so if Celestia forbid something odd happens, the button will give us easy access to get another tube in, if necessary. However, if you’re eating normally, and nothing funny happens for a good month or so after you’re out of the hospital, we’ll take out the button and let your body heal up on its own. By then, hopefully your digestive tract will be functioning normally again and you can put this whole ordeal behind you. We will still need to scan you every few months, though, just to make sure your cancer is still in a manageable state.” “Sounds fair,” I said. “Much better than the alternatives,” Mom chimed in. “So… what do we have to do now?” “Well, you may or may not be happy to hear this,” the doctor replied, “but now you just wait.” “Really?” I asked, slowly sitting up. “Yes. Before anything else can happen, we need to let the G-tube do its job and drain your stomach acid while your intestines heal; that’s the first step. It will take some time, but after your intestines have healed—and we’ll do a scan to determine that—then you can give liquids, and then solid food a try. We’ll go from there. The good news is that there’s no more major surgery we need to do, but waiting can be dreadfully boring, so I suggest you come up with a few ways to keep yourself occupied.” They had already told me the answer, but I decided to ask again anyway, “Am I gonna have to stay in bed the whole time?” “While the G-tube is attached, yes, I’m afraid so.” “Ugh. Um, how long will it take for my intestines to heal?” The doctor sighed. “Well, with all the trauma your tract has been through, it might be as long as a month.” I slapped a hoof to my forehead, and the doctor nodded and finished, “That’s the bad news.” “Gotcha,” I deadpanned, laying back on my pillow and wincing at a fresh tug from the stitches. “So I basically hafta just sit here and do nothing until my intestines heal?” “Essentially, yes,” the doctor answered. “You’ll get your meds and nutrients through your PICC line, you won’t be able to eat or drink—other than ice chips on occasion—and you’ll need to stay in bed for as long as it takes your intestines to heal.” “Oh, fuuuuuuuuun…” I groaned. “Well, on the bright side,” High Flyer added, “you don’t need to have any more surgery or chemo, as long as things go well.” “True,” I responded. I thought about asking what would happen if things didn’t go well, but I decided against it. “There you go,” the doctor said. “Keep a positive attitude, keep yourself occupied, and the time will fly by. When you’ve finished healing, we’ll try to get you out of here.” He came over and put a hoof on my shoulder. “You’ve progressed quite nicely, Crimson. You should be proud of that. Not many ponies could go through what you have and keep such a positive outlook. You’ll be just fine,” he finished with a smile. Turning toward the door, he said, “I’ll let your friends back in and leave you to your devices. You’re doing a great job, Crimson. Keep it up!” “The doc’s right, buddy. You’re doing great! Your dad would be so proud of you,” High Flyer said with a smile. “Here come your friends. Just hit your button if you need me.” Starry and Tess whisked by High Flyer as he walked out. Tess leapt up and leaned on the foot of my bed as she asked, “So is everything okay? Nothing’s wrong, right?” I lifted my head to look at them. “Well, there’s good news and bad news.” Tess bit her lip. “The good news is that I don’t need any more chemo or surgery.” Tess’s eyes lit up and she ran around the side of the bed. “That’s great! You’re done! When are you getting outta here?” I sighed and responded, “Well, that’s the bad news. It’s gonna be a while. Could be a month.” Starry’s ears flattened against his head. “A month? Why?” “Well, apparently it’s gonna take awhile for my intestines to heal, and I’ve gotta be hooked up to this sucker for however long that takes.” I nodded my head towards the G-tube. “I’m guessing I’ll need to be in here a little longer after that’s done, but the doc said we’ll ‘go from there’.” “Well that sucks,” Starry said. “Yeah, no kidding,” Tess added. “Well dears, there’s only so much that can be done,” Gramma said from the window. “What must be will be, and when it’s over, we move forward.” I shrugged. “Sounds about right.” I thought for a second, then turned to Mom and Gramma. “Would you two mind going down the hall for a few minutes?” Mom’s ears perked. “Oh, did you want some alone time with Starry and Tesla? We can arrange that.” She and Gramma picked up a few things and went out the door without question. “Glad to see they trust me,” I said with a little smile. “So what’s up, dude?” Starry asked. “Yeah,” Tess added. “Aside from the waiting, it sounds like everything’s gonna be okay! What’s wrong?” “Well, that’s just it,” I said. “The waiting. I mean, I’ve been waiting to get all this stuff taken care of, and it sounds like for now, it has been, and that’s great. But… that waiting had some suspense to it. I was consciously thinking about what was going to happen. It made this whole thing kind of… exciting, as weird as that sounds. Now I’m waiting for something definite; I don’t know how long it’s gonna take, and there hopefully won’t be any surprises in between. I’m just waiting for that one thing that I know will eventually happen, to happen, and I have to be hooked up to this junk while I wait. Now it’s just gonna be plain old annoying… And boring. I’m gonna be bored as hay while you guys are at school.” “Ugh, yeah. Sorry, dude,” Starry said. “Is there anything we can get you? Anything we can do?” Tess asked. “For the waiting, I don’t think so,” I said. “Just keep bringing me Miss Turner’s homework. It might be work, but it’ll be something to do.” “Dude, school’s out in a week,” Starry said. “Shoot, you’re right… I’m gonna miss half of summer.” “Miss Turner will be thrilled to hear you actually want homework to do, though— maybe she can come up with a few things. Considering she gave you the Crusaders book, maybe she’ll have some other ideas, too.” “Yeah, good point. Well then, for now…” I looked over at Tess and smiled. I scootched over a little to my left, while keeping an eye on the equipment, then patted the mattress on my right side. “I just need some company.” Tess’s eyebrows shot up, and I nodded with a smile. Starry saw our exchanged glances and simply said, “I’ll take that as my cue to leave. See you soon, dude! Say g’bye to your mom and grandma for me!” With that, he walked out the door. As she came around the right side of my bed, Tess asked me, “Are you sure?” “Hey, you’re on the complete opposite side of the tube. As long as you don’t start kicking me, it’s fine, as far as I can tell.” I patted the mattress again. “Well, no argument from me,” Tess said with a smile, as she gently hopped up onto the mattress and snuggled herself into my right side. As I laid on my back, Tess cuddling into my side, I stretched a forearm around her shoulder. “I’ll be straight with ya, Tess. This stuff is really bugging me. I mean yeah, the major stuff is done, and I just need to wait for myself to heal, but the docs keep saying, ‘if everything goes well’. What if things don’t go well? What if I have to stay here even longer than they expect?” She looked over at me and answered, “Well if you think that way, then you will. Think positive. You’ll be fine.” She smiled a soft smile at me, and I felt the worry just melt away. I smiled back at her and let out a sigh. “You know, that sounds a lot more convincing coming out of your muzzle than the doctors’.” “Well, it helps that I’m a unicorn, silly,” she replied, pecking me on the cheek. “I’m magic.” She giggled before she snuggled back into my side. I held on to the filly next to me and chuckled. “You know, Tess, you are,” I said, the warmth on my cheek spreading down my sides. “You really are…”