Chapter 8 (these titles are getting lame. Must come up with better.)

So, I'm thinking maybe my science is faulty in this chapter. I don't know. I've done tons of research, but I'm still foggy on some of the details.

Chapter 8~ Alex
Alex had been out of school for almost a week and a half. He had talked to Kelly on the phone every night. He loved her so much, and she was so worried about him. He tried to assure her that he was fine, but she could see right through him. In truth, his shoulder was worse than ever, and no one could seem to figure out what was wrong. The diagnoses ranged from pulled muscle to pinched nerve to plain old growing pains. No one seemed very confident in their results though, Alex had been referred to multiple specialists. They had all insisted on different tests that involved x-rays, needles, or worse. The latest idea had been to take a bone marrow sample, for what reason Alex had no clue. He didn’t much care. The sooner they found out what was wrong, the sooner they could make him better and the sooner he could get back to dancing. And back to Kelly.
“Alex!” his mom yelled, “come take one of these pain pills so you can sleep. We’ve got an early doctor’s appointment in the morning!” Alex groaned, he hadn’t liked doctors in the first place, now he was plain sick of them. What could this doctor say that the others hadn’t? Nevertheless, he slid off his bed and walked slowly downstairs. Just the movement of walking was enough to light a fire in his shoulder. He gritted his teeth and breathed deeply, trying to will the pain away, no success.
“Mom, I think my shoulder’s getting worse,” he said when he finally reached the kitchen where she was waiting. Mrs. Kereta handed him the pill and a glass of water. “I’m sorry baby, I wish I could make you feel better.” Alex gave a half-smile and sank down in a chair. The pain exhausted him, but made sleep impossible. The pills helped him sleep, and for that Alex was immensely grateful.
After swallowing the pill, Alex leaned against the seat back and tried to work up the strength and desire to walk back upstairs. It was so hard. Finally he breathed in, then out, then stood up. He kissed his mom, then dragged himself up the steps and fell into bed in a dead sleep.

Alex was awakened at 4:30 by a painful announcement from his shoulder; the pain medication had worn off. Trying to sleep any longer was pointless. Alex reached for his CD player and headphones. He popped a disc into the player and settled the headphones on his ears.
He tried to let the music relax him, as it had been able to do in the past, but to no avail. This was hurt like he had never known before, and none of his old techniques for dealing worked. He stared in to the darkness of his room. He’d been up like this several nights in a row, and he hated every minute of it.
About two hours later, he heard a light tapping on his door. He turned off the music just as his mom walked into the room. “Hey, how long have you been up?” she inquired. “Awhile,” Alex responded grimacing. “Do you need anything?” When Alex shook his head she sighed. “At least you’re easy to please. You can rest for awhile longer, we don’t have to be at the hospital until eight. What do you want for breakfast?” “I’m actually not that…” he stopped short when he saw the look his mom was shooting at him. “Um, bowl of cereal?” he said meekly. “How about eggs, bacon, and toast?” “Mom really! I’m not that hungry!” “Alex you are getting way too thin, you’re a growing kid and you need to eat more!” They stared at each other for a minute before Mrs. Kereta finally relented. “Alright, I’ll bring you cereal, but it’s gonna be Fruit Loops! We need some meat on those bones!” Alex laughed, “Okay Mom, you win this time, Fruit Loops it is!” Mrs. Kereta laughed and walked out of the room. Alex grinned. He and his mother had gotten really close since his dad’s death. They’d had no choice really; it was just the two of them. Well, the two of them and Pudgy, Alex remembered as the tabby giant limbered into the room.
Pudgy lumbered over to Alex’s bed and hefted his considerable mass up onto it. “Hi there buddy,” said Alex running his fingers through the cat’s thick fur. Pudgy purred and snuggled up close just as Mrs. Kereta returned bearing a bowl of cereal on a tray. “Your Fruit Loops,” she said handing him the tray. Alex thanked her and she left the room to get dressed and make her own breakfast.
Alex stared down into the bowl. Just looking at the brightly colored cereal floating soggily in the milk made him nauseous. He made a face and looked at Pudgy. “Hey Pudge, you like Fruit Loops?” The cat twitched an ear in his direction and continued sleeping. Alex rolled his eyes. “You don’t need any “Fruit Loops anyway, there’s quite enough meat on your bones.” Pudgy paid him no mind. Alex slowly raised the spoon to his mouth, stared at it, and then tipped it down his throat. He chewed, swallowed, and then waited. He cautiously took a few more bites. When the bowl was empty, Alex felt sick. He put the tray on the floor and rolled over onto his stomach, waiting for the nausea to pass.
After a few minutes, Alex got up shakily and looked around his room for clean clothes. His room was a wreck. There were clothes all over the floor nearly concealing his navy blue carpet. Alex waded over to his dresser and got out jeans and a t-shirt. Once dressed, he walked downstairs. “Mom, I’m getting in the car.” “I’m right behind you.”
They didn’t talk much during the twenty-five minute ride to the hospital. When they arrived, Mrs. Kereta pulled into a parking place near the front. “Come on, your appointment starts in five minutes and we still have to find the place,” Mrs. Kereta said. Alex followed his mother through the hospital’s revolving doors and over to the elevator. Once they were inside it, Mrs. Kereta fished a small piece of paper from her purse. “We need the sixth floor, room 612 office of Dr. Lisa Jenette.” The elevator came to a stop and Alex and his mother stepped into the hallway. They walked a few feet before Mrs. Kereta stopped in front of a door bearing the title;
D.R. LISA JENETTE, M.D.
ONCOLOGY
Oncology? thought Alex, wasn’t that…? Before he could finish his thought, his mom had opened the door to reveal a young African-American woman, her hair back in a bun, sitting at a small wooden desk. She looked up as the door opened. “Hello,” she said, getting up. “You must be Alex and Kathleen Kereta,” she shook their hands warmly. “It’s nice to meet you both. My name is Dr. Jenette. Please have a seat.”
When they were all seated, Dr. Jenette flipped open a file folder and looked directly at Alex. Alex was unnerved; most of the previous doctors had talked solely to his mother, ignoring him completely. This was new, and he wasn’t sure he liked it. It made whatever she was about to say seem much more important.
“Alex, I have some very serious news for you.” “Did you finally figure out what’s wrong with my shoulder?” Alex asked scornfully. “I’m afraid so,” Dr. Jenette said, ignoring his tone. “The bone marrow sample taken a few days ago confirmed an already existing theory.” Dr. Jenette paused for a minute then continued, “Your blood sample showed an abnormally low red blood cell count. Someone got suspicious and ordered the marrow test. That test revealed a number of leukemic blast cells in your marrow. That’s my specialty, so your case was referred to me. The cells must have started growing in your shoulder, as that’s where the highest concentration of them is, which explains the pain you’ve been experiencing. However, the cells have metastasized and spread. Alex I’m sorry to tell you this, but after further analysis, I’ve concluded that you have acute lymphocytic leukemia.”
Alex felt as though he’d been punched in the stomach. All the air left his lungs. “No,” he finally said, “no, no that can’t be right. I mean, doctors make mistakes all the time right? I mean, you probably just read the test wrong or something right?” Dr. Jenette looked at him sadly. “It’s possible, but I triple check these things before I tell the patient.” “No, you don’t understand,” Alex felt his voice rising, he was verging on hysterics. “I can’t have leukemia! I, I dance, I have a girlfriend, I have a life! I’m only fifteen!” Dr. Jenette was still giving him that sad smile. “Alex, we can fight this, people fight and win all the time.” “NO!” Alex yelled. He stood up and ran from the room.
He ran down the hallway dodging nurses, doctors, patients, anything in his way. He had to keep running. If he stopped the truth would crush him. He jumped over obstacles, ignored orderlies yelling at him to stop. He kept running even when his chest and shoulder were on fire and his breath came in gasps. Finally, he could run no more. He collapsed in a corner as the horrible reality caught up with him. He had leukemia. He was going to die.