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On The Edge Of Life; Chapter Four
JADE
It has been two days since I found out that Lance is still alive, and I have been visiting him ever since, on the agreed time which is from four till six in the evening. Today, I have the list of people who came to Sam's party and their pictures. I intend on using this as a means of helping Lance regain his memory. Right now, I'm in Lance's room. He and his mum went to see the doctor earlier, so I am patiently waiting for them. I silently congratulate myself for surviving two days in a hospital, an environment I naturally despise. I keep on reminding myself that I'm doing it for Lance, after all, he would soon be out of here.
**********
LANCE
What's so important that the doctor had to call both my mum and I? Couldn't he have called my mum instead? Jade is waiting for me right now. I inwardly rebuke myself for thinking that. Jade is my best friend for crying out loud. It is not normal for me to be having these kind of thoughts about her. It almost feels wrong, kind of like the feeling one gets when carrying out incest, since besides, we are like siblings. But its a good thing we are not though. She is too pretty to be my sister....no offence to my real sis. But anyway, the main thing right now is the fact that I want to be in her company, not the doctor's.
**********
Mum and I arrive at the doctors office, and we were asked to seat, which we did. Then the doctor starts talking.....
"We have finally found the cause of Lance's memory loss.....shock. It was probably because of the shock his body went into which made him to lose some of his memory. But it was triggered by heroine, which, sadly brings us to another problem." I could hear mum inhale deeply, as if preparing her self for a blow. "It is obvious that your son has never had heroine in his life, and although the amount of it found in his system is enough to kill someone at once, it is a miracle that he is still alive. His body is not accustomed to it, not to talk of the high amount found in his system, so it damaged his kidneys-"
"Kidneys? As in two?" Mum screamed. The doctor just nods his head sorrowfully and says, "Had it been just a kidney, it wouldn't have been a problem. And the damage is so bad that even if we give him a new kidney, it wouldn't last long. He would need two new kidneys to do the job, which makes the chances of a transplant very grim."
"A-Are you saying what I think you're saying doctor? That the only way my son can have a transplant is if someone dies?" The doctor nods his head sadly.
"Lance's situation is so severe, that if after four months we do not carry out this transplant, his body will not be able to properly function and within weeks, he would - die." Mum gasps, and I black out.
**********
JADE
The door opens forcefully, and I see Lance being carried by male nurses. Apparently, he had blacked out during his visit to the doctor.
"Is he okay?" I ask.
"Yes." One of the male nurses answers."Just a little stressed out, that's all."
"What could have happened that stressed him out like this? He was fine a while ago." I murmur. The nurses gently place him on the bed, and quietly leave the room. A little while later, Lance's mum enters the room, tear faced. I stand immediately, sensing that something was indeed wrong.
"My Lance.....my poor Lance." She says, sobbing uncontrollably. She slumps on the chair next to Lance's bed, and I try to comfort her by hugging her, whereas I am scared my self.
"Tell me, what happened to Lance?" I say. She sniffs and wipes her tears from her face with her hands.
"T-The doctor found what was in Lance's body. I-It was a high amount of heroine. It was shock that caused Lance's memory loss, by the way." She stops and takes a deep breath. I pat her back and she looks at me and continues.
"The doctor said that Lance was given an incredibly high amount of Heroine, and its even a big miracle that he survived this amount,.....for now"
"What do you mean?"
"Lance's body could not process and digest the high amount of heroine in his system, so it led to the damage of both his kidneys.". I gasp loudly, my two hands flying to my face. Then she continues...
"If Lance does not get a transplant within the next four months, he would not be able to get a transplant after that. Where would we get kidneys from, if not from someone who is about to die? I can't pray to God to let someone die for the sake of my son." I am utterly speechless. I feel like crying but the tears don't want to fall.
"What happens if Lance does not get the transplant within four months?" I ask, already dreading the answer.
"He dies slowly, within weeks after that." She says. Finally the tears come out, and I burst out crying, falling on the floor.
© Naomi Obasi
It has been two days since I found out that Lance is still alive, and I have been visiting him ever since, on the agreed time which is from four till six in the evening. Today, I have the list of people who came to Sam's party and their pictures. I intend on using this as a means of helping Lance regain his memory. Right now, I'm in Lance's room. He and his mum went to see the doctor earlier, so I am patiently waiting for them. I silently congratulate myself for surviving two days in a hospital, an environment I naturally despise. I keep on reminding myself that I'm doing it for Lance, after all, he would soon be out of here.
**********
LANCE
What's so important that the doctor had to call both my mum and I? Couldn't he have called my mum instead? Jade is waiting for me right now. I inwardly rebuke myself for thinking that. Jade is my best friend for crying out loud. It is not normal for me to be having these kind of thoughts about her. It almost feels wrong, kind of like the feeling one gets when carrying out incest, since besides, we are like siblings. But its a good thing we are not though. She is too pretty to be my sister....no offence to my real sis. But anyway, the main thing right now is the fact that I want to be in her company, not the doctor's.
**********
Mum and I arrive at the doctors office, and we were asked to seat, which we did. Then the doctor starts talking.....
"We have finally found the cause of Lance's memory loss.....shock. It was probably because of the shock his body went into which made him to lose some of his memory. But it was triggered by heroine, which, sadly brings us to another problem." I could hear mum inhale deeply, as if preparing her self for a blow. "It is obvious that your son has never had heroine in his life, and although the amount of it found in his system is enough to kill someone at once, it is a miracle that he is still alive. His body is not accustomed to it, not to talk of the high amount found in his system, so it damaged his kidneys-"
"Kidneys? As in two?" Mum screamed. The doctor just nods his head sorrowfully and says, "Had it been just a kidney, it wouldn't have been a problem. And the damage is so bad that even if we give him a new kidney, it wouldn't last long. He would need two new kidneys to do the job, which makes the chances of a transplant very grim."
"A-Are you saying what I think you're saying doctor? That the only way my son can have a transplant is if someone dies?" The doctor nods his head sadly.
"Lance's situation is so severe, that if after four months we do not carry out this transplant, his body will not be able to properly function and within weeks, he would - die." Mum gasps, and I black out.
**********
JADE
The door opens forcefully, and I see Lance being carried by male nurses. Apparently, he had blacked out during his visit to the doctor.
"Is he okay?" I ask.
"Yes." One of the male nurses answers."Just a little stressed out, that's all."
"What could have happened that stressed him out like this? He was fine a while ago." I murmur. The nurses gently place him on the bed, and quietly leave the room. A little while later, Lance's mum enters the room, tear faced. I stand immediately, sensing that something was indeed wrong.
"My Lance.....my poor Lance." She says, sobbing uncontrollably. She slumps on the chair next to Lance's bed, and I try to comfort her by hugging her, whereas I am scared my self.
"Tell me, what happened to Lance?" I say. She sniffs and wipes her tears from her face with her hands.
"T-The doctor found what was in Lance's body. I-It was a high amount of heroine. It was shock that caused Lance's memory loss, by the way." She stops and takes a deep breath. I pat her back and she looks at me and continues.
"The doctor said that Lance was given an incredibly high amount of Heroine, and its even a big miracle that he survived this amount,.....for now"
"What do you mean?"
"Lance's body could not process and digest the high amount of heroine in his system, so it led to the damage of both his kidneys.". I gasp loudly, my two hands flying to my face. Then she continues...
"If Lance does not get a transplant within the next four months, he would not be able to get a transplant after that. Where would we get kidneys from, if not from someone who is about to die? I can't pray to God to let someone die for the sake of my son." I am utterly speechless. I feel like crying but the tears don't want to fall.
"What happens if Lance does not get the transplant within four months?" I ask, already dreading the answer.
"He dies slowly, within weeks after that." She says. Finally the tears come out, and I burst out crying, falling on the floor.
© Naomi Obasi
