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My Life: Chapter 7 - Thanksgiving Break

by Fitz

Less than a week later, I found out I had to go to the hospital for more testing. The hospital. Just thinking of it made me shudder. I did not like hospitals. People went to hospitals, and they did not come out again. Was I scared? I was a breath away from packing my belongings and skipping town.

Kaoru found out about the appointment, and she wanted to come with me.

“I’d really rather go alone,” I grumbled as we walked to the bus stop together. I had asked her for some help studying again, and we were headed to Wilson Library.

“You afraid I’ll see you faint at the sight of the needle?” she asked lightly.

“Yes.”

She laughed and did not say anything more. Somehow, I got the feeling she would not take ‘no’ for an answer. And I thought I was stubborn.

So, when the dreaded day came, Kaoru borrowed someone’s car and drove us to United Hospital. She parked in the ramp and followed me up into the building. The nurse told us to wait in the lounge, so that was where we sat for the next twenty-five minutes.

What was it with doctors and making anxious patients wait for long periods? Couldn’t they have pity on us and actually keep up with the schedule?

Finally, after what felt like an eternity and then some, a nurse walked over and smiled at me.

“Mr. Himura? Come with me.”

^_^

That had to be one of the worst experiences of my life. First off, they pulled out this needle--dear lord, it was the biggest thing I had ever laid eyes on. No, I did not faint. I felt a bit light headed, but I remained conscious. Maybe if I had passed out, I would not have had to be completely aware while they shoved that needle right into my bone. Let me say, it hurt like hell.

Kaoru held my hand while they did that. She later teased me by saying I had sprained her hand with my grip. She also admitted that she averted her gaze the entire time. So I was not the only one with a fear of needles.

Afterwards, I got sick. Oh yeah, that was pleasant. Not only was I sore as hell, but I was throwing up into a bucket. And Kaoru was there to see it all! Again, I recalled that I had asked her not to come. She was adamant, saying she was glad she had. I did not believe a word of it.

“You going to be okay, Kenshin?” she asked later, in the car.

Unwilling to turn my head, I moved my eyes to look at her. She smiled sympathetically.

“You’re white as a ghost,” she informed me.

“I’ll let you know if I need to stop,” I mumbled, then closed my eyes. We both knew why I would need to stop. After all, Kaoru could not have me making a mess of her friend’s car floor.

“Music?” Kaoru offered.

“Quiet,” I replied.

Gentle music floated through the car. It was one of those New Age things. I fell asleep to the sounds of a bubbling brook and chirping birds.

^_^

Kaoru’s presentation was the next day, so she had to leave almost immediately. It was just as well. I was not the greatest company, dropping off again as soon as I found my bed.

When I next opened my eyes, it was dark out. I was still exhausted and sick, so I had to wonder what had woken me.

The sound of someone knocking on the door startled me. Well, that answered my question.

“Coming!” I called, climbing out of bed stiffly. Right in the friggin’ hip. Ow ow ow ow ow. I made it to the door and pulled it open. The hall was bright in comparison to my room, making me wince and squint. My head hurt, too.

“Wow, it’s dreary in here!” Sano pushed right past me, not bothering to ask if he could come in. I blinked dazedly as Megumi trooped in right after him, followed by Chou, Kamatari, Misao, and even Aoshi. With them, they brought three pizzas and a lot of pop. The smell was enough to make me feel ill again.

“What are you doing?” I asked a bit desperately.

“You’ve been holed up all day, so we came in for a party,” Chou explained with that lazy grin of his.

“And we thought you might be hungry, so we brought food!” Misao added, pushing a paper plate into my face. On it was a huge slice of pizza with just about every topping one could imagine.

I jerked back, holding a hand over my mouth and nose in hopes to avoid getting ill again.

“Ugh! I can’t eat anything...”

“You do look a little pale, Kenshin,” Megumi remarked from her seat on my futon. “What have you been doing in here all day?”

“I’ve only been in here since three, and I’ve been sleeping,” I groaned from behind my hand. “Misao, please get that away from me. I don’t feel that well.”

“Sorry, Kenshin,” Misao apologized quickly, handing the pizza to Sano who was content to eat my portion. “Want some Sprite?”

I had opened my mouth to reject any offer of food or beverage, but that one struck me, and I closed my mouth again. I nodded. Misao handed me a can. Sprite had never tasted so good.

Sighing in resignation, I settled down on the floor between Kamatari and Aoshi.

“You had better not get sick on me, Kenshin,” Aoshi observed.

“I won’t get sick,” I grumbled, huddling over my pop.

“Leave the poor boy alone!” Kamatari laughed. “He looks positively miserable.”

“Thank you, Kamatari.” Apparently I looked as bad as I felt.

“Anytime, sweetheart.” You can’t win them all. I let Kamatari get away with that one.

“So what happened?” Sano demanded. “You get any results yet?”

“Results won’t be in until next week sometime,” I shook my head.

“What’d you get done?” Megumi wondered.

“A biopsy,” I explained. What, now I had to explain it again? “Bone marrow.”

“Ooooh...” Megumi reached down from her perch and patted my shoulder sympathetically. “Those are nasty.”

“Yeah, it was a blast.”

“What’s a bone marrow biopsy?” Chou wondered.

“It’s when they shove this really big needle into your bone and extract blood cells,” Kamatari explained with a bright smile. “Supposedly it’s the mother of all shots. A real bitch.”

Chou had gone really pale. It was kind of funny, actually.

“Hey, look!” Misao cheered. “He’s smiling! Woohoo!”

“That’s such a rare occurrence,” Aoshi said dryly.

“It has been lately!” Misao stuck her tongue out at him.

Too weary to join in, I leaned back against the base of the futon. My head thunked lightly against Sano’s knee, but he did not mind. I left my head there, and he ruffled my hair playfully before returning to his pizza.

Conversation turned lighter after that.

“What’s everyone doing for Christmas this year?” Misao asked.

“Going home,” Chou offered.

“Where’s that?” Megumi wondered.

“Wyoming,” he rolled his eyes. “The middle of nowhere, U.S.”

“On the flip side, it’s only a few hours to drive to the mountain skiing hills from his place,” Kamatari pointed out. “What about you, darling? You going anywhere special? Home with Sparrow over there?”

Aoshi glanced at Misao, a very slight tinge of red on his cheeks. He shook his head.

“My family is going to my grandparents’ house in Miami,” he explained calmly.

“I’m stuck here in Minnesota,” Misao said mournfully. “Gramps wants to celebrate at home this year.”

“Megumi?” Kamatari prodded.

“Sanosuke and I are going to visit my family in Pennsylvania,” Megumi smiled.

“Going to meet the future in-laws, eh, Sano?” Chou grinned.

“Even letting Megumi dress me up to impress them,” Sano shot right back. “What about you, Kamatari? We haven’t heard your story yet.”

“I don’t celebrate Christmas, chickie,” Kamatari smiled brightly.

“Kamatari is Jewish,” I recalled.

“How nice of you to remember, sweetheart!”

“Hey, Kenshin,” Chou was up and about, searching my room. “You got any decent music in here?”

“Not really.”

He fiddled around with my stereo, trying to read the little numbers on the dial.

“What station is this on?”

“One-oh-four.”

“What’s that?” he grunted, pushing the power button and cranking up the volume.

“OH  MICKY, YOU’RE SO FINE! YOU’RE SO FINE YOU BLOW MY MIND! HEY MICKY!... HEY MICKY!”

There were groans all around, and Chou fumbled to turn the music down. We all sighed with relief when the volume dropped to a tolerable level. My headache had returned with a vengeance, and I reminded myself to thank Chou for his consideration. As it was, the song ended quickly, and Jerry Lee Lewis swung into Great Balls of Fire. That was not much better.

“So, Kenshin,” Sano tapped my head sharply, and I grimaced in protest. “What are your plans for Christmas?”

“I was going to spend it hiding under a rock in my back yard,” I replied. It could have been just my muddled hearing, but it seemed that my words were slurring.

“Sounds like someone is getting a little lazy tonight,” Kamatari said quietly.

“Sit up here by me, Kenshin,” Megumi said suggestively. I felt Sano shift behind me, and I imagined he was starting to bristle at her mild flirting.

Somehow, I did end up sitting next to Megumi. Conversation continued into the menial, such as newly released films and upcoming finals. I think Megumi’s arm was around my shoulders, but I could not be sure. The next thing I was fully aware of was opening my eyes to find that I had fallen asleep with my head on her shoulder. That was fine. What startled me more was that when I did finally wake, I had a large, gray face in front of me.

I yelped and jerked back, automatically shoving that face away. Just behind that, Chou was laughing his head off and waving a large, black furry object around.

“This thing is hideous, Kenshin!” Chou dropped the stuffed animal in my lap. “Where’d you get it?”

“Nnngh,” was my intelligent response. “What time is it?”

“Nine-thirty,” Misao answered.

Gee. Practically time to get up again. Billy Joel was singing Uptown Girl in the background. My head was still pounding. Of course, using Megumi’s shoulder as a pillow probably did not help. At the moment, I could not have cared less. Hugging that gorilla to my stomach, I closed my eyes and drifted away to their conversation again.

^_^

Thanksgiving came and went as it frequently did. Some people went home to celebrate with their families. Others stayed at the school over the long weekend. Uncle Hiko’s cooking abilities were comparable to those of a twelve-year-old. He could pull off macaroni and cheese and frozen pizzas without a hitch, but when it came to anything more complicated than scrambled eggs, he declared it time to dine out. I had a lot of frozen TV dinners when I was growing up. Sano invited me to his place for Thanksgiving dinner that year.

Mr. Sagara was a mild-mannered man with an intriguing sense of humor. He was a widower according to Sano, his wife having died shortly after they adopted Sano. Sano never spoke of the woman, so I knew next to nothing about her. Just that Sano had not known her long enough to really mourn her passing.

“Happy Thanksgiving, Dad!” Sano greeted Mr. Sagara with a hug in their foyer. The house was not big, and it was modestly decorated, but it was comfortable. As comfortable as those two welcoming each other’s presence that afternoon.

“Dad, this is Kenshin,” Sano introduced me, and I smiled. Through Sano, I had gotten suggestions for what to bring, thus I held up a fruit salad after greeting Mr. Sagara.

“Come on in,” Mr. Sagara ushered us back to the kitchen and dining room area. I deposited my contribution in the refrigerator and followed Sano into the family room. There, I met the rest of Sano’s family.

“Hey, Sano! Who’s your girlfriend?”

My eyes moved from the television screen, which displayed some video game involving street fighting, down to the boy on the floor. The kid could not have been more than eleven, but beneath a fall of scrappy black bangs was a set of shrewd brown eyes. He knew full well that I was no girl. Which meant he was trying to get a rise out of me--or Sano.

Beside me, Sano bristled.

“Watch it, Yahiko!” he growled. “This--”

He cut off when he saw my hand in front of him, staving off any degenerating word wars. I smiled right back at Yahiko.

“What game are you playing?” I asked.

“Street Fighter 2,” he announced. “No one can beat me at this game.”

I smirked.

“Give me one of those controls,” I sat next to him on the floor.

“Want a practice round?” he asked mockingly.

“No. We can start.”

He was starting to get nervous.

“Hey, you ever play this before?” he asked.

“No,” I examined the handset for a few seconds, assessing all of the different little buttons. “I’ve never played a video game in my life.”

Yahiko grinned, his confidence restored. It was just as well. I was not out to impress a kid eight years my junior.

Sano sat on the sofa behind us, shoving at my back lightly with his foot.

“The brat’s an expert at this, Kenshin,” he warned. “You don’t stand a chance.”

“Then I can have my first video game be a losing experience,” I replied. “Let’s start.”

Yahiko beat me in under a minute the first two tries. The next three times, it took him almost five minutes to beat me. After that, I started winning. By the time we reached our twentieth round, I was losing interest. You can only watch one barely three-dimensional character beat up another so many times. Although I did find it amusing when we fought with the female characters. Sano pointed out that I could ‘bitch slap’ the other fighter. I had great fun with that option, and soon the three of us were doubled over with hysterical laughter when we had two versions of the same fighter smacking each other repeatedly.

“Again!” Yahiko panted after I had beaten him for the seventeenth time in a row. “I won’t lose!”

“Give it up, punk,” Sano ruffled Yahiko’s hair lightly. “Kenshin knows all the dirty tricks in real life fighting, so it’s only natural that he’d beat you at this thing.”

Not true, of course. Well... that thing about fighting dirty, yeah... but video games were totally different. Normal fighting rules really did not apply. It was just a matter of finding the opponents weak points and your own fighter’s strongest attacks and utilizing them to your advantage. Your own strength had little to do with it, just the agility of your thumbs.

“Are you three done with this worthy competition?” Mr. Sagara asked about then. We looked at each other sheepishly and nodded. Mr. Sagara smiled and gestured to the dining room. “Good. Dinner is ready.”

^_^

I spent the weekend there, as Sano was my ride back to campus. The bus was always an option, but Sano would hear nothing of it. Apparently, he thought it would not be safe for me to be alone at school. I told him that was the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard.

Saturday morning, the group of us was in the kitchen, enjoying the morning. Actually, Yahiko was in front of the TV in the next room, regaining his confidence in Street Fighter 2. Sano was at the table, engrossed in the most important part of the newspaper--that is to say, the comics section. I was thoroughly enjoying myself, helping Mr. Sagara make breakfast. We were having pancakes and hash browns, neither of which I knew how to make, but it was pretty simple to learn.

“Don’t forget to burn a section of that for the brat,” Sano grunted. He looked pretty ragged that morning. His hair flopped down in his face, flattened in sections where he slept on it. He had a five o’clock shadow and had yet to change out of his night clothes, which consisted of a pair of black and yellow plaid boxers and a dark blue, cotton bathrobe that he did not bother to tie. “Won’t eat it unless it’s practically ashes.”

“Don’t listen to him,” Mr. Sagara advised. “Yahiko will eat anything you put in front of him.”

“Ah,” I smiled, still concentrating on the pancake mix. Surely it could not be that simple. Water, powdery stuff, milk, and then stir. Two minutes on the pan, some fancy flipping action, and you were done. Well, Mr. Sagara had that flipping down. I was lucky if I could transfer the pancakes to the plate without dropping them on the floor. He assured me that it came from years of practice and more than a few occasions where he was scraping pancake mixture off the ceiling.

“Yeah!” Sano called. “And guess who was the lucky one who got to clean that up?”

“You wouldn’t want me to hurt myself in the attempt,” Mr. Sagara said lightly. “These old muscles of mine can’t take the stress.”

“Yeah, those creaking bones of yours, geezer,” Sano snorted.

It was at that point, while we were all laughing, that it happened again. In its own, screwed up way, it was worse than the time in English. I was feeling fine one minute, and the next, the room just went spinning away from me, and down I went.

I guess I should feel lucky that I did not hit the stove or anything on it. At the time, all I felt was a sudden flash of panic. Sano shouted something, and someone grabbed me before I could hit anything. Again, it was very brief. Barely a minute passed before I was blinking and holding my head and mumbling that I was okay.

Blacking out in English had been embarrassing. This was just as humiliating, if not more so. The fact that my friend’s adoptive father had to catch me did not help things one bit.

“Urgent Care will be open,” Mr. Sagara was saying as I came out of the spell. “Sano, go warm up the car--”

“No,” I said sluggishly. I was searching for somewhere to put my hands so I could pull myself to my feet, but what my mind wanted and what my hands did were not coordinating properly. “I’ve already seen the doctor.”

“I don’t understand.”

“He’s waiting for results on some blood testing he got done earlier this week, Dad,” Sano explained. “You should lay down, Kenshin.”

“I’ll be fine,” I protested, finally making my limbs work and latching onto Sano’s robe-clad arms. He grunted in disapproval and helped me up.

“Fainting in the kitchen is not what I’d call fine,” he retorted. “Let’s get you back to the guest room--”

“If you’re going to banish me, then I can walk myself there,” I interrupted him angrily. “Finish your breakfast. I’ll go waste the day away in bed.”

Pulling away from Sano’s assisting hands, I staggered slightly, steadied myself and continued to the stairs. Forcing myself not to stomp all the way up to the second floor, I retreated to the guest bedroom.

^_^

It was not all that surprising that the door finally opened. I had sprawled out on my stomach on the day bed and was reading The Green Mile. We had to read a contemporary novel by a popular American author for class, or I would never have considered cracking the book. As it was, I was enthralled. Not so engrossed, though, as not to hear someone walk into the room. Irritated with Sano for making such a big deal out of everything when I would rather attempt to live normally, I prepared to ignore him.

“May I come in?” That was not Sano’s voice.

Startled, I turned to see Mr. Sagara standing in the doorway. He smiled a bit. My initial response would have been “it’s your house,” but that was inappropriate, so I bit my tongue and nodded. He closed the door behind him and walked into the room. I sat up, moving out of his way so he could sit on the bed as well.

“First off, I need to ask,” he said apologetically. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m not feeling like I’m going to pass out again anytime soon, if that’s what you’re asking,” I replied uneasily. I marked the page of my book and set it on the bedside table.

“You did not look like you felt that way before you did earlier, either,” Mr. Sagara pointed out.

There was not much to be said to that, so I said nothing. Mr. Sagara did not seem bothered by my silence.

“Look, Kenshin,” Mr. Sagara looked me square in the eye. “I’ll be honest with you. I raised Sano, who was quite the troubled child, on my own. Now, I have Yahiko. And you know what I’ve discovered?”

I shook my head when he paused, waiting for a response.

“I’ve found that I am constantly struggling to keep up with them,” he explained. “Just when I think I’ve got it figured out, they find something new to throw at me.” He hesitated, gathering his thoughts, then continued. “If it’s not trouble in school, then it’s girls, sex, stealing, or just low self-esteem... Sano told me you had some trouble with drug abuse some years back.”

I was not pleased to find that Mr. Sagara knew of this. I had to remind myself that not all father/son relationships were like the one I held with Uncle Hiko. Sometimes they actually did communicate and share secrets. Go figure.

“Don’t be angry with Sano,” Mr. Sagara seemed to read my thoughts. “This fainting business scares him.”

That one startled me. It never occurred to me that anything would frighten Sano. That man was always so forward and bold that it seemed he would walk straight into a fire and never even blink.

“Forgive me for saying this, but I am taking you as an example in hopes that I can steer my own sons away from where you went,” he said quietly. “No parent wants to see his child suffer.”

I thought Uncle Hiko might disagree, but he was not my father. Neither, though, was Mr. Sagara the biological father to Sano and Yahiko.

“Drugs of any sort have this nasty tendency to mess with a body’s natural functions,” Mr. Sagara explained. “While this may not be the case right now, it is likely that whatever chemicals you used did some lasting damage. You will probably struggle with your health for the rest of your life.”

Well, that was a depressing thought. Mr. Sagara just smiled encouragingly.

“My recommendation?” he offered.

I shrugged and nodded for him to continue.

“Accept the help your friends have to offer,” he said. “They only do so because they care, and you are fortunate in that. Many people in your situation don’t have that. When they get sick, no one bothers to help them and no one cares when their bodies shut down from too much abuse. So don’t push everyone away. You’re obviously frustrated and frightened with this whole thing yourself.”

“I can’t control any of it,” I mumbled without thinking.

“Exactly,” Mr. Sagara snapped his fingers as if I had just said something key to the conversation. “Which is what frightens Sano so much. I know that as a young man you may not be inclined to share your feelings with everyone around you, but perhaps you could find someone who you could tell. A friend, family member, a counselor, some stranger on the street... don’t keep it to yourself.”

“You really think that will help,” I said skeptically.

“I know it will help,” Mr. Sagara said with a little smile. “Surely your own parents told you this. I think it’s a requirement for every parent to tell their child that.”

“My guardian doesn’t buy into all that, I guess,” I sighed.

“In that case, I’m glad I told you,” he patted my shoulder lightly.

“I’m sorry I threw a tantrum in your house, Mr. Sagara,” I offered.

He shrugged, accepting the apology as it was.

“We’re going to a movie this afternoon,” he told me then, signaling the end of the serious conversation. “You’re more than welcome to join us.”

“Thank you, Mr. Sagara.”

“Don’t stay holed up in here all day, even if you don’t come,” he stood and brushed down his pants to straighten them. “You skipped breakfast, so have some lunch.”

“Of course.”

“Sorry if I am talking down to you, Kenshin,” Mr. Sagara chuckled. “I guess I’ve grouped you into the category with my sons. If I mother you too much, let me know.”

“I don’t mind,” I assured him, picking up my discarded book. “I’ll be down in a little while.”

“Good story?” he wondered.

“I’m trying not to compare it to the movie too much,” I admitted.

“Which is better?”

“Let’s just say I’m glad they did not put all of the book’s contents into the movie,” I grimaced. Mr. Sagara laughed and left the room. I opened my book and finished reading the chapter.

^_^

It was during a group study session that I got a call from Uncle Hiko. Kaoru, Sano, Misao, and Megumi looked on curiously as I got up and answered the phone.

“Hello?”

“Kenshin.”

“Uncle Hiko?” I frowned. He never called unless it was to tell me something I needed to know and would never discover otherwise.

“I have a message here from the hospital,” he said bluntly. “Get some paper and a pen.”

I scrambled for the materials, grabbing my notebook out of my Calculus book and the pencil out of Misao’s hand, then told him I was ready. If Misao was annoyed, I did not notice. I was far more focused on my uncle’s news.

“They have the results from your testing, and if you call before five, you can get them,” he told me. He then rattled off a number, which I scrawled down above some antiderivative calculations.

“You’ll let me know,” he said, leaving no room for contradiction.

“Sure, Uncle Hiko,” I replied, a bit breathless, “Thanks.”

“Call them now.”

Dead air. He hung up on me. It was just as well. I returned the phone to the cradle, then lifted it again. Hesitating only for a moment, I punched in the number he gave me.

“Kenshin?” Kaoru asked uncertainly. I glanced at her, shook my head, and waited for someone to answer the phone.

“United Hospital. This is Mary. How may I direct your call?”

I stuttered a bit but managed to get to the proper unit. Then I was transferred through three different people before the right one finally picked up. She had my files ready, thank god. I did not think I could have waited. Already I was trembling with anxious anticipation.

“It’s a type of anemia,” she explained, cheerful and gentle at the same time. I never knew a person could speak like that, but she pulled it off like an old pro. “It’s rather severe, and we’ll need to do a couple more tests so we can determine the exact sort of treatment required.”

“What kind of treatment?” I asked.

“Most likely a special vitamin regimen,” she replied. “It seems that your body is not absorbing it like it should. You may need regular injections, but more likely you’ll just take a couple pills every day.”

“Then th-that’s... that’s it,” I stammered, not certain what to say.

“Can you come back sometime this week?”

“Uh... sure,” I had to remind myself to breathe. “When?”

She set up another testing appointment, which I wrote down on my notebook. It was barely legible, my hand was shaking so badly, but I would not forget it anyway.

“We’ll see you then, Kenshin,” the woman said lightly.

“Yeah... uh... thanks,” I said unsteadily. “Thanks.”

I had to try a few times to hang that phone up, but it eventually made it to the cradle. For a time I just stared at it, trying to decide how to react. My legs were weakening, and I knew I would need to sit very soon.

“Kenshin?” Kaoru had stood and was next to me, touching my arm cautiously. “What is it? What’d they say?”

My legs gave out, and I sank down with a shuddering sigh. Kaoru grabbed me, slowing my descent to the carpet so it did not hurt so much when my knees hit the hard floor. I latched onto her, babbling out so much nonsense that it was a wonder anyone made any sense of it. Somehow, I guess they did because suddenly Kaoru was laughing and crying all at once, hugging me so tightly I could barely breathe.

“My god, Kenshin! So everything’s okay!” she cheered.

Near tears myself, I just nodded and concentrated on the fundamentals of breathing. Then, Misao and Sano joined the pile. Misao flung her arms around my neck and squealed happily while Sano gathered the bunch of us into a great bear hug and pressed his face into my hair. Kaoru later told me he had tears in his eyes, but when I saw him, his eyes were dry.

“This is cause for celebration!” Megumi declared. “It’s still early. Let’s go out to eat.”

She received three whole-hearted cheers and one weak nod. My voice was gone for the moment, and it would take me awhile to find it again.

But for Megumi, none of us could afford much. Megumi suggested the new Hard Rock Cafe, which was ridiculously expensive, but she offered to pay the difference.

“Don’t get used to it,” she teased. “I’m only doing it because Kenshin deserves it.”

I blushed at that comment. Megumi then called the restaurant for some reservations. She did not count on the extra bodies that joined us.

When Kamatari wandered by to see what the fuss was about, he quickly joined the excited group of students, hugging me and spinning me around in a dizzying circle. Chou soon followed and nearly knocked the wind from me when he slapped my back good-naturedly. Misao shyly invited Aoshi along. The stoic man patted my shoulder awkwardly and accepted the invitation.

Fortunately, the servers at Hard Rock Cafe were a friendly bunch, and they were not at all put out by the three extra people. They shoved a smaller table up next to the one already set up, and the eight of us piled in. My appetite was still down, although more so because I was overwhelmed by the news than for any lack of need. In the end, I did manage to eat half of an immense hamburger and the slice of cake that was on the house, compliments of the enthusiastic restaurant staff.

That night, for the first time in months, I slept soundly.

^_^