18 Vials of Sanguine Submission

As I walked into the hospital last Friday I had only a vague idea of what was going on. I expected blood to be taken a shot to be taken, more blood taken and then four hours of freedom before the next extraction, man was I wrong.

I walked into the hospital and the first thing they did was stick a 'butterfly' needle in a vein in my arm, they took 6 vials from the butterfly (lots more than I expected) and then put in some cold salt water to clean out the arm or something, not sure. But man it was cold, it was like ice running in my veins, my arm was freezing cold for o so long, though I didn't really mind... Then when the water had been injected an IV was attached to the butterfly needle where the DDAVP hormone was administered to me (took half an hour) as I lay down watching re-runs of shows from the 80's on TV.

As I sat there on the hospital bed I looked to my side and saw a little boy laying there as he too had an IV in him. He undoubtfully had cancer by the baldness of his head and the look on his face... you can truly 'see' that disease in somebody's eyes y'know? It was the kid's fourth birthday I felt so terrible, he was so young, so young and yet death simply stood at the other end of a locked door, waiting for weakness or mistake. As the cake came in with a brigade of nurses following diligently behind his face lit up with a glow of immense joy. I had a piece, it was chocolate with chocolate icing, but I didn't get the chance to talk to the boy. I dont know if I could truly look into his joy and see death awaiting at the handle of a door, watching intently at the little boy at the other side.

As the DDAVP had found its way into my bloodstream with completion I was told that I had to wait another hour as it settled completely and I would have to stay in that room the whole time, fair enough I thought, fine enough with me. While others awaited word on cancer I simply awaited the result on a much smaller disease, much less fatal... I could wait much longer if it meant that it was easier for that boy, though I knew nothing I could do would help.

Anyway they took another six vials an hour later and I had three hours to waste. Mom and I went to the food court for chinese food and later drove to the old age home where my Nan is to visit. Nan was asleep, too thick a sleep for normality, we tried to wake her but we might as well have tried to call thunder down from a bowl of pudding, she was drugged up on medication.

By the time we left the old age home it was time to head back to the hospital, at this time the blood loss had taken effect on me. I was hopelessly dizzy and couldn't walk in a straight line, I looked like someone drunk outta their mind.

As we arrived at the hospital for the final time 6 more vials fell from my veins, i began to wonder of how much blood could I truly have within, what amount could be held in the living wake of the humans body? Though this thought didn't last very long, after the amount of blood gone I could barely carry myself, I was hopelessly weak. I wobbled down the stairs and into the parking lot to nearly collapse in the car, we drove home and I could barely bring my mouth to answer my mom's continuous assault of questions. Though my mind worked to perfection as I wondered of the child, would he die before he had even experienced the full awareness of what was going on? Before he understood he was dying? I felt a pang of sadness for the kid as we drove into the fading sunlight...