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rsadelleContent note: cancer. (But no death.)
The tragic story I read last night was a bandom story where Patrick develops cancer and dies. I don't think I could write anything that tragic, but the story I'm sort of writing in my head is a story where Anna has cancer and the chemo is really, really hard on her. Alex takes to buying her presents on road trips: macarons from her favorite place in Miami so she has something she really likes when she can keep food down, a super soft hat from a place Prusty takes him in New York after she shaves her head (Alex also shaves his head with her), a cat statue he finds in some weird little antiques-type place he wanders into with some of the guys in Toronto. (He doesn't buy her jewelry because she's lost so much weight that rings or bracelets would just fall right off.) In my head, this is from Prusty's pov, and Alex doesn't tell anyone for a while, so Prusty is mostly confused about all the presents and Alex's seemingly out of proportion reaction to one of the guys trying to take one of the macarons on the plane. Once they all know, they start making a competition out of finding the best presents for Alex to buy for Anna.
The version where they find out because Prusty and Gally are worried and go over to Chucky's house one afternoon:
Chucky's mom leaves them on the front porch, and Brandon exchanges a look with Gally.
"She usually lets me in," Gally says.
Chucky comes out a minute later and steps out onto the porch with them, closing the door behind him.
"Hey, Chucky," Brandon says.
"Are you going to let us in?" Gally asks. He and Chucky are closer; he can probably get away with being that direct.
Chucky folds his arms over his chest. "Anna is sick," he says. "She has cancer. The chemo is bad." His sentences are all short and choppy. "Today is a good day, but if you upset her, you will have to leave. She looks sick. Don't make her feel bad about it."
"We won't," Brandon promises. "We wouldn't."
Gally nods an enthusiastic agreement, and Chucky lets them into the house.
Brandon's been on enough hospital visits that he doesn't let his smile slip when he follows Chucky and Gally into the living room. Anna's sitting on the couch, bundled up in a bulky sweater, the cat curled up on the blanket draped across her lap, the hat Alex bought in New York on her head. Brandon can still see, from her face, her hands, her impossibly thin wrists, how much weight she's lost.
"How are you about hugs now?" Brandon asks her, going for straightforward and calm about it.
"As long as you're careful," she says, and she stretches her arms up to hug him back so delicately he can barely feel it.
Gally's even more tentative with his hug.
Alex sits down next to Anna on the couch, and she leans against his side. Their mom brings in a plate of snacks and gets drinks for everyone, and Brandon and Gally keep up a light conversation sprinkled with chirping Alex.
Anna visibly droops after a while, leaning harder on Alex and blinking slower and slower. Brandon takes that as their cue to leave, and he and Gally both hug Anna gently before they go.
"Thank you for coming," she says. "I've been telling Alex he should tell you about this."
Alex walks them to the door. Gally hugs him, and then it's Brandon's turn.
"Do you want us to tell the other guys about this for you?" Brandon asks.
Alex looks up at the ceiling for a moment before he says, "Yes. I do not want to talk about it all the time."
Brandon hugs him again. "We'll take care of it."
Brandon and Gally don't talk much on the drive back to Gally's.
When Maripier gets home later, Brandon meets her at the door and pulls her into a tight hug.
"Hi," she says. "What happened to you today?"
Brandon sighs. "Gally and I went to see Chucky. His sister has cancer."
Maripier makes a sympathetic noise.
"He didn't even tell us. She looks terrible."
Maripier leans up to kiss his cheek. "Well now you know," she says. "Is there something we can do? Does she want visitors?"
"She seemed happy to see us," Brandon says. "Chucky said it was a good day, but she got tired pretty fast. I guess the chemo is hitting her pretty hard."
"Hmm," Maripier says. "Is he going to tell the rest of your team?"
"Gally and I are going to do it for him."
"Good," Maripier says. "He should have all of you, and we wives and girlfriends can make sure his family has company and some support."
Brandon kisses her soundly. "You're great, you know that?"
Maripier smiles at him. "I do."
The tragic story I read last night was a bandom story where Patrick develops cancer and dies. I don't think I could write anything that tragic, but the story I'm sort of writing in my head is a story where Anna has cancer and the chemo is really, really hard on her. Alex takes to buying her presents on road trips: macarons from her favorite place in Miami so she has something she really likes when she can keep food down, a super soft hat from a place Prusty takes him in New York after she shaves her head (Alex also shaves his head with her), a cat statue he finds in some weird little antiques-type place he wanders into with some of the guys in Toronto. (He doesn't buy her jewelry because she's lost so much weight that rings or bracelets would just fall right off.) In my head, this is from Prusty's pov, and Alex doesn't tell anyone for a while, so Prusty is mostly confused about all the presents and Alex's seemingly out of proportion reaction to one of the guys trying to take one of the macarons on the plane. Once they all know, they start making a competition out of finding the best presents for Alex to buy for Anna.
The version where they find out because Prusty and Gally are worried and go over to Chucky's house one afternoon:
Chucky's mom leaves them on the front porch, and Brandon exchanges a look with Gally.
"She usually lets me in," Gally says.
Chucky comes out a minute later and steps out onto the porch with them, closing the door behind him.
"Hey, Chucky," Brandon says.
"Are you going to let us in?" Gally asks. He and Chucky are closer; he can probably get away with being that direct.
Chucky folds his arms over his chest. "Anna is sick," he says. "She has cancer. The chemo is bad." His sentences are all short and choppy. "Today is a good day, but if you upset her, you will have to leave. She looks sick. Don't make her feel bad about it."
"We won't," Brandon promises. "We wouldn't."
Gally nods an enthusiastic agreement, and Chucky lets them into the house.
Brandon's been on enough hospital visits that he doesn't let his smile slip when he follows Chucky and Gally into the living room. Anna's sitting on the couch, bundled up in a bulky sweater, the cat curled up on the blanket draped across her lap, the hat Alex bought in New York on her head. Brandon can still see, from her face, her hands, her impossibly thin wrists, how much weight she's lost.
"How are you about hugs now?" Brandon asks her, going for straightforward and calm about it.
"As long as you're careful," she says, and she stretches her arms up to hug him back so delicately he can barely feel it.
Gally's even more tentative with his hug.
Alex sits down next to Anna on the couch, and she leans against his side. Their mom brings in a plate of snacks and gets drinks for everyone, and Brandon and Gally keep up a light conversation sprinkled with chirping Alex.
Anna visibly droops after a while, leaning harder on Alex and blinking slower and slower. Brandon takes that as their cue to leave, and he and Gally both hug Anna gently before they go.
"Thank you for coming," she says. "I've been telling Alex he should tell you about this."
Alex walks them to the door. Gally hugs him, and then it's Brandon's turn.
"Do you want us to tell the other guys about this for you?" Brandon asks.
Alex looks up at the ceiling for a moment before he says, "Yes. I do not want to talk about it all the time."
Brandon hugs him again. "We'll take care of it."
Brandon and Gally don't talk much on the drive back to Gally's.
When Maripier gets home later, Brandon meets her at the door and pulls her into a tight hug.
"Hi," she says. "What happened to you today?"
Brandon sighs. "Gally and I went to see Chucky. His sister has cancer."
Maripier makes a sympathetic noise.
"He didn't even tell us. She looks terrible."
Maripier leans up to kiss his cheek. "Well now you know," she says. "Is there something we can do? Does she want visitors?"
"She seemed happy to see us," Brandon says. "Chucky said it was a good day, but she got tired pretty fast. I guess the chemo is hitting her pretty hard."
"Hmm," Maripier says. "Is he going to tell the rest of your team?"
"Gally and I are going to do it for him."
"Good," Maripier says. "He should have all of you, and we wives and girlfriends can make sure his family has company and some support."
Brandon kisses her soundly. "You're great, you know that?"
Maripier smiles at him. "I do."