((Small AN: My apologies for how long it's taken me to get this up. It seems that working during chemo is NOT as easy as my mom made it look like! #myhero But now things are finally getting better so hopefully my Muse will come out of hiding. And in truth, I probably needed the distance from my diagnosis to think and feel clearly and deliver the quality chapters you, my readers, have come to expect from me. So without further ado - enjoy!))

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Phase Three: Port Placement

That next Tuesday morning Jim was to head to school with Toby and Claire, much against his will and at the insistence of his mother in a debate that had lasted well into the previous night. But in the end he'd seen her side. Though he wanted to be with her he really couldn't do much to help with this stage of things.

Barbara was going into surgery to have her chemotherapy port implanted.

Nothing, however, would prevent him from being up to see her off at 6:30 in the morning when Laura, a nurse who often worked with Barbara, came to pick her up.

"Everything will be okay, honey," Barbara assured as she picked up her purse, laden with a book to read while she waited and the multivitamin she took everyday as well as its usual things. "I'll be home long before you get here."

"I know mom. I just wish I could go with you." Barbara smoothed a bit of Jim's hair, not that it smoothed down any.

"I'll give Laura my phone," she assured, repeating their agreement, "so she can give you updates and I've called the school to let them know if I need you she has my permission to come pick you up." Jim sighed, but smiled.

"And not like I can drive you home afterwards."

"Not on a learner's permit, mister, with me recovering from sedation." A knock on the door let them know Laura had arrived. "Right on time. She's the most punctual nurse I know." They went to let her in, and just as Barbara was expecting from the friendly nurse she was bubbly, even at this hour.

"Hi, Barbara, Jim." Being off-duty and having a long working relationship first names were a given. "Ready for this?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." To help put Jim's mind at ease Barbara handed over her phone. "Jim's in my phone under his name, though if you can't reach him for some reason you can try 'Toby,' 'Claire,' or 'Mr. Blinkeh.' He's a councilor whose been working with Jim."

"Mom!" Jim protested at the 'leak of information,' to keep up appearances.

"Nothing wrong with getting a little help, honey," his mom replied, making it sound like it was her idea. "Especially now."

Really, they were getting to be quite good at tag-team, improvisational cover-story creation.

"Any one of them should be able to reach Jim."

"If all else fails, I'll call the school," added Laura. "Though I have a feeling your friends will be watching their phones if you can't." Jim glanced aside, but knew it was true.

"Yeah, probably." Barbara gave Jim a hug - it was time to go - then he watched as the two women headed to Laura's car and drove off towards the hospital.

ooooooooooo

The hospital was not the one that Barbara worked at but a branch that focused on among other things cancer treatment.

Barbara registered, waited a bit, then was sent back to start the preparation process. It had been a while since she'd had a surgery - an appendectomy in collage, if she recalled correctly - so the process while familiar from her work was vastly different on this side of the hospital gown. Or at least so it seemed to her.

Soon she was laying on the bed, IV in place and being wheeled to the OR after a final word from Dr. Stirling and her anastegiologist. Into the OR, smaller than those at the main hospital and far more...Barbara didn't know how to think of it. It felt more like they took an typical, moderate-sized office with all the cabinets and such and added the overhead light. It smelled clean, and Barbara let herself relax.

Healer, become the patient. I am in good hands.

The anastegiologist came to Barbara's head, smiling at her from being her surgical mask.

"Okay, Barbara. This is Your Mask." Barbara could hear the emphasis as a rubber face mask was placed over her mouth and nose. "No one else has ever used this before. I'm turning on pure oxygen." A hiss, and air breezed gently over her face. "Just breathe in through your nose, out through your mouth. In through your nose, out through your mouth." It was a practiced patter, Barbara couldn't help but think, designed to calm and relax patients and help then fall asleep faster.

In through nose, out through mouth, in through the nose, it through the mouth...C'mon, it's not that hard! Why am I struggling? In through nose, out through mouth...

"Sweet dreams..." A different smell came into the mask, noticeable but being undefinable as bitter or sour or even bad. One breath, then two, then...

Nothing.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Jim arrived at school on time with Claire and Toby in tow, but as they chained their bikes and his Vespa it was clear he wasn't all there mentally.

"The bake sale went really well," tried Claire, referencing the event held the previous Friday. "I think Principal Uhl is going to give you the check today."

"Uh huh." Best friend and girlfriend shot one another glances, then Toby put a hand on Jim's shoulder.

"She'll be fine, Jimbo. From what you said this is a minor thing, right?" Jim looked between them, then sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Yeah, that's what Dr. Stirling said. Over in thirty minutes." He still looked, and felt, troubled. As they went in he pulled out his phone and glanced at the front.

"Anything?"

"No. If they're on schedule she'd said she'd be in pre-op if anything." Jim put it back on his pocket. "Man, I hate this!"

"Hey, Lake!" The sudden voice calling him was the last Jim wanted to hear at that moment.

"This isn't a good time, Steve," he warned in a low tone of voice, turning to look at his rival. Beside him Toby crossed his arms and Claire frowned, both clearly ready to back him up but to their surprise Steve lacked the smug, arrogant expression he usually wore. Instead he looked uncomfortable and...something else they couldn't read.

"Look, this doesn't change anything. I still think you're a loser. But...well..." As if he couldn't think of anything else to say Steve held out a folded piece of paper.

"What's this?" Jim took it and looked inside where there were two phone numbers.

"The first one's my mom's cell phone," the blond answered, catching the other teen's gaze. "She's a six-year-survivor, and said if your mom wants to talk at any time day or night about anything to call her."

"Wow, Steve..." A quick glance between the trio confirmed their shared surprise; none of them had known. Then Jim glanced at the other number. "What's the other one?" Steve glanced away before answering, not looking at the other.

"Mine. Being the primary caregiver isn't any easier." Jim felt his eyes tear up at that simple, truthful statement, and blinked furiously to mask it. No way he wanted Steve to know he'd hit that kind of cord. But to their surprise Steve just turned to head to class. "Like I said, doesn't change what I think about you. But... yeah." Steve cleared his throat, gave Jim one more very understanding look, then walked away.

"Wow," Toby muttered, "never thought something like that would happen, like ever."

"You okay, Jim?" asked Claire as she caught his still somewhat emotional expression.

"Yeah," Jim replied after a moment, blinking away the last of his tears and folding the paper to tuck into a back pocket, finally smiling. "Yeah, I think I am." He shouldered his backpack and patted his pocket to make sure his phone was there then they headed into class.

oooooooooooooooooooo

Though it was technically against school policy Jim had his phone on his desk at every class, and even though he tapped it to check for messages every now and then not one teacher commented on it. Aside from one message around 8:23 saying she was going into pre-OP, nothing.

What's taking so long? I thought they said thirty, forty-five minutes tops! I get that registration takes time but does it take that long to do everything else? What all do they have to do anyways? Jim realized he actually had no clue what went into prepping a patient for surgery. Gown...IV line...what else is there?

With a silent sigh Jim looked up at the board where Ms. Janice was trying to give an algebra lesson. Though he was dutifully copying, he was understanding zilch of it. A noise caught his attention and he glanced to the side to see Claire smiling at him.

I'll explain it later, she mouthed, and he smiled.

Thanks.

BZZZZZT!

The loud sound of Jim's phone vibrating on his desk made Jim jump, dropping his pencil and interrupted Ms. Janice mid-word. Jim looked at his phone, lit up with a waiting message, then at his teacher.

"Well, go ahead, Mr. Lake," Ms. Janice permitted with a wave. Gratefully Jim picked up his phone and unlocked it to read the text, then sagged in relief.

"She's in recovery now and will be heading home soon," he announced to general cheers.

"Excellent news!" agreed the drama teacher. "Now, if you would be so kind as to put away your phone. You can call home on lunch." Reassured knowing that his mom was in recovery, Jim did as asked and was finally to concentrate at least as much as he usually did on math.

Sometimes it waa great to have a girlfriend who got this stuff.