Charlotte's Battle - Jason's Recovery

Chapter 13

Charlotte had taken a short nap, being woken up by her mother who was checking on her to make sure she was alright. "Hey sweetie, I got your meds." She heard, then slowly opened her eyes. Her mother smiled as she helped her up to take the medicine. "I also forgot to tell you... tonight we are going to a support group to meet children and people just like you that are battling some form of cancer." She told her as she gently brushed her fingers through her own hair.

Charlotte tilted her head as she heard that, then nodded. "That's a good idea." She murmured as she glanced at Belle, who was watching both of them as they spoke to each other. "I'm just kinda nervous... what if they don't like me?" She asked with a frown.

Her mother reassured her and gently pat her shoulder. "They won't be mean because they're going through their own battles. Just like you are. I think it'll be very beneficial for both of us. There's one room for adults and another for you and the other kids." She told her as she gently looked into her daughter's eyes.

Charlotte nodded, thankful her mother had reassured her about the group session she would be going to. She thought about it for a bit before realizing it would be super beneficial for her. She slowly glanced at Belle again, petting her head and scratching her ear.

An hour passed, in which Charlotte spent some time writing in her journal. When her mother came into the room, she looked up and closed her journal, wrapping the elastic around it. "Is it time to go?" She asked, already dressed and ready to go.
Her mother nodded and helped her through the house, then to the car. She decided not to bring the wheelchair since they would be sitting the whole time.

Some time passed before they arrived at the small church-like building. Her mother helped her inside and pointed her to the room the kids were in. She was nervous and even Belle noticed it. Belle moved closer to Charlotte as she walked into the room, being greeted with waves and 'hello's'. It felt nice for people to actually not judge her for once. She found a seat in the middle of the room and sat down, Belle right at her side.

Everyone around the room introduced themselves, then when it was Charlotte's turn, she froze slightly. She cleared her throat. "Hey, I'm Charlotte. I'm eleven, or wait- I am eleven. I have a service dog named Belle." She pointed down to Belle who was laying her head down on her paws. "She helps me a lot with balance and retrieval of certain items." She paused and took a breath. "My family consists of my mom and dad, me, and my brother. Also Belle, of course. I was diagnosed with Medulloblastoma six weeks ago. I am on my fourth round of chemo and I've lost all of my hair but some from my eyebrows." She looked down and seemed a bit less nervous. "My hopes and dreams are to become a veterinarian." She finished her speech and sat back down, petting Belle slightly as the watched the next person introduce themselves. Throughout the time she was in group, she madea really close friend named Ashley, who was also dealing with a type of cancer, but hers was more terminal unfortunately.

On the way home, Charlotte was texting her a lot. They began to get to know each other. They realized that have a lot of the same interests, they go to the same hospital for chemo and radiation treatments. Charlotte set her friend Ashley's name on her phone as 'Best Friend' with an emoji of girl friends. It made her so happy to have finally found a friend she could relate to. They could go to treatments together, hang out at the hospital, play games on their phones, and text as much as they wanted.

Charlotte smiled as she set her phone down on the side table, looking over at Belle who was laying by her feet. She smiled at her and slowly closed her eyes. She relaxed in bed, getting herself more comfortable as she began to fall asleep. Her whole body beginning to relax as she slept.

Charlotte woke up inside of her dream, covered in sweat. Everything around her seemed unreal, but she didn't know it was just a nightmare. These seemed to happen a lot. Nightmares about her family dying, or even herself, but this one was different.
Charlotte found herself inside of the church, sitting around with everyone else, but Ashley was missing. She wasn't there. She pulled out her phone to find out it was dead. 'Figures' she thought to herself as she got up and began running to the hospital, asking the registrar where Ashley N was. She was on the oncology floor but she was in the ICU. The cancer had began to spread throughout her body and they were unable to operate. She stood there by the door as the sound of beeping, then a flatline sounded in her ears. She began to break down into tears.

When Charlotte woke up, she sat up and gasped for air. She was covered in sweat and her feedings had spilt all over her bedding. She began to cry, her mother running in when she heard the cries.

Sara looked at her daughter and sighed, quickly going to her side. "It's okay, Charlotte. I'll help you get cleaned up, okay?" She told her as she carefully picked her up and set her down on the toilet seat lid. "Stay here and I'll get you some clothes. I'll get the bath started, then clean the bedding when you're in the bath." She told her as she moved the curtain from the shower and turned the water on, filling it about halfway. She poured a bit of soap to make bubbles. Sara then helped her daughter get undressed and get into the bath. She saw her daughter crying and decided against asking her what had happened. She focused on the task at hand, which was to clean up the bedding and replace it with new sheets and blankets. Sara didn't mention to her daughter that she had an accident on the bed as she didn't want her to feel embarrassed or guilty. These things happen sometimes, but they can be fixed.

Sara began taking the blankets and sheets off the bed, carrying them to the laundry room. She turned the washer on, letting the water run as she tossed the sheets and dirty blankets inside. She then poured in the detergent, closing the lid when she was finished. She then looked up and opened the cabinet, pulling out a set of fresh sheets and a blanket or two to put on top of the bed. She carried them to the bedroom and began working on the task at hand.

When Sara finished, she came back with a clean set of pajamas and set them down on the toilet seat. "Alright, it's okay darling. I got it figured out. Are you finished bathing?" She asked, getting a nod in response from Charlotte. Sara nodded and gently helped her clean up, then handed her a towel so she could get out and dry herself off. "I'll go put the blankets on the bed while you get dressed." She told her, getting another nod in response. She didn't blame her as nightmares can be pretty scary sometimes. She was a bit worried, but decided not to ask about it.

She finished setting the blankets on the bed and turning to the bathroom door where Charlotte was standing. Charlotte was in clean clothes and seemed a bit more calm. "I'm okay mommy." She said in a quiet, but shaky voice. She slowly made her way to the bed and got under the blankets. Belle also jumped onto the bed and laid by her feet.

Sara decided to lay beside her daughter and put a Christmas movie on to distract her daughter from the nightmare and incident she just had. Halfway through the movie, she turned and looked at Charlotte who was now fast asleep and cuddled into her mother's side.