The Golden Couple

Chap. 22

So after reading the comments on the last chapter, I just wanted to go ahead and clarify the side effects to oral chemotherapy, because they're different than the side effects would be to intravenous chemo or other types.

Side Effects:
1) Fatigue
2) Hand-foot syndrome - a skin reaction on palms of hands and soles of the feet (pain, swelling and redness)
3) Nausea/vomiting
4) Flu-like symptoms
5) Skin rash
6) Low blood counts (watch for fever)
7) Hair loss and nail changes
8) Mouth sores

-Now obviously you don't get ALL of these side effects on oral chemotherapy. And this probably isn't a complete list. But these are the general possible side effects.

Hope this helped clear up some of the confusion!
-Rachel

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"This is nice," I said to Kylie, with a sigh.

"Sometimes it's nice just to get away," she agreed, sipping her Chick-Fil-A lemonade.

We were seated on a blanket in the middle of an empty soccer field, eating Chick-Fil-A.

Well, she was eating Chick-Fil-A. I was just drinking their lemonade.

"I feel like with all the stress lately, this is exactly what I needed," I said, as the wind whipped around me.

"It's so beautiful out here," Kylie said, looking around. "The serenity of uninterrupted nature."

The two of us sat in silence for a few moments, taking it all in.

"I think people should do this more often," I commented. "Take an hour just to get away."

"We should totally go to the dollar store and buy some cheap ass kites," Kylie said, with a laugh.

And so we did.

I came back with a unicorn kite, whereas Kylie had a duck one.

"Ready?" I asked her.

She laughed, nodding.

We both took off running, letting our kites unravel behind us.

My unicorn barely even left the kite.

"Fly unicorn," I called over my shoulder, laughing as I ran. "Fly you stupid thing!"

After a few minutes I collapsed on the floor, my unicorn collapsing as well.

Not that it was even five feet off the ground.

"Well that didn't work did it?" Kylie asked, collapsing next to me.

"It was fun though," I said, with a laugh.

"Did your unicorn ever fly?"

"No. Turns out it's just a little fat rhino."

Kylie laughed. "My duck got some air."

"So jealous."

We laid there, side-by-side, in silence, staring up into the clouds.

Nature is so beautiful when you take the opportunity to appreciate it.

~*~

"What?" I asked Clayton, as I headed up to Bryce's front porch.

Clayton was just leaving, an unhappy look on his face.

"I'd just be careful going in there is all."

"Is something the matter?"

"He's just not in the best of moods."

"He hasn't been lately," I pointed out. "I think he needs to get out of the house and away from the school environment."