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And the crowd goes wild!
“Just my mom and dad.” Ben’s answer brings me back to reality.
“Not you?”
“Nope. I rent a place closer to campus with Jasper and our friend Sammy.”
Ben heads up another flight of stairs, and I follow, leaving my stadium behind.
We pass some bedrooms before I spot a familiar setup. Beside a large leather recliner is a hemodialysis machine. Even though I understand the mechanics, I still think the thing looks like it belongs in a sci-fi movie with all its buttons and tubes and knobs.
“So, you hook yourself up and everything?” I let my bag drop with a heavy thud in the far corner where it can’t get in anyone’s way.
Ben doesn’t meet my eyes. “Yeah. I went through the training and all that. I tried out the centers for a while, but trying to get a good appointment time was crazy hard. Then, if I needed to shift one … it just wasn’t working.”
He shrugs and scratches the back of his neck again. I have to admit, the pose does wonderful things for his biceps, but I think it’s his go-to nervous tic.
“My parents installed this here, so I can make my own schedule. And I can have it done more often. So, there’s less buildup.” He still won’t look at me.
I realize he’s embarrassed. Talking to a stranger about his fluid buildup probably doesn’t top his list for fun times.
“That’s good you’ve found what works for you. Why’s it here though? Instead of your place?”
Ben shrugs again. “More space here. And I just … I don’t want the guys to see. To see me like this.” He gestures at the machine.
My heart aches. Marcus felt that way, too. He never wanted Pops to go to the treatments with him. Didn’t want me to either, but he was never able to stop me from tagging along.
With a dismissive wave, I give him a piece of my mind. “If your friends judge you for getting medical treatment, then they can go fall in dog poo for all I care.”
Ben smiles at me, looking both amused and confused. “Fall in dog poo?”
“Have you ever fallen in dog poo?”
He shakes his head.
“Well, it sucks. Smelly, embarrassing, and definitely not something you forget. I know I haven’t.” Worst day of middle school ever.
Ben opens his mouth like he’s about to ask more questions, but the doorbell cuts him off.
“That’s probably Dr. Stevens. He comes by once a month for a checkup. Give me a second.” He jogs down the hall.
With a slow spin, I take in the whole room. Other than the chair and the machine, there’s a window with a plant on the sill, a sink, a cabinet that probably holds all the medical supplies, a large TV mounted on the wall, and a small side table with a lamp and remote control. My guess is that Ben doesn’t like spending any more time in here than he has to. There’s not even another chair for someone else to sit in.
“Hey, Holly. You remember Dr. Stevens?” Ben stands in the doorway next to a familiar middle-aged man with faded black hair and deep lines around his eyes.
All that identifies him as a doctor is the stethoscope around his neck and the classic physician’s bag grasped in his left hand.
He reaches out his empty palm to shake mine. “Nice to see you again, Holly. I just wanted to say that what you’re doing for Ben is wonderful. And really brave of you.”
I shrug, trying to ignore the queasiness in my stomach when I think about the part of this process that requires me to be brave. “Happy to help.”
“That’s good to hear. Now, sorry to do this, but would you mind giving Ben and me a few moments?” Dr. Stevens sets his bag down by the sink.
Ben’s smile is tight and apologetic.
“No problem.” I move to back out of the room. “I’m just going to go root through all your stuff and find out all your dirty secrets.”
I wink, and he gives me a nice, deep laugh. Seeing a real smile back in place makes it easy for me to retreat. I shut the door behind me and get ready to explore.
