Date: Sat, 8 Mar 2003 20:29:33 EST
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: The Castaway Hotel - book 6, chapter 8

Legal Notice:
The following story contains descriptions of graphic sexual acts.
The story is a work of fiction and has no basis in reality.

Don't read this story if:
**You're not 18 or over,
**If it is illegal to read this type of material where you live,
**Or if you don't want to read about gay/bi people in love or having sex.

The author retains copyright to this story.  Placing this story on a
website or reproducing this story for distribution without the author's
permission is a violation of that copyright.  Legal action will be taken
against violators.

I wish to extend my thank you to Ed for his editorial assistance with this
chapter, and to Art for proofreading it for me.

E-mail responses to the stories, story suggestions, or other 'constructive'
comments or advice may be sent to: bwstories8@aol.com.

                *    *     *     *     *     *     *     *

Although the boys in these stories have unprotected sex, I strongly urge
all of you out there to be smart and protect yourselves from various
sexually transmitted diseases by using condoms when having intercourse.

                *    *     *     *     *     *     *     *

The Castaway Hotel-Book 6-by BW (Young-Friends).  Copyright 2000 by billwstories
Chapter 8 - Another crisis.                       September 2002

A.L.L.  The doctor said that stood for Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia.  The
sound of that pronouncement was still ringing in my ears.  Though I had no
idea what the disease was, when the doctor first announced it, it sounded
as if it might change our lives, especially Cody's and mine.  I tried to
listen carefully as the doctor explained exactly what it was and how it was
going to affect Cody, but my mind kept envisioning the worst.  After giving
me a brief understanding of what we would face, he referred us to an
oncologist, who specializes in treating cancer and tumors.  The doctor had
his receptionist call the specialist and set us up with an appointment, and
then I went to pick up Cody, and some of the other boys from school.

Once we got home, I took Cody aside and explained to him what the doctor
had told me.  He was concerned, but very brave when I broke the news to
him, much braver and more stoic than I would have been, if the roles were
reversed.  I was the one who was almost crying, as I broke the news to him,
and he sat on my lap and hugged me, as he tried to make me feel better.  As
we were locked in the embrace, I thought something was definitely backwards
here.  I looked up at him, and then I asked him a question.  "Cody, do you
have any questions for me?"

He looked at me, and the expression on his face told me that he seemed
afraid to say or ask what was foremost on his mind.  I tried to reassure
him that he could ask or say whatever wanted, and he finally spoke.  "Am I
going to die?"

I almost lost it then and there, but I kept my composure for his sake.  "We
don't think so, and the doctor says this is one of the most common forms of
cancer in children, and also one of the most curable.  We're going to go
see a specialist next, and he'll tell us what he thinks is the best way to
treat this problem.  He has gone through extensive training in this area,
and I'm told he also has quite a bit of experience treating similar cases.
I'm very optimistic that you will get through this, so don't think the
worst and keep your hopes up."

"I'll try, but this isn't going to be easy."

"I know, but you won't be alone in dealing with this.  The whole family
will be there for you, and we'll do everything we can to help you get
through this."

"Are you going to tell everyone else?"

"I was planning on it, unless you don't want me to?"

"I don't know.  I guess you can, but I don't want them to stay away from
me, once they know I have this thing."

"They won't, because we'll explain it to them and let them know it's not
contagious.  I know my boys, and they will probably do the opposite of what
you think.  They'll most likely try to get closer to you, rather than pull
away.  In fact, you might find it hard to be alone, once they know what's
going on.  Are you sure you don't mind my telling them?"

"No, not if they aren't going to run away when I walk into the room."

They won't.  I'm very sure of that.  Do you want to be with me when I
explain all this to them?"

"Yes, I think I do.  I want to be there when you do it though, because I
want to see what they say and do when they find out."

"Okay, if you're sure."

After dinner, I called a family meeting, although I had already broken the
news to Jake, in private, after he got home.  We all went into the family
room and sat down, and I let the boys know what we had discovered.
"Fellas, the doctor told us today that Cody has a form of leukemia.  He
also told us that it's one of the most common types in young people, and
it's also one of the most curable.  We're not sure exactly what's going to
happen next, but we're going to see a specialist in a few days, and he'll
tell us more about what kind of treatment Cody will receive."  I hesitated
here, waiting to see if any of the boys had questions, and they did, so I
answered them to the best of my ability.  Once this questioning period
ended, I had one more thing to tell them.

"I also promised Cody I'd let you boys know that what he has isn't
contagious.  None of you can catch this just by being around him, so you
don't need to worry about that."

"Not even if you do sex things with him?" Graham wanted to know.

"No, not even that way.  The causes of this disease are either genetic or
environmental, but you can't get it just from being around someone who has
it?"

"Didn't my seventh grade English teacher have leukemia?" Pat asked me.

"Yes, she did," I responded, surprised that I hadn't remembered that before
Pat brought it up.

"And didn't they give her bone marrow transplants, to make her better?"

"Yes, I think they did."

"Well, can we be tested to see if we can donate some of our bone marrow to
Cody?"  I just glanced over at Cody when Pat said this, wishing to gauge
his reaction to this selfless offer.  He was looking at Pat with a very
thoughtful expression on his face, and then he cracked a smile, when he
realized what an enormous and significant gesture this was.  I guess he was
beginning to see that I was right about how the boys would react.

"That's a wonderful idea, but we're not sure it's going to come to that
yet.  If it does, I think that would be a very generous thing to do, and
I'm sure Cody would be very appreciative of such an offer."  Cody was
nodding his head vigorously, to emphasize my point.  After a few more
general questions, we each went our own way, but not before each and every
boy took a minute to speak to Cody alone, just to let him know they would
be there for him and to let him know the extent of their support.  When it
was all over, Graham and Cody went to Cody's room, and we didn't see either
of them again, for the rest of the night.

A few days later, I took Cody to see the oncologist, and the doctor
examined him and looked at his medical records, before he and I sat down to
chat in private.  The doctor thought this best, and Cody redressed and
waited in the examination room, while we went to the doctor's office.

"Mr. Currie, there's no reason to get too uptight about this, as this is
not a hopeless situation.  Even though the statistics are lower for boys
than for girls with this illness, I still think we have a good chance to
get Cody into remission, or maybe even eliminate his cancer altogether."

Although his comments were as positive as could be expected, I'm not sure
what he said was registering in my brain, as my mind was still racing like
a wildfire through a dry forest.  I was instinctively thinking of everyone
else I had ever known or been familiar with who had suffered from leukemia,
or any other type of cancer, remembering what they had gone through, as
they fought the disease.  I was also thinking about how they had done since
they were first diagnosed, thinking this might give me an indication of how
Cody was going to fare.  Unfortunately, the majority of the people I
thought of were adults, and their condition, after their treatments, was
varied, but they weren't all positive or all negative.  Some had gone into
remission, or improved greatly, while others had shown only slight
improvement, and others had eventually succumbed to their illness.  This
was not reassuring, and I could only hope that the situation for children
was more optimistic, seeing they were younger and their immune systems were
stronger, thus making them more able to fight off disease.

Now I turned my attention back to the doctor, and decided to question him
about this.  "Doctor, what exactly do you think we should do next?"

"My first suggestion would be to harvest some healthy blood cells, from
him, and then we'll freeze them, to use on him later.  After that has been
accomplished, then we'll treat him with an aggressive form of chemotherapy.
Hopefully that will stop the leukemia cells from reproducing, and either
cure him, or put him into remission."

"That sounds drastic, but I know you must think it necessary, or you
wouldn't suggest it.  How will this treatment affect Cody?"

"Well, the chemotherapy may produce some side-effects, such as nausea,
tiredness, and there will also be a higher risk of infection."

"Anything else?"

"Not from this first round of treatment, but other side-effects may occur,
if we have to resort to other measures, such as radiation-therapy."

"Let's hope we don't have to resort to that, but could you please explain
to me what this is, exactly, and how Cody might have contracted it?"

"Of course.  The various forms of leukemia, including A.L.L., may be caused
by either environmental or genetic factors.  It may results from long-term
exposure to various substances or toxins, or it may be a genetic
predisposition, defective genes, or a translocation of genetic pairs."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that a one of a pair of genes might have been altered or shuffled
between pairs of chromosomes, so they don't have a corresponding gene on
the corresponding chromosome.  The most common type of translocation is the
t(12;21), where the gene pair is split between the twelfth and twenty-first
chromosomes.  There are others, however, and each has its own prognosis."

"So how will the chemotherapy help this problem?"

"The immature version of the cells, known as lymphoblasts, respond
abnormally to factors that regulate cell growth.  These defective cells
grow continuously, crowding out the healthy infection-fighting white cells,
red cells, and even the clot forming platelets.  We're going to harvest the
healthy cells from your son, before he receives the chemotherapy, which
will hopefully kill the defective cells.  Once those cells are destroyed,
we'll reintroduce the healthy cells back in his system, so they can start
doing their jobs and reproduce normally."

"What about bone marrow donors?  I heard that is often done with leukemia."

"True, but that's what we're trying to do with Cody's own cells.  There are
actually two types of blood stem cell transplants.  Stem cells are the
cells that can form new cells, and can be retrieved from bone marrow,
peripheral blood, and umbilical cord blood.  With an autologous blood stem
cell transplant, the healthy cells are taken from the patient, prior to
treatment, and then reintroduced to his system.  The other way to do this
is by using allogenic donors, who are tissue-typed to match the recipient.
However, the cells must be used within 24-hours of being collected.  They
are not frozen, as the patient's own cells are."

"Have you done this before?"

"Yes.  Unfortunately I've had many patients with various forms of leukemia,
and a good percentage of them have been children under 18.  I am very
familiar with the diseases and the treatment procedures, and I can give you
the names of some of my patients, if you'd like to talk to them first.
They've formed their own sort of support group, and are happy to explain
things to others and help them through the rough times."

"Yes, that would be very helpful.  I know my other boys have found it
reassuring when they could talk to others who had been through what they
were going through.  I think it will help Cody as well."

"I'll make sure my receptionist gives you that information before you leave
then."

Now I felt a little better, knowing what was wrong with Cody, that it was
treatable, that the doctor was experienced with this, and that there was a
support group to help Cody.  I wasn't feeling good yet, but better, as the
light at the end of this tunnel seemed a bit larger and brighter than
before.  I took Cody home, planning to explain everything to him there, and
then prepare him for what was ahead of him.

Cody was amazingly calm and attentive, as I went over everything with him,
and he even tried to reassure Graham that everything was going to be fine,
instead of us having to reassure him.  He was an amazing young man, wise
and mature beyond his few years, and I grew to love him and admire him more
every day.  He was a very affectionate boy, with Jake, Graham, and me, but
he wasn't one to mess around with the other boys.  When Cody gave away his
heart, he was as true to his boyfriend as the day was long, and the other
boys knew and understood this, so they didn't pressure him to do anything
with them.

When Thanksgiving finally arrived, it was a time of very mixed emotions.
It was great to see all the family together again, and to have them all
meet Cody in person, but it was also the time to break the news about
Cody's condition too.  I don't know how any of them would react to having a
new brother, also knowing that he also has a life-threatening illness.
None of my children have ever disappointed me, and I pray they won't this
time either, but I'll have to wait to see what happens over the holiday.

Our guests began to arrive on Tuesday night, with others arriving on
Wednesday or early Thursday morning, but then they'd stay until Saturday or
Sunday, depending on their travel arrangements.  We housed them according
to our previous plans, utilizing the Spences, the Shays, and Sally to board
some of our guests, but everything was going great and we were all enjoying
being together again.

The women basically made all the arrangements for Thanksgiving dinner
preparations, even though I had purchased all the food and Jake and I had
planned on doing the cooking.  The women, however, had other ideas, and
told me that I would get this holiday off, and they would take care of
everything.  I discussed what I had purchased with them, telling them what
I had planned to have, and then they took over the rest of the
preparations, adding a few touches of their own.  Aunt Mary (Shay) and
Mrs. Spence decided to cook the turkeys at their homes, seeing we had
purchased two huge birds to feed this mob.  Even though I had two ovens at
the house, there was going to be a ton of food to prepare, so they each
offered to cook one of the birds at their homes, and then bring them to be
warmed up at our house.

Sally told us she'd bake the pies at her place, as she and Carlos' mother
could do that earlier Thanksgiving morning, and then they'd bring them when
they came to eat.  That means just the remaining dishes would be done at
our house, and then things would be warmed up here, so it seemed that
everything was set.  I thanked my dear friends for doing all this, after
trying to talk them out of it, but there seemed to be no way I could change
their minds.  As strange as it may sound, they seemed pleased to be doing
all that work and be involved in helping us pull this huge meal off.

A little after midday on Thursday, we sat down to eat, and there was tons
of food for everyone to choose from.  We had tables extending from the
dining room, and through the living room, with a couple of smaller tables
set up in the foyer, for the youngest of the children to sit at.  Even
though there were so many people this year, we still went around the room,
as each person took a second to tell everyone what he was most thankful for
over the past year.  I went last, not only because I was the host and
trying to be polite, but also because I probably had more to say than
anyone else.  When my turn finally came, I stood up, so everyone could see
and hear me.

"Oh, there are so many things to be grateful for this past year, but I
guess one of the most important of them would have to be that we're all
here today.  Except for Ricky, we all managed to get back together this
year, and we all know his situation is unique.  Above all, I am ever so
thankful for all my children, grandchildren, and all my dear friends, and
each of us seems to have had a pretty decent year, since last Thanksgiving.
At this time I'd also like to offer a very special welcome to Cody, the
newest addition to our ever-expanding family, and I think we all hope that
he likes being here with us, as much as we like having him here with us."
Everyone looked at Cody at this point and smiled at him, with some of them
also bidding him welcome into the Currie family.  Once everyone had turned
his attention back to me, I continued.

"Now that I, and the rest of you, have welcomed Cody into the fold, I have
some other news concerning him.  A few of you already know this, and the
rest of you will be hearing this for the first time, but Cody has just been
diagnosed as having a form of leukemia."  There were murmurs and gasps as I
announced this, as no one else had any idea that anything was wrong with
Cody.  I explained as much as Cody agreed that I could, letting them know
that the prognosis was good with this type of leukemia, and then I finished
by asking everyone to include Cody in their prayers, until he was safely
through this ordeal.  They all agreed, and then we began to eat.

It was a wonderful meal, even if I might have spoiled it a little by making
that announcement before we ate, but all in all, I think everyone enjoyed
it We all ate until we were so stuffed that we could barely move, and then
we cleaned up some of the mess, before some of us moved into the family
room, to watch some of the football game.  Those not interested in football
went to the living room, where they sat and talked about many various
topics, and then later we all came back together again, to have our
desserts.  After we satisfied our sweet tooth, we spent a little more time
together before our guests left, but we planned to get together again the
following day.

A little while later, we received a phone call.  It was from Ricky, and I
was excited to talk to him again.  "Hi, Dad," he began.  "Do you know who
this is, or have you forgotten about me already?"

"Forget about you?  How could I?  Every time I hear someone behind me, I
brace myself for a surprise attack.  It's just a conditioned protective
response I've acquired, after spending years living with you."  He giggled.

"Come on, I wasn't that bad."

"Are you kidding?  We all look over our shoulders every minute of every
day, just because of all the things you've done to us over time.  The whole
house suffers from Ricky paranoia."

"Well, at least you still remember me."  He giggled again.

"And is your host family suffering from that same ailment, now that you've
been with them for a while?"

"Maybe Peter is, but he's made sure to give me back worse than he gets, so
we've kind of called a truce for now."

"Good for him.  I'm glad to see that he doesn't let you bully him around,
or take your crap."

"Hey, that's not fair.  You're MY dad and you're supposed to stick up for
ME, not him."

"Sorry, I tend to stick up for the victims, not the perpetrators."  This
time I laughed.

"Gee, thanks, Dad.  That makes me feel a lot better."  He sounded serious,
but he did giggle again, after he said that.  "Anyway the reason I called,"
he continued, "was because I realized it was still Thanksgiving back home,
even though it's Friday here.  I knew that if I called now, I'd probably
get to talk to almost everyone, and I just wanted to tell you all that I'm
thankful that we're all part of the same family.  I miss everyone so much,
and I can't wait to get back home to see you again."

"Well, even though I joke about it, we do all miss you, and we can't wait
to have you home either."

"I knew that, but it's still nice to hear someone say it."

"I guess I can understand that, and we mean it too.  We're not just spewing
out a bunch of meaningless words."

"Thanks, Dad.  You don't realize how much that means to me."

"I think I do.  So how is it going over there?"

"Great!  I'm dong well in school, I like the classes, and I'm learning a
lot, but best of all, Kylie and I are getting really close."

"That's good, but how are you both going to handle it when it's time for
you to come back home?  Are you both going to be able to handle it when you
have to leave?"

"I don't know.  We've talked about that, but it still seems like it's so
far off.  I still have two more months here."

"I realize that, but that's not so far off, and I'm worried about how you
two will react when the harsh reality sinks in, that you might not see each
other again."

"It will be rough, but we both know it's coming, but don't worry, Dad, cuz
I'm not going to stay here with her, if that's what you're thinking.  I
also know Kylie won't be moving to the US with me either, so we'll just
have to figure something out.  I mean, I really like her a lot, but I know
that this relationship probably won't go anywhere, mainly because of the
distance thing.  Knowing that does make me sad, but we've agreed to enjoy
what time we have, and not worry about what may happen later.  Maybe
someday we'll be able to get back together, but I don't think either of us
is depending on that."

"I'm glad you're looking at this practically.  I was afraid you two would
become infatuated with each other, and then go and do something foolish."

"What do you mean, Dad?"

"Well, like maybe trying to get married, or she would try to get pregnant,
figuring that would make you want to stay there with her."

"No, I wouldn't do anything like that, and I've learned from you how to be
careful, so you don't have to worry about me getting her pregnant."

"That's good to hear."  We talked a little more and he told me about some
other things, and then we said our good-byes.  After that I passed the
phone around to everyone who wanted to speak to him, reminding them to try
to keep it as short as they could, without making Ricky feel they didn't
want to talk to them.  I was glad to hear from him, and I truly hoped that
both he and Kylie would be mature enough to handle the end of what was the
equivalent to a summer fling, when the time came.

Once everyone finished speaking to him, even Cody, the phone was handed
back to me, but this time it was Ricky who was asking me questions.  "So,
Dad, how's my new brother doing?  Is he really as much like me, as you told
me in your emails?"

"You might say that.  He looks a lot like you did when you first came here
to live with me, and he's hyper and full of energy like you too, and he's
also as affectionate as you were then too.  He hasn't started with the
pranks yet, but I wouldn't be surprised to see that happen too."

"Yeah, he does sound like me.  I can't wait to meet him in person."

"We'll fill him in about you, before you get here then, so he'll stand a
chance of surviving the Ricky blitz."

"Dad!"  He sounded shocked and upset, but I knew he was enjoying the
ribbing, almost as much as I was giving it to him.  After a brief pause, I
switched gears.

"On a more serious note, Ricky, Cody's not doing so well."

"Why?  Isn't he fitting in with the rest of the guys?"

"Oh, that's not the problem.  He's fitting in here nicely, but it's
something more troublesome.  The thing is, Graham has had another one of
his visions, and this one involves Cody."

"Not again!  Is it anything serious?"

"Yes, but we don't think it's going to be fatal, at least we're hoping not.
We've taken Cody to the doctor, and he discovered that Cody had a form of
leukemia.  The doctor thinks it's treatable, and he's hoping he can cure
Cody of it, or at least get him into remission."

"It's not good that he has it, but I guess it could be worse.  How did
everyone else take the news?  Is Cody handling it okay?"

"He's doing well, and he is a very positive young fellow.  He has
remarkable resiliency, like you, and so far it doesn't seem to have gotten
him down.  He's been amazingly calm about all of this, even with the
possibility that the treatment might not work out as well as we hope."

"Dad, do you want me to come home?  I will, if it will help."

"I appreciate your offer, Ricky, but there's really nothing you could do
here.  I think we all want you to enjoy your time over there and continue
on with what you have planned."

"Dad, I really don't have to stay the extra month.  I can come back sooner,
if you want."

"Ricky, I said that wouldn't be necessary.  You finish up the school year
there, do your traveling, and then come back.  If anything changes, I'll
let you know, but we don't expect anything much will happen before then."

"If you're sure, but I still feel like I shouldn't be having fun, while
Cody is going through all those different treatments.  I really do want to
meet him."

"And you will, but when you get back.  Nothing will change substantially
before then."

"Okay, if you say so, but I'm not sure how much fun I'll have, worrying
about Cody now."

"Well, I know he'll appreciate that, when I tell him, but the most we can
do now is pray for his full recovery, and you can do that just as well from
over there."

"I suppose you're right, but I still won't feel right having fun, until we
hear if he's going to be all right."

"I knew you'd think like that, but that's one of the reasons we all love
you so much.  Now, you have a good time, and we'll see you at the end of
January."

"Okay, but let me know if anything changes."

"I will, and I love you, son."

"And I love you too, Dad.  Tell everyone I said 'bye', especially Cody."

"I'll do that for sure, and tell your host family we all send our best."

"I will.  Bye."

That ended my phone call with Ricky, and I did pass his message along.
Cody was quite impressed to learn about Ricky's offer, especially since
they'd only talked this once on the phone.  He told me to thank Ricky for
him when I spoke to him next, and then he'd give him a special thank you,
when Ricky came back home.  I told him I'd do one better.  I'd either let
him call Ricky and tell him in person, or I'd give him Ricky's email
address, and he could email him or call him before then.  He said he'd like
to speak to him in person, if that would be all right, and I told him we'd
call Ricky this weekend, and he could talk to him for as long as he wanted.
He seemed to like that idea a lot, and it would give the two boys a chance
to get to know each even better, before Cody's treatments began.  After
that, we'd just have to wait to see how Cody was going to respond to the
chemotherapy.

                 *    *     *     *     *     *     *     *

If you have enjoyed reading this story, you will find other stories by me
by clicking on the Nifty author link and scrolling down to "BW".  This will
give you the links for everything I have posted there.

E-mails may be sent to: bwstories8@aol.com.