Chapter 16

I looked at Jon something was wrong, more than wrong. I know he can't talk very loud right now or at all because of the surgery a week or so ago but now he wasn't even writing what was going on.

He had been doing better now that he was allowed out of the bed for short periods of time. Yet he didn't go anywhere else in the hospital since the Doctor Markus moved him out of ICU and into a private room in a private ward. I moved closer with the chair and lifted the blanket that covered my friends legs. It was not a sight I wanted to see his legs and feet were quite swollen which was not a good thing as his legs were usually so thin from losing the weight.

 

“Jon what's wrong...” I put my hand on his but he kept staring out the window.

“Jonny...”

 

He reached up and wiped at his face now I knew something was really wrong as my buddy never cries hardly ever. I put my hand on his rubbing the knuckles moving so he had to look at me I sat on the edge of the window sill.

 

“Jonny what's wrong....”

I looked into his face there was fear and sadness lurking in those blue eyes of his. I watched as he winced when he moved.

“Jon?”

 

He closed his eyes turning his face away from me and sank into the chair he sat in. He didn't say anything for awhile but I could tell something was up something was wrong. Jon pulled the blanket up higher on his body and took another deep breath.

“I- I don't know what else to do …..”

He wrote. “I am eating everything he gives me … I am drinking everything I sit here as they run my dialysis I sleep all the time but its not enough...”

 

“what do you mean?” This time it was my voice that sounded worried.

 

“I am not putting out enough my kidneys are not ….” he shook his head, and couldn’t finish writing it. Though his throat was healing, it was now obvious something was seriously wrong.  

 

My heart was pounding in my chest, but I had to know.

 

"Jon, bro, what gives, ya can't stop there, tell me?"

 

He kept his head turned away from me so I could not see the tears softly falling from his eyes. Taking his hand in mine I stroked across the back of his hand softly,

 

"C'mon bud finish what you were saying, whatever it is, we can all handle this together"

 

At last he turned to look at me with tear stained face and watery eye's, he did not write he spoke.

 

"Rich,....... I'm scared, I don't know what to do," his voice was merely a whisper.

"It's my kidneys, they are not working, if I cease dialysis my body will...."  he never finished his sentence as Jon crumbled before my eye's. he slunk further down into the chair.

 

I knew what he was saying, so finished the sentence for him.

 

"You mean your kidneys are fucked and you need a transplant right?"

he nodded,

 

"Doc came in and has told me, Richie what have I done, I thought the injections were helping, I never thought it would come to this? what if I die Richie? eh what if I die?"

 

"Fuck that bro, you are going nowhere, at least until we have made it in the rock world, hey its a glitch bud, nothing more, so you get the replacement and recover and off we go, c'mon at least you are repairable."

 

I tried making light for Jon's sake, but I knew how serious this was and I was going to go and talk to Dr Markus first chance I got.

 

Jon looked at me and held onto my hand as tight as he could, for the first time in my life I saw real fear in his eye's. There was nothing I could say other than try to cheer him along and make it sound far less serious than it was, although I knew in my heart Jon understood the whole situation, being brothers all we could do was support each other through this.

I stayed with Jon until he fell to sleep, then quietly I left the room and went in search of Dr Markus.

 

I spoke with a nurse and she paged him to the station desk. five minutes later he came. He saw me waiting by the desk.

"Mr Sambora, what can I do for you?"

"Doc, I have just come from Jon's room, is it right his kidney's are not responding to dialysis?"

Taking me by the arm he lead me to the relatives room so we could talk. we each took a seat facing each other.

"Mr Sambora,"

"Richie, my pop is Mr Sambora Doc"

"Richie, Jon's body is so under nourished and under weight, he has been using steroids for months and ignored all of the signs of exhaustion. It's not a case of him not responding to dialysis, but his body is not functioning at all. The tests we ran were of serious concern and in my opinion Jon needs to have a kidney transplant in order for his body to start on the road back to recovery. The dialysis is just touching the surface but it is not really helping."

I stared at the Doc, a total loss for words.

"I understand this is a shock to you all, but the sooner we get things moving the better it will be for Jon."

"I understand, I do, I'm just well shocked it has come to this, can I ask one thing Doc?"

"Sure"

"Can I be the one to tell Jon's folks and his wife? but ask you are with me and can answer any questions they have?, dang I know I have some but I can't think right now."

"Sure" placing his hand on my shoulder he continued "

I have known the family for years, I will be with you. Are you ok?, it's just I have urgent calls to attend to."

I nodded,

" yeah I'll be fine, thanks Doc."

 

I stood watching as the Dr left the room, I walked to the door and just stared down the white walls of the corridors, my mind in a blur over what I had been told. The hard part was seeing Jon through this, and telling his folks at D.

I decided when they came in later I would sort it then, right now I was heading back to sit with my buddy too be there for him.