Two individuals share a struggle that is
grueling, depressing, and whose outcome is probably preordained. The Mother
(divorced, constantly tired, and fearful of sickness) is "not a good
choice for the parent of a chronic invalid" (p. 168). The Son (smallish,
clever, and born with some kind of tumor) has previously had an organ
transplant (most likely kidney).
Their trek through the realm of sickness unfurls in seven scenes - all hospital
wards and finally Hospice. First, the Son is an adolescent in a pediatric ward
where the Machine (presumably renal dialysis) prevents his death. There he
spots a baby that he dubs a "Not-Dead." She has multiple birth
defects due to a chromosomal abnormality and is kept alive by technology. He
intuits that while not dead, the baby is not "properly alive" either.
He muses about his own status. His mother is always bedside, propping up his
spirits.
Next he is in the ICU and then transferred to a medical floor. He receives a
blood transfusion after disconnecting the Machine in a likely suicide attempt.
Sometime later, he is back in the pediatric ward after receiving an organ
transplant. The Son gets admitted to the Cardio-Respiratory unit for a severe infection.
In and out of hospitals, he enrolls in college but quits. After getting married,
he joins a commune of survivors of medical illnesses known as "The
Saved." This collective lives on a farm and members avoid any contact with family.
The Son's health further deteriorates. He is hospitalized in terminal
condition. By this time, he has his own child, a 14-month-old boy named
Jaybird. In the oncology ward, doctors diagnose three tumors in the Son's brain
but he refuses any treatment (surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy). He is moved
to Hospice. His absent Father comes to visit and comfort him. When the Son
dies, it is the Mother who is alone with him. The Son's wife, Father, Jaybird,
and members of The Saved commune are all asleep in the Day Room. Only after the
Son dies are the names of the Mother and the Son revealed: Julia and Jonathon.
