I Never Told You What I Did for a Living
Diagnosis
"Heard anything?"
Dad was sitting on a navy chair in the waiting room, head in his hands. He looked up at the sound of my voice. He looked as though he hadn't slept in weeks, his eyes red and puffy. He shook his head.
"Doctor went in half an hour ago. He still hasn't come out."
I sat across from him on a couch the same deep shade of blue. Gerard sat beside me and I picked up a magazine. I flipped through the pages, unable to focus on the images or words printed there. Gerard read over my shoulder, occasionally making small noises of protest when I turned the page prematurely. I sighed and handed him the magazine, suddenly not willing to continue the charade of reading. I couldn't be distracted from the situation at hand. Gerard tossed the magazine back down, finding it suddenly uninteresting once it was no longer in my hands.
Mikey, who had been leaning against the door frame, stood abruptly and stepped aside, allowing two doctors in white lab coats to enter. I only recognized one of them. He was Mom's usual doctor, and he spoke first.
"Good news. The tumor is benign."
We all let out a breath of relief, the tension lifting slightly from the atmosphere of the room.
"But it's beyond my ability to remove it, so I've brought in Dr. Watt," he gestured toward the man beside him. "He's a neurologist who specializes on cases like this."
"She'll need surgery. I'd like to get it done as quickly as possible in order to ensure the greatest chances of a full recovery. Mr. Green, if you'll step outside with me to discuss the risks..."
The three older men left, leaving Mikey, Gerard and I alone. They both watched me warily, waiting for a reaction.
"There's no cancer," I whispered, more to myself then to either of them.
"Right. She'll be fine, don't worry," Gerard comforted me.
"But there are risks with the surgery."
"It's brain surgery, of course there are risks. But what's life without some risk? It would be way too boring without it. You and I wouldn't be together if we didn't take risks sometimes."
I nodded. "Yeah, and I wouldn't be close enough to Mikey to consider him a brother. By the way, are you still planning on living with Gerard once I move in?"
"Is that okay? I can move out if you want me to."
I shook my head. "No, it would be wierd without you there. Besides, if you were gone, who would introduce me to all the local music I would never have known about otherwise?"
"Frankie."
I laughed. "No, he'd only tell me about Pencey Prep so that I'd always go see him. Not that that's a bad thing. He's pretty talented."
"But then he'd monopolize all of your time and you'd never want to hang out with us normal people," Gerard teased. "Ray would be hurt if you forgot him."
"I finally got the guy to start talking around me, how could I forget him?"
Dad walked back in, looking grave. "They want to do the surgery in three days. I've agreed, and I know you want to be here. But you can't. You need to go home and go to school. I promise you can come when she's recovering, but for now I need you to get an education. I want to see you graduate in June."
"But I want to stay and-"
"Gerard," Dad ignored my protests. "Can you take her home? If you're not busy, I'd really feel better if you would stay with her until I can get back. Mikey too, if he wants."
Gerard nodded quickly and took my hand. I know it was extremely hard for Dad to ask for Gerard's help, but it was even harder for me to leave the hospital right when I felt I needed to be there the most.
Dad was sitting on a navy chair in the waiting room, head in his hands. He looked up at the sound of my voice. He looked as though he hadn't slept in weeks, his eyes red and puffy. He shook his head.
"Doctor went in half an hour ago. He still hasn't come out."
I sat across from him on a couch the same deep shade of blue. Gerard sat beside me and I picked up a magazine. I flipped through the pages, unable to focus on the images or words printed there. Gerard read over my shoulder, occasionally making small noises of protest when I turned the page prematurely. I sighed and handed him the magazine, suddenly not willing to continue the charade of reading. I couldn't be distracted from the situation at hand. Gerard tossed the magazine back down, finding it suddenly uninteresting once it was no longer in my hands.
Mikey, who had been leaning against the door frame, stood abruptly and stepped aside, allowing two doctors in white lab coats to enter. I only recognized one of them. He was Mom's usual doctor, and he spoke first.
"Good news. The tumor is benign."
We all let out a breath of relief, the tension lifting slightly from the atmosphere of the room.
"But it's beyond my ability to remove it, so I've brought in Dr. Watt," he gestured toward the man beside him. "He's a neurologist who specializes on cases like this."
"She'll need surgery. I'd like to get it done as quickly as possible in order to ensure the greatest chances of a full recovery. Mr. Green, if you'll step outside with me to discuss the risks..."
The three older men left, leaving Mikey, Gerard and I alone. They both watched me warily, waiting for a reaction.
"There's no cancer," I whispered, more to myself then to either of them.
"Right. She'll be fine, don't worry," Gerard comforted me.
"But there are risks with the surgery."
"It's brain surgery, of course there are risks. But what's life without some risk? It would be way too boring without it. You and I wouldn't be together if we didn't take risks sometimes."
I nodded. "Yeah, and I wouldn't be close enough to Mikey to consider him a brother. By the way, are you still planning on living with Gerard once I move in?"
"Is that okay? I can move out if you want me to."
I shook my head. "No, it would be wierd without you there. Besides, if you were gone, who would introduce me to all the local music I would never have known about otherwise?"
"Frankie."
I laughed. "No, he'd only tell me about Pencey Prep so that I'd always go see him. Not that that's a bad thing. He's pretty talented."
"But then he'd monopolize all of your time and you'd never want to hang out with us normal people," Gerard teased. "Ray would be hurt if you forgot him."
"I finally got the guy to start talking around me, how could I forget him?"
Dad walked back in, looking grave. "They want to do the surgery in three days. I've agreed, and I know you want to be here. But you can't. You need to go home and go to school. I promise you can come when she's recovering, but for now I need you to get an education. I want to see you graduate in June."
"But I want to stay and-"
"Gerard," Dad ignored my protests. "Can you take her home? If you're not busy, I'd really feel better if you would stay with her until I can get back. Mikey too, if he wants."
Gerard nodded quickly and took my hand. I know it was extremely hard for Dad to ask for Gerard's help, but it was even harder for me to leave the hospital right when I felt I needed to be there the most.