Human Nature

The door slammed, waking me up from my semi trance like state. The doctor walked out, shuffling papers on his clipboard as he went.

“Doctor. Doctor! How’s my mom?” I asked him. He looked confused as he rifled through the papers on his clipboard. This was ridiculous; I just talked to him ten minutes ago.

“Miranda Connors, my mom?” I said irritably, glaring at the man with unadulterated hatred. He took a step back from my stony gaze and then tried to recompose himself, a tinge of red meeting his neck and cheeks.

“She’s been moved to the intensive care unit,” He tried to walk away but I jumped up and grabbed his arm.

“Why?! What’s wrong with her?”

“We don’t know yet Ms. Connors, you’ll just have to wait and see,” I didn’t let go of his arm.

“Can I go now?” The doctor asked me with an icy glare.

“No. How did the blood tests come out?” He continued to glare at me, but glanced down at his clipboard again.

“Her white blood cells are exceedingly low.”

“Which could mean cancer,” I said letting my grip slacken on his arm. He jerked away at his chance and walked hurriedly in the opposite direction. I nearly fell down on the chair, putting my head in my hands. Someone burst through the door, speaking loudly, arguing with someone else. I didn’t even need to look up to know it was my Dad on his cell phone.

“…No, there is simply no way, no, I’m not renegotiating. Well if you can’t take it I’m sorry!” He slammed his phone shut and stood staring at me like he didn’t know I was there listening to him make a scene.

“Hello baby,” He said trying to swoop down and kiss my cheek. I twisted away and stood up.

“Moms in intensive care. I had to drive her here. Where the hell were you?” I almost screamed at him.

“I had some business to take care of, I’m sorry hon.”

“I don’t give a damn about you being sorry. Mom could have cancer,” I said through my teeth. He visibly paled as I said that.

“Do you know for sure?” He asked, running his hand through his thinning and graying black hair.

“No, but-“

“Then we know nothing Keiralyn!” He barked at me making a few heads turn in the lobby. I took a deep breath and moved a few seats away from him, crossing my arms.
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It felt like hours when the doctor finally came back and told us the unforgivable verdict. Mom had breast cancer. When we got the news, Dad stood up and walked out of the lobby, probably to start smoking again, something he promised he had stopped doing.
I got up too, but I went into the bathroom and splashed my face with water. I looked into the mirror and tried to figure out how I was going to cope with this. I couldn’t go to college if Mom was sick. Dad certainly couldn’t stick around for her with his “work.” I felt sick. I pushed my long honey blonde hair into a ponytail and shut the stall behind me, bending down just in time to not make a mess on the floor.When I unlocked the stall and went to the sink to wash my mouth out, the nurse from the front desk was standing there, waiting for me with her arms outstretched.

“You’ll get through this sweetheart. One way or another.” She held me tight as I wept into her shoulder. I left the bathroom and I found Mom standing next to Dad in the waiting room, obviously waiting for me.I almost ran to her, afraid of losing her more than I'd ever been in my seventeen years . I felt her tears on my sweater, and knew she could feel mine on hers.
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On the way home, Dad was unusually silent. He ended up turning his phone off for once and refused to talk to Mom or me. I knew something was coming, something bad. When we got home Dad sighed and turned to us both.

“I want to see both of you in the living room. Now.” He said in his most commanding voice. We frowned at him but did as we were told.

“Honey,” He said, addressing Mom now, “I -I don’t think I can stay. With you. Cancer isn’t something I, well, I don't think I could handle it,” He looked down, and my ears rang with the meaning of his words.

“You’re…your leaving me? Because I have cancer?” Mom's voice broke as she said this, and I took her hand.He nodded and stood up, adjusting his jacket meaningfully, almost buisness like. I stood up too and before I could stop myself, slapped him as hard as I could across the face. He stood there stunned, unable to speak for a moment then made as If he was going to slap me back. Fortunately, he thought better of it.

“Because of your condition Miranda, I think it would be best to have Keir stay with me, I want to have sole custody of her,”

“Never! You bastard!” She yelled and pulled me behind her like I was still a child.

“If you want to ruin our marriage because you a spineless asshole that’s your prerogative, but you are not taking my daughter away from me,” He smiled then, a cruel and merciless smile.

“I’ll see you in court.”