Untitled - Scene from "Down"
He's seated in the back corner of an out-of-the-way diner, across the room from the line of windows that face the street. The bell jangles above the door to the place, and Walter can see the kid step in. Jesse looks nervous, although Walter is fairly certain that that's his default expression. He nods to him, then as Jesse approaches, takes a closer look at what the kid is wearing. Black jeans, black t-shirt with some asinine emblem, black hoodie tastefully patterned with gray skulls, black skullcap…
Despite himself, Walter rolls his eyes. Christ, did he think I was dead? Jesse lopes over and takes the seat across the table. "Hey, Mr. White! It's… it's really good to see you. I wasn't sure that… that I would," he says earnestly, giving Walter that crooked smile.
That makes Walter smile, also in spite of himself. Surprisingly, it's a genuine smile. Even though he thought I was dead.
"Thank you, Jesse. I'm sorry that I haven't gotten in touch sooner." Jesse gives him a 'no offense taken' sort of gesture. "No, I truly am sorry. It's been a little chaotic… things have been a little distracting. As you may imagine." Walter motions to the waitress across the room, pointing at Jesse's empty cup before taking a sip from his own.
"Uh, yeah," Jesse agrees. When the waitress moves away, he gratefully cups the warm mug in his hands. "Yeah, I totally get it. So you're not… you're not cured, are you? It's way too soon for it to be cured." The look he shoots Walter is apprehensive, and Walter finds himself touched.
"No, not cured, but it's in remission. Which is apparently not as impressive as I previously assumed, since it's seems to only refer to relative tumor size. But… still, that's generally positive." He gives a wry smile, and a quick raise of his eyebrows. Jesse nods in response.
"Yeah, I remember my aunt… they acted like remission was the Holy Grail or something, but what I read online made it seem more like… like pressing 'Pause' or something on the cancer. Probably because she was so far gone by the time it was discovered, I guess." He stares off into space for a minute, before meeting Walter's eyes and smiling again. "But that's really awesome, Mr. White. That's really great news."
"Yes, I suppose is it. The upshot," Walter laughs sardonically, "the upshot is that I have radiation pneumonitis."
Jesse hisses. "Damn…"
"Actually, that's not as bad as it sounds. It's fairly common; easily treated." For some reason, it feels important to reassure the younger man that, as far as Walter knows, he's still around for a while. "The news is really all… good."
"'Good' good?" Jesse asks. He sounds hesitant, cautious. Like he isn't sure he trusts what he's hearing.
Of course, he probably doesn't, Walter realizes. His aunt's condition… He wouldn't have been old enough to understand the subtleties of a diagnosis like hers. Not really. The instinct to reassure Jesse grows too strong to ignore.
Walter smiles. "I still have cancer, but there's been a significant reduction in the tumors. Around eighty percent, the oncologist says."
This time, the smile Jesse favors him with is dazzling. "Dude! No way!"
Walter spreads his hands in a cautionary gesture. "I'm not out of the woods yet, but…"
"Mr. White, you kicked its ass, yo," Jesse exclaims, rocketing out of his seat and wrapping his arms tightly around Walter in a jubilant embrace. "You must be so psyched!"
Just as Walter recovers enough from his shock to return the embrace, Jesse catches himself and lets go, slinking embarrassedly back to his seat. He wraps his hands again around his mug, tightly, and Walter sees the tips of his ears turn pink. He reaches over and lays his hand on top of Jesse's arm, patting gently until the younger man makes eye contact again.
"Thank you, son." He gives Jesse's arm a squeeze. "Thank you."