"Just one more shot. Just... like... that. Breathe, just breathe."
Spinner sat on the edge of the hospital bed, his eyes closed, as he tried to battle his tears. His fingers were digging into the bed. He clenched his mouth, feeling ready to scream, his lungs ready to give out, his breathing slow and hard, his heart racing.
"There you go. It's over," said the doctor, removing the needle from Spinner's arm and applying a cotton swab over the area. Then she wheeled her chair over to face Spinner, showing him the needle.
"See this?" asked the doctor, pointing to the contents of the needle. "This is what we needed. Just that little spot right... there. I know it's just a nasty blob to you, but with new advances of treatment, we can now start giving you the antibiotics designed for your treatments."
"When will this be over?" asked Spinner, half angrily, half rationally.
"Spinner," sighed the doctor. The doctor took a moment to think of the proper answer. "It's my job to reassure patients that things will get better in time. But for now, you need to let me work my magic. Cancer is an uphill battle, and it doesn't end when the tumor's gone. Your battle has just begun. But this isn't allso you can just live a few months longer. The treatments we hope to give you can keep you healthy for a lifetime. You just have to trust us. I've been in this field for ten years, and I've seen the success stories, and the tragedies of cancer at it's worst. I can't promise you that this battle will be over soon. But I can promise you that, if you choose to follow the program we've mapped out for you, which includes weekly visits to your doctor's office, subscribed medications, constant treatments... you will win your battle."
"Hey Spin," called out Jimmy from the other side of the hallway. Spinner walked over. "So how did it go last night?"
"As usual. One shot, one long speech from the doc, and one angry exit from the office. Oh, but not without saying bye to the super hot secretary," smirked Spinner.
"Look man... if there's anything you need while this is going on, just say the word—"
"Dude, you act like I'm dead already. Weren't you the one trying to tell me to lighten up?"
"Yeah, but I mean, you've been acting so... relaxed about everything, and... I just wanna help," said Jimmy.
"Dude, don't even worry about it," said Spinner, walking away backwards to face Jimmy. "I've got it all covered, man."
"Alright then. Well, I'll catch up with you later," yelled Jimmy as Spinner turned around.
"Two orders of fries, one cheeseburger with sauce on the side, and one Coke," said Spinner, walking away from the table.
"Spinner," said Spinner's boss, walking up to him. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Uh, sure thing, boss. What's up?"
"Spin, we need to talk about your work here. You've been here for a while now, but maybe it's time you took a break."
"What do you mean, boss? Things have been going great—"
"Spinner, you've been locking yourself in the bathroom everyday. You're skipping the end of your shifts, trying to get Becky to fill in while you're away, and you come back looking sicker and sicker every day. I don't know what's been going on with you, but maybe you just need some time off."
"Boss, you can't fire me. I've been working at The Dot forever now, I practically run this place by now."
"I'm not firing you. When you're ready to come back and work for me I'll put you right back on my staff. But I'm not accepting you like this. Not in the condition you're in. Now I suggest you sort out whatever problems you're dealing with, and come back with a fresh start."
"Boss. Come on. I'm better than ever. You can't let me go now. Not like this. Not in my senior year, not when I need money for college."
"I'm sorry Spin. There's nothing more I can do."