I want to thank both TheBeautifulNerd and LillyMayFlower for looking through this chapter and giving me their opinions as I was nervous about this chapter!
Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!
Chapter Seven
It was half nine when the post arrived, this morning and Iain offered to make breakfast whilst Lily was in the shower.
"As you were aware, we had your test results back."
He knew that he was waiting for a letter regarding an appointment from the haematologist, explaining what he'll be going in for and how long it will be, but most importantly, when the appointment will be. Deep down, he didn't know what was more terrifying, the possibility of having cancer, or knowing what was going to be on the letter.
Iain's motive for cooking breakfast was so that he gets to the mail before Lily and Gem. Lily was able to cover up her letter with the excuse of training, but Iain couldn't get away with that lie. Technically, he works for the ambulance station so any excuse used could come back to haunt him. But he didn't want Lily or Gem to know he could have cancer.
The possibility that Lily could have it was bad enough.
Iain grabbed the post the moment it arrived and scanned through it. It caught his eye when he noticed how similar the envelope looked compared to the one Lily received last week. The NHS logo was located once again on the bottom right corner. In blue. The envelope was also sealed just like Lily's. And the address is spot on the same. The only difference is the name of the person that the letter is addressed to.
The rest of the letters were sorted and located on the top of the coffee table, knowing it'll annoy Gem (To their surprise, she's the neatest member of the flat). But Iain kept his letter and placed it in his rucksack, promising himself to look at it where he won't have anyone intruding on him.
"I don't understand, I thought it was an infection. Why was I being called back?"
Ethan never woke up three hours before a shift started, but he wanted to do some revision for his consultancy retake. The mornings are a surprisingly quiet and Cal is known to sleep in until an hour before his shift starts. It gives Ethan a good chance to make the most of his time before he wakes up to do some revision.
Ethan laid his books out in front of him, seeing the studies of the nervous system, he decided since that was the subject, he was having most difficulty with, it seemed best for him to look at that first.
He was about to grab his notepad, when he was side-tracked due to a vibration next to his textbook. Along with the annoying notification sound that his brother used to let him know that he's got a text message. Why must Cal choose the popcorn sound instead of something else is beyond him?
Ethan's eyes widened when he saw exactly who was messaging him.
Sam Nicholls.
The woman who told him he may not have a brother if he kept on bugging her.
Why is Sam texting Cal after all the annoyance that he's been causing her?
This has got to be the most interesting thing he has ever seen. The revision will have to wait, he must message Sam or Lily or Iain to try and get the information.
The four of them need the good news to take their minds of Lily's cancer fears.
"Your blood test showed a low level of iron; it would explain the breathlessness you were experiencing."
Lily and Iain both walked hand in hand into the parking area, both feeling refreshed and ready for work.
Lily has vowed to put the nerves behind her for a few days. Her appointment with the haematologist was on Thursday, and Lily wanted to forget about and not hear the word cancer for the next few days. Not until her appointment is over, and they can finally work out what the problem was.
Right now, she needs a distraction.
"This is where we leave off," Iain sighed, taking her hands, "See you in a bit Dr Chao?"
"See you soon," Lily smiled back as she lifted herself on her tiptoes and kisses him.
Iain broke away from Lily and watched as she walked into the ED reception, making the conscious move to walk towards the ambulance station and into the office. Luckily for him, the entire place was empty. Although jackets were on chairs, and paperwork were lain out over the table and the doors to the ambulance were left open, the office was empty, and Iain decided to make the most of it.
Placing himself on the sofa, he took out the envelope and teared the flap open, taking the paper out of it. Inhaling, he unfolded the paper and looked at the paper.
His appointment was at nine in the morning on the 13th November.
Two weeks after Lily's appointment, twelve days to be precise.
"Morning Sad Face," Iain looked up to see Jan, "Someone's popular."
"Actually," Iain sighed, "I was called back by the Doctors yesterday regarding my blood tests."
Jan frowned at this. She was the only other person who knew that Iain booked a GP appointment on the same day as Lily. It made sense that he didn't tell anyone about his own health problems as compared to Lily, his problems were minor.
"Why?" Jan asked, "Did they call Lily back as well?"
"They don't need to," Iain answered, "She's already going to see the haematologist regarding a biopsy and a CT scan," he took a deep breath and sighed, "and it looks like I'm going in twelve days' time."
"What?" she lowered herself down, "Does anyone else know? Lily?"
"I don't want to worry her," Iain admits, looking around to make sure no one can listen in, "I'm terrified. What if we're on borrowed time?"
"So, you haven't told anyone?" Jan asked as Iain shook his head, "Did the doctors say anything?"
"That's it?"
"I, I," Iain struggled to get his words out.
"We have found something else that is alarming."
Cal entered the staff room, smiling all round; much to the confusion of Lily, Louise and Alicia. He's been whistling his way throughout the entrance, the staff room, even past Connie's office. But there's only one way he could be like this.
"Name please," Louise glared at him, "Full name."
"What?" Cal stuttered, "What are you talking about?"
"The only people are that happy is if they've been out with a special someone," Alicia explained, "Who is it?"
Cal couldn't explain who it was, especially considering that Sam could walk in at any moment, not wanting to intrude on her personal life.
He doesn't want to treat Sam the way he treated Lily in the past.
"Not telling," Cal smirked, before walking out of the staff room and leaving the three of them looking at each other confused.
"What do you mean?"
Sam jogged into the ambulance station, determined not to let yesterday get the better of her. She tried to get Cal out of her mind, his irritating nature, his arrogance, his charming smile, his gentle words, his ability to open to her. He drives her insane, she vowed to never let another man interfere in her life again, but now, he's winning the battle.
"Urgh," Sam growled, to Iain and Jan, "Cal Knight is starting to bug me now!"
Jan and Iain looked at each and sniggered, knowing fully well that Sam is clearly interested in the doctor, but she refused to show it.
"Why don't you take up on his offer?" Iain suggested, "It's just one drink. You won't have to talk to him personally after that!"
"Lily told me you two made a bet!" Sam answered to him, "And how dare you bet against me!"
"I only made that bet on the presence that Cal never gives up!" Iain insisted, to Jan's amusement.
Sam rolled her eyes and left the room, determined to take the opportunity to deal with the situation. Iain couldn't hold it in and started to laugh, before he met the gaze from Jan.
"What?"
"I don't know whether to call you out as a cheater or a traitor," Jan stated, finishing up the paperwork, "I've managed to get your shift covered. But you need to tell Lily. How would you feel if it was the other way around?"
Iain was hopeful that Sam would stop Jan from giving him a lecture over the value of secrecy, but boy, was he wrong. Every five minutes, the words, "Lies", "Truth" and "Honesty" entered his ears and quite frankly, he wants to sneak off but avoiding his boss was like avoiding the possibility that if he doesn't get the answers, it could control, or worse, end his life.
"You do know you're repeating yourself," Iain sighed.
"Because it's not easy," Jan explained, "Iain, I lost a brother to cancer. He tried to do the exact thing that you're doing now. Do you want to know what happened?"
"What?"
"It crushed everyone when we found out," Jan sighed, "But the most hurtful thing, was that he never told us. We found out, two weeks before his death."
Iain was shocked to hear this news. Jan only had two weeks with her brother left after the news and judging by how broken Jan was, she was still upset over the news or with her brother or that she never had the opportunity to make amends with her brother. Is the timing really that bad?
"Your blood test showed a high number of white blood cells, along with a high level of platelets. It could be down to an infection, but I'd like to arrange for you to visit a haematologist."
Ethan walked over to Lily who was looking through some notes over a patient. She looked a lot better since her cancer fears struck. But he knows that Lily is secretly scared, but she doesn't show fear in the slightest. Not when she wants to put on a brave face and carry on living a normal life.
Ethan chuckled to himself, like he said, Lily has never been normal.
"You're not going to believe this," Ethan walked over to Lily, "But I was up this morning to do some revision."
"I can believe that," Lily giggled, "You got your consultancy exams coming up, you always prep up for it."
"Let me finish please?" Ethan interrupted her, "Anyway, Cal's phone vibrated as he received a message."
"So?"
"It was Sam," Lily dropped her notes, hoping it's not what she's thinking, "She was asking him if he'd like a lift."
"When did they start talking?" Lily was terrified, "Sorry I had a bet with Iain. I bet on Cal giving up!"
"You may need to prepare to pay up," Ethan gleamed at her, "Looks like Sam's given up!"
Lily placed her head in the notes, making the vow to never bet on a colleague's personal life again. Luckily, the penalty was a date of the winner's choosing, considering the two of them both had an idea on what films they'd like to see, but the only way they can talk the other to going was if they had no choice.
"You okay?" Ethan asked her.
"I never wanted to see that film anyway."
"That's not what I meant," Ethan frowned.
"I know," Lily looked at him, "I'm trying to push it aside. I can't let it control my life."
"What does the results usually mean?"
Jan's words play a thought in Iain's mind. Even though he didn't want to admit it, she had a point in keeping things from Lily, especially since she somehow manages to uncover them on her own. But the trouble is, she is already terrified about her own appointment, and judging by what he's been reading, its not going to be comfortable either.
Iain once again pulled out his letter in the ED staff room, trying to read what his doctor will be doing for his own appointment. It sounded like what he can recall from Lily's letter, almost as if Lymphoma and Leukaemia were the same thing. Or maybe the procedures they'll be going through are the same.
Iain never thought he'd be willing to do research into this, but he places his letter face down and created a table. Listing the left as Leukaemia and the right as Lymphoma, he set his phone down to compare. Turns out both cancers affect the white blood cells, but Lymphoma affects a specific type of white blood cell known as the Lymphocytes, which form together in the lymph nodes. If Lily does have this cancer, it explains the lump that they found in her neck. But why did they have no warning over Iain's?
"Hey Iain," he was interrupted the moment he saw Ethan walk into the room, "Lily told me you two made a bet."
"Yeah we did," Iain answered to him, putting the sheet to one side, "Why?"
"You won," Ethan sniggered, "Sam texted Cal this morning, asking him if he'd like a lift."
"That's odd," Iain was confused, "She was slating him earlier. Wait, forget I said that! I like to beat Lily on this."
"No one won anything yet!" Cal glared at them both, "Although I can't believe Lily betted on me to give up. I'd like half of the winnings."
"The prize was for the winner to choose the film for the next movie date," Iain glared at him, "You are not blowing this for me! It's the only way I'm able to get Lily to agree to see the Justice League!"
"Best get going before it gets ugly," Ethan walks away, "I'll tell Lily she's still in with a chance for that bet. She was gutted when I told her."
"How dare you look at my phone!" Cal called him out, "Have you ever heard of privacy?"
"Have you ever heard of not leaving your phone on the coffee table when you share a flat?" Ethan asked him, "I didn't go into your phone, if it makes things better!"
"You're lucky you didn't," Cal folded his arms, taking his seat opposite Iain.
Iain watched as Ethan walked away, it felt strange enough, but Sam and Cal were taking his mind off the nightmare. No one likes being a gossip, but sometimes the world of gossip can ease off the stress everyone is going through.
"You're going strong and not giving up," Iain commented, "What is it about Sam that you're interested in anyway? If it's for the right reasons, I could put a good word in."
"It could just be an infection, but these results often could be something more serious."
Sam left the entrance of the ambulance station for lunch, wrapping up warmly away from Mother Nature's cold air. She couldn't understand why people are saying that it's not cold, when they are nearly entering November. The cold air paralyses her shoulders, despite the extra layers aiming to protect her and her gloveless hands begin to stiffen as the icy air cools her blood down.
Sam was about to complain, until she saw Lily sat on a table, with no jacket on to keep her warm.
"How are you not cold?" Sam asked her as she sat down beside her.
"You should be in there," Lily motioned to the ED, "It felt hot, I needed to cool down."
"Is everything okay?" Sam asked her, "You can talk to me if you don't feel like talking to Iain."
"I know," Lily smiled, "It's nice having another girl to talk to Iain about. I can't mention some stuff to Gem, we told her by the way."
"That's good," Sam smiled, "She needed to know."
"It's kicked in now," Lily whispered, "I never felt more scared now than I have done."
"Hey," Sam took her hand, "Listen, this is scary for everyone. And you said it yourself, cancer isn't a death sentence that people once thought it was. I know I'd be scared if I was in your shoes."
"I know," Lily admitted, "But when I was in the GP room, I felt terrified. I saw all signs that state how many lives ended because of cancer. Telling Gem yesterday, it felt like it was really happening."
"But it may not be cancer," Sam smiled, "It may be something else, you said so yourself," Sam noticed that Lily is unsure, "Or were you trying to pretend it couldn't be?"
Lily closed her eyes, trying to fight back her tears. The moment she felt one run down her face, she felt a pair of arms pulling her in. She couldn't fight them off any longer as she felt them dripping from her face, feeling guilty as she knew that her make was running from her face, and onto Sam's jacket.
"Listen," Sam whispered in Lily's ear, "You're going to get those answers, you're going to beat this. Do you know why?"
"Why?" Lily asked her.
"Because right now," Sam mentioned, "You're the only person I can confide in regarding girly things that blokes like Cal and Iain just won't understand."
"What else could it be? Please just tell me."
"Nibbles left his notes behind," Cal chuckled as Iain was about to leave the room, "Leukaemia and Lymphoma? He knows this already."
Iain's eyes widened when he heard this. Knowing fully what he used to revise on those notes, he had to get Cal's hands off them before he turns the page around.
"Maybe he wanted to revise them," Iain commented, "Just because you know something, doesn't mean you know everything!"
"You got a point," Cal smiled, before noticing something else, "Wait a minute, this isn't Ethan's handwriting."
"Sure, it is," Iain tried to convince him, but deep down, he knew it wasn't going to work.
"I know my brother's writing," Cal frowned, "And he wouldn't use any random piece of paper either."
Cal turned the paper to show Iain that it was just a piece of scrap paper, but he noticed something else on it.
NHS Holby City Haematology Department.
Iain's address.
Iain's name.
Date of appointment.
Time of appointment.
Cal was horrified when he saw this, he looked at Iain and noticed that his face had suddenly lost its colour. He looked at the back to see Leukaemia and Lymphoma. He didn't need to know anything else to understand what was going on and what was Iain hiding from him.
"I'm afraid its also a sign of leukaemia."
"Iain?"
"Please Cal," Iain pleaded with him, his eyes becoming red, "You can't tell anyone about this."
If anyone asks, I have changed the name of the story. I wanted to play tribute to Sting's Field of Gold, but when I hear that song, I hear the cover by Eva Cassidy, a remarkable singer who lost her fight to melanoma in 1996 at the age of 33. I feel as the lyrics if it fits into the story, so that's why I've chosen to change it from "Till the Days Still Left" to "I Swear In the Days Still Left".