"Mr. and Mrs. Jonas, could I have a word with you outside?" Mum took Dad's hand and they followed Doctor Way out of the room.
The rest of us turned to watch them leave, then averted our gaze back to one another, unsure of what was going on. I moved over to the door in an attempt to hear what was being said but it was no use. They were too far away from the door for me to hear so I took a seat and we waited for them to return.
Mum was the first to come back, tears filling her eyes but not yet flowing. Dad was still talking to the doctor, his voice gradually rising in volume. It was not like our father to get angry or upset, but everything that had happened was really taking its toll on him.
"HOW CAN YOU-" Snippets of their conversation could be made out already but if it continued any longer we would soon hear every word. "YOU DON'T KNOW! WHY NOT?" I looked at Mum and she nodded toward the door. I stood up and left the room in an attempt to calm my father down.
"Dad…" He stopped yelling long enough to look at me and when he saw my face the rage left his expression.
"I- I'm sorry. It's just- all this hospital stuff is getting to me." His eyes were filled with regret. He didn't want to yell, it just happened. "So Doctor, you were saying…"
"Are you sure you want your son to hear this?" The Doctor tilted his head toward me and Dad nodded.
"He can probably deal with it better than any of us."
"Alright. Nicholas's coma was caused by-"
"Wait. Dad, don't you think Chelsea should be hearing this. She's the one who understands everything the Doctors say." I couldn't hear it without Chelsea. If I wasn't able to deal with it, Chelsea would be my only lifeline. She needed to hear this.
"I guess…Go get her." He nudged my arm and pushed in the direction of the door. I walked into the room and grabbed her hand, dragging her out behind me.
"Ok, are we ready now?" Doctor Way was starting to get frustrated so we nodded our heads and motioned for him to continue. "Nicholas's condition is being caused by a large tumor in his frontal lobe." It was all I could do not to collapse right then and there, and I'm sure Chelsea was feeling the same way. "There are two options of how to deal with this. Would you like to discuss them now?" I followed Chelsea's eyes as they peered at my Dad and I saw the pain behind his eyes. I wasn't sure if he could deal with all of it right now, but I knew someone had to.
"Dad, you go console Mum. Chelsea and I will talk to Doctor Way." Without looking up Dad shuffled into Nick's room and shut the door behind him. Through the window I could see him move next to Mum and engulf her in a hug. Little Frankie walked over to them and wrapped his arms around their legs, before Joe and Jess joined their hug. "So, what are the options?"
"Well firstly, we can leave him be and wait for a change in his condition. That option basically means leaving him here in a coma, waiting for him to wake up. Your second option, is surgery to remove the tumor, but you will find there can be complications with this."
"Complications? What kind of complications?" My heart raced as I said this and I could feel Chelsea's heart beating as she wrapped her arms around me for support.
"Depending on the placement of the tumor, there is generally a 50/50 chance as to whether he will make it through the surgery." The doctor was so calm about it and I could see Chelsea struggling to grasp the idea of risking Nick's life. "But there is also a 50/50 chance when it comes to your first option. We cannot be sure if he will wake up from the coma, or when, so either way you are left with roughly the same dilemma."
"How long do we get to decide?" I breathed out heavily as I thought about the idea of making a life or death decision about my little brother.
"You can have as long as you like, but I suggest making a decision within the next week or so." The next week or so. We had a week to decide how Nick should risk his life. Surgery or sleep. Removing the tumor, or hopefully, living with it.
"O-ok. Well, we better go inform the others." I grabbed Chelsea's hand and walked into the room where the family was still hugging.
Five pairs of eyes flicked toward Chelsea and I. The pressure upon us continually increased and my head started to throb.
"We have a week or so to decide between surgery or leaving Nick like this…"