Time Chapter Two
Charlie pulled into a vacant parking place and shut the car down.
Since he was a tad early, he stayed in the car a minute thinking.
Today was just a reutiene check up, to make sure he was healing fine, and to start planning for his next surgury...so why was he so scared?
In his heart he knew why. He had a small problem that only he and his family doctor knew about.
Two years ago, when Charlie had first found out he had cancer, he had begged the doctor not to tell his father or Don, knowing that they would panic.
He didn't want to worry them, because he knew that there was nothing that could be done with the type of cancer he had.
The doctor had made it perfectly clear that this cancer would kill him.
Perhaps, not right away, but Charlie would never live a full and healthy life.
What if this was the beginning of the end for Charlie?
Man, he hoped not! He still had plans for his life!
Even if he never would live to a ripe old age, he still had things he wanted to do. Things that would benifit the math community, and the world in general.
The hourly beep of his wristwatch, signaled. Announcing that Charlie should stop daydreaming and get his butt inside the building.
Opening the car door, Charlie stepped out and closed it.
One push of a button and the car doors locked themselves.
Stuffing the carkey into his pocket, Charlie began to walk towards the building.
Now more than ever be wished that he had begged Don to come with him, at least for moral support.
But then if Don had come and the little tumor issue came up, Don would be ragging on him.
Asking him questions, yelling at him for not telling Don or his father anything.
That was something that Charlie didn't want, or need to explain.
Opening the door, Charlie walked in and right up to the sign in desk.
After speaking with the clerk, and signing in, Charlie went to the waiting room and took a seat.
Several minutes past before a side door opened and a nurse with a file in her hand, came out.
"Charles Eppes." She called out.
Charlie stood and approached the nurse, biting his lip nervously.
The nurse led him over to a scale and had him stand on it.
Once she had taken his weight, she led him into a smallish checkup room.
Pointing with her pen to the small exam table, she waited until Charlie climbed up onto the table, the paper that was on the table crinkled under his weight.
Once Charlie was situated, the nurse spoke.
"Ok, you're here for just a reutine checkup?"
Charlie nodded his head as the nurse grabbed a BP cuff and wrapped it around his arm.
She squeezed the pump and the cuff tightened while she took the reading.
After writing the reading down in Charlie's folder, she took the cuff off and placed it back where it belonged.
"Ok, Mr. Eppes. The doctor should be with you shortly." She said as she stuck the folder in the slot on the door and walked out, closing the door behind her.
Charlie remained seated on the kiddie examination table, looking at his hands.
Was it in their nature to make patients wait this long? All of the waiting always got on his nerves!
Finally, Dr. Gary McGann entered the room.
He walked over to Charlie and shook his hand before he took a seat in the small, moveable, four-wheeled stool that he had.
"How are you doing today, Charlie?" Dr. McGann asked.
"Ok. A little nervous, though." Charlie chuckled.
"Well, from your tests, you have every reason to be nervous." Dr. McGann replied with a small, sympathatic smile.
Charlie saw the smile and recognized it for what it was.
"So...I take it that surgury's out of the question." Charlie guessed.
Dr. McGann nodded his head sadly.
"I'm afraid so. At least the conventional surgury is out of the question. It would just kill you quicker. But, there is an experimental surgury that can be tried. It has been known to be sucsessful." Dr. McGann said.
"What kind of surgury?" Charlie asked, open to any suggestions.
"It's a sort of high energy laser. We shoot a beam of high entensity radiation into your heart, which should eliminate the problem. It has been known to work, but the procedure can be deadly." Dr. McGann said.
"Why?" Charlie asked.
"The amount of radiation a patient is subjected to, can be a leathal amount if we're not careful." Dr. McGann replied.
At that, Charlie stopped, thinking about weither he should even try the procedure or not.
If he chose not too, he would still die.
But at least he would die at home, pain free thanks to a PCA pump, like the one his mom had.
Or, if he chose to take it, he could die, in enormous pain thanks to the radiation as it destroyed him from the inside out.
It was a tough desision.
Do nothing and die for sure, or do something and possibly die.
"How...how much time do I have before you need a desision?" Charlie asked weakly.
"I need to know one way or the other by Monday." Dr. McGann said.
Charlie nodded his head as he slid off the table.
"Go home, talk to your father and brother. Get their imput. You shouldn't be in this alone Charlie." Dr. McGann suggested.
Charlie didn't reply as he left the room and stumbled out of the office without paying the co pay.
A nurse tried to get Charlie to go back in and pay, but Dr. McGann stopped her, saying that it was alright.
The doctor watched as Charlie opened his car door and slipped inside before he shut the door again.
Dr. McGann felt so sorry that he couldn't give Charlie the news he wanted to hear, but the facts were the facts, there was no way around them.
One way or the other, Dr. Charles Eppes was as good as dead.
In the car, Charlie wiped away the tears that threatened to come as he fished out his cellphone from his pocket.
Flipping it open, Charlie speed dialed Don's cell number before he placed the phone to his ear.
One ring, then two rings past before Don answered.
"Eppes."
"Don, I need your help." Charlie nearly begged as his voice choked with fear.
Even from his end, Don could tell that Charlie was upset, probably to upset to drive home.
"Charlie, where are you?" Don asked as he laid down the rake and headed towards his car.
"In the parking lot of the doctor's office." Charlie replied with tears running down his face.
As Don started his own car and pulled it out on the street, he was still talking with Charlie.
"I'm coming to get you buddy...yeah, right now..I'm leaving right now." Don said as he drove through two intersections before turning on to Ecliptic drive.
The doctor's office was another three blocks away from his position.
The whole trip took a little under seven minutes, when the roads were good.
When they were bad, the trip could take up to twenty minutes to complete!
In just under seven minutes, Don pulled to a stop inside the parking lot.
His eyes raked over the cars, searching for Charlie's.
He finally spotted it, in a parking space about half way to the building.
Moving forward, Don parked his own car next to Charlie's before he hopped out and walked over to Charlie's car.
Walking around, Don went to the passanger side, opened the door, and got in.
Inside the car Don could tell that Charlie was really shaken up about something.
"What's wrong Charlie? What did the doctor say?" Don asked, slightly worried.
The tears were running down Charlie's face as he realized that there was no backing out now.
"The...the doctor said.."Charlie's voice broke.
"Yeah?" Don asked.
"I have cancer Don...and operating is out of the question." Charlie admitted.
A/N: The doctor mentioned in this chapter is actually my doctor.
Dr. Gary McGann, who works at the children's hospital.