Mary hit the save button on her computer, taking a sigh of relief. Her essay was finally finished. She closed her laptop, hearing the phone ring. She moaned, hoping someone else would get it, but she knew that would never happen. She quickly got up and dashed to the phone, beating the answering machine. "Hello?"
"Hi, this is Dr. Casady. Your results are in."
"Oh." Mary said. "Are they negative?"
"Well, not exactly. We've diagnosed you with Hodgkin's Lymphoma."
"You're not serious." Mary's heart stopped. She slowly sat down on the kitchen chair, hearing the words repeat in her head. Was she really just diagnosed with cancer? The disease that killed her mother? She couldn't believe it.
"I'm sorry, this isn't something we joke about. We believe you are in stage two or three, but we need an MRI and bone marrow sample to confirm. Are you available today?"
"Um…yeah." Mary stared ahead, trying to convince herself this wasn't happening. But it was and there was nothing she could do to change it.
"Okay, the hospital has a three o'clock appointment free. It shouldn't take long."
"Yeah, that's fine. Thank you." Mary hung the phone up, taking everything in. She was seventeen years old and just diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Her mother had died from cancer. And now she might too. She let a tear escape from her eyes, trying to remain calm. But the though of having cancer sent chills up her spine. Was she only going to have a few months to live? This wasn't what she wanted. This wasn't what she planned. She wanted to move in with Joey in a few months and after graduating from college, marry him. When they were ready they were supposed to make beautiful babies together and live happily ever after. But now cancer stood in the way of that dream.
She jumped as Dominique entered the kitchen, glaring at her. "Who was that?"
"My doctor." Mary whispered, staring down at the kitchen tiles.
"What'd she want?" Dominique asked nastily, as if she even cared.
"I…I have…cancer." Another tear slipped from Mary's eye as she admitted her disease. The word felt so scary to just say. One word, one phone call, changed her entire life.
"Oh." Dominique slightly gasped, almost sounding sorry for her. She stared at Mary for a moment with sympathy in her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, but soon closed it. She quietly left the room, not yelling at Mary to complete a chore. But Mary was in too much shock to realize Dominique's unusual behavior.
She slowly stood up and dragged herself to her room. She collapsed on her bed, glancing at her phone. Should she call Joey? But she didn't know if she'd be able to tell him. Maybe she should tell him in person. She texted him, telling him to meet her at her house. He quickly responded, saying he was on his way. She quickly researched her cancer online, horrified by her discovery. She quickly exited the page, hoping the web sites were false. She slowly made her way to the door and opened it for Joey. He greeted her with a kiss and she then broke the news to him. "I have cancer."
Joey's eyes widened as he stared at Mary with shock. "What? Mary, that isn't funny."
"I'm not joking, though." She sniffled, letting another tear carve a path down her cheek. "My doctor just called and told me I have Hodgkin's lymphoma."
"Oh my god." Joey stared at his girlfriend with shock. "Well they caught it early, right?"
"Not exactly. She thinks I have stage two or three of it, but they need and MRI and bone marrow sample to confirm. I have an appointment at the hospital today at three. I'm really scared, Joey."
"It's going to be okay." He folded his arms around her as she began to sob against his chest. He gently stroked through her soft curls and rubbed her back. He tried to convince her it'd be alright, but really he was scared too. What was going to happen? Was there a strong chance she would die? He would not be able to live without her. He loved her too much. He couldn't even imagine life without her. "Shh, everything will be okay."
"My mom died from cancer, Joey."
"Not Hodgkin's."
"No, she had a tumor. She was diagnosed with it one day and two weeks later she died."
"You're strong. You'll make it through this. And I'm going to be right by your side while you do. I'm not going anywhere and either are you, but this cancer is." Joey lifted Mary's chin up and wiped her tears away. He looked into her beautiful eyes, slightly smiling. He then pressed his lips against hers, falling into a passionate kiss.
"Will you come with me to the appointment?"
"Of course." Joey nodded. "First, let's get our mind off of things and go get some lunch."
"Okay." Mary agreed. But honestly, she couldn't get her mind off it. How could she? She was just diagnosed with cancer. The thing that caused the most deaths in the United States. And she feared that it wasn't just the beginning of this. She didn't want to die. She was too young to die. There were still so many things she wanted to do with her life. She wanted to continue with her dancing. She wanted to go to college and get her degree. She wanted to spend her life with Joey, who she loved. She wanted to help kids around the world and spread the joy that dancing brought her. She wanted to someday have kids of her own and watch them play and grow. She wanted to grow old with Joey and die peacefully and happily. But now cancer stood in the way of all that. Now she might not even make it to the age of eighteen. Which scared the hell out of her.
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