Caroline was sitting up front, wedged in between Mac and Guy. Her wedding dress was filling almost the entire cabin, though she tried to push it away from the window to allow Mac to see where he was going. Guy meanwhile was being a bit too helpful with Caroline's dress. In the back Martin was rocking back and forth with his arms locked around his knees, staring into space.
"So why didn't you tell us sooner?" Guy asked. "Afraid Caroline wouldn't marry you if you weren't dying?"
Caroline slapped Guy's arm. "I would always have married Mac," she said.
"You almost married me," Guy said, grinning at Caroline and going in for a kiss.
Caroline pushed Guy's face away. "I also almost became a clown," Caroline retorted. Guy's smile vanished.
Mac had been strangely quiet the past hours. Caroline didn't push it. She just wanted to be at the hospital already, the stress of the past month was getting to her. If it turned out there hadn't been a mix-up, Mac would be dead within weeks, if not sooner. There really was no way to know for sure when it would happen, but one morning Caroline would wake up to find Mac lying next to her, dead.
They finally reached the hospital. Mac parked the van in his parking space, that he normally never used. The building was boring and cold in a way, but it looked like home to Caroline. She hadn't worked there for that long, but she already hated the thought of leaving it. But she would if Mac did die. She wouldn't be able to work in those corridors if he died.
Guy got out of the van first and practically dragged Caroline out of the van. "Thank you, I think," Caroline said to Guy. Mac went to the back of the van and opened the doors. "Martin?" he asked as he saw the frightened Martin Dear sitting there, still rocking. "We're here."
Slowly Martin turned to look at Mac. "We didn't go over a cliff?" he asked slowly. And he seemed genuinely surprised when Mac said, "No." Martin got out of the van and relaxed a little.
Caroline appeared at Mac's side and he took her hand. They looked slightly more formal than normally, with Caroline still wearing her white and purple wedding dress and Mac still wearing his tuxedo.
As they reached the entrance, Boyce came running out. "Mac? Caroline?" he asked, clearly surprised to see them there. "Did you decide to hold the reception in the hospital?" Boyce asked, narrowing his eyes and almost smiling.
"Mac isn't dying!" Martin exclaimed as he caught up with Mac and Caroline.
"Hey Marty," Boyce said, but then he noticed Martin's kilt. "Why are you still wearing that?" Boyce asked and he started to laugh, his laugh got even louder as Guy appeared next to Martin.
"It's not funny, it's a kilt," Guy said.
"Why haven't you changed?" Boyce asked in between laughs. "Into something traditionally Swiss."
"I am Swiss, but that doesn't mean I can't wear a kilt."
"No it certainly doesn't," Boyce said. "You look very sexy Dr. Secretan," Boyce said in his familiar mockingly seductive voice. Guy pressed his lips together as he pushed past Boyce to the entrance.
"Why did you disappear? I'd already got the podium set up," Martin asked Boyce, but he didn't wait for an answer. "We have to check Mac's test results," Martin enthusiastically continued. "Are you coming?"
Boyce pulled himself together. "I can't," he said. I have to rent a boat."
"Sorry?" Caroline asked.
"Someone spotted Statham," Boyce said and he walked past the three dressy figures. He spun around to look at Mac, without stopping he said, "Good luck."
Caroline and Mac looked at each other and then both shrugged.
"Good, hurry up," Guy said as Mac, Caroline and Martin reached him. "I've already got the MRI freed up."
"How did you do that?" Caroline asked, knowing all too well how long the waiting lists were. Even an 'emergency' would take forever to get in.
Guy raised his eyebrows and pressed his lips together. "Let's not say just yet."
Caroline really didn't like the sound of that, but she wasn't in the mood to question Guy. Mac remained quiet as they followed Guy down the corridor, towards the elevators.
In silence they reached the MRI room. As Mac got changed, Guy, Caroline and Martin went into the small glass room within the MRI room and Caroline started to punch buttons and making adjustments.
"I always fail this on the test," Martin said gloomily.
"I'm sure you'll pass next time," Caroline said slightly irritated. Then something occurred to her. "Exactly how many times have you taken it now?" she asked, genuinely curious this time.
"Three times," Martin said.
"How many times are you aloud to take it?" Guy asked.
Martin shrugged.
"How many takes do you think you'll need to pass?" Guy asked, grinning now.
Martin shrugged again.
Mac entered the room, dressed in a hospital gown. He leaned against the doorpost of the cubicle, looking slightly bored as he usually did when Guy was pestering Martin.
"Oh cheer up," Guy said and he slapped Martin on the shoulder, causing the frail Martin to lung forward. "Maybe it's just like a driving test, if you fail more than five times, they let you pass automatically as long as you don't hit anyone."
"That's not how a driving test works, is it?" Caroline asked.
"Maybe not here, I took mine in Switzerland," Guy said.
"So is that what happened to you? You failed over five times and they let you pass out of pity?" Mac asked, spotting an opportunity.
"Maybe," Guy said as he suddenly refused to look anyone in the eye. He moved uncomfortably in his chair.
"Shall we get started?" Mac asked, he walked over to the MRI. Caroline got up from her chair and left the glass cubicle, running to Mac. Martin wanted to sit down on Caroline's chair, but Guy made a sound that told him he wasn't aloud, so Martin sat back down on the floor.
"Nervous?" Caroline asked Mac.
"No, you?" Mac asked.
"Terrified," Caroline said, smiling weakly.
"Yeah, me too," Mac said, smiling back at her.
Caroline put her arms around Mac and held on to him. They stood there like that, until Guys voice boomed through the room. "All right, that's enough. We have to hurry, before the police gets here."
"The police?" Caroline asked surprised, her arms still around Mac.
"I'll explain later," Guy said, "let's just hurry it up, okay?" The door of the cubicle closed behind him.
Caroline looked at Mac. "Mac, if you are… still, you know…"
"Then nothing has changed," Mac cut her off.
"Yes, but I just want to say…"
"It'll be alright," Mac said and he kissed Caroline on the forehead. "I'll see you in ten minutes, Mrs. Mac."
Caroline smiled and let go of Mac, she took his hands in hers and squeezed them. "Alright, Mr. Mac."
Caroline's eyes were fixed on the screen, waiting for the imaging to show her what she was after. Her hands were holding on to the edge of the desk. "Quite some hands you have on you there," Guy said.
Caroline glared at him. "That wasn't really a very good innuendo now was it?" she asked.
"No it wasn't," Guy said. "But I wasn't trying for that. I just meant you have a man's hands."
Caroline punched Guy in the arm and he let out an exaggerated exclamation of pain. Caroline looked at him, preparing to glare at Guy, but didn't when she saw his face. It was one of the rare occasions Guy actually had a serious expression on his face. "We're all worried," she said empathetically.
"At least we're all together, right, brother?" Martin raised himself on his knees and shuffled over to Guy to put his arm around him. Or try at least.
Guy slapped Martin's arm away. "Half-brother," he corrected him. "And you obviously didn't get the good half."
"Well at least I didn't sleep with…" Martin said, suddenly angry. But he stopped himself from finishing the sentence. Not just out of kindness to Guy, but also because he really didn't want to think about what had happened. Still, both brothers got a look of horror on their face and Caroline one of mixed disgust and amusement.
Mac said something Caroline couldn't make out. She took the microphone that let you speak to the patient and held down the button so she could speak to Mac. "It won't be long before we know now," she said because she didn't really know what to say.
"I know," Mac answered.
"Ah yes, I sometimes forget you're a doctor too," she said half-mockingly.
"He's just a surgeon," Guy mumbled.
"That's impressive, isn't it?" Martin asked hesitantly. "I mean, isn't that hard?"
"No," Guy said with the voice of a petulant boy. "Besides, you're not a doctor at all."
Martin sat back down, mopping.
Caroline glared at Guy. Her hands were now clutched around the microphone, Guy noticed. "I'm sure he'll be alright," Guy said to ease Caroline.
"No you're not," Caroline said, "you're just as nervous as I am."
Guy sighed. This was one of those rare occasions when he was being genuinely kind just for the benefit of another human being. "It would be a ridiculously big coincidence if two members of staff had the same type of brain cancer, so it's probably…"
"You know just as well as I do how many people die of cancer," Caroline said. Guy thought he really didn't. "And how many people work at the hospital." Guy thought he certainly knew how many women worked there. Caroline looked at the white machine that looked like a huge loo roll that had been glued to the floor and made to sound like a tiny yet engine. "It wouldn't be that much of a coincidence," she said.
Guy looked at Caroline. "Well then, if Mac does have cancer, if that were his results after all, we'll just find a cure."
"I thought he said there weren't any treatments that would work?" Martin asked from somewhere at Guy's feet.
"Well maybe he overlooked something." Guy said, glaring at Martin and his tone suggesting he was really saying, 'shut up Martin.'
"He didn't," Caroline said. She appreciated Guy's attempts at making her feel better, but there was no point now in denying the reality of Mac's situation. "Almost every senior doctor in this hospital has looked at those results and they all agree there's nothing they can do. Even I looked at them and I know for sure that if this scan proofs those really were Mac's results, he's dead. He'll die within weeks."
They were quiet for a little while. Martin suddenly rose to his knees again and shuffled to the desk so he could look at the screen. "We're there," he said, which seemed like an odd way to phrase it. "The next slices will show us the results!" He sounded very optimistic suddenly. "Tell Mac."
"I already know," Mac said from inside the loo-roll machine; he had to practically yell to be heard by the group.
Caroline looked startled, but quickly realised that while she had been gripping the microphone in her hands, she'd also been holding down the button unintentionally. Which meant Mac had also heard her say that she thought his situation was hopeless. Her cheeks flushed.
Caroline raised the microphone to her lips. "Mac, what I said earlier, about you… dying if this…"
"It's nothing I didn't already know."
"Yes, but I just wanted to say…"
Mac cut her off again. "It's fine, I'm fine, if the…"
"Just let me finish alright?" Caroline interrupted Mac, slightly annoyed. "What I wanted to say - and what I wanted to say before - if the results were right, if you are… dying, I just wanted to say I won't go. I'll stay with you until the end. Whatever happens, whatever way the disease will progress, however it will end. I will stay."
It remained quiet after that. Caroline was staring at the machine, Guy was staring at Caroline and Martin didn't know where to look.
"Thank you," Mac said, almost too soft to hear.
Caroline pressed down the button again, but didn't know what to say. She was just about to start rattling nonsense, when Martin suddenly let out a high-pitched squeal. "What?" Guy asked annoyed while shaking his ear as if to get the ringing out.
Martin squealed again. "Stop that!" Guy said and he was about to hit Martin when Caroline distracted him by tugging at his arm. "What?" he asked, looking at her hands around his left arm. Caroline nodded at the screen. Then he saw it.
"Yes!" he exclaimed and he jumped up from his chair and punched the air. Martin got to his feet and did a little jump followed by another squeal. Caroline got up from her chair and rushed out of the glass cubicle. "You're fine!" she screamed while she rushed at the machine. She pulled Mac out of the machine and he almost lost his balance as she first dragged him to his feet and then threw herself against him. She hugged him and then met his eyes again, "You're fine! You're not dying!"
Mac hardly registered the news consciously. And then it hit him. He kissed Caroline, one hand in her hair, his arm around her waist pulling her closer to him.
Suddenly the door to the room opened and a man dressed in what looked like a suit made out of an ugly brown sofa, entered. On his head he had a weird safety helmet with an abbreviation written on it. Caroline didn't know what it stood for. She looked at the man and then back at Mac again.
Guy came rushing out of the cubicle. "It's all right, it's all right." He was waving his arms at the man with the sofa suit. "We found the bomb and got rid of it." Guy turned to Caroline and Mac and winked elaborately. "Everything is fine now," Guy continued, speaking to the man. "In fact we were just celebrating, right, Caroline?" Caroline didn't respond.
"Let's all just go to the canteen so we can recover from all the excitement," Guy said as he turned the man around and started pushing him out of the door. Guy looked back at Caroline and Mac and winked again.
Martin waited until Guy and the man disappeared from the room, before he rushed out of the cubicle to hug both Caroline and Mac. He tried to say something, but failed and instead hugged Mac again.
While being squeezed to death by Martin, Mac managed to say, "Go on, we'll meet you in the canteen." Martin let go and smiled widely before disappearing after Guy.
Mac looked at Caroline. "So, it seems you won't be a widow after all," he said.
"Guy will be very disappointed," Caroline said.
"He'll get over it. The Swiss are a resilient people."
Caroline took Mac's hand and led him out of the room, Mac used his other hand to make sure the back of the hospital gown he was wearing stayed closed.