REUPLOAD - I put the wrong chapter last time. Oops
(3rd Person POV)
"Zack!" Zarc and Ray yelled out. They were staring at his unconscious body sitting on the floor with a tired expression.
Ray quickly took out her phone and began calling the ambulance.
"911 what's your emergency?" The operator asked.
"My friend is passed out in front of Maiami City diner!" Ray responded quickly. "I need an ambulance."
"Okay ma'am." The responder said as clicking could be heard. "Has this every happened before?"
"No." Ray answered.
"Alright," The responder replied in a calm voice. "Ma'am, do you know if he has a pulse?"
"H-how do I check?" Ray asked before turning to Zarc. "Do you know how to check if he has a pulse?"
"N-no I don't." Zarc said, shaking his head.
"Take two fingers and place it gently where his jaw meets his neck. You may have to move it around." The operator said.
Ray followed the instructions and at first, couldn't feel it. She was panicked as she moved her fingers around. Suddenly, she felt a bumping sensation on her fingers. "I feel a pulse." She said,
"Alright, I want you to start counting how many bumps you feel." The operator said. Ray made a noise to signal that she understood the instructions. "Start counting."
1
2
3
4
5
"How many did you count?"
"I felt four bumps." Ray responded.
"Four?" The operator asked nervously. "Are you sure you felt four?"
"Y-yes," Ray answered worriedly. "Why?"
"Stay calm," The operator advised. "But his heart rate is low. The ambulance is a few seconds away."
Right on cue, the sirens could be heard. Ray and Zarc's head snapped to the direction of the ambulance and they watched as the ambulance pulled up on the sidewalk. The back of it opened and two men exited holding a stretcher.
"Is this the person that passed out?" One of the paramedics asked.
"Yes." Zarc responded. The paramedics nodded as they ran over to Zack and carried his body onto the stretcher. As they began rolling the stretcher back into the ambulance, Zarc and Ray tried to go in.
"Sorry kids, but you can't go into the ambulance." The paramedic said. "Your parents are going to have to drive you to the hospital."
"P-please!" Zarc begged. "He's my brother, and our parents are dead."
The workers looked at each other, silently asking each other for permission. One of them turned to Ray. "Are you a friend or family?"
"Friend." Ray responded.
One of the other EMTs nodded. "You can go." He said, looking over to Zarc. "But sorry ma'am, you'll have to get your parents to take you."
Ray looked over to Zarc. "I'll see you at the hospital. Let me know if he gets better."
Zarc nodded his head as the ambulance closed and began to drive. The paramedics hooked Zack up to a heart rate monitor. The heart rate was slow and there was a beeping indicating a problem, causing the paramedics to worry.
"What's your name?" The paramedic asked Zarc.
"Zarc."
"Zarc, do you know if he did anything that would've caused this?" The paramedic asked.
"I-I don't know," Zarc stammered out. "H-he told me he was exhausted this morning, so maybe that?"
"Alright, thank you." He said as he took out a syringe and a bottle of Atropine. He put the syringe into a bottle, removed the air bubble, and injected it into Zack's arm. They watched the monitor nervously, showing no signs of changing.
"Does he have any pre-existing health condition?"
"No." Zarc responded. "Is he going to get better? That should've made him better right?"
"We're trying the best we can." The paramedic said, trying to reassure Zarc without making false promises.
Suddenly, the heart rate monitor began to start beeping more rapidly. The paramedics' heads turned to the monitor to see the heart rate go up massively.
"The atropine made him go into V-Fib." The paramedic told the other one.
"That doesn't make any sense!" The other paramedic complained.
"We'll figure it out later!" He shouted as he pulled out a defibrillator.
"What's happening?!" Zarc asked, on the verge of tears. "Is he going to be fine?"
"His heart is beating too fast because of medication." The paramedic explained. He put jelly on the paddles and the other paramedic began taking off Zack's shirt.
"Charging." He said after rubbing the paddles and placing it over Zack's chest. "Clear!" As the defibrillator shocked his heart, Zack's chest rose before falling. The heart rate monitor slowly began returning back to normal.
"He's back to normal." One of them told Zarc, who breathed a sigh of relief.
"How did he go into V-Fib?" The other paramedic asked.
"That's up to the medical team to figure out."
"Wait, look at that." The paramedic said, pointing to Zack's hand. It was trembling. Not massively trembling, in fact it was small. But it was noticeable and odd considering he was unconscious. "Could it be nerve damage?"
They grabbed a flashlight, opened Zack's eyelids, and shined the light into it. "Pupils are equal, round, and responsive. Neurological function seems to be intact."
They both shared a look of confusion before turning over to Zarc. "Has this happened before?"
"T-this afternoon. His hands were shaking when he was eating, but he said it was probably from exhaustion."
They both looked at each other again. While the response would help the doctors, it still left the paramedics puzzled. The ambulance suddenly slowed down as they reached the hospital.
"We're here." The driver called out. They opened the door and began rolling the stretcher into the hospital with Zarc running behind them. They began running through the halls before nurses and a doctor came over.
"What's wrong?" The doctor asked.
"Passed out," The paramedic said. "Heart rate and pressure is normal right now. He started going into V-Fib when we gave him atropine, and his hands are trembling. We had to shock him. No history of pre-existing conditions."
"When did he pass out?" The paramedics turned to Zarc.
"Um, a few minutes ago." Zarc said. The doctor looked to the paramedic looking for an explanation. "He's the patient's brother."
"Zarc Zarcost," Zarc said, putting his hand in front. The doctor shook it. "Hi Zarc, I'm Dr. Barlow. Can you tell me what happened?"
"We were eating and then started to walk home when he passed out." Zarc said. His voice was higher than normal, fearing that his brother might die.
"Do you know if he was doing any physical activities prior?"
"I don't know." Zarc admitted. "All he told me was that he had a meeting."
"Meeting." The doctor mumbled. He scrunched his eyebrows as he thought about Zack. After a few seconds later, his face returned back to normal. "His fainting is probably due to stress."
Zarc breathed a sigh of relief. "So does that mean he's fine?"
"Well, I'd like to monitor him and run some tests. The trembling on his hands is unusual and could be a sign of something bigger. If the tests come back fine, then he'll be discharged when he wakes up.".
"And if he isn't?" Zarc asked hesitantly, fearing the worst case scenario.
Dr. Barlow sighed before putting on a friendly smile to comfort the distressed Zarc. "It depends on what the tests show, but if it shows something bad, we'll try our best to treat it and discharge him."
"Okay," Zarc said after being silent for a few seconds. "Thank you Doctor."
The doctor's smile turned warm. "I recommend you go home and sleep, and I'll call you if something changes. But if you want to stay a while, I'd wait in the lobby. Some of the tests might be hard for you to watch."
Zarc nodded his head. "I'll wait in the lobby for the night. Can you tell me if he wakes up?"
"Sure," The doctor said. Zarc had a small smile on his face as he started walking to the lobby and called Ray, filling her in on the news.
"Sweet kid." The doctor said to himself before turning and walking over to Zack. 'Now what's wrong with you?'
"How's his condition?" The doctor asked.
"Stable." The nurse said. "His trembling reduced, but hasn't gone away."
"Mhm." The doctor sounded out. "Let's get blood tests and an EMG."
"Alright." The nurse said as they began to draw blood and schedule the EMG.
(Inside Zack's Mind)
Zack was on the street walking to his brother's studio apartment. The sun was blistering, yet he was wearing a dark blue branded T-shirt, jeans, and a red fleece jacket that had the zipper down.
His phone suddenly rang as he turned the corner. He turned it on and saw that it was his friend that called.
"Yo Zack!" His friend, Oliver, said. "I need your help."
"What's up?" I asked.
"So I came home and my brother said that the house smells weird." Oliver began.
"You called me to tell me that your house smells weird?" Zack asked with an exacerbated smile.
"Well, kinda. He said that his room had been smelling bad. I think there's a gas leak."
"You think there's a gas leak?" Zack asked, not believing the absurdity of the situation. "Why the hell are you calling me? Call gas line repair or whatever."
"Well, you're smart. I thought you could help me find and fix it."
"As much as I would love to poison my lungs, Ethan told me he needed to meet me urgently." Zack said. "So just like, open the windows and call someone."
"But like, wouldn't it be cheaper if I found it first?" Oliver asked. "Because they charge by the hour and it's expensive."
"I don't know man, I'm not an expert at this thing." Zack responded, shaking his head.
"So that's a no on helping me find it?"
"What do you expect me to do over the phone? Use magic to find it?"
"No, I expected you to talk me through it." Olivier said in a matter-of-fact voice. "You're good at chemistry, should be similar."
"High school and biological chemistry, not gas leak!" Zack said loudly in disbelief. "Unless you want to grab a lighter and start moving it around the room to find it, there's nothing I can help you with."
"So if I do that, I'll find it?" Oliver asked in a hopeful tone.
"No, don't do it!" Zack said quickly. "You'll get a blazing entrance and a one way ticket to heaven if you do."
"Oh!" Oliver said as it clicked in his mind. "Because the fire will ignite the gas!"
"Oh my god, how did natural selection not get you? Darwin would kill you himself." Zack asked as he approached the apartment complex.
"That's so mean!" Oliver protested. "If you want a girlfriend, you gotta be nicer than that."
"How's that working out for you?" Zack asked with a chuckle as he walked up the stairs.
"Low blo-" Oliver began before getting interrupted.
"Hold up, I'm losing you because I'm hanging up the call." Zack said as he pressed the red button. He put in the combination lock and opened the door. The studio apartment was even smaller than the one that he currently had. The bed barely fit his brother, and there was no couch, forcing Zack to sleep on the floor. A sleeping back was in the middle of the floor.
Sitting at one of the chairs was Zack's older brother, Ethan. He was wearing his red uniform for his job. He looked tired and was sipping from a mug. When the door opened, Ethan turned to face Zack.
"Hello!" Zack greeted with a smile before taking a seat. "So what did you want to talk about?"
Ethan took a deep breath before speaking. "I have cancer."
Zack's face dropped. His playful expression morphed into a solemn one. "Wait, really?"
Ethan took a while before responding. "I went to the doctor a while ago for my weakness and coughing. They did some blood tests and an MRI. They found a tumor in my thymus."
"They found a thymoma?" Zack asked.
"You know what that is?" Ethan asked before sighing and putting his head down with a small smile. "Of course you do."
"Do they know the cause of the thymoma?"
"The blood test said that I had a condition called my-myast-" Ethan said, struggling to pronounce the name of his condition.
"Myasthenia gravis?" Zack asked.
"Yeah, that." Ethan said.
A tense silence followed as Zack ran his finger through his hair, trying to process the information he received. He recalled what he learned in his anatomy and biochem class.
'Myasthenia gravis' Zack thought as a picture of the condition with the definition appeared in his head. 'A chronic condition that stops nerves and muscles from communicating. Causes weakness, difficulty breathing and swallowing among other things.'
"When are you getting the thymoma removed?" Zack asked as he remembered the treatment for it.
"That's what I wanted to tell you," Ethan said. "I'm not getting it removed."
"What?!" Zack yelled out. "Why not?!"
Ethan closed his eyes and rubbed his head. "It costs too much. I can't do that to you."
"I don't fucking care about the costs, I care about your life!" Zack yelled out.
"And I care about yours!" Ethan yelled back, causing Zack to stay silent. "You're only sixteen, yet you had to get three jobs. You're smart and have a bright future. I don't want you living with a mountain of debt."
"That's great and all, but I'd rather have you than the bright future you talk about." Zack said in a normal voice.
"My heart is touched by that." Ethan said. "But it's my body, and my choice. I've thought about it, and there's no other way. It's cheaper for me to die."
Zack was left there speechless. He was trying to think of ways to get Ethan to get the treatment, both with and without his consent. Every possible way was going towards his mind, no matter how unrealistic or risky. From poisoning him to force him to get treatment, to gambling all their money.
Ethan got up and walked over to the bed, wanting to lay down.
"What if there was a way for us to not have debt?"
"There isn't." Ethan said, not turning back.
"There is." Zack said, causing Ethan to turn his back.
"I get that you want me to take it, but I see no way for that to happen." Ethan said tiredly.
"Chapter 7 bankruptcy clears medical debt while leaving us with property." Zack said. "Most of our personal assets will also be exempted."
"I don't know anything about bankruptcy," Ethan began. "But do you think it'll work?" He looked at Zack with pleading eyes.
Zack nodded his head. "I think it will."
Ethan was silent for a while, not moving his gaze away from Zack. Tears began forming in his eyes. "I trust you." Ethan said while nodding his head back. "But what about after? I still need medication."
"We'll go to free clinics with a pharmacy." Zack said. "It'll be cheaper since we have no insurance, and we can dispute any overpriced charges."
"Heh, you really are clever." Ethan said. "Okay, we'll try your way."
Zack breathed a heavy sigh of relief before getting up and getting some food. Zack had a piece of hot chicken tender and took a bite. "Hey, I know this is cringy to say, but I'll be there with you every step of the way."
"Thank you." Ethan said as the sound of him flopping on the bed was heard.
The apartment was silent with the exception of Zack's eating. When he finished the chicken tender, he felt the atmosphere change. He couldn't exactly figure it out how, but it felt less hopeful.
'Didn't this happen before? This seems familiar' Zack thought before looking down at his hands. 'Why was my tender hot?'
Zack turned around. Directly behind him was himself, but with an amused and playful face. It had the golden eyes that Zack had in his new life. One that looked like it was ready to play a game.
"Oh shit!" Zack yelled out, startled by the image of himself. His awareness began to kick back in, and he remembered everything that happened to him.
"Looks like someone finally woke up." Zack's clone said while chuckling. "Nah, just kidding. You just entered REM sleep."
"I'm in the hospital right now." Zack mumbled to himself before his awareness fully came back. "Wait, who are you?"
"You're clever, you can figure it out." His clone said.
'REM sleep' Zack thought. 'Even you don't know when you're in REM sleep. Or maybe, the actual you doesn't know.'
"Hey man, I'm as real as you." The clone protested. "Maybe even more."
"You're my subconscious." Zack declared. Zack's subconscious began clapping. "Bingo!"
"Why did I have to picture this moment in particular?" Zack asked before taking a seat.
"We both know one reason why." The subconscious responded. "You miss him dearly, not to mention you broke your promise."
"I didn't!" Zack yelled out in anger. "I was there for the surgery, and I was there afterwards!"
"But you're not there now." The subconscious responded, smiling and chuckling.
"I-it's not like that." Zack began stuttering out. "No one could see death coming, especially from a lightning bolt."
His subconscious just looked away, the smile never leaving his face. "You're just rationalizing to yourself. Now we could go on and on about this. After all, you're your own worst enemy. But there's a different matter to discuss."
"How do I save the Original dimension?" Zack asked.
"No, not that." The other Zack said. "You've tried your best to steer Zarc away from that path and will continue trying to do so, but if it doesn't work, oh well. There's a chance you split as well."
"Wow, my subconscious is giving me a straight answer." Zack said jokingly. The subconscious opened its mouth to grin. Zack just sighed. "I'll take the bait. What's the issue we need to discuss?"
"We need to talk about the condition that you have." He responded. "The doctors are still trying to figure it out."
"And why do I have to figure it out before them?" Zack asked.
"You don't, but it'll give you something to do to kill the time." His subconscious said. "Plus, it'll give us a chance to channel our inner House M.D."
"Well, in case you don't remember, we're a COMPUTER SCIENCE specialist. Not a doctor." Zack said.
"Trust me, you know this condition." His subconscious said. "I'll even give you a hint, your shaky hands this morning is a symptom."
"Fine, I'll play along." Zack said. "Shaky hands tell us it's nerve damage. Gravis?"
"Pfft, you think we're going to have the same condition as Ethan?" He mocked. "Try again."
Zack began trying to remember all the conditions he could think about that would affect his nerves. "Parkinsons?"
"Nope."
"Cancer?"
"Ha! No."
"Lupus?"
"It's never lupus."
Zack was getting frustrated. It was hard to remember everything that could cause shaky hands. "Is it a rare condition?"
"Do you want to know?" His subconscious asked. "It'll make things less fun."
"Yes." Zack responded.
"It's really rare." He said. "So now, you're down to a rare disease that causes nerve damage and affects teenagers. Honestly, I feel like it should've come to your mind before."
Zack felt that the disease was at the tip of his tongue. He knew it, but forgot what it was called. 'Wait, House M.D! I remember!'
Dr. Barlow had a grim look as he read the blood tests. When he received the result, he ran a genetic test, and the results were grim. He looked over to Zack, who was still unconscious. Dr. Barlow felt bad while looking at his tired face, knowing the troubles that he would have to face.
But Dr. Barlow had another issue. He began walking to the lobby. When he reached it, he looked around to find the boy with gray and green hair and rare golden eyes. He was sitting next to a girl with long, dark red hair. They seemed to be engrossed in a conversation.
He started making his way to Zarc. When Zarc noticed him, he stood up and walked over to him.
"Is Zack okay?" Zarc asked.
"His fainting was due to elevated stress." The doctor said, "But the tests revealed another issue. Can you follow me into an exam room?"
Zarc nodded and looked over at Ray while pointing to the room. Then, Zarc and the doctor left, gaining privacy.
"What did the test show?" Zarc asked.
The doctor took a breath. "The tests showed that your brother has a degenerative disease called Huntington's Chorea."
Zarc fell down onto a chair. "S-so what are we going to do about it?"
"That's where things get tough." The doctor said, "There's no cure for it, but we can manage the symptoms. The life expectancy is around 17 years after the first signs of symptoms."
"So he's going to die after 17 years?" Zarc asked, his voice being quiet.
"There's no way to tell when he's going to die." The doctor said, "But there's another issue. Huntington's is a genetic disease, meaning that one of your parents had it. Now there's a chance that they passed it down to you, so we need to run tests to make sure you don't have it."
Zarc had felt too much grief that day to start crying. The next hour was a blur to him as they drew his blood and swabbed his mouth for DNA. Even when the DNA test came back positive, he still felt that he couldn't cry.
'Wait, House M.D! I remember!'
"Huntington's Chorea." Zack said.
"Ding ding ding!" His subconscious said while making a bell appear. "Your prize is a slow and humiliating death."
"Gee, thank you so much." Zack responded.
It was then that his diagnosis dawned on him. He had a hard feeling to describe. It wasn't happiness or sadness. He'd been through too much to feel depressed about his illness. But it was one of catharsis, liberation of his series of never-ending struggles. Even though he was starting to make more than enough money, Zack felt that his problems would just be replaced by different ones.
"Heh," Zack sounded out slowly before starting to laugh.
"Apparently, loss of sanity is also a prize." The clone said.
"I'm still there in the head." Zack said. "It's just that I never saw myself growing old or settling down. At least this way I can just … have fun."
Zack's subconscious simply smiled at his revelation. "You're only saying that because you've been reincarnated. But who knows, this time death might be permanent."
Zack thought about what his subconscious said. He felt that to a degree, his subconscious was right. Being reincarnated made him feel that his death was less serious, less permanent. But what if it was permanent? Did he really want to grow old?
Zack shook his head and put the thoughts to the back of his head. "How do you even know that I have Huntingtons?" Zack asked.
"Use your brain dimwit." He said as he moved closer. "I process every single piece of information that your mind and body get, every thought, and filter it before sending it to you." He lightly hit Zack on the forehead with the palm of his hand.
Zack stood there silently before sitting on the couch. His subconscious just followed him as he moved over to the couch.
"Do you," Zack began before pausing and tearing up. "Do you ever miss him?"
"Every single day." His subconscious said, his smile fading. "But you already knew that, so why ask?"
"It's nice to know that someone knows what I'm feeling." Zack said. He saw the other him open his mouth and quickly spoke again. "Even if it's myself."
"Somewhere out there in the universe, somewhere someone's got it worse." His subconscious began singing out in a quiet, silky, and smooth voice, barely above a whisper. Despite its low volume, it sounded beautiful.
"Wish that made it easier," Zack continued, his voice equally melodic. "Wish I didn't feel the hurt."
His subconscious chuckled at their duet. "Feeling the hurt is better than never knowing him."
Zack started to recline on the couch and closed his eyes, nodding his head in agreement. A peaceful moment passed where nothing happened.
Until a powerful force shook the room. Zack's eyes snapped open. "The hell was that?"
"That would be the drugs they're giving you to wake you up." Right on cue, the room began to shake again.
"Well, it was nice talking to you." Zack said. "And talking to him."
"Hey, no problem man!" His subconscious said in both a joking and serious matter. "Till we meet again." He said before giving a dramatic bow.
"We're going to meet again?" Zack asked.
"Well, you never know what's going to happen." The scene was fading away to white as objects in the room started disappearing. The last image was his subconscious' smile. As soon as it disappeared, different images of the hospital began flooding into his eyes.
"He's awake," A female voice said aloud. It was one of the nurses. Zack groaned as he woke up and the bright lights entered his eyes.
Dr. Barlow began moving closer to Zack, taking his eyes off the heart monitor. "Mr. Zarcost, do you know where you are?"
"The hospital." Zack said in a deep voice. "How long was I out?"
"Can you tell me what 8 times 8 is?" The doctor asked, trying to see if his critical thinking was damaged in any way.
"64." Zack replied immediately. "It felt like a few hours."
"It's about four in the morning right now." Dr. Barlow replied. "Are you feeling fine?"
"For the most part." Zack replied, blinking constantly to get used to the eye.
The doctor gave a relieved nod. "Well Mr. Zarcost, I need to talk to you."
"No fun conversations start that way." Zack said, trying to lighten the mood.
The doctor just nodded and cleared his throat. "The good news is that your fainting was caused by stress, which is manageable through medication and lifestyle changes."
"Oh, nice." Zack said, even though he knew what came next. However, saying it out loud would cause Zack to go to the mental ward, which was something he was trying to avoid.
"And I have some bad news." The doctor said, "Your tests show that you have a rare degenerative condition called Huntington's."
"Less nice," Zack said before pausing. "Can I see the test?"
The doctor handed him the paper of the genetic test for Huntington's. "The labs were rechecked three times, and the chances of a false positive just one of those times is rare."
Huntington's Chorea is the result of a DNA mutation where a certain gene repeats itself more than it's supposed to. This leads to an abnormal protein that causes nerves to die. Most humans have the gene repeat 10 to 35 times. However, Huntington patients repeat anywhere from 36 to over 120.
And Zack.
"117 repetitions?" Zack asked, astonished that the number was so high.
The doctor took a seat beside Zack. "That number me-"
"I know what it means." Zack interjected before heavily exhaling. "Sorry for snapping at you."
The doctor put on a smile before speaking. "It's completely understandable. If I were in your situation, I'd be worse."
Zack returned with a small smile, but he kept looking at the paper. "Are you interested in genetics?"
"I'm interested in science in general, but also the human body." Zack replied.
Dr. Barlow saw Zack as both an adult and child at the same time, so he tried imaging he was speaking to a child but with the knowledge of an adult. "Do you know what causes huntingtons?"
Zack closed his eyes and the picture of the Huntington's section of a textbook he read. "A mutation in the HTT gene repeats the code for the Huntingtin protein, disrupting neurons." Zack opened his eyes as he finished reciting.
"Impressive." The doctor said, "Is that all from memory?"
Zack nodded. "Man, I would've killed to have that memory in med school."
Zack chuckled. 'The downside is that you remember every tragedy you had in perfect detail.' Zack thought, but decided it wawa better not to say it.
"Did you test my brother?" Zack asked as he put down the paper.
The doctor sighed and his smile dropped. "We did. He tested positive for the gene, but his blood tests don't show anything abnormal."
"Can I see his test?" Zack asked.
The doctor handed Zack a piece of paper with the DNA test. Zack skimmed through all the information before getting to the repetition part. He was shocked to see the number on it. Before he could talk, he heard his name being called.
"Zack!" Two voices called out. Zack and Dr. Barlow's head turned to the source of the sound, seeing Ray and Zarc. They both began running over to Zack's bed.
"You're awake!" Both of them said, going in for a hug. The sad atmosphere became more warm as Zack began to smile while being hugged.
"Isn't it past both of your bedtime?" Zack asked. Ray punched him in the arm after his question. "Chill! It was a joke!"
"I know I did not wait until four in the morning worrying about you just to be insulted." Ray said in an almost threatening manner.
"Lady, I think you need anger management classes." Zack said, enjoying making Ray mad. "Have you tried yoga? I heard it was good for the soul." Ray went in for another punch that was harder than the last one.
Her face turned to one that was more serious. "Did he tell you what you have?"
Zack looked at the doctor and nodded. "He has."
"I'll leave you three together." He said. He quickly took out a pad of paper and scribbled something on it. "Prescription for drugs to manage your symptoms." After he wrote that, he got up and left.
Zack looked over to Zarc who had a tired expression on his face. "How are you doing?"
"Not well." Zarc said. "But what about you?"
Zack just sighed, thinking about what his subconscious said. "I'm okay. Well, as good as someone can be in this situation."
"T-they told me you had seventeen years," Zarc said.
"That's optimistic." Zack said. 'It's usually around 10 when it presents this early.' Zack thought, but realized it would've just made Zarc's mental wellbeing worse. "What did they tell you about yourself?"
"Dr. Barlow said that I tested positive for the gene, but I haven't been affected by the disease yet." Zarc said. "But he said there's a chance for it to develop later."
Zack motioned for Zarc to come sit down, and he did. Zack pointed to a number on the paper. "Do you see this number?"
Zarc nodded. "Your gene repeats 36 times. This pretty much means that there's a chance for you to get it later, but it's highly possible that it wouldn't develop at all."
Zarc remained silent for a while, processing what Zack said. "But I can get it?"
"There's a chance that you can." Zack admitted. "But there's no way to tell if or when."
"And you?" Ray asked. "Why do you have it now?"
"My gene repeats 117 times." Zack said. "It speeds up the development and is why I have it now."
"I-isn't there a cure or something?" Ray asked.
"There's no cure. Huntington's is a genetic disease, so you'd have to change the person's DNA. Also, even if there was one, it wouldn't reverse any nerve damage already done." Zack said. "And research into a cure is lacking because there's no money in it."
Ray looked at the floor upon realizing that there's no hope for Zack. "So we have only 17 years together?"
"Yup." Zack said, popping the p. No one talked following that, and the only noises were the beeping of the machines around them from other patients.
"So what now?" Ray asked. "What are you going to do?"
"I'm gonna duel pro until that gets boring, then probably travel until I can't walk anymore." Zack said, picturing his future. "Spain and Italy sound like a nice place to visit."
"But what about us?" Ray asked with tears. "What about the three of us?"
Zack gave a comforting smile as he spoke in a softer voice. "By then, you two will be grown up and go on your own paths. You might have other friends or your own families. You won't need me anymore."
"But I want the three of us to stay together!" Ray shouted out.
"I'll be there for as long as I can." Zack said. "But I don't want to hold you or Zarc back from doing what you want in the future."
Both Ray and Zarc pondered his words for what seemed like hours. The three of them just sat there, none wanting to go to sleep. Even some of their duel monsters appeared in their small spirit form, remaining silent and staring at Zack. All lost in thought before Zack finally spoke.
"How are you doing, Zarc?" Zack asked.
"Better," Zarc admitted. "I've just been thinking about the future and my goals."
"Goals?" Zack asked, knowing that Zarc had more to say.
"It's just that I don't know if or when the disease will hit me. But if it does, I want to leave a mark on the world. A legacy, one that I could leave my children, if I have any, and the world." Zarc said. "I want to make you happy."
"And what exactly is this goal?" Zack asked. "You explained the why but not the what."
"I want to be the greatest entertainment duelist that ever lived." Zarc declared. "One that entertains the audience, makes them smile and laugh."
Zack just stared into Zarc's eyes as he made his declaration, and one thought passed his mind.
'I've either created an angel or the devil.'
Author's Note: Shorter chapter than usual. Dueling will continue next chapter, but this one is mostly for plot. I thought it would be fun to give Zarc some motivation on why he wanted to entertain the audience so bad, although I did partly make this to take a break from scripting duels (¯\_(ツ)_/¯).
As always, thank you for reading, tell me if you spot any mistakes, and please tell me how I did!
EDIT: Accidentally posted the last chapter again by accident. Oops.
NEXT CHAPTER
The trio go to get their duel runner certification as well as the final exam to get into the Pro League. However, when they begin the exam, they realize they have to face an unexpected challenge.