Aurora [H.S AU]

Chapter 78

All I'm asking for
A bit of patience, please
'Cause I know what's to come
And it's coming for you and me
Time's never been on our side
So would you wait for me?
I lead a selfish life
'Cause that's what I need
What do I have to do
To make you believe?
It's all for you and me

Song: You and Me, by Niall Horan

***

2020, March, 5th, Thursday |  3 am

Harry's P.O.V.:

The doctor said what I already knew, thanks to Google.

Glioblastoma grade 4 can't be cured.

Sometimes, it can be operated, but it's not my father's case. And although there's the slight possibility of shrinking it with chemotherapy and radiotherapy, the doctor said it would not even be the best option, because the probability of it working is so tiny, it doesn't worth all the side effects that comes with the treatment. It would be too much suffering.

According to Dr. Thompson, who supposedly is the best neurosurgeon in the United States, the better option is to simply treat the symptoms, a certain kind of palliative treatment, only to make the remainder of my father's life more comfortable.

The symptoms - the ones my father hasn't presented so far - can be numerous. Drowsiness, headaches, changes in cognitive behavior and personality, delirium, dysphagia. And, to quote the doctor, the "end-of-life" symptoms might include seizures, progressive neurological deficits and incontinence.

End-of-life phase.

My father, who is 57 years old, can be facing his end-of-life phase in less than one year from now.

I know all this information, and I've been repeating them over and over in my head, but honestly, I haven't wrapped my mind around it yet. I still feel like I'm dreaming, trapped in some kind of twisted nightmare - it can't be real. I have to wake up to reality.

After talking to the doctor, I went back to my father's room, but he wasn't there - they took him to run a few more tests, now covering his entire body and not only the head. Once I was alone in the room, I called my Mum and ugly cried by the phone the moment she answered it.

It took me a few minutes to be able to compose myself enough to explain what happened. And as always, Anne Twist did not disappoint - she's definitely the most loving, kind person I've ever met in my life. It has been almost 10 years since her and my father divorced, and for all I know they've spoken as many times as you can count on one hand - she never really forgave him for the whole illegal business at S&L, even though she accepted me as a part of it as well.

But it didn't matter for her - the moment I told her about the Glioblastoma, she was almost as broken as me. She said we should go to England, not only to have a second opinion, but so my father would be close to his side of the family. She offered her and Robin's home, and said she would be by my side, going to doctor appointments and helping with anything my father might need.

I mean, seriously - the woman is a saint.

It was good, though. It helped calming my nerves, to know I can count on her to be by my side, taking care of my father. I know she's not even doing it just for me, but also for the man she was once married to.

I hung up the phone feeling slightly better than before, and decided to wait for my father to come back from the exams, which only happened around 3 hours later. We talked a little, he complained about a headache and some dizziness, which raised all kinds of red flags in my mind immediately.