It was 8 pm, right after dinner...

XIV

Brett's appointment at the Gastroenterologist started like an episode of some bad, chliché med series.
There was the signature yelling someone always did upon receiving the diagnosis, covered by Eddy: "Crohn's disease!?"
There was the doctor, who nodded in agreement with a serious face and made further explanations: "It might be. There are signs, that hint to Crohn's disease, but we're not a hundred percent sure."

But there was one factor, that usually didn't appear on screen: the character, who had no idea what everyone was talking about. In this case, this character was the patient, who sat there, looking back and forth at Eddy and Dr. Han.
"Uhm", he made and both looked at him, "might be a stupid question, but what's this Crown's disease exactly?"
"CROHN'S disease is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that affects the lining of the digestive tract", Dr. Han explained. Unfortunately, the amount of information Brett got out of this was infinitely small.

"Uhm... and what does that mean?"
"It means, that you have a disease, that can cause you problems in your digestive tract. There may be symptoms like abdominal pain, diarrhea or constipation, nausea, weight loss and so on, so all the 'belly' related ones. But it can also cause fatigue, dizziness and low energy."

"But Dr. Han, isn't Crohn's disease a chronical illness? Why did we just notice recently that something's wrong?", Eddy asked. He had taken Brett's hand into his and was holding it firmly, probably without realizing it. Brett was suddenly very aware of his palm though...
"That is because you can have it your whole life without it ever 'breaking out', so you never experience any symptoms. Most people get diagnosed, when they are between 20 and 30 years old."
"So, like Brett", Eddy said matter-of-factly. The Gastroenterologist nodded.
"But I didn't have any digestive problems, except being nauseous from time to time or having stomach ache once or twice. Nothing severe. The other symptoms were much more regular."
"That's the thing with Crohn's disease. It varies from individual to individual, how it shows itself. Your whole digestion can malfunction or you could have none of that and just be dizzy and tired. That's what makes it so difficult for a proper diagnosis. Also, symptoms may have periods, where they are active. We call those periods 'flares'. Then, there also times, when you won't feel anything at all."
"Well, that's good news, right?", Brett said, trying to be a bit more upbeat for Eddy's and his own sake.
"Depends on how you see it", the doctor said: "We hope of course, that you can be symptom free most of the time. But, as your friend said before, it's a chronical disease."
"So, that means...", Brett slowly said. Eddy squeezed his hand so hard it hurt. "Ouch, Eddy!", he hissed, drawing his hand away. Eddy mumbled a low "Sorry".
"It means, it cannot be healed. You would have to learn to live with it."

The examination room fell totally silent, while Brett and Eddy tried to process the information they just received.
"What, so there's absolutely nothing you can do?", Eddy asked after a while, his eyes wide and his voice barely more than a whisper.
"It might not be as bad as it sounds. It really depends. For one, we don't have a clear and definite diagnosis yet, so it might not even be Crohn's. If it is, there is medication, that can suppress your immune system's abnormal inflammatory response that is causing your symptoms. You can also do a lot with changing your diet. Seeing, how you react after eating a specific food and adjust your meals accordingly. And finally, there is also surgery if none of that helps. But that also might be necessary later in life and not now."
"But all of this doesn't heal the illness in the end, right?", Brett said, surprisingly neutral even for his own ears.
"No. If you're careful, you can live a long and happy life. But no, there is currently no way to cure it", Dr. Han confirmed.

"Ok", he sighed, "good to know, where I stand, I guess." Eddy just sat there, staring into blank space. Brett glanced at him, concerned. He hesitated for a bit and took Eddy's lump hand again.
"Where do we go from here, Dr. Han?", Brett asked.
"I want to do further testing and scans until we know for sure, what you have." Brett nodded. "Till then, I'll give you medication that will hopefully help with your symptoms. If not, please contact me as soon as possible. I also want you to start a diary about your diet and health status, so we can see, what foods do you good and which you should avoid."
"We wrote down the last few days already", Brett took out a little booklet from his backpack and handed it to Dr. Han, who quickly scanned through it.
"That's great! Just keep doing that", she said and seemed to be very pleased with her patient. "Also, continue avoiding sugary and fatty food for now. Everything else, we'll figure out with further scans."
Brett nodded again.
"I'll try to get you an appointment at the Singapore General Hospital for a more thorough scan. It can take weeks, sometimes even months if the case is not too serious, so you might have to be patient. Until then, we just do what I told you before and you should be fine."

And with that, Brett and Eddy thanked the doctor, got the medication at the reception and left.

Outside, white, fuzzy lines painted dreamy patterns at the light blue sky, left behind from airplanes coming from all over the world. The sun stood high and burnt hot and unkind onto everything that dared not to seek cover in the shadows.

But Brett and Eddy didn't care. After they stepped out of the alley where the doctors office was located, they were walking under the blazing sunlight, neither of them speaking a word. Their feet were not following any specific direction, Brett just trod behind Eddy without knowing or even caring, where the other was leading him to.

Half an hour went past like that. Eventually, they'd reached the seaside with a wide view over the vast ocean. Eddy stopped, took off his shoes, took Brett's hand and lead him to the beach. Gentle waves washed over their feet and there was finally a small breeze coming from the sea, drying their sweaty foreheads a bit.

Eddy took a deep breath. "We'll get through this!"
Brett turned his head and looked at Eddy's profile. There he stood, strong, determined, straight with his shoulders back. So different than how Brett felt: weak, insecure, slumped together, dark...
But seeing Eddy like this gave him hope. He straightened his back in turn and forced himself to nod firmly.
"We will!"
And there were no more words necessary. The crashing of the waves and knowing the other's presence by ones side was plenty. So they just stood there, looking out to the sea and thanking God, that they weren't alone in what appeared to be a random, brutal, but still somewhat comforting and beautiful world.


A/N: Hi guys! Just wanted to put a little disclaimer here: I have no idea about medicine whatsover, so this chapter might be full of errors, which would never work in the real world. Please don't take all of this too serious and feel free to comment where my lack of knowledge shines through. Thank you all for your support!!!
Also: FANTASIA is just a masterpiece! Can't stop listening to it and watching the short film *tears*...