Stay

Ch 23

I was ordered to remain in the waiting room until they talked with Maya about her situation and what was about it. To be honest, the pain was quite random. She was literally frozen, disable to move a muscle.

"Tren Walsh?" Asked an unfamiliar, deep voice.

"Yes?" I turned in my chair.

"Come with me." Ordered a man in the white jacket.

His standing position made me slightly intimidated as he stood with his arms crossed, staring at me like a cop. Once I reached him, he spoke again, "Walk..." His arm draped uncomfortably over my shoulders. "How long have you and Maya known each other?"

"About half a year, sir."

"Mmmm," he said. "I see." His other hand rested on his mouth in concentration. "And, how long has this side pain been going on? Just an estimate."

"This is the first I've heard of it, sir."

Then, he stopped our walking pace.

"Really? She has not complained about this at all?"

"Not to me, at least."

"Wow. Ummm, this is really heard for me to say...but..." A sympathetic look crossed his wrinkled features. He took a deep, dramatic breath. "Maya has cancer."

"WHAT?!" I yanked away from his hold.

"Yes, I know. Son, calm down."

I started sweating like hell, my palms were soaked, my breath trembled. My feet paced back and forth.

"We will do everything in our power to keep her alive. We have two options."

"Wha-what are they?"

"We had Maya decide already. But the one was surgery; the tumor has been spreading all over her lower body for almost a year. It is very rear do to the fact that she has never complained. The surgery would result in her becoming paralyzed."

"What's the other option..." I took the bottom of my shirt and wiped my dripping forehead.

"To let her go through chemotherapy, and try to stop it ourselves. The problem is, it usually never goes away. We could have removed it earlier without the result of her becoming paralyzed if she knew about it sooner. It is spreading rapidly."

"How long d-does she have?" I choked out.

He took a long pause. You have no idea of the trauma I am going through at the moment.

"No more than three months, at the most. We would be fortunate if she made it until then."

Tears flowed out of my eyes. My fingers combed through my hair furiously.

"So, what, what did she choose?"

"The second option; to let it go..."

I knew that was it. Maya was for sure leaving this time. I knew right from the start that she would have chosen that. Typical Maya Wu.

"Can't you persuade her to have the surgery!"

"I'm sorry, we do what the patients want. You have to think of her, Tren. Being paralyzed for life?"

I stayed completely silence. Well, besides my inconsistent breathing.

"I really do think that she chose the best option."

I yanked away from his arm and began storming the other way to Maya's room.

-

I was about to turn the knob when I stopped. I gave myself a chance to wipe off any extra tears and tousle my hair to any which way it desired. Then I turned it.