Finish Line

Chapter 6

Sydney

I close my eyes but I can’t sleep. I hear my door open and close but I don’t care who it is. I pretend to sleep so they wouldn’t bother me. I concentrate on my breathing and nothing else.

They found a mass in my brain. What did that mean? Was it a brain tumor?

I didn’t know I was crying until I realized I was sobbing so hard I got hiccups. I open my eyes. Peter’s sitting on a chair beside my bed.

“Do I have cancer?” I whisper

“The doctors want to do another test later tonight” he doesn’t answer my question. It’s either he doesn’t know or doesn’t want to tell me.

“Don’t tell them” I close my eyes and cry again

“Okay, baby girl” he whispers near my ear.

Jake 

I make soup and toast some bread after I put Maddie to bed. I have my phone nearby just in case dad calls. Luke and I eat in silence. I know we’re all thinking the same thing. We’re all worried.

My phone rings and I snatch it up

“Hello?”

“Hey dude, what happened to you? You just ran out?” Matt asks. I sigh and shake my head to Luke.

“Family emergency, Matt”

“You still are coming tomorrow?”

“I don’t know. I'll call you”

“Okay. Night” he hangs up.

Sydney 

After the scan and other tests they bring me back to my room. I ask Nurse Molly if they could provide an extra bed for Peter and she tells me she’ll see what she can do. I thank her when she pushes a foldable bed later that night. 

“Don’t think too much” Peter squeezes my hand

“What happens next?” I ask him

“I don’t know. One thing at a time, baby girl”

Two doctors step into the room, Doctor Miller and a woman who is dressed similar.

“The mass we found is a centimeter in size. It’s quite small but it’s there. We cannot determine yet if it’s benign or cancerous unless we operate to get a sample to test. We want you to take these pills in the meantime. We want to see if the mass grows or shrink then we can decide what to do from there. Take two pills per day, one after breakfast and one before dinner. You’ll have to come back after five days so we can draw test again and see if there are any changes.”

The lady doctor asks to give us some privacy for a few minutes. Peter asks doctor miller about the pill and other alternatives as they head out the room.

“I’m Penelope Russell but you can just call me Penny. I can see from the expression of your face earlier that you’re scared”

“Yeah, are you a doctor too?” I ask shyly

“I am. Can I ask you something, Sydney?”

“Yes” I nod

“is Mr. Larson really your father?”

“Biologically no he’s not. My grandparents raised me after my mother dies at ten. Mr. Larson was my next door neighbor then. So when my grandparents passed he welcomed me in his home and treated me like family. I don’t know who my real father is. My mom never told me.”

“I noticed he really cares about you?” she smiles at me

“He’s scared he lost his wife and now he’ll lose me” I speak softly

“That’s where you’re wrong. Don’t go thinking that way. Let me be honest with you, Sydney. This mass we found might not be dangerous to your health. We just want to be 100% sure before we make any rash decisions. So I want you to think positive and let us doctors worry about it” I just nod at her because I didn’t have anything else to say to that.

“This is my personal number. If you have any questions or anything just call me and I'll answer, okay?” she hands me her business card

“Can I really just call you?” I ask shyly

“Absolutely” she pats my hand and leaves.

Jake 

I hear dad’s car arrive as I clean the kitchen. I rush outside to see him get out of his car alone.

“Is Syd still at the hospital? Who’s watching her?” I ask

“No. I just brought her back to the dorm. Stacy will take care of her”

That was weird. Dad didn’t even look at me. He gets a bottle of water in the cooler and drinks huge gulps.

“So what did the doctor say? Is she going to be okay now?”

“Hmmm. Doc gave her meds for her migraines”

Dad goes up to his room and tells me he’s going to take a short nap. He really looks tired.