I must live on...

The Diagnosis

Dr. Arzt,  with clipboard in hand, walked briskly into the room; looking ever so sickened by the news he conveyed.

The poor soul he  had to deliver news to,was but a child. She was going to die.

Dr. Arzt was a tall fellow, about 6" 11', which made his legs barely fit under the custom-made desk he owned at the small doctor's office.

Dr. Arzt had a long rectangular face, which held his chiseled details and bright smile. The dear fellow was always cheery, never a dull day with him; however, he always felt sympathy towards the patients and treated them with the utmost sincerity.

Oh, how his eyes full of wonder, now filled with tears as he broke the silence and proceeded to speak.

"Melody? If it's alright with your parents, could I speak to you? Alone?"

Her parents looked at each other for a moment and agreed, but not a word was uttered, simply the exchange of looks.

As Melody's parents left the room, the doctor gently shut the door behind them.

She noticed he wasn't acting as cheery as usual; moreover, he never called his patients parents out of the room.

Dr. Arzt still standing at the doorway, facing forward towards the door, not uttering a single sound.

Melody couldn't even hear the poor fellow breathing; however, when I did, she heard deep, shallow breaths, like the ones you take when you're holding back tears.

He stood at the doorway, motionless, the only movement sge saw was from a single tear that escaped down his cheek from his hypnotic crystal-blue eyes.

"Melody," he said almost choking on tears, "have you traveled, specifically into the atmospheric region? Like Outter space?"  I looked at his face and almost choked on tears myself as I said

"Yes, I have. We take vacations to Mars. W-why?" This poor, poor man. Dr. Arzt looked her square in the eyes, and said in a rushed manner,

"You're dying, and Melody, there is no cure. I'm so sorry, my dear, you've contracted a rare virus."

He stopped for a moment to collect his thoughts and continue to keep his composure, "a rare virus that can only be contracted by your body not being able to survive in prolonged periods of space/atmospheric travel. Like when your family takes vacations to Mars and such."

Dr. Arzt stopped for a minute to let her process everything. Melody sat there, in disbelief, in shock.

  She almost didn't catch herself say the words, "I'm dying?"

The poor Doctor slowly nodded as Melody let tears escape her forest-green eyes. He grabbed her gently to pull her into a hug.

Melody looked up to see that Dr. Arzt was wiping away my tears, as well as his own.

"Now, Melody, I have to ask you, and I am so sorry to do this, but how shall I tell your parents?" he said in a serious and mournful manner.

"Please don't, don't tell them! Don't tell them anything! There isn't a thing you can do, why bother them with  my sickness? I'm the one who's dying, not them. Please let them live, they can't possibly live knowing that their daughter is dying from a disease that she contracted from vacations they'd dreamed about their entire lives. Please, you can't do this, you mustn't! You, You can't. Please."

Melody pleaded with him, as tears flooded her eyes and rolled down her cheeks.

"Melody, I really don't think this is such a good ide-" he started to argue.

"Dr. Arzt! Please! I-I can't burden them, if there isn't
anything you can do, it's not your fault if I die! It's not because you didn't say anything that I die, there wasn't anything you could've done." She begged.

"Okay, but I don't wanna be held responsible." "I mean I don't, I want, but you. I-I'm sorry Melody, I'm sorry I couldn't help you, you're such a sweet girl."

Melody's p.o.v.

Dr. Arzt reluctantly agreed not to say anything, and let my parents back in the room.

My parents asked "Is everything alright?"

"Is something the matter?" then I said "It will be okay." (Which is true, right now, It's not okay. But It will be.)

The doctor just shook his head and walked away; however, he didn't exit the room without giving me a look that said,"I'm sorry."  With that, he was gone.