Life Support

Part 1.

We were all sitting in the kitchen anxiously waiting for the phone call that could potentially save my life. I had just gone to the doctor for the third time in one week for a confirmation on pancreatic cancer, which for most is a death sentence. Doctor Kelly said he'd call if he had any good news, or he'd tell me the situation at my next visit otherwise. The anticipation to see if I was going to live or die was too great to describe. I could almost feel an ulcer coming on from all of the stress I was enduring and it still wasn't over. At least for the first time in years my whole family was here. All three of my children showed up to hear the news. I was just worried they'd hear it and never come back. Part of me wanted this cancer to be real so I could spend the last bit of time I had on this earth with the people I loved most. But if I've learned anything over my eighty plus years here, you never get exactly what you want.

It was already eight o'clock and we were starting to think the doctor was not going to call tonight, and that'd we would have to wait till Friday at my next appointment. Either way, I didn't really mind. I was in no rush to be handed an expiration date. It was a weird feeling being in this situation. I knew that people died all of the time, but I never thought it would happen to me. Even at eighty years old I felt I was invincible, but life finally proved me wrong once again. Everyone was silent, just waiting for the call. So much so that I had to break the ice with my whole family. I mean I understood why, nobody really knew how to deal with this situation. It was everyone's first time.

Before I got a chance to break the silence with a corny joke, the house phone began to ring. Without hesitation I jumped up from my chair and picked it up like a kid on Christmas. Sweat formed at my hairline as I waited to hear the voice on the other end.

“Good evening Mr. Elmont, do you have a minute to talk?” The voice asked me.

“Yeah sure, of course. Is this doctor Kelly?”

“At your service… well unfortunately. I suggest you move to a location of privacy if you’re not already in one, Mr Elmont.”

I looked across my immediate family. My wife Darla was unable to keep her emotions at bay, Jimmy, my youngest boy, was also crying. My daughter Ellie was also emotional, but the one who was emotionless was Charlie. Maybe he was just numb, but either way I'd rather not have people dwell over me. I gave them all a thumbs up and walked out of the kitchen and into my private office.

“I’m alone… what's the news, good I presume right?” I asked, desperate for an answer.

“Well I'm sorry to tell you this, Mr. Elmont, but you tested positive for colon cancer.”

I paused for a second and my entire body felt numb. Pins and needles filled every limb of my body as my mind over filled with thoughts.

“Are you there?” Doctor Kelly asked.

I gathered myself, “Yes… yeah I'm here. But I thought we were testing for pancreatic cancer?”

“Oh… yes well, I guess I made a slight mistake in region, Mr. Elmont. I'm sorry about telling you over the phone like this, but that's not the worst part.”

I laughed, “How could this be any worse than having cancer, doc?”

“You have stage four, which means it's gone unnoticed for quite sometime now. Did you feel any symptoms? Or do you currently feel any symptoms? They would be bladder issues, trouble digesting food, excetra,” he asked.

I gave it some thought, and come to mind I was having issues with digestion.

“Nothing that was out of the ordinary, I'm a celiac.”

“Well don't be surprised if they start to get a bit worse over the next couple of weeks. Would you like to go over treatment options? It'll only take a few moments, Mr. Elmont.”