Air

6. Test Results, Phone Calls, and Choices

Chapter 6

The whole world goes blurry. Everything spins out of control. Pregnant? As in having a... baby? I hear Mom say something, but I can't make out the words. The doctor comes in while I'm in my state of shock. He taps Mom on the back, and tells her something.

"Jackie! Jackie!" Mom screams. I snap back into reality.

"Mom?"

"Jackie," Mom looks concerned. "Your test results haven't been found yet, but the options of what you have are clear. It's one of two things. It's either have a rare form of a disease similar to Osteogenisis Imperfecta, or brittle bone disease. Or you.... have..."

"What?" I ask. The thing I need least is more shocking news. This day is already horrible enough. Well, I have mixed feeling about the whole baby thing.

Mom sits down. That's it. She's not going to talk. The doctor takes her outside of the room. I see them talking through the window. Mom is crying and looks really angry. The doctor is trying to calm her down. Mom runs into the bathroom down the hall.

I'm starting to worry. One of two things? Brittle bone disease? What's that. I Google it. Brittle bone disease.  I click on the link at the bottom of the page and start reading.... it looks like people are born with this. It's the same thing that it sounds like. It makes people's bones weak and easier to break.

I look over at Brittany and Cori. I just realized they are still sitting here. I wave at them. The force smiles and wave back.

"Come on guys, cheer up."

I study their faces. They look worried. Of course. It seems like everybody I love is looking at me like that. Like they are all expecting the worst.

"Do you guys know my diagnoses?"

They both shake their heads. So that's what they are so worried about. They don't know what I possibly have.

"Well, good news, guys. And bad news." I smile. "If I have something like brittle bone disease, then I just have weak bones. Nobody dies from that! So don't look so glum."

Britt smiles. "Your right. I guess."

We wait and wait and wait. Nobody says a thing. I pray as hard as I can and I feel tears drip down my eyes. I feel God rush over me, and I hold out my hand for Jesus to touch.

The door swings open and the doctor walks in. We cease. The doctor is tall and bald. He's wearing a lab coat. He has pale skin and he's probably about sixty years old. And he's carrying a file.

"Hello, Miss Jackie. I have your pretest results. As you know, we have crossed out all the things it cannot be, and are only left with two obvious choices of what it could be. There is a 20% chance that you have a rare unnamed disease that makes your bones brittle."

Oh, great. So that means I'm most likely not going to end up with the bone weakening disease. 20% chance of something bad, but not deadly or anything crazy like that. What is the eighty percent chance?

"Jackie, I am sorry to announce to you that you have an 80% chance of bone cancer."

Brittany starts balling her eyes out and Cori gives her a big bear hug. I'm too startled to say or do anything. Or even cry. I just stare at the wall. The plain, white wall in front of me.

"Jackie, are you okay?" The doctor has a concerned look on his face.

"Yes. I'm.... fine."

"I know this is a bad time to introduce myself, but I'm Doctor Greenburg." He walks over to my bed and looks me in the eye. "You will be in my prayers."