A Bunch Of Incomplete (and complete) Stories Of Mine

Writing 9: Untitled #2

I stared into the eyes of the Doctor Lynn with a thousand-mile stare, yet I hadn't even realized it. I was staring dead at her, unable to move or speak as I was dumbfounded by the words she had said just minutes before. My wife, Danielle, stood next to me nodding slowly at the doctor and kept asking hundreds of questions that I couldn't hear. I could not hear anything except the thoughts in my head. Why is this happening? This can't be real. This is just a dream, a shit one at that, I'll wake up in a few minutes and everything will be okay...

"Mister Hawke, are you okay? You haven't said much." The doctor spoke to me in an attempt to sympathize with me, interrupting my train of thought and bringing me crashing back down to reality.

"Why wouldn't I be alright?" I muttered passive-aggressively, "Why wouldn't I okay with the idea of my only child having an incurable disease?" I felt the touch of my wife's hand against my shoulder in an attempt to calm me down, but how could I after news like this?

The doctor leaned forward in her office chair in an attempt to reason with me, "Mister Hawke, I am extremely sorry to be the one to give you this news. There are some treatments--"

"But she'll still die long before she naturally should." I interrupted.

Doctor Lynn was silent as my wife whispered in my ear, "Alan... let Doctor Lynn speak." I replied by shaking my head and rolling my eyes in frustration, "Fine, fine... so what exactly does this stiff disease do?"

"Well, stiff person syndrome," the Doctor corrected me, "causes consistent cramps in muscles throughout the body overtime. Eventually, the person will not be able to move... and later on their lungs will cramp up and..." Lynn began to trail off, but everyone knew what she was too hesitant to say.

"Vera will suffocate to death." I said moving my glare to the office door where I could hear Vera playing on the other side. "A slow..." I finally began to choke on my words as I imagined her childhood coming to an abrupt end, "...horrifying death."

"I'm sorry, I just..." Danielle began to speak before cutting herself off with sobbing. She walked outside of the room, needing some time to process the news; this left only Doctor Lynn and I in the room.

As I stared at the open doorway, I saw Danielle walk towards Vera and her babysitter and tell Vera just how much she loved her. After doing so, she whispered into the babysitter's ear to tell her the tragic news. Based on the looks of it, the babysitter had to excuse herself to the restroom. Vera was only six years old, what had she done to deserve this? I then felt two eyes staring at the side of my head, "Mister Hawke..." Doctor Lynn spoke up in an attempt to get my attention. "You need to step out for a few minutes? This isn't news many people take in one sitting."

"Don't worry about me." I said, clearing my throat. "I'm sorry for snapping at you. You didn't deserve that, Doc. Hell, you've been Vera's doctor since she first left the hospital in her onesie."

"Trust me, I was a bit of a wreck myself when I saw the test results. Vera is just the sweetest girl. She doesn't deserve this."

"You said there is treatment?" I asked.

"Well, the treatment ultimately delays the inevitable."

"That's what I figured..." I said with a heavy sigh. "How long does she have?"

"Two years if she's lucky."

That's when it all hit me. It hit me like a fucking runaway freight train. This wasn't a fucking dream. I would have waken up by now. Vera--my one and only daughter--wouldn't even live to see nine years old. Tears began to stream down my cheeks, "...damn." I mumbled.

"It'll become increasingly painful over time for her." Doctor Lynn added.

"I feel like there's something you aren't telling me, Doc..."

Doctor Lynn went silent for a few moments. She then stood up and shut her office door before crouching down in front of my chair. "Alan. Vera will be in an extraordinary amount of pain. What she's feeling now is nothing compared to what she'll feel next week, then the next, followed by the next..."

"Cut to the chase, Lynn!" I shouted, not wanting to hear about what Vera would go through.

Lynn took a deep breath before continuing, "You may want to consider..." She trailed off again. It was a few moments before she continued, "Your options."

"What options are we talking about here?"

"You can do one of two things: let her live the next two years in constant pain and agony, while however living with her loving parents and enjoying what rest of her life she has left, or... we could..." Now the Doc began to choke on her words.

"You could...?" I asked dumbly, I mean she wasn't inferring what I thought she was, was she?

"We could put her out of her misery so she won't have to suffer."

(I really want to write this someday.)