Safe & Sound

Chapter 14

"What is it?" I ask her anxiously. Is something wrong? She looks scared. 

"Mack, we looked over your X-Rays. The Cancer is spreading fast." Jennifer says, with tears in her eyes. "Doctor Hannah is having a meeting now. Your coming." 

"It's 11:36 PM!" I call to her as she runs down the halls to the Doctors office. Jennifer doesn't acknowledge what I say, and continues running. I chase after her.

"Come!" She shouts. I've never hear her shout before. 

I walk inside the room to see a round table. Doctor Hannah, a few nurses, Jennifer and I all sit around the table. 

Doctor Hannah has her clipboard out. "Macbeth, your Cancer has spread throughout your body. You are becoming weaker as we speak. You'll be lucky to live past your 15th birthday."

My birthday is in a week. This is deadly. 

"But, we found a solution." She says. Jennifer gasps, and cries at the same time.

"What is it?" I say. "I get to live?"

A nurse speaks up. "We've created a solution. It took years for us to perfect. We're sure that it works though."

I gasp. I'm going to live. I'm not going to die. For the first time in what feels like years, I actually smile. "When does the surgery take place?" 

"Were thinking tomorrow." Doctor Hannah says. "But, we need to warn you. This surgery is extremely risky. It may go well, but it is incredibly easy to fail on. With one small mistake, you will be gone forever. And, you are the first person were trying it on."

I'm like their test subject. I'll die with the simplest mistake. It's risky. 

"What is the percent of success?" Jennifer asks the Doctor.

Doctor Hannah looks at her clipboard. "48.67% survival rate."

"This is ridiculous!" Jennifer exclaims, jumping up from her chair. "48.67% She'll live! You're just using her for this experiment!"

Doctor Hannah stands up too. "Miss Collins, there is a 48.67% chance she will live. When she makes it past this surgery, her Cancer will be gone. Not a trace of it left."

"And how do you know that's true!" Jennifer says, sitting back down.

"Because we created it. I assure you, we are right." A nurse says. 

The Doctor turns to me. "So? Are you willing to go through with this surgery?"

I think. Am I? Am I willing to risk my life? But when you think about it, the chance of surviving Lung Cancer is only 4%. But- also- this test has never been done before. There's a chance that it could go horribly wrong. "Yeah"

Just like that, I'm whipped away. A nurse grabs my arm and brings me to my room. "We'll start the surgery as soon as we get permission from your parent or guardian. For now, we'll contact some of your family and friends. This may be your final goodbye."

I nod, and realize what she says. This may be the last time that I'm in this room. I grab all my closest belongings. There aren't many. I am just about to pack all my important stuff up in a bag when I see pieces of Mom's letter. I should be forgiving of her. It probably is hard to see me like this. I should forgive her. But I don't. 

I sit down on my bed. What should I do in possibly the final moments of my life? 

Isn't that strange? These are possibly the last couple of minuets of my life. I decide to do what Katniss does in The Hunger Games. In the Epilogue of the story, she explains that sometimes she makes a list in her head of things that people do that are good.  

I think. What have people done that are good? 

Jennifer's taken care of me.

Sandy and Owen became friends with me.

Doctor Hannah has put hours into trying to help me.

People are kind to me. Sometimes.

I make the list longer and longer. It makes me happy to think that so many people have taken their time to do good things. 

About half an hour later, a steady stream of family and friends come and say goodbye to me. My sisters come. They don't even look sad. My cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents all come, but none of them matter. I don't want to see them. I want to see my actual friends. People who actually care about me. Sandy and Owen don't come though. I wait for them. They don't come.

Soon Jennifer comes to bring me to the operation room. Were waiting right outside the door. 

"Mack, I'm not aloud to go inside, so this is goodbye for now." She says. I can tell she's been crying. "Stay strong okay? That surgery's going to be rough. Just hold on." 

I nod, and tears start to fall down my face. "I'm not leaving." I say. "I'm surviving this surgery." 

Jennifer nods through tears. "I know you will."

She hugs me. "You'll be okay, okay?" 

I nod. "Thank you, for everything."

Jennifer now just let the tears fall. "You saved me Mack. Never forget that."

I smile. Doctor Hannah opens the door, and puts her arm on my shoulder. "Ready?" 

I nod. "Ready." 

I walk through the doors, leaving Jennifer behind. Jennifer has cared so much for me. Why am I leaving her?

I lay down on the hard metal hospital bed. "Okay, Macbeth, before we give you your knock out medicine, your Mom's going to come say goodbye, okay?" 

As if on cue, Mom walks inside the room. "Macbeth" She sits down on a chair near the bed. "I love you, my girl. Remember that."

Doctor Hannah rushes her out of the room. A nurse injects the Morphling in my arm, and I slowly pass out. 

~~~

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart. 

-Helen Keller