The Fault in Our Stars: Epilouge

Chapter Four

My eyes flutter open to a harsh light that temporarily blinds me for a few seconds. I once again hear my heart beat on a monitor a few feet away from me. I have a plastic mask covering my nose and mouth with plastic tubes that reach across me and connect to another machine that is fully responsible for my breathing. I feel dizzy and my arms and legs feel like they're made of lead. Two doctors and my nurse stare down at me.

My ears pick out words like, "too far", "rare", and with a questioning voice: "curable?".

I try to speak but instant pain shoots from my throat that's so unbearable tears stream from my face.

The pain is a ten. Totally unbearable.

"Don't try to speak, no matter what!" says the short nurse worriedly.

Yeah right, like I'm going to be stupid enough to try that again.

Suddenly I see my parents push past the doctors and nurse their eyes puffy and pink.

"We came immediately... what's wrong with her throat?!?" My mother cries frantically.

Yeah, what is wrong with my throat?

I touch my hand to my throat gingerly and wince in pain. There is a huge lump there now.

The doctor with a name tag that reads "Dr. Gryffin MD" speaks up.

"We have come to believe that the cancer in the thyroid gland has flared up again. We were so sure we had it under control..."

Great. Back to the dumb thing that started it all.

"Under control? Under control?!" Gasped my mother.

"If you would've had it under control this wouldn't have happened, now would it? It's already bad enough that it spread to her lungs, and now we are worse than before because the first thing didn't get taken care of!"

"Well ma'am, honestly, since we haven't come up with a cure for cancer yet, cancer isn't completely controllable." The second doctor stated bluntly.

My mother began to cry, which made my dad break down, which made the nurse usher them out of the room.

I can't leave them. They need me. I'm their only child. But what about Augustus? If I die, then will we be united once more?

It pains me to think of which one I would choose if I could...