Why I Hate Hunter

{40}. She really hated herself.

Mavis' dad didn't calm down until the nurses brought him a mysterious drink. Mavis and Cole were sure there was some sort of a calming pill mixed in it because Mavis saw her dad lose his anger and fall into a silent sadness. He sipped on the cup obediently but his hands were shaking and tears kept falling silently from his eyes.

Mavis hated herself.

How could she do this to her dad? Why did she have to get sick and make her father and her whole family suffer a second time?

Cole seemed like he was on the verge of crying too but he held her hand the whole time and he put a stong mask on. It was like all of the sudden he was the one who was her father while her father had turned into a little child.

Mavis tried to keep herself together but all she could think about was the pain she was causing to her dad and to her brother. It still hadn't sunk in what the news meant to her as well.

"I'm sorry Mavis," the doctor told her with sad eyes, as he sat down on his table, on the other side of which was her, her brother and her dad. "It seems as if you have inherited your mother's disease. You have medullary thyroid cancer. It appears on your thyroid, which also controls some of the hormones that are needed for your body. Normally, if we had caught cancer in the first two stages, where the tumor is still developing on the thyroid glands, we would have been able to operate it and just give you pills for the rest of your life."

The doctor gave a quick worried look at Mavis' dad whose tears were flowing even faster now, then he looked at Mavis again.

"Unfortunately though, cancer has already reached your neck, and it will soon start to spread on the rest of your body if left untreated..."

"But there is treatment right?" Cole intervened, worried yet determined.

"Yes." the doctor replied, a bit annoyed that Cole hadn't left him to finish his explanation.

"So she won't..." Cole stopped himself, took a deep breath and then he visibly reworded his question, "She is not as sick as mom was when it was discovered right?!"

The doctor, who had also been the one who had treated her mom years ago, nodded.

"When we understood what your mom had, she was already in the last sage, and the tumor had spread in most of her organs. There was only a 21% chance of her being able to continue living."

Before Cole interrupted him, the doctor stopped him and continued:

"You have just entered the third stage. As you have felt yourself this type of cancer doesn't really give any big red flags until is too late. You were able to catch it earlier since you get a cold often during winter and your body failed to get over it this time. Yet, with all the treatment we can offer, only 50% of the patients have a chance of surviving."

"We will take even 1%," Cole said hurriedly as he leaned forward, "Anything we have to do we will do it."

The doctor smiled sadly.

"And I'll do my best to help you."

Hours later, as the next day had started, Mavis finally made it home. Cole had driven them home since her dad had still to collect himself. During the ride, Mavis tried to contain her own tears as she saw her dad break down slowly.

He had tried too hard to keep them all safe and healthy, yet, now she was neither safe or healthy. And she was breaking his heart again.

When they entered their house, Mavis' heart broke down a second time. In the living room, she saw Justin and Hunter fast asleep. Justin was laying on the couch, his head on Hunter's lap while Hunter was in a seating position.