8:19am
"Thank you for coming." Mark lays his head on my shoulder as we sit side by side.
"I'll always support you." I hug his slim shoulders. His long eyelashes flutter closed as he drifts to sleep.
I stare at my sleeping angel.
I'm scared.
He's deathly pale. I've never seen him eat much since I've known him but recently, he can't even handle water. He vomits as soon as it enters his stomach.
He's weaker than he's ever been before. I know he's hurting yet that smile of his never fails to falter.
Mark becomes paler by the minute. He coughs in his sleep.
I kiss his hot forehead and hold back my tears. It hurts to see him like this.
The door creaks open and a brown haired doctor walks into the room.
"Good morning." He greets me with a polite smile. "Dr. Choi. You must be Jackson." He holds his hand out for me to shake.
I shake his hand and smile kindly.
"Nice to meet you."
He grabs a chair from his desk and pulls it to the couch where Mark and I sit.
"Let me just..." He gets his stethoscope and presses it against Mark's chest. Then he presses it against Mark's back.
He checks Mark's temperature and blood pressure.
Mark doesn't wake up at all.
Dr. Choi types something on his laptop and then his eyes meet mine.
"He told you about this right?" He speaks softly.
I nod my head.
"Shocking, right?"
"Very." I reply.
Dr. Choi chuckles. He rolls himself back towards me. He stares at Mark warmly.
"Let me tell you this Jackson." Dr. Choi begins. "Mark has been fighting this illness for years. Since he was ten to be exact."
My eyes meet with Dr. Choi's.
"I've sent his files to multiple doctors in multiple countries to see if they can diagnose this strange illness. Neither I nor they understand what's happening to Mark's body."
I gulp as Dr. Choi continues to talk.
"We've performed multiple brain tests, but his brain is perfect. Nothing's wrong at all. He's even a genius. That's something that I can't even pull off." Dr. Choi laughs, so do I.
"But..." He rubs his chin and looks at me. "His organs keep failing."
I turn to Mark as he sleeps peacefully in my arms.
"It's like he's living with fake organs."
Dr. Choi hands me a folder. I look through the folder with shaky eyes as I examine a multitude of x-rays and body diagrams.
"What's this?" I look at the doctor.
"That is Mark's body."
Dear God.
"When he was twelve, both of his kidneys failed. Luckily, a relative offered to give up one of theirs. But, that was only the beginning, Jackson."
"Next his livers started to give up. Then his pancreas. His stomach is practically allergic to every food and his immune system is weaker than an ant out in the city on a stroll."
"Why chemo?" I know chemotherapy makes the immune system weak.
"You see Jackson." Dr. Choi sits beside me on the couch. "The chemo somehow stops this illness from growing. It shocks Mark's cells killing whatever is causing this God forsaken illness."
"You stopped the chemo though?" I stare at the brown haired doctor.
"Indeed I did." He nods his head. "You saw what the chemo did to him."
"Tore him apart."
"Exactly. Tore him apart. Made him feel more dead than alive. I couldn't keep doing that to him."
Dr. Choi sighs.
"Instead, I gave him this high dosage of medicine. It helps his body run but it doesn't do anything to counteract the disease inside of him."
"That's why...he has less time." I whisper.
Dr. Choi rubs my shoulder as sadness burdens my chest.
"There's nothing for us to do. The chemo will kill him. The medicine will kill him and no treatments at all will kill him. It hurts to say this but...there's no hope."
No hope?
I hug Mark tightly.
"How much longer?" I look at Dr. Choi with tear-filled eyes.
"It'd be a miracle if he makes it to Christmas."
I cry.
I hold Mark tightly and cry into his white sweater. This is more painful than getting shot 10 times. It's like I'm dying myself.
Dr. Choi rubs my back.
"Maybe he'll last a little longer. He has you by his side after all. You're miracle yourself, Jackson."
I am a miracle. I should be dead. But here I am, holding the love of my life as I learn about the coming end to his beautiful life.
"I'll fight." Mark's voice greets me as he returns my hug.
And Dr. Choi watches as we cry into each other's arms.
"You two are beautiful." He speaks fondly.
Please Mark...
Fight.
