Author: Ted Evans
Category: Young Adult
Go to read content：https://readnovelfree.com/p/47814_19
Hearing my explanation, Mom squeezed my hands. When I glanced up at her face, she was smiling gently at me, like she didn’t blame me for disappearing on them for two weeks, even though it was the only time I’d ever done something like that.
“Anyway,” Dr. Carter said. “I told your parents to let me know as soon as you got back. I was just on my way to work, but I felt responsible, so I stopped by first.”
I frowned, not sure what he was trying to get at. He had a briefcase with him, and he put it on his lap, opening it to pull out some documents inside. He held the papers out to me, and I hesitated before reaching for them, my heart starting to beat fast.
“Something was bothering me about your diagnosis, and I looked it over a second time with a colleague of mine,” Dr. Carter continued as I looked over the documents. “We went over the results again and again, and it appears…that there might have been a mistake. Now, it’s not solid yet, and we might need you in to take a few more tests, but it’s entirely possible that you do not have cancer. You have TB.”
I could hear a ringing sound in my ears, and it almost completely drowned out the doctor’s words. But I heard him, and I read the results. A misdiagnosis wasn’t impossible. I’d read up a lot about it after I first got the news and was going through denial, but after a while, I thought I had to face reality and accepted it. It was the same night when I packed my stuff and headed out without alerting anybody.
Now, here were the results telling me that there was a huge possibility I didn’t have cancer. My eyesight went blurry, and I trembled.
“Honey, isn’t that good news?” Mom said. “There’s nothing too wrong with you. You’re going to be okay!”
Her voice was soft, and growing a little rough.
I blinked the tears out of my eyes and looked up to see she was crying as well. Even Dad.
Shit.
“I wanted to apologize to you and the family personally for the oversight,” Dr. Carter said. “Mistakes happen in the medical field all the time, but I know this was something that distressed all of you, and for that, I am truly sorry. You all look like you want to be alone, so I’ll be leaving for now. Klara, please come to the hospital within a week for the testing and so we can talk about your treatment.”
I absently nodded at the doctor’s words, and he got up and left.
“This is wonderful news, honey,” Mom said, suddenly hugging me again as her chest heaved with her crying. “Such great news. You’re still sick, but TB is easier to cure than cancer. Did you come into contact with anyone while you were away, honey? The whole family might have to go to see the doctor. Were you out with friends?”
Crap, I thought. So I don’t have cancer?
I could barely hear my mom talking. My breathing grew rough as I hyperventilated. Mom wrapped me in her arms once more, and even Dad came to my other side and hugged us both. TB was contagious, wasn’t it? I vaguely remembered learning about it in high school biology. I should move away from my parents and go to the hospital to get it checked immediately.
Right then, though, I couldn’t move. Tears were pouring out of my eyes, and I stopped blinking them out of the way. My family was holding me, crying with me and reassuring me, but the relief I felt left me numb, so I just leaned into my mom’s embrace and cried for a long time.
When I had a moment of clarity, I thought about Jake.
Now that I knew I wasn’t going to die, I was thinking back at everything that happened since I got the results the first time. Especially my little trip to Vegas.
I had really been careless about that. Not to mention, I actually had a one night stand with a stranger I only knew for a day. I had been okay with it when I thought my time was limited, and I didn’t still regret it, but I didn’t know much about Jake.
I wanted to call him.
He might have gotten sick as well, and I wanted to let him know to go see a doctor. There was just one problem, though. I didn’t note the suite number, besides knowing it was higher than mine. I didn’t know his last name, either. My phone had been off the entire time, so I didn’t have his number, and he hadn't left anything personal in his note.
Crap. I needed to tell him I had TB, but I didn’t know how; and if I could talk to him a bit about him being my first time…
Wait, no. this doesn’t change much; we didn’t have any agreements, so that would only annoy him, right?
I thought of looking for him through the hotel before giving up on that. If I called with vague details, they would just think I was suspicious, wouldn’t they?
My family saw I was troubled, but they were happy, so no one asked.
Two years later…
Chapter Eleven
Jake
A knock on the door sounded, and I looked up from the documents on top of my desk to the office door.
“Come in,” I called.