"He has what?"
Doris rubbed her forehead with her fingers. Lori's screams were beginning to give her a headache. "How can anyone live with this woman?" She thought. On other occasions, she would reprimand her for screaming so much. But this time was different, she had good reason to scream. Doris looked at his face. He was pale, and his eyes widened. She knew something was wrong with him, but she didn't think it was bad. After a while, he finally spoke up. "Are you sure about this, doctor? It could have been a mistake."
"Run another test!" Lori hollered. "It can't be right!"
The doctor slowly moved backward, away from Lori and towards her. He was sure Lori would scratch his face with her fingernails if he said what was on his mind. Doris remained calm and coordinated, although, on closer inspection, she was worried.
"Is this some kind of sick joke?"
"Lower your voice, Lorraine," she calmly said, clutching her purse tightly.
"But Mother, he…"
"Is doing his job," she completed, "Shouting won't make a difference." She turned to the doctor. "Are you sure of the results?"
The doctor nodded. He was certain they were correct. Doris made herself comfortable on her chair. "Well, I refuse to believe it! We'll try somewhere else. You better hope your results are accurate, or you can forget about your job."
The doctor gulped in fear. First, the crazy lady screamed in his face and now his job was on the line. "How did my day become this terrible," he thought, "Why didn't I call in sick?"
He was moved to the wheelchair since he was still too weak to stand. Doris stood up from her chair. Putting on her sunglasses, she stared hard at the doctor. "Do have a good day, doctor. We see you soon enough."
With those words, they left the ward.
Two long weeks passed. They moved from hospital to hospital, but the results were the same. He had leukemia and was advised to start chemotherapy. They would find him a suitable donor for the bone marrow transplant, they said. But he had to start treatment. "Fuck," he said, still pacing in his room. He finally stopped when his joints began to ache. He lay on the bed, closing his eyes and falling into a dreamless sleep.
The sound of his ringtone woke him from his light slumber. He lazily opened his eyes and stared at the caller ID. It was Kyrie. "Why is she calling?" He thought. It was three in the afternoon, she ought to be back from school. Maybe the driver hasn't picked her up yet, he thought. That had to be it, but why wasn't her brother calling too? He sighed as he answered the call.
He heard her squeal over the phone. "Hi, Daddy!" He smiled when he heard her voice. It wasn't like her mother's, hers was simply annoying.
"Hi, Princess." He chuckled as he continued. "What's the matter?"
"Where are you?"
"At the hotel, why do you ask?"
"Cancel your plans, dad. You have to come home, like now!"
He sprang out of his bed but suddenly regretted that decision when he felt his knees buckle. "What's going on?"
"Something terrible happened to Julie. And I'm talking way bad."
"What happened?"
"Can't say it over the phone. Bye Daddy, see ya at home!"
"Wait, could you just…?"
He frowned when he heard the beep from the other end. She ended the call. He didn't think much about it. Grabbing his wallet, keys, and coat, he made his way out of the hotel and into the garage.
He couldn't remember the last time he had felt so tense. When he got home, Kyrie wasn't there. He wasn't surprised, Kyrie always showed up late. He walked to his bedroom to freshen up. Lori was inside reading a magazine. She stared suspiciously at him as he walked to the side table.
"When are you going to tell them?"
"Tell them what?" He said as he took off his watch and placed it on the table.
"When are you gonna tell the twins you have leukemia? They deserve to know!"
He walked past her and into the bathroom. "Soon."
Julie gulped as the gates of the manor opened. There was something about the place that made her feel intimidated, apart from Kyrie's mom, and something told her she was home. That same something told her she was home because she was one of those women who sit at home doing nothing. After all, their only job was to look pretty for their husbands. It wasn't because she looked like a model at forty, it said, it was because…she looked like a model at forty. They alighted from the car. Kyrie talked about her new lab partner, the one she was sure had a crush on her. If Julianne was listening, she didn't show it. That was because she wasn't listening, she was explaining to the voice in her head that not all pretty women are stay-at-home wives.
"Wait here," Kyrie said when they stood in front of her father's bedroom. She knocked and waited for a reply. Once she was told to come in, she did so but soon came out.
Julie wiped the sweat off her forehead. "What happened?"
"That was my mom…"
"Told you she was home," the voice in her head said. Stupid voice!
"…Dad's in his home office. Let's go there!"
She took her hand as they walked down the hall.
He sighed as he sat behind the desk in his office, staring at the top drawer of his desk intently. Pulling out a key from his pocket, he unlocked the drawer. In it were some pictures. He smiled as he remembered the day they took the pictures, it was a day before she left. She was staring at the Ferris wheel, not the camera. The same went for the baby, she was occupied with the task of removing her beanie. They made several copies of the picture. She took one, saying she would use it to remember him. He took the rest for selfish reasons. He smiled as he consciously touched the picture. It reminded him of a better time.
The knock on the door distracted him from his thoughts. He shoved the photos back into the photos back into the drawer and locked it with his key. Finally, he placed the key in his pocket. He stumbled as he got up from his chair. He knew he had to find a suitable donor, and fast! "Maybe I should tell the twins," he thought. He read in an article that the most suitable donors were one's family members. He would find a way, someday.
He opened the door and Kyrie breezed into the office. Julianne followed suit, although she didn't look enthusiastic or anything.
"What did you want to tell me about?" He said to Kyrie.
"I think Julie should tell you since she's the victim and all that. Don't ya think, Julie?"
She nodded timidly. The voice at the back of her head laughed at her. She wanted nothing more than to shove it in a box and throw it off a cliff. Wait, when did I start hearing voices?
"Good! I'll be back in a few!"
Kyrie left the office. The silence was awkward and somewhat intimidating. He cleared his throat and said, "What happened to you?"