AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Tiffany Williams?” he asks, looking right at me. I nod as I stand to greet him.
“My name is Dr. Stone,” he introduces himself with a firm handshake, but his eyes hold a warmth that puts me at ease. “You must be Mr. and Mrs. Williams.”
He shakes both of my parents' hands before turning to Viper.
“Ethan Knight,” Viper introduces himself, shaking Dr. Stone’s hand.
Ethan Knight.I smile, filing his name away.
We all follow the doctor into his office and I take a seat on one of the chairs directly in front of his desk. Mom sits beside me and Daddy and Viper stand behind us.
“I have more seating,” Dr. Stone says, gesturing to several more chairs.
Daddy and Viper don’t move. For which I’m grateful. I need the close support of all three of them.
The tension in the room is palpable as Dr. Stone pulls out a file. Not wasting any time, he dives straight into the discussion.
“Bitsy, I understand you’ve been through a lot already,” he says. “I’ve reviewed your case, and I believe we can proceed with a targeted chemotherapy treatment.”
I nod, my throat dry. “What’s targeted chemotherapy?”
Dr. Stone leans forward, his expression serious. “It’s a more focused approach than traditional chemotherapy. We’ll be using higher doses of medication, which can be more effective against your type of cancer. However, it also means the side effects can be more intense.”
My mom squeezes my hand, as Viper places a hand on the back of my neck.
“How long will it take before we see results?” Viper asks. Again, I’m grateful he came because I can’t seem to think of a single thing to ask.
“I don’t like to make guesses, but I’ll make an exception. With Ms. Williams’ type of cancer, and the level at which it is, I’m going to guess that the tumor will be nearly gone in roughly six months,” he answers. “But we should see significant shrinkage in about two months. I’ll have a much clearer answer for you after her first scan.”
“What side effects should we be concerned about?” Daddy asks.
“If there comes a time when you can’t hold any type of food or liquids down, Ms. Williams, I will need you to go to the emergency room immediately. It’s extremely important to keep your body as strong as possible while going through these treatments. Any more questions?”
“Will I lose my hair?” I ask, a tear silently falling down my face.
Dr. Stone’s expression softens and a sad smile graces his face. “Unfortunately, that’s almost guaranteed to happen with this treatment. You most likely won’t notice anything until after the third treatment, but it will eventually happen. The drugs are just too potent and that’s one thing your body can’t protect.”
“Will I be able to have children one day?” I ask, the room growing quiet.
Mom starts to cry and I know it’s because she’s remembering her best friend. My mother. She wasn’t able to have kids after her chemo treatments and that’s why mom agreed to be their surrogate.
“I’m going to be really honest with you, Ms. Williams,” Dr. Stone says. “Some chemotherapy drugs can affect the ovaries, potentially leading to temporary or permanent infertility. There is a chance that you won’t ever be able to have children but there is also a chance that you will be able to have many children. With your lung cancer being at such an early stage, you won’t need as many treatments and that could very well play in your favor when it comes to your fertility. Now, you can take measures to ensure you’ll be able to have kids. We can do something called Oocyte Cryopreservation. More commonly known as freezing of the eggs. This technique allows individuals to preserve their eggs so that they can be used for fertility treatment at a later time. Is that something you would be interested in?”
“Could that be done today?” Daddy asks.
“I’m afraid not, Mr. Williams,” Dr. Stone answers. “The process itself takes several weeks.”
“I’ve always wanted a big family,” I whisper, not bothering to hide my tears. “But I guess if all else fails, there’s adoption.”
“We will have so many children that our home will never hear a moment of silence,” Viper whispers into my ear. “If you can’t have them yourself, we will adopt them and love them as if they grew in your beautiful body.”
I laugh at the idea of having all of those kids with this stranger I’ve known for less than two days. But, somehow, that future blooms in my mind’s eye and I desperately want it. It’s not something I’ll be able to have if this cancer kills me.
“I’m ready to start the treatments,” I say, trying to sound brave.
Dr. Stone smiles kindly. “That’s the spirit, Ms. Williams. We’ll start the treatment today if that’s alright with you. It’ll be an IV infusion, and it usually takes a few hours. I’ll explain everything as we go along.”
I nod, accepting the paper the doctor is reaching forward.
