Gary sat on the examination table and watched the second hand go around the clock.
He twiddled his fingers and slightly bit his bottom lip.
He’d been feeling this pain in his chest and had been having these headaches for a while, but he didn’t talk about it much.
Many of the times when he told his family or friends, they would shrug it off and tell him to get more rest and to eat better: hey, that had to be the cause, right?
That day at work, he started to feel faint.
His head had been throbbing all day and he felt sharp pains go across his chest at various times of the day.
His boss noticed he was in pain and insisted that he go to the doctor and figure out what was wrong.
Gary mustered the courage to go to the ER, regardless of how much of a deductible it was going to be.
The doctor returned to the room.
“Mr. Williams,” the doctor spoke.
“Yes, Doc?” Gary cleared his throat and interlocked his fingers.
The doctor inhaled deeply.
“I’m glad you came in when you did,” he spoke. “Anytime you’re feeling faint and the symptoms you were experiencing, it’s best to get it checked as soon as possible,” the doctor looked at his clipboard.
“Are you trying to tell me something, Doc?” Gary started to hyperventilate.
The doctor removed his glasses and closed the folder.
“Mr. Williams, I hate to tell you this, but you have cancer.”
There was a reason Gary held off going to the doctor. He didn’t like to receive bad news, and this was the last thing he’d wanted to hear.
He knew he couldn’t go back and tell his family and friends; he didn’t want to see them stressed or disappointed. He didn’t want to deliver this news to them.
“So, w-what’s next?” Gary stuttered.
“We must get you started on treatment immediately,” the doctor replied. “While it’s good you came in when you did, you have a very aggressive form,” he finished.
Gary looked at the clock on the wall and watched the time pass.
He took his fingers and put them on his wrist; he felt as though his world was crumbling because of this news.
He couldn’t fix his mouth to utter anything, although he knew the doctor was waiting for a response.
He always thought that if he were a good man, he would be rewarded, not punished.
“Why God?” he whispered.
