That Elusive Cure 14

“Heart and blood pressure raised. Antidote being administered.”

Fine, not a problem. Excitement built in me. Three more sessions after this I’d be whole again. No more cancer beasties eating me from the inside out. The machine did its thing and I felt my heartbeat calm.

“Scan initiating.”

Initiate away, I thought. It was probably for the best that I was alone and closed in the pod as I was sure the smile of a lunatic was pasted across my face. Maybe I was more tuned in, but this time I felt a slight sensation beneath me. It reminded me of a much more advanced version of an MRI scanner.

“Diagnosing.”

Wasn’t this thing advanced enough to remember that I’d been here before? The smile on my face dulled as I waited for the results. Would it be the same as three days ago? Could more tumours grow in that time? My liver had begun to ache again, and that just couldn’t be a good thing. What if the machine said I had some completely different illness? Could be the first time was a fluke or really was set up by Janie. I tried to dismiss the doubts, but two years of the cancer journey had taught me never to expect the best case scenario. It was simply too painful when the news didn’t live up to the hope. And the news never lived up to the hope.

The female voice of the machine began speaking again, “Thirteen tumours found in the liver ranging from 1mm to 22mm. Two tumours found in the left lung, one in the right ranging from 12mm to 18mm.”

That was a huge change from the last scan. Amazing! I felt like I needed to escape the pod and dance about the church. Scream and shout and holler, kick up the dust and celebrate how good life can be when it wants to.

“Heart and blood pressure raised. Antidote being administered.”

The antidote or whatever it was really got me this time. The need to run about eased and suddenly I was close to sleep.

“Session two of the five recommended. Three remaining to fix cancer sites. One to reverse the stoma.”

I breathed deeply. Calmer by the second. It did remember. That was good. I allowed myself to restore a little more faith in the machine.

“Begin session?” The voice asked me.

I was ready or the question this time. “Yes,” I said and relaxed into the foam, waiting for the machine to work.

Vibrations started at my feet like before, working their way along my body until the pod was still once more.

“Session complete. Next session in three days’ time.”

The lid opened and I lay there a while, not moving from the pod, comfortable and close to sleep.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” A man’s voice came from somewhere behind me.

I leapt from the machine. Oh my God, a rapist or a murderer could be in here with me. How could I be so stupid as to forget to lock the door behind me? I spun around to face the person, my bare feet losing traction. I tripped backwards into a pile of pews. The back of my skull bashed against one of the benches. Pain flashed through my head and silver stars rained down fogging my vision. The man was coming over, and my body wouldn’t move, wouldn’t obey my desperate orders to flee.

“No, please. Don’t hurt me,” I cried out.

The man came into focus as he loomed over me, and I knew him.

“Jimmy?” I said, and then fainted.