My Guardian Angel

Chapter won

“Whoa, you’ll make any guy jealous with this baby!” I said gliding my hand across the back of the car.

“Can you just get in the car please?” She said irritated as she ducked into the black car. I shrugged and got into the passenger’s seat and, following Ms. Tibito’s example, pulled the buckle over my chest and clipped it into the buckler thingy-mabob, she started up the engine and slowly backed out of the parking space.

   “Go ahead and call whoever you think needs to know, that you’re going to the hospital,” she said as soon as we got out onto the street.

“Oh, yeah, okay.” I said, pulling my lime green phone out of my pocket and dialed first the home number and mom’s voice met me on the second ring.

“Hello?” Her kind voice was reassuring after our franticness to get to the hospital.

“Hey mom.”

“Oh, hi dear, it’s you,”

“Yeah, I was just calling to let you know that the school nurse is taking me to the Hospital, apparently I might have…umm”

“What is it honey?” She asked worriedly 

“She thinks I’m might have Heart Cancer…” Mom wasn’t breathing, I could tell. “Mom? You still alive?” I heard a small breath release but not enough to be a normal breathing human. “Breathe Mom, it’s okay. You can meet us at the…” I looked over to Ms. Tibito expectantly.

“Mayo Clinic” Tibito said.

“You can come to the Mayo Clinic, that’s where Ms. Tibito is taking me to.”

“Alright, I’ll leave for there now,” I could already hear her slipping her coat onto her shoulders. “See you in a bit.” And without another word or even letting me say goodbye, she hung up.

“Thanks Mom.” I said aloud looking at my phone as if Mom where still able to hear me.

“Just hung up on you?” Tibito asked with a tone that told me she knew exactly how it feels to be hung up on.

“Yup,” I said with a straight tone.

“Is it okay if I call my best friend? She’s still in school,” I asked hopefully, she drew in a breath.

“No, I’m sorry, not if she’s in class.” She sounded sorry so I decided not to argue it.

      We drove in silence for the rest of the ride and when we finally reached the Mayo Clinic—which seemed to take forever—I figured out we didn’t really have a plan, meaning we were going to have to wait 2 hours and a half until Dr. Archibol was ready for us. It’s 1:15 and I’m starving but Tibito said I shouldn’t eat as she bit into a doughnut. And a few minutes later Archibol is finally ready for us.

“Alright, so as I have it here, Andrew, your school nurse here, Ms. Tibito who has recently graduated college, believes you have the symptoms of heart cancer. Is that right?” He read off his clip board as he led us—Ms. Tibito, me and Mom who had arrived half an hour after we had gotten here— into his exam room. It was dark until he flipped the lights on, making me squint.

“Yes, that is correct.” Said Tibito. “But I am not inexperienced if that’s what you were hinting at when you mentioned me just graduating.” She said firmly. The room was fair in size, white with the same kind of check up table in Ms. Tibito’s office, a desk right next to the table and many other random things I couldn’t name even if I wanted to.

“Oh no, no, I wasn’t implying that you were inexperienced I was just sort of surprised you knew the symptoms of heart cancer and could recognize them so fast.” Dr. Archibol had a white head, a white beard, spectacles and with his white doctor coat he looked like Willy Wanka’s father—old and like he’d seen the world twice. I’m telling you, it was difficult to restrain myself from asking how old he was but I managed.

“Alright young man,” yeah, I’m a young man to you! I thought to myself. “I’ll have you sit here,” he patted the table next to him. If you ask me, he doubted Ms. Tibito this whole time.   I sat on the table and made myself comfortable—scooting from left to right trying to make myself look even younger to Dr. Archibol.

      I sat patiently, watching as Archibol wrote scribbles on his clip board. “Alright,” I jumped as his voice boomed all-of-a-sudden as he dropped the clip board to his side, it had been so quiet no one was expecting the sudden noise. He lifted his board back up and probably checked off a check box as he said out loud, “Yup, you’re definitely not deaf.” I looked over to Mom and Ms. Tibito for reassurance but they looked equally shaken. The doc took out that thingy that you use for checking the eyes or whatever, gently wrenched my eye open and I was afraid he’d push the thing into my eye, but he kept it at a good distance, surprisingly. He examined my eye for a second or two then went to the next, thrusting it up. When he let my eye lid go I threw my hand up to it to make sure it was still there.

    Dr. Archibol turned to the desk, opened the drawer and I saw him pull out a tendon hammer—I think it’s called—and that’s when I really started worrying, I could see it now: Archibol slugging my knee with all his old-man strength. He knelt down next to me on one knee and gently knocked my knee the little hammer. I silently wiped my forehead of sweat and I heard Ms. Tibito chuckle.

He took my arm roughly and turned it over so the inside of my wrist was facing up, he then did the same to the other arm, I don’t recall this being part of the regular doctor test.

“I expected to find a tattoo…” He admitted quietly.

“I don’t do tattoos doctor.” I said more roughly than I meant to but it really does bug me when people assume I’m the kind of person to have tattoos.

“Hmm, I thought all kids had tattoos these days…” he mumbled under his breath as he spun on his heels to get his stethoscope. He pulled it into position on ears and signaled with his hand to remove my shirt, I did this yet again. I prepared myself for the icy cold instrument to hit my tan skin. He placed the tool on my skin where my heart was and listened for a long time. He removed the instrument and told me to make sure I breathe regularly, I’m sure I’m breathing normal… 

He raised it back up and listened again for a long time and when he finally pulled away, my skin had warmed the stethoscope.

“He does have a rare heart beat which is a symptom of heart cancer” he held up a hand to Ms. Tibito, giving her the satisfaction of being right but she didn’t look happy to be right. “and what else did you say happened that you thought would be a symptom?” He asked Tibito.

“He had shortness of breath and he thought he almost fell unconscious. He hadn’t been running much either.” She reported.

Doctor Archibol turned to Mom.

“Ma’am, I’m dreadfully sorry but, I believe your son does indeed have Heart Cancer. I can run some tests tomorrow morning to make sure but for now I’d guess he does.”