"Silence filled the room, something that I hated. I had just finished a PET scan and now was the worst part: waiting. Having cancer meant a lot of tests but it also meant a lot of waiting. Ninety percent of my life was waiting for something, whether it's waiting for test results or waiting for the news of my expected death date. That wasn't what the doctors called it, but that's what it truly is."
-
"Are you nervous?" Mom broke the silence.
"I am, but I wish I wasn't. You'd think I would be used to it after four years." I drum my fingers on the table, a nervous habit I picked up from my mom. Our conversation ends when Doctor Salter walks into the room, Nurse Logan following behind him.
"How are you feeling, King?" Nurse Logan smiles at me. I smile back.
"Nervous." I admit. "What are the results?"
"No new tumors, which is good." Doctor Salter offers.
"But?" I question.
"But there is tumor growth." Doctor Salter puts four images on the table. "These two are your tumors from two months ago."
"But these are today's." Nurse Logan frowns. I take the images before my mom can.
"They've grown a bit." I trace the outline of the tumors.
"Ten percent." Doctor Salter nods. I hand the papers to my mom. "We're going to put you on a new chemotherapy, one that should shrink them."
"But what if they don't? If this keeps up at the same pace, how much longer do I have?" Mom draws in a sharp breath. She doesn't like the idea of her only daughter dying, but she needs to be prepared for it.
"We estimate four to eight months." Doctor Salter takes the images back.
"Eight? I won't be able to graduate!"
"It's not like we choose, Kingsley. If we stay on this specific chemo, that's your prognosis. The new chemo may add some time, but we don't know until you agree to try it." Nurse Logan says.
"How long will this chemo last?" Mom asks.
"We're gonna try four rounds at first, each round will be two weeks. After each round, you'll get a week to recover. If there isn't any growth or new tumors, we'll continue it. If there's growth or new tumors, we'll let you and your parents decide what happens." Doctor Salter stands up. "We'll start today, if you agree to try this one out."
"How good are the statistics on this chemo?" I ask with a sigh.
"Sixty percent of patients have excellent recovery." Nurse Logan smiles.
"Fine. Let's get started."
-
"I set my notebook back on the table after finishing the list. I wanted to prove to everyone I would live longer than expected. I've never written one before, but I decided to write a list of things I wanted to accomplish before I die, also known as a bucket list. I didn't want to do those typical things a lot of cancer patients did, but I liked doing things unexpectedly."
-
"It's twelve thirty, do you need your laptop?" Mom asked.
"And a drink, too. Please." I sit up, wincing. The IV was in my hand today, which made every movement a thousand times more difficult. "Thanks." I took the drink, taking a sip. I set my drink down before logging into my laptop. "Did you ask Dad to bring my camera tonight?"
YOU ARE READING
The Bucket List {On Hold/Rewriting/Editing}
Teen Fiction"I always try to live in the moment. After all, my moments left to live are limited." Seventeen year old Kingsley Barnes has always lived in the moment. She was diagnosed with stage four leukemia when she was thirteen, so every day became a blessing...
