Fingers Crossed (Synacky)

Chapter Three

With the tour quickly approaching, there was much to be done that kept Zacky busy and his mind off of the doctor’s visit. In fact, he had totally forgotten about it, spending his time restringing guitars and doing interviews. And he was surprised three days later when he got the phone call.

He didn’t want to answer it. The hospital’s name flashed across the screen of his phone, and dread welled up in the pit of his stomach. With a shaky hand, he pressed “Answer” and held the phone up to his ear. “Hello?”

“Hello, is this Zachary Baker?”

“It is.” He replied, holding the phone in between his ear and his shoulder so he could continue to fold his clothes.

“Hey, Zachary, I work the receptionists desk in Huntington Beach Hospital, and Dr. Wright would like for you to schedule an appointment sometime this week to review the results of the blood work you had done on Tuesday.”

“Oh.” Brian walked into the room, mouthing ‘Who’s  that?’ and Zacky just shook his head.

“Would next Monday work for you? Would you prefer a morning or afternoon appointment?”

“Yeah, Monday’s fine, and I don’t care about the time.” Brian’s arms snaked around his waist and his nose nuzzled the back of Zacky’s neck, and Zacky pulled away, giving him a “cut-that-out” look.

“I can fit you in at 3:45, would that work?”

“Sure, sounds great. I’ll be there.”

Zacky ended the call, sliding his phone into his pocket as he picked up a rumpled shirt.

“Who was that?” Brian asked, and Zacky just shrugged. “Um, it was Schecter.”

“What’d they want?” Brian’s eyebrow was quirked in that skeptical way, and Zacky chewed the inside of his lip.

“To set up a meeting for another… signature design.”

“Oh, that’s cool.” Brian was silent for a moment. “Don’t they know we’re touring? That’s crazy, setting up a design meeting a week before we tour…”

“I don’t mind.” Zacky replied quickly. “I’d like to talk with them about adding a couple more frets anyway.”

“You already have 24…” Brian rolled his eyes, kissing Zacky’s cheek. “I don’t care. Think up some cool shit while you’re there. I’ll just keep working on a solo to play when you guys are doing whatever you do backstage while I’m playing the solo.”

“That was an intelligent sentence, Bri.” Zacky teased, turning his head so Brian’s next kiss reached his lips.

“What can I say?” Brian’s mouth quirked up in a grin as he shrugged modestly, “I’m nothing short of a mastermind.”

~*~

“Hey, Zacky, how are you feeling today?”

“I’m fine.” Zacky’s stomach rolled with nervousness. He had a headache and he was exhausted from no sleep the previous night. “I’m great, actually.”

“Good, that’s good to hear.” Dr. Wright puttered around, checking his pulse and shining a light into his eyes and ears and nose.

“So, my lab results came in?” Zacky asked, pressing slightly for answers. He didn’t have any patience, not now. He needed to hear the good news so he could go back and finally relax and be more focused for the tour.

“Oh, um, yeah, we got them.” Dr. Wright slipped the blood pressure cuff over Zacky's arm.

“You just checked all of this like three days ago.”

“It’s standard.” She replied, eyes on the dial on her hand. “So, Zacky, how do you feel about a PET scan?”

“A what? I’ve got three dogs and I mean, I’ve been keeping up with all their vet visits but Majesty might be overdue on her flea meds…”

Dr. Wright chuckled half heartedly, removing the cuff. “No, I mean a P E T scan. Positron emission tomography. It’s a fairly new form of technology we can use to look at disease in the body.”

Zacky frowned. “I don’t have any disease in my body…” he trailed off unsurely, ending his sentence with a weak, “right?”

Dr. Wright provided a tight smile, reaching for the clipboard on the counter. “Listen, Zacky, you told me you’re engaged, right?”

“Yes, I am.” Zacky twirled the ring on his finger, “Why?”

“Why don’t we schedule another appointment, and you bring your fiancé along?”

“Why? I can handle bad news if that’s what you’re saying, Doc… Even though there isn’t any bad news to report.”

“No, Zacky, you… your blood is cancerous. That puts you in a very dangerous situation, and I would like for you to take a PET scan to see how extensive the cancer is.”

Zacky’s eyebrows furrowed as he stared at Dr. Wright in disbelief. “No way.”

“I’m afraid so. I’m not sure how you went this far without it being detected… It’s in a rather late stage.”

“No, no, no, no, no, there must have been some mistake. I’m not… I feel fine, this can’t possibly be right. Let me see that.”

He snatched the clipboard away from Dr. Wright, squinting at all the jargon on the page. Hardly any of it made sense to him. But he did see, in stocky, printed capital letters, the name “Baker, Zachary James” and the words “Status: Terminal.”

“W-What?” he whispered, squinting at the page. “I-I don’t… I don’t understand.”

Dr. Wright took the clipboard from him. “You have cancer, Zacky. I wish… I wish this was for someone else, I wish the lab results were inaccurate, but the truth is, they’re not.”

Zacky slid his head into his hands, hands clutching at his short hair. “I-I…” tears blurred his vision as he stared down at the floor. “But I-I feel fine.”

“I know, Zacky… Look, let’s just wait to discuss this until you can have your fiancé with you.”

“No!” Zacky cried, “You have to tell me. Please. What stage? How bad is it?”

Dr. Wright sighed, “I-I can’t tell right now. We have to wait until the PET scan results.”

“I’ll take one right now. Let’s-Let’s go.” Zacky stood up. “I want to take one now.”

“We can’t, you have to wait until tomorrow, at least. We don’t have the technology here, but you can go to LA tomorrow. I’ll talk to them there and maybe we can set you up an appointment that soon. I want to get you your results before the tour. You might have to stay back from the tour…”

“No. There’s no way I’m staying off the tour. You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Zacky, you might have no other choice. If it’s in its final stages, you will need to avoid the smoke, the loud, the strenuous lifestyle that touring provides.”

“Just-Just get me scheduled.” Zacky stood up and headed towards the door. “Let me know what happens. I-I’ve gotta get some air.”