My Death Sentence

My Death Sentence ~ Chapter 1

        "Wait here while I go to the vending machine in the hallway," my dad whispered, then stands up and leaves the room. The little boy finishes the puzzle and a grin forms on his face. Why smile over something like that?

        "Mika, it's your turn," Doctor Shimoto calls out. I stand up and slowly walk towards the door. As I pass by her the smell of men's cologne fills the air. She leads me to the room we always go in and as we pass by the rooms I see all the other kids talking to doctors, crying, laughing, and shouting. Until we get to our room. A table was set with 2 chairs, one on either side and cards lay down. She shows me a sum of 4 cards each having animals on them. One by one I have to read what animal it is allowed as she shows them.

        "Duck, cat, mouse, alligator," I dictate. Then she puts the cards down, not showing what was on them, "Um," I try to remember, "Alligator, duck, mouse, cat." Doctor Shimoto writes things down on a little book then she shows me another set and the same thing happens. "Great, I know animal, can I go now?" I question. She looks over her little book and checks some things off.

        "I need to give you an MRI, to see if your brain is active in the right spots, you were scheduled one for last week, but I don't know what happened to that, wait here," she justifies, then departs from the room, leaving me in an empty room. I look around and see a panic button on the table. I wanna press it, should I press it? I feel the urge to press this red, round button. Suddenly, I hear the door open from behind me. A man walks in and sees me.

        "Hi, Mika! I am Doctor Star, I will be setting up the MRI with Doctor Shimoto," he shared. I look at him from head to toe and realize a stain on his tie, the dirt on his shoe, and his scuffled up brunette hair. Just came from lunch, I am guessing, came here in a rush.

        "Aren't you too young to be a doctor?" I ask. The man looks as if he is 18 or 19. He had a lab coat on and a clipboard like all the other doctors.

        "Yes, I am. I'm only a medical student, studying the syndrome you have," he continues, "Going to try to make a medicine for you." He smiles. I stare, blankly into his grey eyes. "Come on," he leads me to another room with a machine shaped like a circle and hollowed out in the middle. "Do you have any medals on you? Like a necklace, ring, ear rings?" he questions. I look at my finger, where my mother's ring lay since her death. I take it off and place it on a metal plate. "Lay down," he demands. I lay on the firm, plastic bed.

        The Doctors stay in a separate room, staring at a computer screen. Banging fills my ears from the machine. I start to move a little, to get comfortable in the configured space, "Please stay still," Doctor Shimoto says on the speakers.

        "So, Mika, what do you do when you're not here?" Doctor Star asks, trying to make small talk. Wait, since that star guy is only a medical student, should I call him medical student star? I think about his question for a little, wondering if I should tell the truth or just full out lie?

        "Um, I just stay in bed all day," I decide to tell the truth. They might look down at me, but the truth is the truth, you can't run from it.

        "Since your life is short, wouldn't you want to make the best of it?" he questions. Make the best of it? Why should I, I'm dying for crying out loud, there's no point. "I mean, if I had what you had, I would be jumping out of planes, driving fast cars, meeting my heroes."

        "It's kinda hard having a conversation while I'm trying to stay still," I quickly reply. I begin to think about what he was saying, what if I should do that stuff? After a while of the perpetual banging of the huge machine, it ends. As the two doctors pull me out of the caved  piece of machinery, the bright light hits my eyes and I place my hand in front of my eyes.

        "You seem to be normal, um, come back next week and we will scan again," Doctor Shimoto says like she's surprised that I am normal. Afterwards, Doctor Star leads me back to the waiting room, where I see my father munching on some ships from the vending machine.

        "Hey!" dad greets, "You wanna go to McDonald's?" Dad doesn't know anything about me, after mom died it's been hard for him to cope, remembering what I do and don't like, seeing what I do from a day to day basis. Well, now he knows I go on my computer all day then go to sleep. But he doesn't know, that I don't like fast food restaurants, for example, McDonald's.

        "Can we just go home?" I ask. He nods and we walk out of the hospital, I look back at the emergency room and see the rushing, medical workers at the ambulance, placing patients into the beds, from the gurneys. We enter the car and drive back home. I watch as we pass by the little kids playing soccer on the streets. I actually really like soccer, surprisingly.

        "I remember when you were young and you played soccer," my dad says, noticing that I'm looking at the kids, "You scored 3 goals your first game. I was so proud of you." I see him from the reflection of the side mirror and he's smiling.

        "Yeah, well, that was then, this is now," I reply and we continue on with the uncontrollable silence in the car. We get back home and I head to the computer in my room. My mouth dries so I get some water. As I head towards the kitchen, I see my dad fiddling with some bills on the dining room table. He, soon, gets up and leaves to go to the bathroom. While he is gone I run to see how much it is we need to pay.

Water - 300

Gas - 400

Electricity - 500

Rent - 1,000

You have 2,200 Dollars in Debt. Mr. Stronghold if you do not pay, we are obligated to throw you out. Pay up or Pack out.

        I put the paper down, I didn't know that we don't have anymore money. I hear my dad coming back, so I run towards my room. I turn off the computer and every light in the house. Should I get a job? Well, I know that place around the corner, the coffee shop, Tim Horton's. I can work there, I put my phone in my pocket and my wallet in the other.

        "Where you going?" Dad asks. I look towards the figure beside my door.

        "Gonna go out with a friend, I'll be back by 9," I lie, I almost never lie, because if something goes wrong, I never know what to do. I grasp my beanie on the small table in my room and walk, slowly, towards the doorway, where my father stands, arms folded.

        "You have friends? Who is she, or is it a he," Dad questions, "Do you have a boyfriend? Let me meet him!" My heart beats quickly and my palms grow sweaty, my cheeks get warm. "It's okay, you can wait a day or two." he jokes. I walk past my dad and towards the door. "Do you need any money?" he asks as I head out.

        "Um, no thanks," I grab the house keys, open the door and close it behind me. Thank God that's over, I sigh, and lean against the door, my heart beats rapidly in my chest for the next chapter of my life to begin.