Journey of a Near Miss

"It's pneumonia David."  I laid Alex down on the couch.

"Ugh!"  David wiped imaginary sweat off his brow.  "Now what?"

"He needs these perscriptions filled ASAP."  I had folded them up and put them in my back pocket.  "Would you get these for me so I can take care of Alex?"

"Sure, sure."  He turned and left the living room and was out the door before I could say another word.  I knew he was worried.

For the next two days I watched over my son.  I bathed him with tepid water, gave him his medication, massaged his aching feverish body and fed him ice chips.  His fever did break and he recuperated quickly.  All of us were relieved, but that didn't last long.  Two weeks later David was sick.  On my fortieth birthday I took him to see Doctor Delray.

We both assumed he had pneumonia like Alex had.  The first doctor's visit was uneventful and he was told to go on antibiotics and rest.  We did everything the doctor said to do, but he did not get better.

We went back to see the doctor on March twenty-first.  A chest e-ray was ordered.  David coughed and hacked up phlegm while we waited at the hospitals x-ray department.  I was fraught with worry.  It took three days for the results to come in.

"Well, David, how are you feeling today?"  Dr. Spanger asked.  Doctor Delray was on vacation and I wasn't too happy about David seeing someone else.

"Not too bad, but I don't have much wind."

"It's understandable, I'll explain."  He pulled the e-rays out and put them up to the light.  He pointed to an area on David's right lung.

"This is the area of concern.  It's dark, about the size of a dime, but very definitve."

David and I shared a concerned look.

"Okay."  I said, "What does that mean and where do we go from here?"

"I've already ordered a cat scan of the right lung.  I want you to go over to the hospital right after you leave here and have this done."

"Wait a minute."  I held up my hand.  "Are we dealing with cancer?"

Dr. Spangler did not look at either David or I.  He was looking at the paperwork on his lap.  "I believe so."