Chapter
32
The next morning, Brian reached to doctor's office promptly at 11:00.
He checked in and started to sit down to wait, but the receptionist stopped
him.
"You can go on back, Mr. Littrell," she said. "Dr.
Benson has been waiting to talk to you." Brian nodded and walked down the
hall towards Dr. Benson's office, his apprehension growing stronger with every
step. Dr. Benson's door was closed. He knocked on it lightly.
"Come in," came the reply. Brian walked inside.
"Oh, good. It's you, Brian," Dr. Benson said, offering him a
kind smile. "Take a seat. We've got to talk."
"What's up, Doc?" Brian asked, smiling.
"Something's come up in your blood work. I need to run some more
tests to determine what it is," Dr. Benson said.
"What could it be?" Brian asked suspiciously. "Is there
something wrong with me?"
"It could be nothing. I just would like to run some more tests,
just to make sure everything's alright," Dr. Benson assured him.
"Right now?" Brian asked.
"Yes," Dr. Benson said. "I want to get the results as
soon as possible."
Brian had a bad feeling about the whole thing, but he tried to tell himself
that Dr. Benson was just playing it safe, and that everything was fine.
It took a few hours for Brian to get through all the tests and wait for
the results. Finally, Dr. Benson ushered Brian back into his office. Brian
suddenly realized he was all alone. Usually there was someone with him. This
made him feel even more nervous.
Dr. Benson cleared his throat. "Brian," he began, "I
don't know how to tell you this, but…" he paused and took a deep breath.
"There are cancer cells in your bone marrow."
Brian's heart began racing, and he felt ice cold. "What?" he
asked, making sure he had heard the doctor correctly. His voice came out as
barely a whisper.
"You're going to need to check back into the hospital and start
chemo again," Dr. Benson told him. "That will at least help to stop
it from spreading any further. But your only real hope is for a bone marrow
transplant." Brian sucked in a deep breath.
"How long will it take to get one?" he asked.
"Well, it depends, " Dr. Benson said. "Usually, we start
looking for a donor by testing family members and friends. If we can't find a
compatible match, then we'll put your name on a list of people waiting. You'll
be on the list until a donor is found. Sometimes it can take only weeks,
sometimes years."
"I have to call my family," Brian said. "They're all in
Kentucky."
"First go home and get some things packed up and come to the
hospital. We'll get you checked in, and then you can start calling people to
come down and get tested." Brian nodded. He said good-bye to Dr. Benson
and head home, depressed. He cried all the way home, and could barely see the
road through his blinding tears. Finally, he made it home and packed. Then he
headed back to the hospital.
***
