Chapter 4

 

AJ drove to the hospital the very next day to have the HIV test done.  He told no one where he was going, not wanting to alarm anyone for no reason.  He would wait until he got the results back. 

 

Luckily, the hospital wasn't very busy when AJ arrived, so he only had to wait about twenty minutes. 

 

"Alexander McLean?" a nurse called.  AJ stood up and walked over to her.  "Right this way, Mr. McLean," the nurse said, leading him down a hallway into a small examining room.  She looked down at her clipboard.  "You're here for an HIV test?" she asked.

 

AJ nodded, his face reddening.  The nurse noticed and offered him a sympathetic smile.  "Don't worry, this is strictly confidential.  No one will know about the test unless you tell them," she said, but her words didn't help to comfort him.  He didn't care who found out about him getting tested.  It was the results that scared him. 

 

"A doctor will be in to run the test in a few minutes," the nurse said and left the room.  AJ sat on the examining table and looked around the room, trying to take his mind off of the test.  He looked down at his hands and realized they were shaking visibly.  He clasped them together tightly and held them in his lap.

 

A few minutes later, a doctor entered the room.  "Hello, Mr. McLean," she said, smiling at him.  "I'm Dr. Thompson."  AJ forced a smile.  "Well, let's get this over with," Dr. Thompson said. 

 

***

 

An hour later, AJ was driving home.  Dr. Thompson had told him the results of the test wouldn't be in for a few days.  She said she would call him when they came in. 

 

AJ had mixed feelings about this news.  He didn't like having to suffer through the suspense of waiting for so long to find out if he had contracted the deadly virus or not.  But, on the other hand, what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him.  At least he didn't know that he had it for sure yet.  There was a chance that he didn't have it at all.  Maybe he was worrying for nothing.  He would find out the truth soon enough.

 

***

 

Four days later, AJ's phone rang during breakfast.  He grabbed it quickly.  "Hello?" he answered nervously.

 

"Hello, is this Alexander McLean?" asked a woman.  AJ knew it was Dr. Thompson.  His heart lodged in his throat and pounded heavily.

 

"Yes, this is him," AJ replied. 

 

"Mr. McLean, this is Dr. Thompson.  I would like you to come down to the hospital as soon as possible so we can discuss the results of the HIV test," Dr. Thompson said.

 

"Ok," AJ said, his voice trembling.  "I can be there in about ten minutes, ok?"

 

"That will be fine.  I'll be waiting for you," Dr. Thomson replied. 

 

"Ok, I'll see you soon," AJ said.

 

"Good-bye," Dr. Thompson said.  AJ hung up the phone slowly.  His whole body was shaking with fear.  He had a bad feeling about this.  But, he climbed into his car anyway and drove to the hospital.

 

Once he was there, he checked in at the receptionist's desk and sat down in the waiting room.  He was only there for a couple minutes when a nurse came out and called his name.  She led him to Dr. Thompson's office this time. 

 

"Come on in, Mr. McLean," Dr. Thompson said when he arrived at the doorway.  AJ came in and took a seat in front of her desk.  The nurse left, closing the door behind her.  Dr. Thompson cleared her throat.  "The results of the test have come in," she began.  "Unfortunately, you tested positive for the HIV virus."  AJ gasped and tried to hold back the tears that threatened to fill his eyes.  "I'm very sorry," Dr. Thompson said sympathetically.  AJ said nothing.  "We need to get you started on medication right away," she started.  "HIV affects the immune system and makes the victims susceptible to many diseases.  AZT is our most effective drug right now.  It helps preserve the immune system."

 

"So do I have AIDS or HIV?" AJ asked.  "Is there a difference, or are they the same thing?"

 

"Right now you have HIV, which is the virus that causes AIDS.  You could go your whole life and never actually get AIDS.  But most likely, you will eventually develop full blown AIDS at some point," Dr. Thompson explained.

 

"Oh," AJ said sullenly.

 

"Do you know how you contracted this virus, Mr. McLean?" Dr. Thompson asked.

 

"Yeah, I got it from a girl I had sex with," AJ said, his face turning red.

 

"Do you know which girl it was?" Dr. Thompson.

 

"Yes," AJ said.

 

"Good," Dr. Thompson said.  "Can you tell me how long ago you had intercourse with her?"

 

AJ thought for a moment.  "It was a few months ago," he said. 

 

Dr. Thompson nodded.  "That's good," she said.  "I'm glad you came in to be tested.  Sometimes in HIV victims, the symptoms don't start until years after they are infected.  By then, their immune systems are mostly destroyed, and the drugs we give them don't help much.  But you are lucky.  Your immune system will be intact, and the drugs can help slow the destruction of it from the HIV."

 

"There isn't a cure for this yet, is there?" AJ asked hopefully.  He knew that AIDS was fatal, but he wanted to believe that a cure had been found recently that he just hadn't heard of yet.

 

"No, not yet," Dr. Thompson said.  "But there is a lot of research being done.  Hopefully, someday, there will be a cure."

 

AJ said a silent prayer, praying that there would be a cure before the disease killed him.

 

***

 

 

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