One of the nurses smiled at her; Elizabeth didn’t like that smile in the least.
“Right. Well, as you know, prior to this CT scan the chest X-ray was highly suggestive of a cancer growing in the lung.” Tom nodded. “The CT scan identified that quite clearly, and now there can be no doubt about what we are facing.”
Elizabeth watched Tom. He was doing all the right things, humming and agreeing in all the right places, but he wasn’t there with them. His fingers were fiddling at the edge of the table, and there was a lack of focus in his eyes, micromovements, darting about left and right, like a small animal looking for escape.
Dr. Jones spoke clearly, every word considered. “Additionally, the CT scan also provided us with some new information.” He paused; his voice softened. “We found evidence of the cancer in the adrenal glands, the kidneys, and the brain.”
Tom registered something with that. “The brain?” The brain was bad, they all felt it. Maybe you could be all right if they took a kidney, maybe even one of the other glands, whatever they were. Adrenal something. You could even endure an uncomfortable existence with one lung, Elizabeth suspected. But you couldn’t live without the brain. One of the nurses took a step toward her and rested a hand on her arm. She didn’t flinch, waiting for the doctor to continue.
“Yes,” Dr. Jones confirmed. “The nurses tell me that you have had some problems with your coordination, with the fork and with walking.” He pointed to a walker that somebody had brought up earlier as proof. “What we found in the brain explains these additional symptoms. Also the neurological findings, like your eye and lip being a little weaker than usual.”
“The brain,” Tom said again, but this time to himself. He looked up at the doctor. “Will I need surgery?”
Despite all his experience, it looked as though the doctor took a moment to compose himself. Elizabeth snuck a glance at Alice, who she could tell was trying her very best not to cry. She fished a tatty old tissue from her pocket and dabbed it at the end of her nose, her gaze all the while fixed somewhere permanently ahead.
“At this stage, with what we know from the tests and about what’s been going on with you, we have some important decisions to make. One such decision, as you so correctly raised, is the possibility of surgery. Is that something you would have wanted to do?”
“Well I don’t want cancer, that’s for sure,” Tom said, just a little bit incredulous, as if Dr. Jones was making a bad joke.
“I understand that,” Dr. Jones said, shuffling on the bed. “Such surgery, especially on the brain, is a big strain on the body. It is not without risk, and there are several severe complications associated with the kind of surgery that you would be required to undergo. The same applies for other treatments, like chemotherapy or radiotherapy. They all have benefits, but equally all carry risk. And with everything we know at this stage, I don’t think that the best course of action for you would be to rush to undertake any more procedures that are going to potentially cause you discomfort. I don’t want to put you at risk of any unnecessary complications. Surgery and even the bronchoscopy we had planned are not going to add anything at this point, or indeed make you feel any better. So, where does that leave us? Our aim now must be to focus on keeping you pain free and as mobile as we can, so we can get you back on your feet and home as soon as possible.”
Ironically, Tom got a burst of life, his voice raised, his arms up in disbelief. “But what about the tumors?” Elizabeth loved him for it, she really did. Either he didn’t want to see it, or he just couldn’t bring himself to accept what she understood the doctor was telling them. She stood up from her chair and moved close to Tom. His gaze weaved up to her, wide-eyed and a little teary. “What does he mean, go home?”
“Mr. Hale,” Dr. Jones said, resting a hand on Tom’s forearm, “the cancer that we have found presents us with a very difficult decision. It’s not very amenable to an operation. We can’t just cut it out, and I believe that the risk of other treatments outweighs any benefits they might potentially offer. I think to try