Page 110 - In Five Years

Chapter Nineteen

She says a lot of things then. About how ovarian cancer, in very rare cases, can
cause a false positive. About how the symptoms sometimes mimic pregnancy.
Missed period, bloated abdomen, nausea, low energy. But all I hear is a

humming, a buzz in my ears that gets louder and louder the more she talks until
it’s impossible to hear her. Her mouth is opening and all that’s coming out are a
thousand bees, zinging and stinging their way to my face until my eyes are

swollen shut.
“Who told you this?”
“The doctor,” she says. “We went for a scan today.”

“They did a CT scan.” It’s Aaron, at the door. “And a blood test.”
“We need a second opinion,” I say.
“I said the same thing,” Aaron says. “There’s a great—”

I cut him off with my hand. “Where are your parents?”
Bella looks from Aaron to me. “My dad is in France, I think. Mom is home.”

“Did you call them?”
She shakes her head.
“Okay. I’m going to call Frederick and ask him for a roster of his friends at
Sinai. He’s on the board of cardiac, right?”

Bella nods.
“Ok. We’ll make an appointment with the top oncologist.” I swallow the word

down. It tastes like darkness.
But this is what I know how to do; this is what I’m good at. The more I talk,
the more the buzzing dims. Facts. Documents. Who knows what crack-brained
doctor they went to? An ob-gyn is not an oncologist. We don’t know anything

yet. He’s probably mistaken. He must be.