Neglected Saint:

Simone’s Notes:

Almost all animals fortunate enough to survive hazards to their existence eventually die from senescence. The only known exception is the jellyfish Turritopsis nutricula, thought to be, in effect, immortal. Causes of death in humans as a result of intentional activity include suicide and homicide. From all causes, roughly 150,000 people die around the world each day. Physiological death is now seen as less an event than a process: conditions once considered indicative of death are now reversible. Where in the process a dividing line is drawn between life and death depends on factors beyond the presence or absence of vital signs. In general, clinical death is neither necessary nor sufficient for a determination of legal death. A patient with working heart and lungs determined to be brain dead can be pronounced legally dead without clinical death occurring. Precise medical definition of death, in other words, becomes more problematic, paradoxically, as scientific knowledge and medicine advance.

William’s test came back today. Karen stood outside of the room with the doctors. She tried her best to look optimistic, but the look in her eyes gave her away. Dr. Mathis had a stone look on her face while Dr. Stone tried to keep a poker face about the situation. Karen pressed the palms of her hands together.

“So,” she said. “How does it look?” Dr. Mathis leaned heavily on her cane.

“We’ve never seen anything like it,” she said. Karen didn’t get it at first.

“What do you mean?” she asked. Dr. Stone’s lower lip trembled as he handed her the X-Ray and charts. Karen still didn’t get it. She looked up, puzzled.

“What is this?” she asked.

“A bug is draining out his blood faster than his body can make it,” Dr. Mathis explained in a slow rhythm. Karen blinked at her.

“What? How is that possible?” she asked.

“We’re still trying to figure it out ourselves,” Dr. Stone told the wife. “We’ve never seen anything like it before.”

“So, what is it?” Karen asked. “Can’t you take it out?”

“We actually looked at that option,” Dr. Stone replied.

“And?” the woman asked. Dr. Stone went quiet for a moment.

“Uh… well…” he said.

“The bug is clawed in deep to the heart and the inner chest muscle,” Dr. Mathis said. “Removing it would cut him and when a piece of it broke off, it just grew back.” Karen’s face drained white as she fainted to the floor. The nurses rushed over to help her. Dr. Stone turned to her.

“Gail!” he hissed. “Why would you go and blurt that out?!?”

“You were taking too long with the truth,” she said.

“But I didn’t want to upset her,” Dr. Stone whispered.

“It’s going to hurt her either way,” Dr. Mathis said back. Her colleague went quiet. That was true, but still kind of tactless in a huge way. Now that the truth was out, William’s remaining life burned away as the bug kept eating.

Not many knew what was about to unfold with him. Their own lives blinded them. Only two women knew about his condition. William himself already knew that his days went on the numbered track. His first clue came when Tina saw him coughing up blood. She ran to fetch the doctors right away. That’s when the intense tests began. He first received the news. William took it in quiet anger.

“Is there any way to cut it out of me?” he asked.

“I’m so sorry,” Dr. Stone told him.

“Don’t give me that!” he snapped. “Give me the god damn truth!!!” Tina had to hold him back at this point.

“Take it easy,” she whispered.

“Shut up, Tina!” he barked.

“I will not!” she shot back.

“Anyway,” Dr. Stone said. “If we take the bug out, you’ll will die.”

“And if stays inside?” Bill asked.

“You only have three weeks to live,” the doctor said. William clenched his fists.

“Get out,” he mumbled.

“Sorry?” Dr. Stone asked.

“Get out! Get out! Get out, you useless f**k!” the patient snapped. Tina did her best to hold him back.

“He’s upset,” she mouthed at him. Dr. Stone nodded.

“Uh… I guess I will see you later,” he said. The man hurried out of the room.

“Don’t bother!” William barked behind him. Tina finally just slapped him. Her f**k buddy stared at her.

“What the hell did you do that for?!?” he yelled.

“You’re an ass!” Tina barked.

“I’m an ass?!?” he asked.

“Yes!!!” his other woman yelled. William sneered at her.

“Well excuse me for not being so cheerful for dying,” he complained.

“And you think you’re the only one in pain?!?” Tina yelled. William snorted.

“Oh really?” he asked. “No one is hurting worse than me!”

“You don’t think Karen’s hurt? You don’t think I’m hurt?” Tina snapped. “You’re not the only one fighting this! If you keep up this pathetic anger, you will be!” William shrank back into silence. He loosened his fists and dropped his head.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered. His thin body trembled all over.

“Shhh, it’s okay. Come here,” Tina whispered as she held him to her chest. She and Karen spent the last few days of his life trying to make everything easy on him. Try as they might, the countdown to the end always stalked them.

“I guess we won’t get to go away, after all,” William told Tina four days before the grim reaper came a for visit.

“Don’t say all of that just yet,” she said.

“But what’s the whole point? I’ll be dead anyway,” William pointed out. Tina smiled as she gently put her finger to his lips.

“We’re not talking about that, remember?” she asked.

“But…” he began to say.

“Quiet. Don’t think about death,” she commanded him. His eyes shifted over to the back white wall.

“Then… what can I think about?” he asked. Tina smiled as she tried to repress a small giggle. She leaned so close to his ear that her breath hit the skin directly.

“Me doing the nastiest thing possible in our favorite public place,” the woman whispered. William gave it his all to give her a semi smile.

“I would like that,” he said. Tina smiled back at him.

“See? You’re smiling already,” she said.

“I guess I am,” her f**k buddy said. He gave her a little chuckle between coughs.

“Easy boy,” Tina whispered. William gave her a little nod as he still tried to smile.

Too bad that would be the last time she would ever see that boyish smile of his ever again.

	Radiohead - High And Dry .mp3
	Found at bee mp3 search engine