Tomorrow May Never Come

You Can't Lose Hope.

"What disease do I have, Doctor? -ACHOO-"

"You get to name it."

Tissues stared blankly at Test Tube through the face cover of his hazmat suit.

"Well, it's just sneezing, roight? Why am I wearing th— -ACHOO-" More mucus splattered onto the inside cover. Test Tube recoiled a little. Getting used to his sneezes was impossible, even if he was her patient of over ten years. She tossed her long green hair behind her lab coat.

"Because that would appear highly infectious," replied the lanky Test Tube, letting each word hang in the air before moving to the next. "I'm sure you remember what happened when you were a kid." Another sneeze from Tissues.

"Please don't."

"And it's not just sneezing," added Test Tube tersely. "The mucus is spreading all over your body. It's interfering with your bodily processes and weakening you day by day. It's already turned your hair white, to name one thing, and you're not even 30!"

"Surely you can cuoire this, roight?" Three successive sneezes followed, dirtying the face cover so much that most of Tissues' pallid face could not be seen.

"We-We'll try to." The words caught in Test Tube's throat, resisting the lie she was telling. She fought to maintain a neutral expression on her face.

Test Tube couldn't see it, but Tissues smiled behind his hazmat suit. "That's -ACHOO- what I loike to hear. Anything else?"

"Well, you'll have to wear a hazmat suit whenever you're outside. I'll send Cheesy round once a week to check up on you." She pushed up her glasses. "These glasses always fall, don't they?" Tissues chuckled.

"Can I name moi disease? -ACHOO- -ACHOO-" Test Tube nodded.

"I always called it the-the condishawn," said Tissues, now sneezing a whopping five times, each sneeze causing him to almost jump out of his chair.

"Has a nice ring to it. Well, I'll see you next week. Cheesy will drive you home and help you take off the suit." She gave a forceful smile.

"Bye, Doctor." He rose from his chair, took two steps, then sneezed and fell.

"Oh, golly gee! Here, I'll help you to the door." Tissues gratefully nodded. Test Tube used all her strength to bring Tissues back to a standing position, then loudly whistled.

The door opened, revealing a smiling Cheesy, fully decked out in a hazmat suit. "Afternoon, Doctor!" Test Tube awkwardly waved back.

"Heya. What were the doctor's orders today, old boy?" Test Tube groaned. Tissues sneezed some more. "Good, good, get it out of your system."

"I have a cointagious disease," replied Tissues glumly.

"Oh, really? I thought I had a good joke about contagious diseases, but I was wrong. You see, it didn't go viral." Cheesy threw finger guns at Test Tube, prompting her to groan again, but Tissues chuckled.

"You're always so funny, you know. -ACHOO-"

"Maybe, but the doctor would probably bone me to death if I stayed here any longer." Cheesy cowered slightly under Test Tube's glare. "Let's get you home now." Cheesy helped Tissues out of the office.

Test Tube closed the door behind them, then returned to her desk. She sat down and suddenly buried her face in her hands. She couldn't keep the truth from him for much longer, but it was hard to think about bursting his happy bubble of reality.

She glanced at her computer screen. The condishawn had not been documented in any other human or living creature, so the disease's cause was almost certainly a genetic mutation. She had told Tissues that a couple of weeks ago, but she had withheld the worst.