Wild Creatures

Chapter 43

Before the procedure, the doctor took them inside his waiting room.

"If you have any questions, now would be a good time to address them," he says, pleasantly.

Wei Ying is calmed by how nice he's being, and because the doctor is relaxed and trying to put them at ease, he feels much better for being here. Lan Zhan hasn't let go of his hand once, and Wei Ying is extremely glad that he doesn't have to be here by himself. No matter how much he has given himself internal pep talks, it's a different thing actually being here, ready to go under the knife.

"Why do you think a biopsy is necessary?" Lan Zhan asks the doctor immediately.

Wei Ying can feel his hand trembling and he squeezes their connection, just to make him feel better. Caught up in his own panic about the upcoming surgery, he had neglected to consider what Lan Zhan was feeling.

This situation was testing both of them.

"When we conducted your blood test," the doctor is looking at Wei Ying now, "quite by accident, the technician discovered proteins. They were also present in the urine sample you provided. They're called biomarkers or molecular markers, and the fact that they're detected in both your blood and your urine suggests the possibility that cancer is growing in your body. The biopsy is to correctly determine for sure, and to locate where it might be."

Wei Ying shivered.

He had prepared himself beforehand for this very possibility, but now, hearing it from the doctor's mouth made it more real.

"And then?" Lan Zhan demanded, looking straight at the man delivering bad news.

"At this point, we just want to make sure we're not barking up the wrong tree. There are certain steps which have to be taken in order, just so nothing is overlooked." The doctor is still good-natured about answering their questions.

"But if it's cancer, then what?" Wei Ying's mouth feels dry all of a sudden.

It doesn't sound like his voice coming from him, like he's outside his body, watching everything happening in this room.

Lan Zhan covers their hands with his free one, giving him more support.

"It's not so bad. Most cancers are operable, in which case it's simply a matter of removing it and perhaps a round of chemotherapy to ensure it doesn't come back. But first, we need to determine what kind of cancer it is. Then it will be easier to decide what we are going to do about it."

The doctor answers more questions as they arise, matter-of-factly and to the point. He covers what is going to happen in the next room and explains that they'll only be numbing the area from which the sample will be taken, so Wei Ying will be conscious throughout.

"You'll be able to watch the whole procedure from a wall-mounted screen, if you like!" The doctor said, far too cheerfully.

Wei Ying shuddered, and Lan Zhan made a face.

He couldn't imagine anyone wanting to watch themselves be operated on.

"I would like to come in with Wei Ying," he says, when the doctor stands up.

"That depends on what the patient wants." The doctor looks at Wei Ying.

"Yes, please. I want Lan Zhan there."

*************

Wei Ying is quiet on the way back home. He feels tired.

He knows Lan Zhan is worried about him, and while he would like to reassure him that he's fine, Wei Ying simply doesn't have the energy right now.