Misunderstood(COMPLETED)

Chapter 20

As Calli suggested, Chance contacted his step father for an after hours evaluation for later that evening. It not only would put Tim's mind at ease but also his own. He truly was thinking the worst which only compounded his misery.

"Tim, are you ready" Chance called from the bedroom. Tim stood in front of the bathroom mirror, attempting to get his emotions in check. " No, no I'm not..I'm not ready to hear that the person I love with every fiber of my being isn't well, again" he barely said aloud brushing his hair as Chance approached.

Seeing the fear in his eyes, Chance rest his finger tips upon his chin, turning Tim slowly towards him. "Don't worry, it's just a check up for more medication. Might as well have Marcus do it while we're here".

"I know, I'm good " he lied.

Chance leaned in giving him a lingering kiss, "I love you so much" he whispered.

"I love you more" Tim replied pulling him closer not wanting to let go.

****
"So how was your daddy and daughter day, did you have fun" Heather asked as Jake placed their meal on the table.

Without missing a beat Calli immediately told her mom they spent a nice day at the shore together not once giving a clue to why they were there.

Jake still didn't understand the urgency she had in seeing her uncle but for whatever reason it seemed to be exactly what they both needed.

"So nothing amiss at his place then, bike still there, house still standing " Heather joked pouring a glass of wine.

"Nope, nothing out of the ordinary, same as it was the other day" Jake replied looking at Calli who just smiled at her dad.

"Doesn't he have a break coming up soon? Maybe we can convince him to come home for a few days, we never see him anymore. Think I'll call him later" Heather stated when they both said "NO" in unison.

"What the hell" Heather remarked, nearly dropping the salad bowl she was passing to Calli, " why not, what do you two know" she added.

"Nothing, I just talked to him the other day to bring him up to date on the repairs, he said they weren't really getting much of a break this time. Something about rehearsals" Jake quickly responded.

"And why did you say no, young lady" Heather asked her daughter, arms crossed on her chest.

"I just knew they were busy, it's all over social media" she quickly responded taking a big bite of her food.

Heather squinted her eyes at her daughter suspiciously then at her husband,  "ok you two, out with it, what are you hiding "

****
Tim paced back and forth in Marcus office while he ran a barrage of tests on Chance. "This can't be happening again, it just can't, he doesn't deserve this, he's had enough" he muttered over and over.

"Hey" Chance said opening the door from the exam area.

Tim quickly turned, trying to keep his composure he greeted him with half a smile as he walked towards him. "Hey, how you feeling"

"I'm good" Chance replied hugging him tight.

The two stood in silence in the middle of the office waiting for what seemed an eternity for Marcus to return. Chance tried to calm his nerves, despite what Calli said knowing these tests were to reassure Tim, he still was apprehensive. The headaches had intensified over the past few months and last night's had been the absolute worst.

Marcus soon came in carrying Chance's medical folder and asked the two to sit down at his desk. Flipping through the papers he finally settled on one in particular then pulled up an image on his computer.

Tim was afraid to look, nervously rubbing his hands up and down his thighs. Chance placed a hand upon his to try to calm him down as Marcus began to reveal the results.

"Adam, you see this portion right here" he stated pointing to the image of his brain. Tim still refused to look, fearing the worst of what he was about to say.

"This is where the tumor used to be. As you can see there is no evidence of any recurrence. You do have some scar tissue around the site, most likely from the surgery Dr. Lynch performed to remove it and it could be contributing to the headaches you described. As you know the surgery would not prevent the migraines you experienced before or since primarily because their origin is not tumor based. Stress, on the other hand, is a major factor along with diet and alcohol consumption. And with the lifestyle you boys have, constantly on the road, hardly ever having any real down time, this is the culprit" he explained.

Tim seemed to have totally zoned out, the fear consuming his every thought that he hadn't heard what Marcus had said. "Tim....Tim, did you hear him...there is no tumor...that's not the reason for the headaches..." Chance tried to help him understand.

Tim finally looked at him then Marcus, "For real? He's ok, no tumor, it hasn't come back?" he asked his voice shaking.

Chance turned towards him taking his face in his hands, "Tim..for real..I'm fine..no tumor" he smiled. Tim let out a huge sigh of relief at the news, silently thanking God at the same time.

"I'll refill your present scripts for your pain medications they should control the frequency and intensity as long as you reduce your stress level, Adam. I know you can't completely change your lifestyle but you need to make a more concentrated effort in reducing these factors" Marcus advised.

"He will, I'll make sure of it" Tim assured him, squeezing Chance's thigh.

"Thank you Marcus, I know you've eased Tim's mind considerably, and mine" Chance stated.

"You're very welcome. Now then, when can we expect you two for dinner. You know if your mom finds out you've been home and not seen her, well I don't need to remind you what will happen, to all three of us" Marcus commented.

"We really should pay her a visit, we have time before we need to head back" Tim coaxed.

"You're right, we should. She'll whoop my grown ass if she finds out we were here and didn't see her" he laughed.

"Great, we'll plan on tomorrow then" Marcus stated closing the file and locking it in his drawer.