“Yeah. Don’t know how long it will last. Clouds look pretty heavy.”
“Sounds like an excuse to stay in.”
Daniel shrugged. “I guess so, unless you want to go see a movie or something.”
“Nah. People drive terribly in the rain.” She grabbed the cast iron pan from the drawer as she gazed out the window.
“True.”
“Let’s stay in. I’m sure we can find something on Netflix to watch.”
“OK. I think that one horror movie you want to see is on there.”
She looked over at him, excitement on her face. “Yeah!”
“Cool.”
Serafina sipped her coffee before she began gathering the things she needed from the fridge. As she did so, she continued. “Is it okay if we watch it later, though? I actually have some work to catch up on.”
“Sure. Me, too, actually.”
She quickly grated a small pile of cheese. “A lot of people were out sick at work this week.”
“Same here. Must be that flu that’s going around.”
Setting the cheese aside, she grabbed an onion from a bowl on the counter, cut off the ends and outer skin, then began dicing it. “All the more reason to stay in.”
“Agreed. Hopefully the girls are staying in this weekend as well.” Daniel’s two daughters, Ashley and Brenna, who were both in their teens, were spending the weekend with their biological mother. They’d be back the next night.
Done with the onion, Serafina began slicing bell peppers. “Maybe you should text them and suggest it.”
“I’ll do that, but you know they’ll probably take it worth a grain of salt.”
“True.”
Daniel grabbed his phone and opened the text messaging app. He sent a group text to the both of them.
You girls enjoying your weekend? Bad flu going around. You might want to stay in.
Daniel set his phone down and continued drinking his coffee as he watched the rain fall in the yard. Several minutes passed before his phone buzzed. It was Ashley.
Yeah. My friends are all sick. Brenna’s too. Sux. Watching Hulu on our phones. Mom is in her room.
Concerned that they’d be around their mother if she was sick, Daniel texted back.
Uh oh. She sick, too?
Nah. Just sleeping. Her boyfriend is sick, so she’s just being lazy, lol.
Hope he didn’t get her sick.
Don’t think so. She said she hasn’t seen him in over a week.
K. Well, I’ll let you go. See you tomorrow.
K. See you.
Serafina piled the food onto plates. It smelled amazing. “Get ahold of them?”
He grabbed napkins and forks. “Yeah. Their friends are sick, and their mom is sleeping.”
Concern showed on her face as she set the plates on the small table by the couch. “Is she sick?”
“No. Ashley said she’s just being lazy. Apparently her boyfriend is, but she hasn’t seen him in over a week.”
With that, he dug into the delicious breakfast she’d made. His run had helped him work up a massive appetite, and he sheepishly went back for more as she watched, feigning shock.
They spent the rest of the day inside, first taking time to work for a few hours (two hours turned in nearly 3 and a half), then having lunch together (vegetable dumpling soup) while they watched an episode of a Sci-fi series on Netflix. (Unfortunately, it wasn’t very good, another swing and a miss by Daniel.) In the afternoon they watched the scary movie (Serafina insisted on watching scary movies in the afternoon so that she had time to watch other things before she went to bed.), during which she held Daniel’s hand in front of her face, hiding the scary stuff from view. He chided her over this, but she just punched him in the side, playfully. The cats triangulated them, finding spots on the floor, cat tree, and massage chair in a manner that surrounded them.
In the evening they had dinner (spinach lasagna, one of Daniel’s specialties, and the first dish he’d ever made for her when they’d first started dating) at the dining table, sipping glasses of red wine, before relocating to the front living room, where Daniel lit the gas powered fireplace. They sat by the fire, enjoying each other’s company, the sound of the rain, and the full-bodied Italian wine until they were interrupted only by Cole, who made sure they knew when it was dinner time.
Sighing, Daniel went to the kitchen and fed them. He went through the usual routine of having them stand for their treats before opening cans of food and using a spoon to scoop the contents into their bowls. The second he placed them on the floor they buried their heads in the bowls, eating noisily. As he went to place the spoon in the sink, he saw the dirty dishes that were waiting to be cleaned, and near that, the pan holding the remainder of the lasagna. Daniel decided to let Serafina relax and worked through the mess, putting away the leftovers cleaning the plates, drinkware, and utensils before setting them in the dishwasher. The lasagna pan required soaking, so he filled it with hot water and left it for the morning. By the time he finished, all three cats were sitting in separate parts of the kitchen, cleaning themselves.
Daniel returned to the living room to find Serafina asleep on the couch. He gently lifted her in his arms and carried her to the bedroom, placing her in bed. As he did so, she murmured, “Thank you.”
“No problem sweetie, but you should probably brush your teeth.”
She groaned in response as she slid out of bed and headed to the bathroom.
Daniel returned to the living room to gather the wine glasses, wishing he’d gotten them before starting the dishwasher. Looking towards the front door, he could see that they’d received a package at some point during the day. He opened the door and stepped out on the porch to retrieve it, looking at the neighbor’s house across the street as he did so. Minimal light shone inside the residence. He realized that his neighbors might have the same flu that was going around. Looking at the house next to them he saw a similar sight. The rain had let up temporarily, so he took a few steps out onto the walkway that led to the house and looked down the street.
Easily half of the homes were either dark or dimly lit. ‘Damn. I’m glad we stayed in. This seems bad.’
Turning and grabbing the package, he headed back inside, closing and locking the door behind him.
In bed, he grabbed his phone to put it on mute and realized he’d set off the Ring camera device which was positioned over their garage door and covered the driveway, walkway to the house, and a wide swath of sidewalk in front of their residence. He cleared the notification, made sure no alarms were set for the morning, and turned out the light, moving over and putting his arm around Serafina.
Soon after, sleep came.
CHAPTER THREE
Brandon Elliot was high on life. At 33 years old, he was successful, in good shape, had plenty of friends, and a very attractive fiancée. His job as a highly skilled software developer made it possible for him to afford a condo in Pacific Beach, only a mile from the ocean. Being born and raised in Tennessee, his parents couldn’t believe, nor justify, how much he paid for the place, but he didn’t care. He knew that to them, property price and property size were unwaveringly linked, regardless of location.
‘1200 square feet is smaller than the lower level of our house!’ his mother told him.
He took it all in stride, realizing it wasn’t worth the fight. ‘Yeah, but it’s Tennessee!’ He said to himself as he looked out his window at the ocean.
When he’d asked Carol, to marry him, she’d happily accepted and again he felt like he’d won the lottery. The two of them made a tremendous couple. Both were fit and tan, with sandy blonde hair, and looked like they’d grown up in Southern California. In truth, while he’d grown up outside of Nashville, Carol had grown up in Texas (her Texan accent snuck out once in a while, and amused the hell out of Brandon and any of their friends that happened to be around).
He’d met Carol three years ago while attending UCLA, where they ended up in numerous classes for their MB
A together. Carol worked as an operations manager for TechCorps, and at 29 she was well on her way to bigger and better things in the company.
Brandon’s had come crashing down seven months ago, when he’d been diagnosed with testicular cancer. By the time it was found, it was already at stage two, and the options were very limited: removal of the testicles and radiation treatment to the lymph nodes in the abdomen and pelvis. Removal of the testicles meant he’d have to store sperm prior to the surgery if he ever wanted to have kids.
Hearing this made him feel almost unsurprised, which surprised both the doctor and Carol. They didn’t understand that he believed that all his good fortune would inevitably come to an end. ‘Things have to even out’ he said to himself as he looked at the information pamphlet the doctor had given them.
‘Nature always tries to even things out.’
They’d gone home that day and tried to continue living life as though things were normal, which was a mistake. He later told her that it was the one and only time he didn’t consider her perfect, and at the same time, didn’t hold it against her. Based on his request, she tried her best to act like everything was ok, but her attempts at being playful, cheerful, and supportive were overdone. Even so, he understood. They’d planned a whole life together, and he had to go and screw it up by getting cancer.
The third night after they’d received the news, the phone rang. It was a doctor from the hospital, telling Brandon about a clinical trial for a new cancer drug. Apparently, Brandon fit the criteria for potential subjects.
Brandon and Carol cleared the next day’s schedule and met with the doctor to learn more. Arriving for their meeting in the cancer treatment wing of the hospital, they were met by a tall, lean man with dark features and a warm, but clearly excited, voice. The man introduced himself as Doctor Michael Roberts, before leading them to a smaller, temporary office with the standard setup: a desk and well-cushioned chair on one side, and two less comfortable chairs on the guest’s side. Settling into his chair, the man leaned forward, placing his elbows on the desk and clasping his hands together.
“Brandon, Carol, I’ll get right to it. My team and I have been researching the possibility of a cancer drug for the last ten years. For me, the effort has been much longer. I decided to make it my life’s work when I was still in med school. Together, my team and I have developed, held trials, and rejected over 70 different variations of the proposed cure. But this one -“ a gleam in his eye appeared. It was clear he was both excited and extremely proud of his work. “This one has proven to be ninety-nine percent effective.”
Brandon and Carol exchanged a look after hearing that. Carol spoke first. “Are you serious? Ninety-nine percent?”
Doctor Roberts smiled warmly. “Yes, my dear, and it brings me so much joy to see and hear your excitement. This is truly a remarkable opportunity.”
The doctor went on to explain some of the trials and tests they’d run, but Brandon wasn’t paying much attention. The thought of avoiding surgery and radiation by taking a single pill every day for six months seemed incredible.
“You see,” Doctor Roberts explained, “the drug not only kills the abnormal cells that replicate when a person has cancer, but it also stimulates the normal cells in the body to assist in restoring the normal life/death cycle of cells. By the time the treatment is done, the body’s system is truly back to normal.”
Brandon sat there with Carol, absorbing the enormity of the situation. After a full minute he apologized. “I’m sorry, doctor. We just need a bit to take all of this in. It...it seems too good to be true.”
“I understand,” Doctor Roberts responded. “Take your time. When you’re ready, we can discuss the side effects, treatment regimen, and cost.”
Carol leaned forward, inquisitively. “Cost? I thought drug trials are usually free. If anything, when I was in college for my undergrad, I knew several people who participated in studies simply to make money.”
Doctor Roberts leaned back in his chair, and opened his hands to them. “Please. Consider everything I’ve said without thinking about cost. For a decision like this, money should not be the deciding factor. This is a very serious issue, is it not? Plus, I’m guessing you two have insurance, so that would help as well. So again, please just think about the drug and how it - with ninety-nine percent effectiveness - can rid Brandon of cancer.” With that, the doctor rose from his chair. “I’ll leave you two alone so you consider this and decide what questions you would like answered. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” He smiled again before stepping around the desk and striding out of the room, closing the door softly behind him.
Brandon and Carol nodded in response to the man, then sat there silently after the door closed.
For Brandon, he’d been tuned out for several minutes, the conversation between Carol and the doctor seeming far away; voices in a fog. All of this seemed incredible. No surgery. No radiation. To be healthy again. All he had to do was take medication, even if it was something he and his family had always avoided. In his youth, when other kids were complaining about the rounds of shots they had to get, he’d simply nodded and listened, happy that his parents hadn’t subjected him to such a miserable experience. And yet, here he was, happy at the thought of being able to take medication in order to save not only his balls, but perhaps his life.
Staring at the dark wood of the desk, he felt Carol’s hand intertwine itself with his. He looked at her, searching her face for a sign.
Hope shone brightly on her beautiful face. Her eyes were watery, shining with unshed tears as she smiled at him. She asked, simply, “What do you think?”
He shook his head in response, smiling. “I was going to ask you what you thought.” They laughed softly, leaning into each other. He felt her arms around him as she hugged him. He hugged her back, relishing the feeling of her in his arms.
After a while, she slowly let go and set back. Looking into his eyes, she said, “Honey, I love you. I want you healthy and with me for a long, long time. The standard treatment has pretty good effectiveness, but they’re not promising ninety-nine percent...” She trailed off, looking at the floor. Raising her head, she met his eyes again. “On the other hand, we’ve never even heard of this drug. With this being a clinical trial, there won’t be much information available other than what the drug company provides, which can be biased.” With that, she waited.
“So, do you think I should try it?” He asked.
“Honey, I feel like I’m in a bit of a tough spot here. I do have an opinion, but I feel like with a decision regarding your body, your voice should be the primary one.”
“I understand, but I’ll be your husband in less than a year, assuming either treatment is successful. Your voice - actually, your vote - should absolutely be considered.” He replied gently. Before she could say anything else, he brought up his hand, signaling she should wait for him to finish. He knew she was uncomfortable with her position. “I want to try it.”
She inhaled sharply, covering her mouth with her hand. Tears flowed from the corners of her eyes. Dropping her hands into her lap, she smiled at him. “Me too.”
He leaned forward and hugged her tightly, speaking softly in her ear. “I love you, Carol. Everything is going to be fine.”
“I love you, too.”
As if on cue, the door opened and Doctor Roberts peeked in. “Need more time?”
“No, we’re ready.” Brandon replied.
“Okay, great.” He said, reentering the room and closing the door. “I never know how much time to give people. I don’t want them sitting there too long, waiting on me. Then I’d feel like a jerk.” Sitting down in his chair, he added, “Plus, I drink a ton of coffee, so everything moves fast for me.”
The three of them laughed together for several seconds before he inquired, “So, have you made a decision?”
Brandon looked briefly at his fiancée before responding. “Yes. I would like to participate in the study.”
Doctor Roberts sm
iled broadly. “Great! That is great to hear! We can begin the paperwork, and then get you started.”
Brandon and Carol shared a confused look. “But, what about the cost, side effects, and treatment regimen?” He asked.
The doctor continued to smile as he looked at each of them in turn. “There is no cost.”
“But, you said -“
He raised his hand. “I know. The purpose of that is to determine if people are really considering participation based on a desire to be there, and not accepting it just because it is free, or rejecting it because it costs money.”
“And side effects?” Brandon asked.
“Minimal, honestly. You will see our full disclosure when you sign your paperwork, and you can read the list in detail, but I can summarize in advance. A bit of nausea during the first week or two. That can be cleared up with an antacid and a slight modification in your diet. Also, there have been some reports of a decrease in the amount of sleep a person is able to experience. Basically, people awake in less time than previously needed, feeling rested and energetic. Those are the two side effects that have been fairly common. Well, technically, there have been reports of a small increase in endurance and strength, but that could be just the overall feeling of the body not having to carry around all those cancer cells.”
“Wow,” Brandon replied, shaking his head in disbelief.
“Yeah,” Carol added, “Wow.”
The doctor continued. “Oh and to summarize the treatment regimen, it’s two pills daily, one in the morning, one in the evening. We give you a month’s supply at a time. You come back every 30 days for a wellness check, and we give you the next month’s supply. You will also be required to fill out statements regarding your experience: how you feel overall, any side effects or things that you’re unsure about - if you don’t know if it should be mentioned, just mention it anyway. If you had really bad diarrhea, for example, and you don’t know if it’s the drug or the Mexican food you got at the gas station, just go ahead and mention it. No judgement here.”
Surviving Rage | Book 1 Page 3
