NationStates Jolt Archive

"He's in the examination room."

"Can I see him?"

"Of course, just don't take too long."

Lord Easton walked down the bright hospital corridor, his shoes squeaked as he made his way to the main examination room. If you had asked him in the morning if he would be on a covert military base, walking down a bright hospital corridor he would have laughed in your face...albeit quietly. Now he grimmly walked the corridor with his head held low.

Dozens, hundreds, of thoughts began to race through his mind as he covered the last thrity steps to the room. How could this happen? He has the best medical care in the world...he's never more than twenty feet from a doctor. This can't happen now. We aren't ready! His eyes darted across the corridor and he began to sweat. He wasn't going to just lose a friend, he was going to lose Hamptonshire's best chance for the future.

Why now? God, why him?

Lord Easton stopped shy of the doors leading to the room. He tried to regain a measure of his composure. It won't do any good to upset him, he said to himself just go in there and be positive. Raising his head back up an orderly openned the door and showed him inside. On the examination table in the center of the room the figure of an old, distinguished but ultimately spent man laid.

"Your Royal Highness," Lord Easton tried to say without letting his voice tremble, "I've heard the news." He paused. "It's not all bad."

The Grand Duke propped himself up with his elbows and looked his friend right in the eye. "Don't beat around the bush Patrick. I've got Pancreatic cancer, it's spreading and I'm a terminal case. If by "It's not all bad" you mean I haven't died yet, then I'd agree. Short of that you're just B.S.ing me."

Lord Easton was shocked by the Grand Duke's tone. "I meant nothing. I...I...I just don't want to make things worse."

"Trust me Patrick, the only thing that could makes things worse is if I was hit by a bus."


[OOC: To be continued. I've cut this one off because I don't have the time to finish this post at the moment.]

Continued

"Have the doctors told you anything else?"

"For God's sake Patrick! Calm down and take a seat."

Lord Easton pulled a chair from the corner and sat by the Grand Duke. The two men silently waited for the doctors to return, neither man wanted to break the silence. The smell of disinfectant and the whirl of the air conditioning system filled the room. The highly polished steel tables reflected the light. The seconds passed to minutes.

Lord Easton impatiently stood up and started to walk to the door. "What's taking those damn..." He was interrupted by a team of doctors, near ten strong, openning the door. The lead doctor, a distinguished older woman in her early forties, ushered the rest of her colleagues into the room.

"I apologize for the wait, we had to contact a group of oncology specialists at the Granheim Institute" she said as he took a pen out from her coat pocket. Flipping open a clipboard she began to write several remarks down.

"I think it would be best if I introduced a few of my fellow doctors. I'm Dr. Janet Finkel, Chief of Oncology. This is Dr. Chen, Chief of Surgery; Dr. Abrahms, Chief of Radiology; and Dr. Zanith, Chief of Endocrinology" The varior doctors would shake the hand of the Grand Duke and Lord Easton as their names were called off.

The Grand Duke was heartened by the gather of so many medical experts, propping himself back up he cracked a half smile and tried to set the visibly nervous doctors at ease. "Quite an impressive gathering you've managed to get Dr. Finkel. I bet somewhere there is an empty golf course." Everyone quietly laughed.

"It's good to see your spirits are up Your Highness."

"What's the word Doc?" Easton asked as he sat back down in his chair.

Dr. Finkel and the three other Department Chiefs moved toward a large desk on near the examination table. Finkel was the first to speak, "It's not good. Not good at all. The cancer has virtually destroyed his pancreas and is moving on through out the body. By itself pancreatic cancer is quite fatal, with the cancer this advanced and spreading...it's going to be an uphill fight."

"It's a fight we intend to put our all in, sir." Dr. Chen replied. "We are going to have to immediately take you into surgery. If we're lucky and if God smiles on us, my team might just be able to remove the main malignant mass. The proceedure is risky and anything but certain, but if we can pull it off Dr. Abrahms can start radiological treatment ASAP." Abrahms nodded in agreement.

Finkel walked over to the Grand Duke and placed her hand on his arm. "We are also in contact with the Granheim Institute. If the operation is successfull they will send their crack oncology team here. If, and let's all hope this doesn't happen, if Chen and Abrahms can't knock this thing off right now, it is my recommendation that you immediately be sent to the Institute."

Lord Easton was a bit taken aback by the idea of sending the Grand Duke halfway across the country right after intensive surgery. "Are you saying this facility lacks the ability to treat him?"

"That's not what I'm saying, sir. The Granheim Institute is the nation's premiere cancer treatment center. The best chance the Grand Duke has, should the operation fail, is to be sent there."

Lord Easton was ready to continue his line of questioning but the Grand Duke raised his hand, his signal to stop conversation. "Doctors, do what you need to do. Patrick," he said as he turned his head to his trusted friend, "inform Anne of what's happening and for the love of God don't let the press get hold of this yet!"

Before he could respond Lord Easton was rushed out the Examination Room by orderlies. Nurses and doctors immediately began to prep the operation room for the Grand Duke's emergency surgery. He had to helpless watch as his friend and sovereign lay so vulnerable on that cold exam table.


Granheim Institute- Hamptonshire's leading cancer research and treatment center. Located in Portshire. The Granheim is Hamptonshire's equivalent to the Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins, and (no surprise) the City of Hope National Medical Center.