A short story in a second person point of veiw for Just_Jerome 's contest.

It starts with a clock. The big black rimmed kind with the large numbers that doctor's have on the walls of their exam rooms. You're positive that your heart beat has synced with the ticking of the second hand. Your stomach churns as you watch the minutes pass. It had been over an hour since you've been called in to the tiny, cold exam room. You think about what could be taking your doctor so long.

The paper from the exam table is stuck to your bare thighs and you adjust yourself trying to pull it off. The crumbling sound of the white paper sends your heart into a sort of panic like it just remembered where you are. The racing of your heart and the chilly atmosphere of the room sends goosebumps across your body. You start to feel yourself panic. The pale white walls of the undecorated exam room seem to be closing in on you. The ticking of the clock seems to speed up to match the rhythm of your heart and becomes louder, and louder, and louder, and then... he squeezes your hand.

Everything falls back into place.

You look over to see your fiance sitting next you with his hand in your's. His head is down slightly and his eyes are closed. Your panicked heart flutters at the sight of him. You admire his sharp jaw line with a few days worth of stubble spread across it. His usually plump lips are set in a firm line that leads to a light scar; you remember him getting it from falling into your dresser after sneaking into your bedroom window. His wavy, dark brown hair was long then; now he has it just long enough to brush back out of his face. You go back to his eyes wishing that he would open them. Oh how you wish he would open them.

You open up your mouth to say something but get interuppted by the door opening. Both of you look up. Your doctor doesn't say anything as he closes the door behind him. You close your eyes and squeeze your fiance's hand as that same panic feeling comes back.

"Well, doctor?" He chokes as he sets his other hand on your thigh.

You look up as you hear the doctor set your folder down onto the counter. "We were right about the cancer." He admits, "but we were wrong about the severity of it."

You could hear the sadness in his voice. You knew this wasn't new to him but you couldn't imagine it ever getting easier. You think about all the people he has had to give bad news to throughout his years of being a doctor. You knew you weren't the first and wouldn't be the last. Your heart sinks as you replay what he had just said. Right about the cancer. Wrong about the severity.

"Wrong how?" Your fiance questions. You could hear the hurt that was hiding behind his anger.

"All...all we can do is make her as comfortable as possible."

You go to reach for your fiance but he is already up. "No! No, that's bullshit!" With one hand on his head and the other pointing at the doctor he yells, "You said that a little weight loss in normal for a bride to be. You said that it was probably just a little infection. Not fucking cancer!" He was crying now. All of the color was washed from his face and his beautiful grey eyes that you were longing to see just a few minutes earlier were now black. All the life and happiness that you were so in love with and use to seeing was gone.

"I'm only human. I was being hopeful." The doctor sighs, "look at your fiance, son. You need to calm down for her."

He rushes over and wraps his arms around you. His warmth and familiar scent engulfs you and you completely crumble into him. You start to cry deeply as you grab onto him as if he will disappear at any moment. "Oh baby. I am so sorry. Oh my love." He sobs.

You cry into his chest as he rocks you, runs his fingers through your hair, and mumbles loving words into your ear. You cry as you try and catch every word that he is saying to you but there is something else there. It gets louder and louder like seconds ticking away on a clock and then...

it stops.