>>5985209You take your seats. This room is very... brown. Dr. Belknap's diplomas and certifications make a modest yet bold statement on the wall in front of you. The man himself soon walks in, papers in hand.
"Good morning, Walter. It's good to see you again." You shake his hand as he walks by. "And Mrs. White, good to see you too." He shakes her hand. He nods to Junior and takes his seat. The room is silent as Dr. Belknap places the pages on the table.
"Here's the results of your CT scan. I'm afraid... they're not what we'd hoped for." Damn it. "I'm sorry to say that the scan revealed a mass in your lung, Mr. White. You have stage four lung cancer." There are pictures of the scan, showing a growth in your right lung. God damn it.
"What does that mean, specifically?"
"Well, the cancer has spread enough that we can't remove it with surgery. It's... inoperable." Inoperable? Inoperable. You want to ask a question, but your voice fails you. You can't help but stare at Dr. Belknap as he continue to... hmm. That's... interesting.
"Oh God. Oh my God," Skyler stammers. Hmm, did the doctor have lunch before this?
"I know this is a lot to take in." You guess it's not impossible, but there's no way that's from breakfast. That's not a breakfast thing.
"Well... what are his options?" Actually, you think you remember seeing some asian dish with it and some eggs. You can't remember the specific name, but you can visualize it.
"While surgery isn't a viable option, chemotherapy and radiation therapy would be. You'd have to get treatment as soon as you can." God. How does he not notice it?
"Will that heal him? For certain?" Belknap grimaces. Oh, at what Skyler said, not at the other thing.
"Nothing is certain with cancer. He may go into remission, but given the growth of his cancer, the prognosis isn't exactly favorable. If it's left untreated, he may only have a year at most. With treatment, he'll have a few more."
"Jesus. Walt, what do you— Walt? Walt!" You blink back to reality. Everyone is looking at you.
"Yes?"
"Mr. White, you've understood what I've just said to you?" Dr. Belknap leans slightly with a concerned look on his face.
"Yes. Lung cancer. Inoperable." No one in the room looks comfortable right now. The doctor adjusts himself in his seat.
"I'm sorry. I just need to make sure you fully understand."
"Best-case scenario, with chemo, I'll live maybe another couple of years. It's just—" You motion to your button placket, a word you are currently failing to remember. "—you've got ketchup on your... right there." Dr. Belknap gives you a look and slowly looks down at the red stain on his lab coat. Skyler and Walt Jr. look at it too before looking back at you, bewildered.
