Chapter 53

“Oh, God,” Mark said, his face as white as I’d ever seen it. “It’s not fair,” he kept muttering as he paced the small anteroom.

With a continuing calmness that astounded me, Roy announced, “If I’m honest, I expected this.”

Mark sniffed. I wonder if he, too, had realised the news today wouldn’t be good.

“I’ve had a lot of time to think about it,” Roy continued, “and I’ve decided I don’t want either chemo or radiotherapy.”

“What?” Both Mark and I said at the same time.

“You remember what he said in there.” Roy pointed a finger at the connecting door. “There’s no chance of a cure, and I’d only be putting off the inevitable.”

“But you’d get longer, we’d get longer,” Mark pleaded.

“But at what cost? Remember how your mum suffered at the end? She was constantly throwing up, she lost her hair, she…” Roy shook his head. “It was horrible to see her slip away from us bit by painful bit.”

“But they’ve got better techniques now, more effective treatments,” Mark said.