Encounters

Cassandra sat in the waiting room, fiddling with her necklace. She didn't like the way the doctor had frowned and double checked Mike's lungs yesterday. She really didn't like the hurried appointment with x-ray and she downright despised the way the doctors here kept smiling at her then exchanging worried glances over her head.

She was lost in a fantasy of pinning one of them down and forcing him to tell her what was going on when Doctor Jazheera walked through the door.

"Miss Healy?"

Cassandra stood. "Yes. What's going on, Doc? Where's my dad?"

The doctor gestured to a seat. Cassandra sat and she sank into one next to her.

"Miss Healy, I'm afraid I have bad news."

Cassandra bit her lip and set her jaw. "What is it."

Doctor Jazheera took a deep breath. She obviously didn't enjoy situations like this.

"We have found a shadow on your father's lung. It is rather large."

Cassandra bit down hard, not noticing the blood. "It's cancer." It wasn't a question.

"We want to take samples. But that's not all." She took another breath. "We have also found tumours in your father's throat. His larynx to be specific. If untreated they may get worse..."

Cassandra looked away and clenched her jaw. "What are his options?"

"We can try to shrink them with drugs..." she stopped as Cassandra shook her head, her red hair flying like flames.

"He wouldn't go for that. He hates them."

"The chances are very slim that they would work anyway" Doctor Jazheera sighed. "Once it starts to spread... But surgery is always an option."

"You mean... You might have to remove his larynx?"

The doctor nodded and Cassandra looked away, the taste of iron filling her mouth. She wasn't sure whether it was her blood or the beginnings of fear.

"Can I see him?"

"Of course. Right this way."

*

The house was too quiet, too dark and far too big when she was here alone. Funny how she'd never noticed that before. It's not like she'd never been home alone, but this was different. She put lamps on, closed the curtains, lit incense - all the things she liked to do when she had the house to herself, making a little haven from the world. It wasn't working this time.

"Carina. I'd like to come on board" she said aloud. She didn't want to stay here. Not tonight.

A few minutes passed before the room lit up with the silver glow and Cassandra closed her eyes. Watching herself go through solid objects made her feel a little nauseous.

Feeling softness beneath her feet, she opened her eyes. She was in the library, on the bottom level of four. It was a warm, comfortable room filled with books, squashy armchairs, cosy rugs and low lighting. The ship always seemed to read her feelings, and this was exactly what she needed.

Curled in a big squashy chair, in front of a roaring, holographic fire, so real she could hear it crackle, she thumbed through a huge leather (or something very similar) bound book. Salanthian books had an odd quality in that they would appear to the reader in their native language. She was glad of that, for the books were interesting and she wasn't great at languages. She was thinking about her dad. Mike was strong. He was stubborn and she refused to believe he'd succumb to cancer, no matter how aggressive it was. This time, she was sure, he would accept the treatment. It would take a while, but life would go back to normal. And if he really had to lose his larynx - well, she would be there to help him get through it. She stretched, feeling not exactly good, but better, for the first time that day and gazed at the fire.