2014 Prompt Responses - 5. Prompt 307

“Are you sure there is nothing that can be done?” Ethan was devastated. Five years old was way too young to be diagnosed with cancer. He had been hoping to adopt again, but this changed everything.

Elliot put his arm around Ethan’s shoulder and pulled him close. “It’ll be ok, E. We’ll do whatever we can to save him.”

Ethan looked at Elliot gratefully. He reached down and stroked Kyle’s head. Kyle looked up at him with bright green eyes that melted Ethan’s heart every time he looked into them. Ethan had to look away to stop himself from crying. He needed to stay strong.

“There’s nothing that I can do here, but I will refer you to a specialist. This type of cancer is incredibly rare, so I would recommend a trip to Cornell. They will be best equipped to deal with this. I think it’s Kyle’s best chance.” The vet handed Ethan a brochure with the Cornell Vet Clinic’s contact information. “I would suggest making the appointment sooner, rather than later.” The vet paused and said quietly, “It is a long, expensive trip with no sure outcome. It would not be wrong to consider euthanasia.”

Ethan was horrified. The last thing he would consider was putting the little ginger cat to sleep! He wanted to give Kyle every chance he could, and if that meant an expensive vet bill and a long trip, he would do it. Elliot squeezed Ethan’s shoulder. “Babe, the vet isn’t wrong. You don’t want to see Kyle suffer, do you?”

“Of course not.” Ethan stated emphatically. “He deserves a fighting chance, though. I say we make the appointment and get on the road as soon as we can.”

Ethan had made the vet appointment because the little cat was losing weight. He still acted the same, although somewhat tamer than usual. He hadn’t destroyed anything in a couple weeks, which Ethan thought in retrospect, should have been a clue that something was wrong.

The drive to Cornell was uneventful and quiet. Elliot drove while Ethan sat in the back seat to keep an eye on Kyle in his cat carrier. Kyle was sleeping, so he watched Elliot as he drove down the interstate. Ethan thoughts drifted to when Elliot first admitted his feelings for him. Ethan had a long history of being other men’s second choice. His past three boyfriends had all left him for other men and the last one had hurt the most of any of them. He had been ready to give up on relationships and stay single for the rest of his life. After a conversation with his best friend re-opened some very deep, very raw wounds, Ethan had a bit of a meltdown on the job site and destroyed some newly installed drywall with a hammer. Elliot witnessed the meltdown, and at the end of the day hung around until he and Ethan were alone. He walked right up to Ethan, ran his hand down his cheek, looked him in the eye and said “You’ll never be my second choice.” Then he kissed him.

Ethan smiled at the memory. He remembered how shocked he was when Elliot confessed to him that he wanted to kiss him from the moment they met. He hadn’t even known that Elliot was gay. Elliot wasn’t exactly the kind of man that Ethan typically dated. He had spiked hair that he occasionally dyed random colors, more piercings than he could count (Ethan particularly liked his lip piercing), and tattoos that covered his upper arms and shoulders. They had been dating for three months now and so far Elliot continued to treat him like his first choice. Ethan found himself hoping that trend would continue.

The vet at the Cornell clinic examined Kyle and recommended a series of tests to determine if the cancer was treatable. It was one of the longest days of Ethan’s life. He loved the little cat with all his heart. He found the animal to be a source of tremendous comfort when the men in his life let him down. He couldn’t imagine life without the little orange furball. The vet told them that the testing would take hours and she would call them when the testing was complete. Elliot had to practically drag Ethan out the door to see some of the sights around Ithaca. Ethan was secretly grateful for the distraction.

Hours later the two men found themselves seated in the vet’s office. Elliot held Ethan’s hand and could feel him trembling. The vet was very matter-of-fact. “I’d like to attempt surgery. I won’t be able to tell if the tumor has metastasized until I open him up. If it hasn’t then the likelihood of a full recovery is very good. If it has spread, then I’m afraid the prognosis is rather grim. I’d like to operate tomorrow. This cancer is very aggressive and the sooner we start treatment, the better.”

Ethan immediately agreed.

The next day felt even longer than the day before. Nothing Elliot did served to distract Ethan’s attention away from the little cat. Elliot was very worried about what would happen if the cat’s cancer had spread. He knew his boyfriend would be devastated if the outcome was negative. They were back at the clinic when they received the news that the surgery was over. Elliot held Ethan close and gave him a quick kiss. “It’ll be ok, E. We’ll get through this, no matter what the outcome.”

The vet entered her office looking exhausted and disheveled. She sat down on the edge of her desk and smiled at the two men. “It’s the best-case scenario, gentlemen. I was able to excise the entire tumor and there was no evidence of metastasis. Little Kyle should make a full recovery.”

All the stress and emotion of the past few days caught up with Ethan and when he tried to thank the vet, what came out was a strangled sob. Elliot gathered him in his arms and let him cry out his relief all over his shirt. He smiled at the vet. “Thank you.”

“It was my pleasure. Cases like this are why I became a vet. Please feel free to use my office as long as you need to. Kyle will need to stay here for a couple more days while he recovers. I’m going to go check on him. I’ll let you know when you can see him.”

When he calmed down, Ethan looked up at Elliot and kissed him passionately. “Thank you for being here for me. I love you, El.”

Elliot’s heart soared at hearing those words for the first time. “I love you too, E.”