You may want to read the previous chapters before reading this the final chapter. Thank you to Estragon for taking his time to edit this story and making it a much better read.
I might add that everyone's life is different. We all have a tendency to judge others, especially if their life doesn't agree with our thinking. Thank you to all that have commented. I hope you enjoy the rest of the story.
DG Hear
Chapter 5: The Conclusion
Life for me for the past year has been quite different. I've been with a number of women but I often think about my first love, Carol. We just weren't able to work it out. I know I was the cause of our problems in the beginning, but I'm not sure what happened after forty-two years of marriage.
She must have grown tired of me but I still had feeling for her. I guess the divorce was probably for the best. I still saw my kids and grandkids regularly. I found companionship, which I really needed. I was told that Carol had said her life was a lot less stressful.
I have an annual appointment at the doctors' because of high-blood pressure and I'm diabetic so he wants to see me at least once a year. Carol and I used to go together but I called and got an appointment for a different day. I didn't want her to be there when I was there.
I asked the doc if he had seen Carol and he said he had and she was doing great. She seemed less stressed and her blood pressure was a lot better. He was sorry that we divorced after so many years but it happens.
He asked me how I was doing and I told him I thought I was doing pretty good. I did tell him that my stomach bothered me an awful lot. I seemed to be bound up a lot and I was using a lot of laxatives and my stool (shit) was almost black.
He wasn't happy about that at all and set me up for a colonoscopy and an endoscope for two days later. He told me they would be running a camera tube down my throat and later one up my rectum to check out my colon and intestines.
I had to take someone with me to drive home afterward, so I asked my buddy Tom. I told him I didn't want anyone to know, especially Carol. I mentioned to him not to even tell his wife; I knew it would get back to Carol.
He promised me he wouldn't tell anyone and I had the tests done. Afterwards we went out for a light lunch. About all I could handle was soup. The doc did say they took a couple of polyp samples and would be testing them. He wouldn't tell me any more but said he would call me in a couple of days.
I got the call two days later and the doctor told me to come in to his office the next day. He needed to talk to me and didn't want to do it on the phone. I knew it wasn't good. They always gave me the good news right away.
When I went in I told the doctor not to pull any punches. I wanted to know what was going on.
"Bob, your body is riddled with cancer. We tested six polyps and they all tested positive. We don't have a lot of options here. None are all that much in your favor. I want to take a x-ray and a MRI to see if we are dealing with even more."
They ran the tests and said it was even worse than he had first thought. He said we could do chemo and radiation and see if we can get rid of some of it. I'd still have to go through a lot of surgery later.
"Doc, my brother-in-law died of pancreatic cancer three years ago. He went to a special clinic and tried everything but his chances at best was twenty-five percent. Is this pretty much what I have?"
"Yes Bob it is. But it's also in your intestines and colon. As a doctor I feel we have to try and remove as much as we can."
"No Doc, I don't think so. I've had a good life and I'm pretty much alone now. I'm not putting my family through any of this. How long do I have?"
"Maybe four months at best. I can give you pain pills that will help but near the end you'll have to be hospitalized, probably for a maximum of a couple of weeks. The pain will be too great for you to handle on your own."
"What about my life till that day, Doc? Will I be able to live normal?"
"You can live your life just the way you have been till the pain overtakes you. You do need to tell someone that can help you when that time comes. I want to see you every month. You won't be able to drive with the pain medication I'm prescribing for you. I might add that the more physical you are the quicker the cancer may spread. Just try and take it easy."
I thanked the doc and told him that I didn't want my ex-wife to know anything. I signed a directive that they weren't to tell anyone about my condition. I had a friend that I hoped would help me out. I called Tom over and we talked for a couple of hours. I told him everything and that I wasn't going to try and take chemo or be cut open. I just needed a friend to help me in the end.
Tom cried and we hugged. "I'll be there for you Buddy. Whatever you need."
"Tom, I'm going to get my estate in order and I want you to be my executor. I'll be leaving everything to Carol and the kids but I want you to make sure it goes well. I want the house sold and you can talk with Carol about everything else. I figure an auction would be good. Give my truck to my son Kyle."
"I'll do whatever you ask, Bob. I sure wish there was another way."
"Hey, I'm not dead yet. The doc said I can live a normal life till the last couple of weeks. Do you think Linda will let you go on a vacation with me for about a week? I want to go see a few of my out of state relatives for the last time but I'm not going to tell them that."
"I don't care what Linda says, we're best friends and I'll be going with you."
Tom and I did go for a week to two different states and I visited my sister and some of my cousins. It was almost funny when everyone said how good I looked; I had lost some weight. I knew it was the last time I would see them and that did hurt.
After arriving back home Tom came over and said he got a call from Carol. She wanted to know why I went to Michigan and Kentucky.
"I told her you decided to go visit some relatives, what the hell was wrong with that. She said that when your dad was dying that you took him to see his relatives. She wanted to know if you were having any problems. She said she called your doctor and the nurse said since you weren't married she couldn't give out any information."
"Tom, I don't want them to know anything. What good would that do? They'll be finding out soon enough. I'll call her and tell her something."
I did call her and told her she was no longer my wife by her choice and what I do and where I go is none of her concern. I didn't want to be mean but it was in her best interest. She did say she would leave me alone.