"Ah, such a talented family." Frank lamented.
If he hadn't forced his son go through medical school, there was no way that the guy would have achieved much on his own.
Knock Knock
Both Frank and Mark stiffened as they heard the knock on the door.
"Doctor Frank, here are the x-ray's." Fiona announced as she opened the door.
"Thank you dear."
Mark felt his palms get sweaty as he looked at the large envelope which contained his fate. There was a large part of him that didn't want to see the results, yet he had come too far now.
Even Frank began to shake as he opened up the envelope, using his fingers to gently pull out the x-ray.
As he walked up to the light board, his shaking hands almost dropped the picture.
He gathered himself before clipping the x-ray on and turning the light on.
Mark suddenly put his head in his hands, not having the ability to look. He prayed inwardly, hoping that a miracle had befallen him.
He stared at the ground for a few moments, as if waiting to hear the bad news. Yet almost a full minute passed and he hadn't heard Frank utter a single word.
"Just tell me straight up Frank." He said.
But he didn't get a response.
"Frank?"
Mark raised his head and saw his old friend staring at the x-ray with shock. He frantically moved his gaze from one photo to the next, as if trying to understand the anomaly that he was facing.
"Frank!"
Mark yelled out, his anxiety too much to bear. Despite looking younger, he felt like he had aged another 10 years due to all of the stress heaped onto him.
As if finally being snapped out of his stupor, Frank turned to Mark with a confounded expression.
"It's a miracle…"
Before Mark could say anything, the old man slowly walked over to his friend and wrapped his arms around him. Tears slowly pooled at the corner of his eyes, a result of the joy overflowing from his heart.
"No… Are you serious? Please don't joke with me Frank, I won't be able to take it." Mark uttered, not wanting to relinquish the seal on his small thread of hope.
Frank felt the body of the old man quiver, causing him to stand back and hold him at arms length. He looked up at his old friend and smiled.
"The cancer… It's all gone."
"Gone?"
Mark felt the corner of his eyes sting before a flood of emotion broke through his defenses, causing the tears to run unabashedly down his cheeks.
He dropped down to his knees, feeling his body lose strength from the gratifying relief he felt overcome him.
Frank panicked a little seeing the old man lose his composure. Even when he had been given the diagnosis, Mark had been as stoic as ever. This was the first time he'd seen his friend like this in the whole 30+ years that he'd known him.
He crouched down out of concern, his hand rubbing the man's back in comfort.
Mark sobbed, his emotions getting the better of him. The hope that he had once buried was now set free, filling him with gratefulness.
The two remained this way for a while, comforting each other silently.
Fiona knocked briefly before opening the door, only to see the two men on the ground. Before she could open her mouth, Frank turned around and wordlessly waved his hand, telling her to give them some time.
She did as she was told, though she felt a little curious.
Only after a few minutes did Mark calm down. He slowly got up to his feet and let out a self deprecating laugh.
"Sorry old friend, I let my emotions get the better of me."
Frank shook his head, "Don't worry, I'm sure if it were me, I'd still be bawling." He said with a grin.
Seeing the tear marks down his face, Frank grabbed a few tissues and handed it to the guy.
"Thanks."
After cleaning himself up, Mark took a seat once more, feeling lighter than he'd felt in many many years.
Frank did the same, staring across from his friend. If he were a regular Doctor, he would bombard Mark with questions, perhaps even ask him to give some blood samples. Yet thankfully, he wasn't that type of guy.
"Since you're cancer free, let's forget this ever happened. Since you didn't need to use your insurance for the last x-ray, I can wipe your records clean."
Mark's eyes widened for a moment, not expecting such an act.
"But isn't that illegal? Won't you get in trouble?"
Frank shook his head, "I won't tell if you don't."
With that, the old man grinned.
"Hahaha." Mark let out a peel of laughter, feeling the rest of his worries wash away.
"Thank you old friend, I'll treat you for dinner after this World Cup is over."
With that, Mark got up and held out his hand for a handshake.
Frank grinned, "I'll have to run it past my wife first."
The two shook hands firmly before Mark pulled him into a hug. In the next moment he leaned back and picked up the old Doctor, causing him to let out a cry of shock.
"Hahaha, this truly is a blessed day." Mark stated, putting the old man back on the ground.
Frank laughed in response, eventually shooing out the young old guy. "Alright alright, off ya go Benjamin Button."
"Hahaha!"
Mark left the office, laughing loudly.
Fiona saw the man who was sobbing just a few minutes earlier, walk out in a jolly mood. Instantly her expression was confused, not understanding what the hell was going on.
"Bye Fiona, I'll see you next time." Mark stated, waving on his way out of the clinic.
"B-Bye."
That was the only word she could manage. Once he left, she ran into Frank's office her expression full of questions.
"Don't ask, everything has been taken care of." Frank replied, shooing off the nosy receptionist.
"Ah come on, tell me please…"