The following hours were agonizing for the waiting room occupants. Some dealt by looking at their smart phones, others by mindlessly watching the television or reading a book. Conversation was sometimes initiated, but it didn’t usually last longer than a few minutes. Chris provoked a few laughs with his jokes. He shrugged and said humor was how he dealt with stressful situations.

Meanwhile, Justin pondered away from the others. He couldn’t stop thinking about the conversation he and JC had the night before. He was sickened that greedy executives killed his best friend’s passion for singing. Every day for eight years he and the other guys worked to the bone to perfect their craft. JC never settled for less than everyone’s best. His determination pushed the other guys’ buttons at times, but they knew he had good intentions. How could the higher ups look at him and not see talent? And here Justin was, a multi-million selling artist in his own right and the same group was at his beck and call. He couldn’t suppress the guilt. The pain in JC’s eyes was obvious.

Chris sat down beside Justin and nudged him. “Hey, are you doing okay?”
Justin sighed. “I didn’t expect it to affect me this much.”
“Yeah, it’s hard on all of us. He doesn’t deserve what’s happening.”
“It’s more than that. Of all people in this world…” He shook his head. “He was the best singer of all of us. We all knew that. Not to mention worked his ass off. And now life’s being so cruel.”
“I’m still shocked, too. I gave him a hard time, but always respected his talent.”
“The hardest thing is I’ve known JC since I was 10. He’s always been an older brother figure to me, someone I’ve looked up to and aspired to be. Then I turned my back on our friendship and it took this for me to realize what a stupid move that was.” Justin sighed.
“Don’t beat yourself up. We’re here for him now, when it counts. And I’m sure it means a lot to him.”
Justin cleared his throat. “You’re right. Even though he probably won’t be able to say so after the surgery. A friend had vocal nodules years ago and he wasn’t allowed to talk for several days afterward.”
Chris smirked. “Oh, that’s going to be a trip. You’re trying to motion what you what and the other person can’t figure it out. Then you’re like, ‘For God’s sake, that’s not it.’ ”
Justin laughed. “That reminds me of the time one of us had laryngitis. I can’t remember who it was. But we made jokes that they were our resident mute or something like that.”
“It was me.” Lance chimed in. “Thankfully we didn’t have any performances, but it was miserable.”
“I remember that and teasing you relentlessly.” Chris replied.
Lance shrugged. “And I would have expected nothing less from you.” He paused. “This is fun. We should get together more often.”
“And preferably not in a hospital waiting room.” Justin said sarcastically.
“Of course not.” Joey said.

Then Wendy, JC’s nurse, came into the waiting room. Everyone’s eyes shifted in her direction. “How’s he doing?” Karen asked.
“We just finished surgery. A couple girls are taking him back to the hospital room. The surgery was successful. Most of the tumor was removed. We are leaving the incision open to heal properly. Therefore, he’s on strict vocal rest for the next 48 hours. No sounds whatsoever. Dr. Franklin will be along in a few minutes.”
“Thank you, Wendy.” Roy said.
She smiled and left the room.

10 minutes later, Dr. Franklin arrived. He smiled slightly and his complexion glowed, even after completing a surgery. “I have mainly good news for you all. I was able to remove most of the tumor.”
“I sense a ‘but’ coming here,” Tyler said.
The doctor nodded. “That you are correct. There’s a slight bit more cancerous tissue under the skin than I anticipated but I didn’t see it until the operation was nearly complete. It’s not enough to warrant a second surgery at this time. Hopefully the drugs will kill that tissue off. If not, we may need to increase the treatment or consider surgery again.”
“When will he start chemo?” Roy asked.
“It’ll be at least a week. That incision needs to heal and the drugs would irritate it tremendously. My plan is chemo once a week for six months. He’ll undergo frequent testing to see how it’s going and make changes as needed.”
“Wendy said he can’t make any sound for 48 hours.” Karen told him.
“Yes. He’ll also have some nausea and dizziness. We’ll keep him here today for observation and he should be able to go home tomorrow sometime. I recommend someone stay with him for at least a day.”
“How do you think he’ll do?” Justin asked.
“I’m optimistic. It wasn’t a huge tumor, so that’s a blessing. We’re not out of the woods by any means. Now he needs to heal and we can start the treatment process. I’m hoping for a full recovery, but it’ll be a long road to get there. But I promise you, I’ll do everything in my power to combat this disease.”
“Thank you, Dr. Franklin. He’s in good hands with you as his doctor.” Roy said.
Dr. Franklin smiled. “I do my best. Good to see everyone.” He shook hands with everyone in the room. “Wendy will let you know when he’s awake and ready for visitors.”

--

Am I done already? Wendy was right; he didn’t notice the transition to medicated slumber at all. It seemed like mere seconds ago he was talking to her. Now, here he was in the hospital bed with a throbbing throat and dizzy head. I really hope this will work. I almost feel worse now than I have over the past few months. He opened his eyes; the room was only occupied by his bed and medical machines.
Dr. Franklin walked in. “Oh good, you’re awake. How are you feeling?”
How am I supposed to tell you when I can’t talk? He pointed to his head and throat.
“Those hurt?”
JC nodded.
“That’s completely normal. The surgery went pretty well. I was able to cut off the tumor. However, some cancerous cells still reside in your throat. It’s a miniscule amount, so I left it there for the time being. Hopefully the chemo will kill those cells off. If not, we’ll revisit the option of a second surgery.”
Well, that’s good to know.
“I’m going to keep you here overnight for observation. If all goes well, you can go home tomorrow sometimes. No talking whilst here and at least the first day at home. And after that, I suggest imposing limits, such as speaking only when necessary.”
Lovely. The next few days will be great fun.
“I have high hopes for you, JC. You did well, even though you may not feel like it right now.”
JC smirked. How does this guy know exactly what I’m thinking right now?
Dr. Franklin chuckled. “I know that look. I’ve bombarded you with enough information. We’ll be in touch.”
“Thank you.” The patient lipped.
“You’re welcome. Wendy will be here to check on you.” The two men shook hands and the doctor left the room.

Visitors slowly filed in over the next hour. First was his family and they discussed plans for the next few days. Karen would stay with him at least two days after he was allowed to go home. JC wanted to protest, but reminded himself he’d probably need the help and she wouldn’t want to do anything else. Next were his group mates. He wished he could express his gratitude for their presence in more than hand gestures. Then again, no words could come close. Lance led a circle group prayer like they used to before every show. JC was reassured by their collective friendship. Finally, Matt came in and sat with him for a few minutes. He was grateful for Matt; they’d gotten closer in recent years. The past few weeks reassured JC that he was a true friend.

He stirred with another knock at the door a few hours later. The footsteps were light with long strides between clicks of flat shoes hitting the ground. He opened his eyes to find Jenna standing over his bed. His eyes widened. She really came.
“Surprised, are you?” She teased.
A bit. He shook his hand slightly.
She sat down on the chair next to his bed. “How are you doing?”
JC swiped his finger across his throat to indicate he couldn’t talk.
Jenna blushed. “Oh, right. I should have known that.”
I want to talk to her somehow. Oh, maybe we can write to each other. We’ll see how awake I am. He pretended to scribble on his palm.
Jenna understood his question and dug through her purse for a notepad and pen She motioned to him but he shook his head. “You first,” He lipped.

(Note: Jenna's answers are in bold, JC in italic.) 

She crossed her legs and placed the notepad on her lap. She penned an answer and handed it to him.
How are you doing? Has your doctor come to see you?
He studied her handwriting before answering. It had an ease about it and curved in the right places, like her body. He gripped the pen and slowly wrote. Yes. He removed the tumor. Still have to do treatment to make sure cancer is gone.
She smiled. Is your prognosis good?
He seemed optimistic. We’ll see.
I’m glad it went well.
He was more relaxed with her here. It almost didn’t matter that he was voiceless. The care and concern in her features spoke for itself. Her eyes focused on him and her mouth formed halfway between a smile and frown. She was beautiful, as always. I wonder what it would be like to kiss those lips. No! Shut up. You can’t be thinking about that right now.
After a moment of comfortable silence, Jenna said: “Well, I think I’ll be going then.”
JC pouted and gave her puppy dog eyes.
She laughed. “Don’t give me those. Your cuteness is making it hard.”
That’s the point, Jenna. I don’t want you to leave. He smiled and shrugged, as if to say “I can’t help I’m so irresistible.”
“Oh, you little devil. No wonder women fawn all over you.”
Yeah, but not many of them would be siting where you are right now. He frowned, and returned to the notepad. Thank you for coming.
You’re welcome. I wanted to see that you were okay.
I am, just tired.
“Pardon me to keep you from resting, then.” She replied sarcastically.
I don’t care. You make the pain go away with your voice, JC thought. He handed her notebook and pen back to her.
“Thanks. Text me if you need anything, okay?”
I may take you up on that, even if it’s an excuse to see you. He nodded.
“I’ll see you later.” She briefly squeezed his right hand before leaving.
JC caressed where she just touched. She left behind a kind of warmth that he hadn’t had in some time. It was something only a woman could provide. He couldn’t decide if he liked the attention Jenna gave him or her as whole. But how many women would do what she just did? Not many and certainly not ones who only wanted him for superficial reasons. He was amazed at their progress. They’d only reconnected mere four weeks ago. She had to be enjoying their friendship somewhat. Was she hiding feelings as well? Come on, bro. Not now. She’s your friend and you enjoy her company. Still, he wasn’t sure how much longer that answer would be satisfactory.