Dre stared at the ceiling of room 415 at Mercy General, counting the square ceiling tiles for the thirtieth time that morning. The fluorescent lights buzzing is all you hear in the silence, and the antiseptic smell burned his nostrils.
Three days post-surgery, and he still hadn't gotten straight answers about his condition—just nurses checking vitals and adjusting IV bags with practiced indifference.
When the door finally swung open, Dr. Sam’s entered room with a manila folder, his white coat crisp but his eyes bloodshot red. Dre had only met him twice before the surgery—once during the initial consultation and again during pre-op. The doctor's usual confidence seemed deflated.
"How we feeling today, Mr. Johnson?" Dr. Sam’s asked, not making eye contact as he flipped through the papers.
"Like somebody waiting to hear if he's dying or not," Dre replied, adjusting himself to sit upright. "Just give it to me straight, Doc."
Dr. Sam’s pulled up the rolling stool and sat down. He removed his glasses, looking at Dre.
"I have good news and bad news about your surgery," he said, his voice professionally concerning.
Dre's stomach knotted. He thought of his grandmother who raised him in their two-bedroom apartment on the Southside after his mother disappeared. But he remember she'd always said to take the nasty medicine first. "So give me the bad news first."
Dr. Sam’s cleared his throat. "What we thought was a tumor, that we removed, but it was actually your penis."
The words hung in the sterile air. Dre blinked once, twice, three times, sure he was still under anesthesia having some fucked-up dream.
"Just damn." The words barely escaped his lips. His mind raced to Shanice, his girl of three years who'd been talking about having kids. Well, that’s over with. "So, what is the good news?"
Dr. Sam’s attempted a smile that came off more like a smirk. "It wasn't malignant."
Dre stared at him, “what the hell is malignant?” Doc.
“It means there no cancer” the doctor replied.
"Not malignant? Man, you just told me y'all cut off the most precious part of my body thinking it was cancer, and walk your ass up in here saying the good news is it wasn't even cancer. I could’ve told you that begin with?" His voice rose to nearly shouting.
To be continued……….