I screamed when the water made contact on my nipples. The scabs were now red and the water flowing into the drain was filled with blood.

What the fuck is happening to me? My hands shook as I carefully examined my now tender breasts, trying my best not to touch the tender areas around my nipples.

There were no scabs earlier but how did they reappear again? Moreover who do I tell about this? And what explanation do I give them?

Moreover, I was naked in the bathroom with lather all over my body!

Urgh!! I will have to wash off the lather before I could get out of the bathroom. I couldn’t stain the wooden flooring with water.

So, I did the only viable option. I took water in a plastic mug that lay near the washbasin and filled it with water. Using my hands, I carefully removed the lather off my breasts and nipples, wincing when the blisters would ooze my skin. I tried not to yelp and waste more time. I had no idea what had gotten into me as I slowly washed off the lather, heaving a sigh of relief.

Then I turned around and turned on the shower. I let the water wash off the lather of my back and legs, using my silicon back scrubber to get rid off any residue lather.

I quickly hopped into my car and drove to the nearest hospital. When I reached there, I asked the receptionist for a skin specialist. She told me that the doctor would arrive in an hour and after confirming if I was going to wait in line, she handed me a token number and took my seat outside the doctor’s office.

As the minutes rolled by, the patients began to increase and so did my nerves. My foot began to bop nervously, hoping for the doctor to arrive sooner.

A girl who seemed to be in her early teens took a seat opposite me. She was pale and had a bony frame. Her eyes were losing colour and her skin was overlapped over each other like saggy skin. Her skin was so transparent that I saw her blood pump in her veins.

Dread coursed through veins wondering what illness she had befallen her. She met my eyes and I smiled at her. She blinked but returned her smile to me. Another lady, possibly her mother took a seat next to her talking to her in whispers. The girl nodded to her in understanding and then they both sat back in silence.

The doctor quickly hurried towards her clinic nodding at her patients who she had previous appointments. She had various binders and files clutched in her arms as she balanced her phone on her shoulder.

She unlocked her clinic door and walked in after closing behind door. A few minutes later, the doorbell over the clinic doorbell dinged green and the first patient proceeded inside.

Forty-five minutes later, the doorbell dinged green and I made my way through the door. My hands were sweaty and a headache was forming at my temples.

Dr. Fraser smiled at me, beckoning me to sit. “Give me a few moments please.” she said, as she quickly typed on the keyboard.

“Sure.” I said, in a high pitch surprising myself. My eyes widened at my sudden change in voice. Dr. Fraser glanced at me fleetingly before resuming her typing. I clamped my mouth shut embarrassed.

My leg couldn’t stop shaking. Sweat began dripping down my back despite the air conditioner chilling the room. The stainless steel chair I was seated in was cold and my butt cheeks were surely frozen when I sat.

As the minutes passed, I felt like the lights in the room were too bright and I wanted to yank my leg from my body. The air conditioning was oddly making me nauseous and I felt it concerning since I am used to living in an air conditioned room even if the temperatures were low.

Clamp!

I was jolted by the sound of Dr. Frazer shutting her laptop and turned her attention towards me. “So...” she mused, “What brings you here.. Ms....”

“Ruella Carron.” I replied, my jaw twitching in its place. “I, uh...”

Fuck it! I’m gonna tell her anyway. She’s a doctor. She must be having tons of patients like this. I explained to her what happened not giving away any names.

She seemed intrigued first, listening intently at what I was saying. When I mentioned to her about red overlapped scabs itching at my nipples, her eyes widened slightly before pressing her lips into a thin line, nodding at me.

She began to scribble on her notepad, glancing up a few times to listen to me speaking. I told her that I didn’t expect the blisters to red and chaffed within a few hours. I hadn’t felt the pain at all.”

“Hmm.” she replied, after she had finished writing her notes, nodding slowly at what she had written. Then she looked up at me. “Can I have a look at the scabs?”

***

She gave me an ointment and told me to apply it on the affected area. I was also required to do a blood test to find out what infection was coursing through me.

I did the blood test and applied the cream just like how she instructed.

The blood report arrived and two weeks later I was back at the clinic discussing it with Dr. Fraser.

She glanced at the report and her demeanor changed. Dread coursed through me as I watched her read the report again and again before settling her eyes on me.

What was so horrifying on that report that made Dr. Fraser so nervous. I tried not to be anxious but it wasn’t helping me. The room was getting colder by the second and I felt that the tip of my nose was turning to ice.

I hadn’t felt like this before. Sure, I was anxious at times but never at this degree. Why was the cold bothering me so much?

“Have you been applying the cream at regular intervals?” she asked me in her regular voice.

“Yes.” I replied. “I don’t miss a date at all.” I added, to which she relaxed slightly, but not enough to quell my nerves.

“Ruella,” Her eyes were focused on me. There was a change in her tone from friendly to dead serious. The following words made me scared to my core. “I think you may have a rare blood cancer.”