I kept my eyes on Easy and watched a wave of pain roll through him. “What does it feel like?” I asked softly.
“Stabbing,” he groaned. “It’s like I’m being stabbed right behind my eyes.”
“We’re going to get some more pain meds on board, and then we’re going to get a plan rolling, okay?”
“Plan?” Gwen asked. “Do you know what’s wrong?”
I took a deep breath and tucked my hands into the pockets of my coat. “The MRI showed that Easy has an intracranial tumor. It’s pressing on blood vessels and nerves in his head which is what caused him to pass out yesterday and the pain and loss of vision today.”
Gwen gasped loudly and slapped her hand over her mouth. She swayed slightly, and Gambler wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
Gambler’s face paled, and he struggled to speak. “Tu, tu, tu—” He shook his head and closed his eyes. “Tumor?”
I nodded and pushed on. “From the test results, I can’t say if it is benign or cancerous. We would need a biopsy to make that determination.”
“Cancerous?” Gwen whispered.
Cancer was a scary word. I didn’t want to upset Easy and his family, but they needed to know this could be something very bad.
“He’ll need to have it biopsied, and it will need to be removed since it is affecting him.”
“But why the hell does he have a tumor?” Gambler asked. “He’s only twenty-four and healthy as a fucking horse.”
A small smile curved my lips. “Age does play somewhat of a factor, and of course, being healthy is good in general, but sometimes, all of that doesn’t matter. A tumor develops when cells divide and grow at an excessive rate instead of dying. Exposure to radiation is the top reason for a brain tumor, and after that, it can’t really be explained. Studies have been done about stress being a factor, and it can also just be hereditary.”
“Radiation?” Easy groaned. “Last I checked, I don’t live by a nuclear plant.”
Gwen rolled her eyes.
“You said it might be benign. If it isn’t cancer, could it still be affecting him like this?” Gambler asked.
“It’s pressing on blood vessels and nerves. It’s a mass that is taking up space where there isn’t room for it. That’s true whether it’s cancerous or not.”
“So, what do you do?” Gwen asked.
“Well, since he is having so many symptoms, Easy is going to have surgery.” I took a deep breath. “Soon.” I wasn’t a surgeon, but I knew getting it out was going to be the only fix.
“Surgery?” Gwen gasped.
“Like brain surgery?” Gambler asked. “Is that even safe? What if it’s benign. Benign means nothing.”
Not exactly. “Well, even if it's not cancerous, it’s not nothing.”
“So, if he has surgery to remove it, is it just going to grow back?” Gwen asked.
“Benign tumors usually don’t grow back. Cancerous ones are more likely to. Once it’s removed, Easy will need to have scans done for a couple of years just to monitor the area, but things should go back to normal.”
“Should?” Easy asked.
I had learned very early on in my career that I could never say anything for sure. Life didn’t have a guarantee. “You’ll be talking to a neurologist and possibly an oncologist who will better be able to answer any questions you have.”
“You’re my doctor,” Easy grunted.
“Uh, well, I’m your general doctor, but you are going to need a specialist,” I explained.
“So, I’ll have you and a specialist.”
Another guarantee I wouldn’t give. “You’ll have the best specialist.”
