“Cancer?” Bugz’s eyes welled with tears as her mother turned to her father. He pulled Bugz’s mother in. They cried and held each other tight. It looked like all they could do to stay upright. Bugz remained seated, looking at her hands in disbelief.

Bugz watched Liumei struggle to find words. “I don’t want to say we’re lucky—that’s the wrong word. But Waawaate did benefit from the fact the oncologist happened to be on-site today. Typically you’d need a referral and you’d have to wait quite a bit longer for this diagnosis.”

“How did this happen?”

“It’s difficult to say,” Liumei said. “I’m not an expert on cancers. But what I can tell you from my conversation with the cancer specialist is that there is a mass on Waawaate’s femur.” Bugz followed Liumei’s gaze down to the colored floor panels. “It’s quite advanced.”

“Is it terminal?” Bugz’s mother asked.

“It isn’t always terminal, depending on how early we catch it.” Liumei swallowed.

“Well, what does that mean? What’s going to happen?” Bugz’s father prodded.

“We can’t say for certain…” Liumei took a deep breath. “But like I said, the growth is advanced. Waawaate must’ve been sick for a long time and trying to tough it out. He would’ve felt a lot of pain. He must’ve been very stro—he must be very strong.” Bugz processed Liumei’s correction as the doctor spoke again. “There’s always hope. There’s always the people at the end of the bell curve who pull through.”

Bugz nodded, biting her bottom lip in an effort to keep the tears from consuming her. “Can you cure him?”

“We’ll try, and the oncologist wants a follow-up in the city—”

“Can you help my boy?!” Bugz’s mom interrupted and raised the tissue in her hand to emphasize her desperation.

“We’ll try,” Liumei said, tears now welling in her eyes as well. “We’re certainly going to give him every chance we can…I just don’t want to give you any unrealistic expectations.”

“Unrealistic expectations?” Frank’s gaze fell to the floor as he mulled the words. Bugz’s mother wrapped him in her arms again as if holding him together, and to stop him from sinking any further. Bugz ran to the door.

“I’m really sorry,” Bugz heard Liumei say as she reached the hallway.

Bugz rushed to a private waiting room down the hall and sat on a plastic chair. She pulled out her phone and scrolled without paying attention to anything on-screen. Her mother arrived a few minutes later and turned the volume down on the television babbling aimlessly on the wall.

“Hey,” her mother said.