Transitions by Mike Hormek - HTML preview

Chapter 3

Josh continued to surf competitively. It helped him cope. He had his eye on another world championship and was grooming Adam to follow the same path.

Adam won his first major championship at age 20 but could not achieve the greatness of his father, who won a second world title at age 39. Although it was not a world record for the youngest and oldest victory by the same person, it was still an outstanding achievement.

Like other sports, athletes can compete as long as they are healthy. Josh kept competing, but only at a different pace than he once did. He spent these days training Adam, but Josh felt something, maybe mental, prevented him from getting the big one.

“Maybe it has to do with Amos’s death. Does he blame himself?”Josh thought.

Adam came in fifth in his world championship.

“Congratulations, son! Not too shabby. Keep up the great work!" His father praised him.

Josh and Elsie did not have more children. They talked about it occasionally, but in the back of their minds, a new baby would replace Amos, and there could never be a replacement. Time ran out when Elsie had a hysterectomy.

Josh approached his 50th birthday and began coughing. He tried smoking as a teenager but quit, so he wondered. The cough persisted. Off-the-shelf products had no effect. A visit to his doctor resulted in an allergy diagnosis. The doctor gave him a steroid injection and a prescription.

“Flush your nasal cavity with a saline solution." The doctor recommended it.

Two weeks went by with little relief. Josh suffered from chest pain, a hoarse voice, weight loss, and his cough persisted. Elsie took him to a packed emergency room. People coughed; there were runny noses and complaining of headaches.

Television news reported a spreading virus called COVID-19. Doctors were treating it for the flu with Z-Packs and other medications. However, there was no specific treatment for this emerging strain. Nothing was available.

After a lengthy wait, a nurse interviewed him. After explaining his symptoms, the nurse spoke.

“You should have a Chest X-ray, but you must make an appointment because all these people are ahead of you. There is a new virus going around."

“What should we do?” Josh asked Elsie.

“Call your doctor.”

“We can get you in four days from now.” the nurse offered.

“But I'm sick," Josh explained.

“We have so many patients afflicted. We are doing the best we can."

“I will call my doctor for an expedited referral. I need treatment now!"

“Once we hear from him, the hospital will contact you. What are your symptoms?"

“I have Chest pain, a hoarse voice, weight loss, and my cough; it is not letting up."

“We will work you in with the referral.”

The doctor called in a script for a Z-Pack, something for his cough and a decongestant. They filled the prescriptions and went home. Two weeks went by before the hospital called to schedule the and another to get the results.

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“The tests came back good—nothing to worry about. The murmur I heard was typical for someone your age. Have it rechecked in a year."

More than a year went by. The hoarseness and cough waned, but the chest pain, although not severe, occasionally returned. It was time for his colonoscopy, so he scheduled the procedure with his doctor.

The doctor asked, “Have you ever had an endoscopy?”

“Is that where they put it down your throat?”

“Yes, I recommend it in conjunction with a colonoscopy.”

“Then why is it not done routinely?"

“Because most insurance companies will not pay for it as a preventative measure.”

“What are you checking for?”

“Barrett's esophagus is a precancerous condition characterized by abnormal cells in the lining.

Have you had a persistent cough, chest pain, hoarseness, and difficulty swallowing food?"

“All except swallowing food? I have been complaining about this for a good while.”

“Have your referring physician send me your chart, and we will contact your insurance provider to get approval for the endoscopy."

A week later, the gastro doctor's office called and confirmed that Josh's insurance company would not pay for the endoscopy, which cost 2500.00. However, Josh would be reimbursed for the entire amount if he needed additional medical assistance due to the endoscopy. So Josh agreed, and he decided that the procedure schedule was OK. His cough and chest pains were worsening.

The endoscopy results were two weeks away. The G.I. doctor called Josh into his office.

"You have Barrett's Esophagus, a precancerous condition that's damaged the lining of your esophagus. A valve at the bottom of your stomach allows acid to travel upward in your esophagus."

"Do you take medication for Gerd?"

"No, I did not know I had it."

"No burning in your throat after meals, especially lying down?"

"No, Sir."

"Difficulty swallowing or chest pain?"

"I have chest pain."

"A chest X-ray would have eliminated any lung issues."

"Yes, after a long time of complaining of a cough, I finally got one."

"My doctor gave me cough medicine, and the X-ray showed no lung issues."

"You should have had an endoscopy a long time ago."

Josh reeled. He had a hard time understanding.

"I'm not happy with how this is going," he thought. My doctor screwed up and did not order the X-ray on time, and the hospital was too worried with the Covid patients to deal with me. How did they let me get in this position?"

The doctor continued.

"You have silent reflux. We can burn it off the lining, and it will grow back. If everything goes well, we can repair the valve, allowing the acid to come up. We took biopsies, which were not

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cancerous but unreliable because of the number of cells."

OK," Josh relented.

Two weeks later, the G.I. doctor performed an ablation. In the middle of the procedure, he stopped. "I don't like what I see, so I am sending you to an esophagus specialist. He will use a laser camera and a computer to evaluate its condition."

The doctor phoned Josh when the endoscopy was complete.

"We found a tumor, and it is cancer. It has spread outside the esophagus and probably into the lymph nodes. Your oncologist can confirm this."

A visit to an oncologist confirmed Josh had terminal cancer. The news to Josh and Elsie was devastating.

"How long do I have?" Josh asked the doctor.

"It's in your lymph nodes. Six months or less."

It was not an easy discussion for Josh when he addressed Elsie,

"My whole purpose for living was to see Adam and Amos and their children become champion surfers. Amos is gone, and I cannot mentor," Josh said.

"I'm sorry, Josh. Adam will do fine. Have you told him yet?"

"No, it's inoperable. I will tell Adam I have six months to live."You still have time to work with him."I don't think I am mentally up to it."

It took some intestinal fortitude to gather up the energy to tell Adam, "I am not taking chemotherapy."

The passing days after the news were unbearable for Josh. His thoughts were confusing, and sometimes, he felt like a war between opposing factions was happening in his brain. Some voices sought revenge because the medical community could have saved him. Other voices blamed him for his demise. Josh was never a religious person. He was agnostic but realistic about the world. Josh paid close attention to the media and its dubious pandemic coverage.

"It was all about the Covid-19 money," he surmised. "Too bad for treating other medical issues.

If the doctors had reacted to me sooner, I would not have been dying. Maybe I should end it here and now."

The reality was sinking in.

"I could stop the pain. If there is a God, give me a sign. I have always been good. Why are you letting this happen?"

Josh fell into a fetal position on the couch and sobbed."Josh, Josh." A voice in his head called out. "Do not take your own life. There is no God. No one can help you now. Seek revenge on those who have plotted against you."

He resolved that revenge would be his path, and he would have no guilt or remorse. There was no looking back. He had a score to settle—a job to do.

Josh's health deteriorated due to the cancer and Covid. He realized he had to move fast. He remembered, years earlier, that several members of the American Legion died unexpectedly of a mysterious illness subsequently identified as Legionnaires Disease. The source of the contamination was the air conditioning system. He had an Eureka moment; he decided to fill the unprotected air ducts with COVID-19. The air conditioning system would do the rest, transporting the Virus. Pepper would

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initiate the sneeze and the COVID-19 release. He surveyed two air conditioning systems. One was for his primary physician's office building; the other was for the Emergency Room wing that housed the staff that denied his X-ray. He found the air inputs of both systems and was ready to implement his revenge. It was a Wednesday at 8:00 am when he infected the first unit. He wore a mask, like everyone else at the hospital. The infestation of the buildings was successful. The results, he realized, would take time.

A week later, Josh saw a press report about the evacuation and remediation of the two infected buildings. After that, a doctor and two nurses, all in their late sixties, who worked there died of respiratory failure, giving Josh much-needed solace.

Josh's condition quickly deteriorated, and the family placed him in Hospice. Elsie, while in quarantine, experienced respiratory issues and was hospitalized. Adam visited Josh's room unexpectedly.

"Mom did not make it, Dad."

"Holy shit, this is my fault. I did this to your Mom!" Josh cried.

"No, Dad, she could have caught the virus anywhere."

"No, I gave it to her."

Josh had no remorse for killing the doctor and nurses. So why did he now feel remorse? Is there justification for killing someone you hate versus feeling remorse for killing someone you love?

A security guard monitored the perimeter of the infected hospital before the authorities discovered the sabotage. He reported an individual wearing a mask and acting suspiciously around the air conditioning system intake, so he called authorities.

One of the detectives assigned to the case thought it was coincidental that a massive infection occurred just after a witness observed lurking, so he called in a forensic team. They found pepper traces in the ducts. The lab vacuumed the ducts, and DNA was collected, but there was no direct match at the lab.

Intense detective work by authorities linked the DNA found to one of Josh's kin. The detectives visited all of Josh's known living relatives, eventually leading them to him—their primary suspect. Due to his guarded condition, Josh has disallowed visitors—even the police. When authorities arrived at the hospital to interview Josh, the nurses refused admittance. Amos was there holding his father's hand.

Josh's labored breathing took on a death gurgle. Josh sat up and reached out his hand, but not for Adam. He called out, "Mama, Mama!"

Adam walked into the lobby where the detectives waited, informing them that his father had passed.

One stomped his foot in disgust."Well, we can't prosecute a dead man!" he exclaimed.

The end

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THE SECRET ON THE PRAIRIE