Mother's Retribution

Evan went home and broke down. He couldn't eat, or sleep for a few weeks. He wouldn't answer his phone for anyone, and his receptionist, Elena, was beginning to worry. Elena broke down and called Evan's mother, Anne, to go and check on him.

Anne was immediately concerned. There was once a time when she couldn't have cared less, when drugs were more important, but that's not who she is anymore. That is all thanks to Evan and the help he basically forced on her and Edward, his father, after he made most of his money. Family was still always important to him even after all the damage they had done to him. She knew that they had caused years of self-hate that turned to violence as he got older and had to go through a few years of therapy to work through it. Ever since then she has devoted herself into being the mother she always should have been. Now she felt guilty all over again since she hadn't even noticed anything wrong. She hadn't called her son in almost a month.

As soon as she got to Evan's large estate, she let herself in using the spare key that he had given her for emergencies. Evan was just sitting in a chair in his living room just staring out of the window at the lake behind his house. His face was blank and pale. It was obvious that he hadn't changed his clothes in a while. He wasn't taking care of himself at all, his hair was greasy and unkempt. Scuffled hair was covering his face, and there was large amount of garbage surrounding the chair.

"Honey, are you ok? Elena is so worried about you. You haven't gone to work. You're ignoring everyone's calls. I'm starting to worry about you." Anne was way underselling how she was feeling. This was the first time she has ever seen Evan shut down like this. After the way they treated him growing up, which was absolutely abhorrent, he always pushed forward for a better life. She actually looked up to her son. She knew that he had a strength that she couldn't even imagine. She knows that if he has shut down this is something very concerning. She felt scared for her son for the first time since before the drugs.

"I'm dying. What's the point?" A simple response with no emotion in it at all. The lack of emotion is what scared her the most, not the words he said. It was missing all the tones and emotions that she knew her son to have. The voice was his, the words were his, but this didn't feel like the son she knows. It was heartless, and Evan was a lot of things, but heartless wasn't one of them.

"What are you talking about sweetie?" She asked cooing softly, as only a mother can.

"I have cancer. After such a shitty life, and pulling myself out of that hellhole you call my childhood I still end up with cancer?" He started talking to his mother, but halfway through the sentence he was speaking to himself. He was almost delirious with the way he was speaking.

"Honey you know there are treatments, things to do, right?" She was trying to be encouraging, yet all it did was make Evan angry. He was angry that he had to work so hard to be happy. Angry that he had to pick his parents up and force them to get sober. He was angry that he felt the only reason they wanted him to live at this point was because he was useful and rich. He was just angry at everything because he worked so hard his whole life, and now it feels worthless, pointless.

"Now you care? Where were you when Dad beat me all over the house? Where was all this love when I was starving? Where were you when I graduated? Hell, the only reason your clean now is because you wanted money." Evan lashed out at Anne because there was nothing else, he could do, and it honestly felt good to say after all those years.

"Honey, I was a terrible parent. I was on drugs and your father was abusive. To be completely honest with you I was so high I don't remember seeing you after you were 8. That's why no matter what you say or do, I will not leave you. Not ever again. We are going to make a doctor's appointment and you are going to fight this. Quitting is not an option. I lost my chance to take care of you as a child, but I'll be damned if I'm going to watch the strong man you've become crumble because of a little cancer. I know you are so much stronger than that." Anne was determined to change her son's mindset about this. She wanted him to fight. She needed him to survive because she knew she wouldn't if he didn't.

Evan perked up hearing the conviction in her voice. He had never heard her talk like that, not once in his entire life. So, they called and made an appointment for a consultation to see what his options are.

The Dr. gave him a run down of the treatments like chemotherapy and some other radiations, as well as a few experimental drugs he could use. None of these sounded like anything he wanted to do.

"Hold up, hold up. Can't you just cut it out?" Evan was fed up with all of the scientific terminology and just wanted the lump out of his head.

"Well, normally we could but the part of the brain it's located is actually the part that has main control of your basic instincts, emotions, and memory storage. So basically, without some new age technology that can replace that section of the brain. I don't see that as a viable option. As well as the added risk that it could always come back too." The Dr. shut down his idea as soon as the question was out.

"Can I have a few days to think about my options?" Evan felt defeated so all he could do was sleep on it.

"Of course, Mr. Freeman, just keep in mind that we caught this quickly so the sooner we get started on your treatment the better." The Dr. was thorough about reminding him how serious this is.

After walking out of the building Evan's cellphone started ringing. It was Jeremy Downs, the CEO of Omega Industries, which is the small medical research lab that he invested for.

"Hey Evan, look I know your not in the mood to talk. I know you have Cancer. I keep tabs on all my big money makers. Look, I have an offer for you." Jeremy was talking very fast and quiet, seeming secretive.

"I'm not really up to making deals right now Jeremy, I kind of just got some real bad news and I'm trying to process here. I'll set you up with a new broker from my old firm. I'll make sure your treated right, but I'm not in the mood for this right now." Evan wasn't in the mood to speak business but didn't want to destroy a friendship at the same time. He was polite but firm, basically telling him to leave him alone for now.

"WAIT!!! Don't hang up!" Evan could hear Jeremy yell from the phone after he pulled it away from his ear.

"What Jeremy?"

"Look I can't say much over the phone but as long as you have 3 months to live, we can save your life." Jeremy said this and quickly hung up before Evan could ask any questions.