Story
An advanced MRI based technology called MERIT is doing their first human trial to eliminate previously un-treatable cancers. The technology targets the cancerous cells and makes them suitable for the host immune system to attack them. Early results are promising, but it has some "non-localized" effects.
idea: something could go wrong and have a much greater global shrinking effect on him.
Characters
Alex - his cancer is being shrunk. They predict a few inches of shrinking in six months. He gets that in seven days.
Lizzy - she's an orphan with cancer. a bit of a wild child, thinks her actions have no consequences because she's going to die. Alex befriends her because they are both going through the MERIT treatment. They don't realize until later they are getting different treatments. They are trying to 'explode' her cancer, not shrink it.
1: intro the MERIT treatment and alex/liz
Alex has a rare cancer and is part of a new cellular-MERIT study. (Magnetic Excited Resonant Imaging and Therapy) He's an adult (20?), but his mother is there to sign him in. They explain the medical process, how they are going to image and shrink his cancer cells, so the body can kill them off. They explain the risks, magnetic technology is very safe, unlike x-ray, so exposure is not an issue. In this application, they target the cancer cells and create magnetic pressure on them to compress. So far we have seen some non-localized effects, but these are fairly minor. Still, due to the experimental nature of the procedure, he has to remain on premises for observation during the study.
"what kinds of non-localized effects?" The most noticeable side effect is height loss, you may end the six month session a few inches shorter. He takes pause at the risk, but his mother cries, she doesn't want to lose her son so young. "If there is even a chance of this working, isn't it worth it? You have your whole life ahead of you."
We meet an attractive friendly adult nurse (30s?). We see him experiencing a session, we see the nurse take some basic measurements. He shrunk a quarter inch in the first session. She seems a bit surprised, but explains it away. "this is expected. the non-localized effects are largest at the beginning. over time the process is better... calibrated. i'll check in the doctor about it and we'll let you know if there is any cause for concern." He plays angry birds, reads a bit, gets totally bored. Then he does a bunch of internet searches looking for social connection, and eventually finds a group on shrinking men, relieved there must be someone else out there like him. Creates a pseudonym and posts something introducing himself.
The next day he has another session, losing another quarter inch. The nurse gives him reassuring words. He's a bit more concerned, and would like to speak to the doctor. "if this continues for six months, I'm going to be three feet tall!" She passes off his concerns, "ohh that's not going to happen, but of course, i'll let the doctor know you'd like to see him right away."
The next day before his session, the doctor checks in on him. "how are you doing" "have you visited the patient rec lounge yet?" (no) He reminds him that six months is a long period to be isolated. I highly recommend you meet some patients going through the same kinds of things you're going through. "I also hear you have some concerns about the treatments." He looks at his chart. "These results are not unexpected." How so far the cancer seems to be responding. How they start with a big doze to kickoff the process, and then his own immune system goes to work killing the cancer cells. Don't be too concerned because there are indications that the non-localized effects may fade over time. (it's all kind of non-committal yet reassuring side-stepping)
He steps back out into the waiting room and sees another patient waiting. She's gorgeous, brown/red hair, looks to be about twenty five. (Wearing?) She barely notices him enter, looks despondent. He remembers what the doctor said, and figures she might need the socialization more than he does. He introduces himself, "you have cancer too?"
She has a biting wit. "No. I like to vacation here. It's good for my tan." He's had days like this. He knows what it's like, so as he waits he tries to pushes through.
"My regular doctor says with traditional therapies I'd have two years, tops. This study was my only hope for a cure, so I feel really lucky to be here. My mother practically cried for a day when I was finally admitted. How about you? You have family visiting? friends?"
Her face grimaced, like she'd prefer to just be left alone. "Nope." The frank and dour response caught him off-guard. Nobody had no-one.
"Well, I'll visit you, I'm Alex nice to meet you." He extended a hand, which she ignored. "So far my treatments have been uneventful, except for the non-localized side effects. How about yours?" That peaked her interest.
"Tell me about it. I've only been here a week, and my clothes are already starting not to fit." Alex was a little confused, as her clothes didn't look the least bit loose on her. Still, he was glad for her to have opened up, so he jumped on the chance.
"Totally. I've already asked for my family to bring in something that fits me better." He saw in her face that he shouldn't have said it to the girl who has no family. Dumb dumb. "I could have them bring you something."
"What does it matter. I'll probably be dead in a few months anyhow." She slumped back into her chair.
"You know, Yesterday I found this forum for 'shrinking men', so there must be others out there going through what we're going through. You should check it out, my handle on there is lexman77." Her attention again perked up.
"Did you say shrinking?" She puzzled a curious smile his way. "So you found a shrinking man forum? And you think that's for people with your condition? Boy they are naive out here in the country."
Before she had even finished her sentence, the nurse walked in, "We're ready for you Alex." She escorted him out the door. He hadn't even gotten the girl's name, or her room number here in the hospital. Though maybe it was better. He wasn't sure he could handle her unending negative attitude.
Back in his room, he checks his messages and has new replies on the shrinking forum. He reads out a couple odd message 'looks like a good start', 'looking to see where this story is going'. He fishes around and reads off some dirty passage from a story and realizes it's some kind of fiction story authoring site. He closes it, discouraged.
The next day when he showed up for his treatment, the same girl was in the waiting room again.
"Hey Alex!" She seemed unexpectedly chipper. "Doc says my cancer is responding. Ohh and he also gave me something for my mood swings." Before he reached the chair, she was standing, reaching out to give him a hug. "I think I was a bit of a drag yesterday." Alex hugged back in surprise, finding it hard to believe this was the same girl from yesterday. From her behavior anyway, her body was just as gorgeous. She also seemed quite tall, making him even more suspicious that what was happening to him was typical. As they sat, her focused fell entirely on him.
"Well, seems like you got some smaller clothes anyhow. When you shrink into them they'll fit perfectly." He was referring to the way her t-shirt was painted on, the fabric of her bra etching into the surface. If it wasn't for the circumstances he might have thought the look intentionally trashy. However, he understood. His own shirt felt baggy and sloppy, and I he wondered if he should have put on one of the smaller sizes his mother brought him. For some reason she was now softly laughing.
"Silly Alex. I'm on the other MERIT therapy. They're exploding my cancer, so I'm not shrinking, I'm growing. At least until the cancer spreads and I keel over and die." She talked about her own death with such a pleasant tone Alex found it unnerving. As unnerving as the admission.
"Wait, you're not shrinking? They told me my situation was normal. That I should expect a few inches of height loss in six months, and now here I am an inch shorter in just a week." His voice was a bit agitated.
"Ya, you're on the MERIT-m therapy. I already tried that and it didn't work. They're now using the more aggressive MERIT-e." She was speaking very quickly, almost frantically. "It's much more risky. They tell me every day how when the cancer cells rupture they could spread. I think that's why I was so down, but I feel much better now -- on the meds they gave me. Let's talk about something happier. Do you have a bucket list?" Alex stared back at her, having trouble following her fast topic switches. "You know, stuff you'd like to do before you die?"
"I guess. I dunno, I haven't really thought about it." She squeezed his shoulder affectionately.
"Ohh come on. You have to have *something*. I know I for one don't want to die having spent six months watching TV alone in a room and surfing the internet. Even if it is posting funny messages to a guy on a shrinking men website." She giggled to herself, still talking a mile a minute. "Come by my room after your treatment. We can, you know, hang out or something. Unless you have other plans."
"No no. Sure, that sounds nice." She seemed so manic he wasn't sure, but it did seem better than sitting alone in his room. "What's your name?" The nurse came through the door, waving Alex off his seat.
"Elizabeth, Lizzy, Liz for short. See you later!" He was almost relieved to get through the door and into the calm environment of the nurse and his treatment.
2: visit to liz's room
liz is in another mood, she's wearing a hospital gown. upset that none of her clothes fit. upset that nobody looks at her like a woman anymore. she's just this walking cancer experiment. alex compliments her, she's gorgeous. he sets a bag of clothes on her bed, his old clothes. he offers a t-shirt up for her. she is excited, turns around and quickly changes into it right in front of him. He gets a look at her naked back and a couple tatooss. She's happy to have something to put on other than a hospital gown, even though it's a bit baggy.
she thanks him, hugs him. kisses his cheek. then she is excited to show him her height-markings (her initial height - 5'6", her MERIT-m therapy endpoint 5'4", and her current MERIT-e marking 5'7") he admits that he started 5'9" and he's already down to 5'7".
She pulls them up to sit on her bed. "so tell me about your bucket list. I want to jump out of an airplane, touch a live dolphin, see a volcano erupting. Not that I can do any of those things in here. How about you?"
"Uhm, I dunno. I haven't really... I guess jumping out of an airplane would be cool."
"Ya, this bucket list we can't do anything about is totally boring. We need stuff we can do in here. We could steal a box of danish from the cafeteria. Or we could sneak into the nurses lounge and hide their street clothes." She was still talking a mile a minute, and for the first time, Alex started to understand the fun in Liz. She was just like him, trying to deal with being trapped in a mind that knew it might die. Trying to forget.
"We could rig up a can of silly string to spray the nurses when they open their lockers." He laughed at the silliness of his own idea. Her face looked puzzled.
"Where are we going to get the silly string?" That was a crux in his plan he hadn't considered. "Have you ever kissed a girl with a tongue piercing?" She stuck her tongue out, a glitter of silver showing against the pink flesh. "They don't like me to wear it, because we can't have any metal on in the MERIT therapy and they are paranoid I'll forget and leave it in. Well, have you?" Between the tatoos, the tongue ring, and her forwardness Alex is getting a much less wholesome picture of what Liz is really like.
"No, never." He shakes his head tepidly, a little uncomfortable at her suggestion. She immediately scoots closer on the bed, leaning in towards him.
"Well? Come on. You can knock it off the bucket list. You do know how to kiss a girl, don't you?" The teasing affront to his intimacy skills shifted this from a strange offer to a challenge. He leaned in, instinctively reaching around her torso with one hand, his lips approaching hers.
It was soft at first, lips pressing into each-other, tips of the tongues touching. Then she deepened the kiss, forcing her tongue into his mouth. Then he felt it, it was just a little sensation against his tongue, not at all what he expected. The dramatic motions of her tongue were far more exciting. She was an amazing kisser! When her tongue retreated he tried to chase it, feeling for the metal jewlery. He felt it again a little, but not much before her tongue tussled back, wrapping and rubbing around his with energy.