Wink

Ross recalls Bad Day #2, “Diagnosis Day.” He provides a few details about the needle biopsy and his recovery. Ross wears an eyepatch at first; after that, he develops a black eye, which he thinks is cool.

On Diagnosis Day, Ross and his parents meet Dr. Sheffler in his office. Dr. Sheffler is straightforward with the family:

‘Okay.’ He looked us each in the eye. ‘I’m not going to sugarcoat this. We got the results back, and this is an aggressive tumor. A mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the lacrimal gland. It’s an incredibly rare tumor as well.’

We all just stared.

‘I honestly didn’t think I’d ever see one in my career’ (50-51).

Ross feels like his head is a balloon and like he is watching the proceedings from above as the doctor explains several vital issues.

Sheffler introduced the Maloys to Dr. Inzer, who has seen this kind of cancer before. She describes a treatment consisting of removing Ross’s entire eye and eye socket, fitting him with a prosthetic to replace the missing facial structure, and then implementing radiation. She insists they act quickly. Ross’s father wonders if there is another option. Inzer bluntly says there isn’t, and she tells Ross that saving his life is more important than saving his vision (the radiation will certainly cause blindness in the remaining eye). Inzer gives Linda a list of books about how to live with altered features and how to accept the consequences of treatments.

Ross’s father then takes him to Abby’s house, where Ross tells Abby his diagnosis. The world looks different to Ross now that he knows he has cancer. Abby asks if he has told Isaac, and he says he’ll call. She responds with the longest silence Ross has ever known in their long friendship.

Ross’s father collects him from school. He has fries and Cokes from McDonald’s, which they consume during the drive to the radiation center. They talk about how they’re feeling—how life isn’t fair, but they’re surviving together. Ross’s father is proud of him, and Ross asks to enter the center alone because he wants to act more grown up.

Jerry is sitting in the lobby of the treatment center. He and Ross talk about their cancers. Jerry asks about a scar between Ross’s eyebrows: “an inch-long slit right about where your brow would crease if you were mad” (62), which Ross sketches. He tells Jerry that the scar is where the surgeon placed markers that guide the radiation beam. He thinks about three similar scars under his hair; they won’t remain hidden forever since the radiation will cause hair loss.

Jerry compares Ross’s scar to a dime slot in an old pay phone and to Harry Potter. Ross is surprised he knows about the latter, and Jerry explains he has watched some of the movies. When Frank comes to collect Ross, Jerry bids farewell with Ross’s new nickname, Dime Slot.

Frank doesn’t love the U2 album Ross brought. Ross asks Frank what he should choose next. Frank says there’s nothing wrong with U2, but he charges Ross with bringing music he loves but isn’t sure other people like. Ross continues to have trouble focusing on the red X and reflects, “Last thing I need is a deep-fried eyeball” (65). He sketches what he thinks a deep-fried eyeball would look like, adding a small bowl of marinara sauce next to it.

Before Ross leaves the center, he hears that Dr. Throckton wants a quick meeting. There, he learns that his situation is going to get worse.

Ross and Abby stare at three wide-brimmed hats laid on Abby’s bed. Throckton ordered Ross to wear a hat with a wide brim both indoors and outdoors because the radiation makes his skin and eyes more vulnerable to UV rays. Ross is mortified that he must wear the hat in any building that has windows, including school. He’s overwhelmed by the conviction that he’ll never get to be a normal seventh grader.

Abby helps Ross decide which hat is the least objectionable. He sketches the hats on trial: a field hat, a bucket hat, and a straw cowboy hat. Abby thinks the cowboy hat is the least horrible. They acknowledge the stereotypes associated with it, and Abby suggests Ross write on the hat the words “Doctor’s Orders.” Abby adds that a benefit of wearing the hat is that it will cover his eventual hair loss.

Ross observes that Abby, with her year-round Halloween bedroom décor and her past idea for them both to shave their heads, has great difficulty comprehending his wish to blend in. Abby urges him to own his new role as “the weird guy” (71). He concludes the chapter with a picture of “Surly Batpig.”