April -- Week Seven

Paul, in his kitchen, can't get to the ringing phone, and when the answering machine picks up, it's April. She got the results of her blood test, and she's coming over. When she arrives, wearing a knit hat that Daniel gave her, April tells Paul that the chemo is working—and that she wants to stop therapy. April doesn't know how to feel, but it's obvious she can't go back to her old life. Kyle broke up with his girlfriend, she says, but she doesn't want him at all anymore—she feels "dead and gone." Paul explains that recovery is taking all her energy right now, but that won't always be the case. He suggests that she continue therapy, but when he adds that she could bring her family in, April loses it, screaming at him and leaving the room. Soon, she comes back, apologizing and complaining about her itchy hat, and says that she quit school—an endeavor she only undertook to please her mother—and can't imagine being a 23-year-old who's survived cancer. She's afraid she'll spend the rest of her life alone and unhappy. The whole trajectory of her life has been changed, and living without a clear path is too hard, she says. Paul assures her that, though she was rerouted, she'll be happy. She tells Paul that she was reading his web site, and that a girl named Sophie posted a comment, crediting Paul for saving her life. April says she can't be his patient anymore because he's "the guy who saved my life," too. She just wants to rest and focus on getting well. Paul understands, and as April prepares to leave, he gives her a hat—made of soft leather—that used to belong to his father. She thanks him for everything he's done, kisses him on the cheek and leaves.