Clue

I was a something less than completely honest earlier. I maybe said something like there's nothing obvious when trying to solve the mystery of my fever-causing infections.

Hmm.

There's this thing in my chest, this catheter.

Dr. Hickman put it there, this thin plastic tube that carries his name, running from outside of my body all the way up into a major artery, providing easy access for all the chemotherapy, the supporting medication, my liquid diet, everything.

It's clean. I wrote that before. It is clean and well-cared for.

But it is so obvious, so external. It's the only foreign object currently lodged into my body. It's not unwelcome but it is so the likely answer you'll find in that tiny envelope after they've exhausted all other options: Dr. Hickman, with the catheter, in the chest.