by Barbara Ebel
“Please do teach me what I don’t know. If not now, in the doctor’s lounge or somewhere. Even if I have to move out west this year due to a sick relative, I would still plan on working in a GU room. It seems interesting so far,” she said. She paused, then said softly, “Plus, I believe the field attracts doctors who are the cream of the crop.”
The anesthesiologist raised his eyebrows and gave the patient another milligram of midazolam.
Robert walked out of the adjacent room. “Okay, what’s a seedy fruit of the rose family?”
“How many letters?” Rachel asked.
“Ten.”
“Blackberry,” Kevin said.
Rachel and Robert looked at each other and Rachel shrugged her shoulders. “See? The cream of the crop.”
As Dr. Mcbride finished the procedure, Robert waved Rachel into the supply room. “Get him set up with the Foley catheter and bag. You can put the kit on the instrument tray.” He pointed to the glass cabinets full of supplies.
Rachel grabbed what was needed, walked back in, and opened the kit; now the patient was less sedated and more interested in what was going on.
Kevin took the catheter and began inserting it. “Sir,” he said, also glancing at Rachel for her ears as well, “I’m inserting a catheter to remove urine and blood - or clots - in the bladder. It’s only normal that they occur after the procedure I just did. You’re going to your own room and, when your urine is free of any significant bleeding, I’ll remove the catheter. Your symptoms and BPH will have been taken care of and you can then be discharged.”
“Thanks,” he said. “You’re all welcome to visit me in my room. Just bring one of those crossword puzzles with you.”
“It would be our pleasure,” Rachel said. “I’ll bring you something not too difficult so you have a more pleasurable post-op course.”
Kevin watched their interaction; this woman went beyond the call of duty in her job. He liked that. Besides that, she was easy on the eyes. Very easy.
-----
Sara heard the upstairs door open and Mary and Casey both came down. “Nice to have you down here for a change,” she said.
“We’d be in your face too often if we came as much as we wanted,” Mary said, plucking a cookie off a kitchen plate.
“I had a craving for chocolate chip cookies,” Sara said. “And store-bought ones just don’t cut it.”
“I’ll say,” Mary said. She went to the refrigerator and poured some milk while Dakota nuzzled her for a greeting.
Casey went over to Julia and hoisted her up into the air while she squealed.
“Hey, everybody,” Nancy said, emerging from her bedroom with a dangling headset around her neck and grabbing a cookie.
“Maybe it’s my imagination,” Sara said, “but you seem to be getting bigger by the day.”
Mary rubbed her belly. “I’m not that big … yet. But sometimes I feel that way.”
“Julia,” Casey said. “See, Auntie Mary has two babies growing inside her. You’re going to have special cousins to play with. After they are born, you can show them things, even help them to learn how to walk. Won’t that be fun?”
“I have a baby puppy all my own,” she said.
“Yes, you’ve told me.”
“Her name is Snoopy.”
“What do you think we should name your cousins?”
“Stupid.”
Casey gulped and Sara frowned. “Julia, that’s not nice,” she said. “Don’t say nasty things like that, especially about your family.”
Julia scowled at Sara. “You’re not my mother.”
“Okay, that’s enough, young lady. I’m taking you to your room where you can be by yourself until we put you to bed.”
When Sara returned, all four of them huddled around the kitchen counter.
“She’s become an absolute handful,” Sara said softly.
“And she’s only two,” Mary said sympathetically. “And her behavior seems to be getting worse.”
“Makes me think I’d never want to have kids,” Nancy said.
“That’s quite a thing to think at your age, too,” Casey said, shaking his head. “But I can tell you that you girls weren’t anything like Julia.”
“Thank God,” Sara said. “I didn’t know I had such fine children.” She beamed at Nancy and put her arm around her shoulder, pulling her in for a hug as the phone rang.
“Casey, you can get it,” Sara said. “Maybe it’s Danny again. He’s still delayed at the hospital.”
He stretched to the wall phone and answered; it was Annabel.
“Yo,” Casey said, “how’s school?”
“It’s okay,” Annabel responded. “The year will be finished soon and I’m looking at job prospects for the summer.”
“Good for you. What do you want to do?”
“I don’t know. Waitress maybe. But I have to shadow Dad a little bit for the extracurricular activities they like to see on a med school application.”
“Don’t forget, you can always shadow me and my partner in the ambulance sometime.”
“Oh, thanks, Casey. That’s cool.”
“I know David had his surgery today. Have you heard anything?”
“I was there with his parents. Dad said it went fine. I didn’t know he invented something for David to use.”
“Yes. He’s been missing in action at the house for some time, working off-hours in the lab. He really wants this thing to succeed and I hope it does.”
“I guess I underestimated him. I feel bad I gave him such a hard time about it.”
“You should tell him that,” Casey said.
“Mmm …,” she said, not sure. “Anyway, is Dad there? He said to call for some news.”
“He’s still tied up at the hospital. Your mom is here but I’m sure I can tell you the news if it’s okay with her.”
Sara smiled across the counter and waved her hands at Casey to go ahead.
“It’s about our pregnancy. Mary is carrying twins.”
“Uncle Casey, that is so cool! Congratulations.”
“Thanks and Mary says thanks, too.”
“Okay, I better go. I’m going over to the main library to study an hour or two. I didn’t get any done yet today.” She eyed her desk and began sorting the textbooks she wanted to take.
“And Annabel?” Casey said. “Listen, don’t worry about David. He’s in good hands. And I hope you don’t mind me sticking in my two cents but, in the future, you’ll meet many more nice men. David will always be special but you both may go your separate ways. Things will work out the way they’re supposed to. I believe that because you’re both good and sensible young adults. Again, I hope you don’t mind me giving you that advice.”
She stuck a notebook in a drawer and looked out the window at a green field lined with trees.
“No, and thanks. Whenever you’ve told us girls anything, it’s always because you’ve had our best interest in mind. Love you and say hi to Mom.”
-----
After transferring David from the ICU into a room and making regular rounds on him, Danny was ready to discharge him towards the end of the week.
He walked down the fifth floor orthopedic corridor, passing two elderly patients hobbling along like broken insects with a walker and a cane. After nodding hello to them and their physical therapists, he continued to the neurosurgical area and to the last corner room.
On entering, Danny smiled. It was the sunniest place he’d walked into all morning. With two sets of blinds pulled up as high as they could go, baskets and vases of flower arrangements along the windowsill looked even more colorful. He inhaled their sweet aroma which made him realize how awful hospital corridors can sometimes smell.
David stood tall near the streaming light, holding a basketball between both hands and rolling it around. Upon seeing Danny, he abruptly stopped and dropped his jaw with a look of guilt. He let the ball rest in one hand.
“Hi, doc,” David said. “You know I’m not playing a
nd I won’t play. Mom left this with me yesterday because I just wanted to handle it. It feels so good to be out of bed and moving around a bit. I’m not getting into any trouble.”
Danny laughed. “I think the fear of another head injury will haunt you so I’m not worried that you’re going to go against my orders. Let me see that.” He put his hands out and David handed him the ball.
Danny rolled the basketball around and slightly tossed it up and down several times. “I see what you mean. It’s therapeutic.” He motioned to the recliner for David to sit and rolled the ball onto the bedspread. “Let me take a look at your dressing and scalp.”
David sat down and rested his arms while Danny examined his head. “This is all looking fine,” he said, “and Dr. Banks is as happy with your recovery as I am. I hinted at a discharge by the end of the week and I’m going to fulfill that promise. Why not call your mom or dad to come pick you up? I’ll go write your orders.”
“Really?” David asked, the dimple in his chin deepening as he glowed with happiness.
“Yes. I am serious. We’ll keep you on the anti-seizure medicine prescribed by Dr. Banks. Your parents have been instructed on first-aid if you have a seizure at home, and I will see you often in the office while the external unit gathers the results we need.”
Danny patted his shoulder. “Enjoy the break from the hospital because, as you know, we’ll be doing surgery again once we pinpoint the area responsible for your epilepsy. This system, if successful, will be more precise and won’t focus on large zones but zero in on as small a number of cells as possible.”
David kept smiling. “I know, I know. I think I’ve memorized everything you’ve told me and I’ve learned what comes out of your mouth is important. Does Annabel know you’re sending me home?”
“I haven’t told her. It’s your decision who to tell.” Danny picked up the ball from the bed and handed it back to him. “See you in my office on Monday.”
Chapter 23
Rachel bundled up the used surgical drapes and smashed them into the big plastic garbage can while Dr. Mcbride fiddled with a new piece of equipment in the next room.
Robert looked up from his crossword puzzle. “Does etiquette have one ‘t’ or two?” he asked.
“I think it’s two,” she said, glancing into the other room. The attending doctor of the GU service – basically Kevin’s boss - had walked in. She lingered by the doorway while the older man talked with Kevin.
“I know it’s Friday, but the hospital is going all out tonight for the new cancer center and the unveiling of its sculpture which is in the front lobby. The press will be there, the public is invited, and there is going to be lots of food. Spread the word among the residents. It would be nice to have the support of as many physicians as possible.”
“Okay,” Kevin said. “I think I can squeeze that in before I go home.”
They went on to discuss the next patient’s history and then the other man left. Kevin was so close to being an attending doctor himself, he could function almost independently.
Rachel grinned. This just might be the opportunity she hoped for. She’d been trying her hardest to cross paths with Kevin outside the OR and it had been damn near impossible. What she’d have to do now is go home after work and change clothes. Plus, she’d have to do some research online to dig up recent newspaper articles or hospital updates on the sculpture and its artist.
She stepped further back into the room as Robert was erasing one of his entries. “I can’t spell today,” he said.
“Robert, are you going to this big hospital event this evening for the cancer center?”
“I may. I haven’t decided yet but I’ll check with my wife if she wants to go. Why? Are you?”
“I’d like to. Just checking because it would be nice if I knew someone there.”
“Okay then, I’ll go. We won’t regret it because the hospital always knows how to throw a good party. Besides, this is my last day and you’re on your own come Monday so we’ll have a toast to celebrate.”
-----
Rachel went straight home and as she walked Snoopy along the manicured grass lining her street, she formulated a plan. Back in the apartment, she unhooked the little dog from her leash, grabbed a large glass of water, and sat at her computer.
She still hadn’t looked up something that had been on her mind so she Googled ‘physician salaries.’ Landing on a U.S. News and World Report money rankings, she found a graph which displayed an overview and a prediction for future M.D. salaries; they were still magnificent and they were still climbing. Of course, she thought, most physicians starting out on their own were straddled with mounds of debt but that would not be the case for Kevin Mcbride. Next, she refined her search for urologists’ incomes. She could hardly contain the pitter-patter of her heart when she read Medscape’s report that they were among the highest-paid specialists in medicine.
Sitting back and taking a sip of water, she gave the situation much deeper thought. So far, Dr. Mcbride seemed like a fine person. Most doctors who reached his level of training had those do-gooder attributes like being compassionate, sensitive and thoughtful and he was obviously ambitious and devoted. He also seemed to be easygoing.
Rachel set down her glass and licked her lips. Maybe she should consider going much farther this time than ever before. She wasn’t getting any younger and perhaps it was time to totally secure her future. And the beauty of a catch like him was that, if ever the need arose, divorce courts would favor her. Letting out a big sigh, she noticed Snoopy’s big brown eyes fixated on her.
“I bet you’d like a sprawling, opulent back yard to run in, wouldn’t you?”
Clicking her cursor back on Google’s homepage, she searched for any information on the opening of the hospital’s new cancer wing. Narrowing down the alternatives, she came to two articles which rounded out the information she needed: It was a modern addition with state-of-the-art equipment for personalized, genotype-directed cancers and the bulk of the money for the project had come from huge donor philanthropists.
Although there were no pictures of the sculpture to be unveiled, its description and theme were available. As reported, part of its magnificence rested on the fact that it was sculpted from a humongous blue spruce that had been removed from the hospital’s grounds before construction. The complex wood carving was 25-feet tall and embodied the unity of world spirit and science.
Not much was posted personally about the full-time wood sculptor except that Michael Downs had done many major public commissions and that he was middle-aged Tennessee native. She liked what she read; his description and meaning of the work he called ‘Love and Hope’ would provide her with conversational fodder. Rachel stood up and paced the wood floor, practically memorizing some of what she’d read. Snoopy followed at her heels, thinking it was a game.
The only thing left to do was to choose an outfit to make herself stun as much – or more - than the wood sculpture about to be unveiled.
-----
Several days had passed since David’s discharge from the hospital. Annabel’s Friday classes ended mid-afternoon so she broke away from campus with a stack of books and drove over to his parents’ house.
Their dark brown, older home stood tall on a narrow street with several picket fences. It had three stories; the top floor was a cozy, finished-off loft with a steep pitched roof that had been - and still was - David’s room.
Annabel got out of her car carrying books and rang the front door bell. A cat slinked off a porch chair as Mrs. Bell opened the door and smiled when he saw her; leaning forward, she gave her a little hug.
“Annabel! What … what a surprise,” she stuttered. “David will be thrilled to see you.”
“I called him last night and told him I may be over. I meant to get by a few days ago but finals are coming up soon and the semester is starting to wind down.”
“Honey, I understand. Schoolwork comes first.” She pointed to the staircase. “You know where to find
him. He’s in the loft.”
Annabel smiled and padded up the two flights of stairs; then knocked on the original unpainted wooden door. When it opened, David pulled out his ear buds and grabbed some of her books. Putting them down on the bed, they hugged … long and hard.
“Oh, wow,” he said. “You don’t know how good that felt. I feel like some non-human entity being experimented on and devoid of physical contact.”
“I’m sorry about that. You shouldn’t feel that way, especially since your situation won’t last forever.”
She looked around the room with its old floorboards and faded area rugs. Two antique chests dotted the room like they’d been lifted off a pirate ship; and a nice desk and chair fit perfectly in the cubbyhole underneath the window. The computer sat on top as well as several unopened books. Annabel sat down on the edge of the brass bed.
David walked around to the other side and stretched out, his head propped up by two pillow shams; Annabel moved the books around her and sat cross-legged toward him, draping her hands over her knees.
“You told me you had a small seizure three days ago,” she said. “Have you had any more?”
He nodded affirmatively. “Last night before going to bed. Even though it didn’t last long, they are always scary.”
“I bet.” She looked at the wireless receiver unit on his nightstand and touched the little antennae. “Does my dad think it’s gathering information like it should?”
“I see him next week. But whether this system your dad developed works or not, I’ll be forever grateful for the way he’s looking after me. Across the whole country, I probably wouldn’t have received care from any neurosurgeon better than him.”
She gazed into the sincere look in his eyes as he rolled to the side and propped his head on his hand.
“You do know that, don’t you?” he asked softly.
“I suppose you’re right. Yes, he’s trying his best. I do know he is very smart but, over and above that, when he makes an extra effort and thinks outside the box extra special things happen.”
