by Mary Tribbey
Some Lips Tell Lies
By Mary Tribbey
Copyright 2012 Mary Tribbey
ISBN Number 9781301861194
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Post Script
Book Notes
About the Author
SOME LIPS TELL LIES
Chapter 1
After Anne finished packing the last few boxes to go to the Crippled Children’s Thrift Shop, she looked around at the stacks of clothes, household items, furniture, and personal belongings that nearly filled the living room. She shook her head and sighed. The boxes that contained the few things she wanted to keep had already been loaded into her car. It had been a long and sad job packing up her father’s belongings after his death, and she was glad it was finally finished. The truck from the thrift store would be arriving in less than an hour to haul off all the things now neatly stacked inside the living room.
Anne sank down on the old sofa one last time and thought back over the last few months she had spent taking care of her father. It had begun about five months earlier. She had come home to stay a few days at Christmas time. Anne remembered how tired and pale her father had looked. At first she thought maybe he had been overdoing work around the house and was overly tired. After looking around for a while and talking to her father, Anne began to suspect there was more to his tiredness than just overwork.
“Dad, you seem really tired. How have you been feeling lately?” she asked.
“I’m fine,” he said. “I’m just feeling a little tired and I have a stomach ache a little more often than I used to. I guess I’m just getting older and can’t eat so many spicy foods.”
“How long have you been feeling like this?” Anne asked.
“Two or three months, I guess.” He answered.
“What did the doctor say about it?” she asked.
“I haven‘t gone to see the doctor. I’m not that sick. Going to see the doctor is just a waste of time and money, Anne. I’m just getting older,” he protested.
“No, Dad. I can see how much weight you’ve lost since Thanksgiving. I thought you were going to see the doctor after that. I know you don’t like going to the doctor, but I’m going to call and make an appointment so I can take you there before I have to go back to work at the Children’s Hospital,” Anne insisted.
“You worry too much,” he grumbled.
“Please, Dad, humor me. Let’s go see your doctor. It might not help you, but it will make me feel better,” Anne said.
Two days later, Anne drove her father to see Dr. Norton at his clinic. When he was weighed in at the office, the nurse looked surprised when she wrote down his current weight.
“Have you been trying to lose weight, Mr. Lanford?” she asked. “You’ve lost nearly 46 pounds since you were here in August.”
“No,” he answered. “I just haven’t been as hungry as I used to be. Things just don’t seem to taste as good lately. Sometimes it is just too much trouble to cook a full meal, so I grab a bowl of cereal or have some soup,” he explained.
When Doctor Norton walked in, he shook hands with Richard. “How are you feeling today?” he asked.
“I feel tired more than usual, but I don’t really feel that sick. Anne wanted me to come and see you,” he explained.
“Well, you’ve lost a lot of weight, and it’s been months since your last blood tests. I want to get a complete work up on you.” He wrote orders for blood work plus urine and stool tests. He recommended Richard take vitamins and eat more regular meals and come back for the results on Wednesday. The nurse came in and took the blood samples and told Richard to give a stool and urine sample before leaving the office.
On Wednesday morning, Anne and her father returned to the doctor’s office to get the results of his tests. When the doctor came into the examination room, Anne noticed he seemed a little nervous. He sat down and asked if Richard was feeling any different.
“I still feel the same, just a little tired,” Richard answered.
“How did Dad’s tests turn out?” Anne asked.
Dr. Norton seemed startled by her direct question. He looked at the chart and reports and said, “Some of the tests came back within normal range. His blood is a little low in red blood cells. He may be borderline anemic, but there are two other tests that indicate there may be a possible problem that we need to check out. His urine and stool samples show the presence of an abnormal amount of certain chemicals. I want him to go over to the hospital outpatient clinic today and get a CT scan of his bladder, kidney, and colon. I’ve already talked to the doctor at the hospital. He will read the tests today and call me with tentative results this afternoon,” he reported. “I’d like to see you back here at 4 pm today so we can go over the results.”
“What’s the big rush?” Richard asked.
“There are several possible reasons, but we need to test for these as soon as possible,” the doctor answered.
Anne drove Richard over to the hospital outpatient clinic. He was ushered right in. The tests took less than 90 minutes to complete. By 3:45, they were back at Dr. Norton’s office.
Once again, seated in Dr. Norton’s office, Dr. Norton walked in carrying a thick file folder. He sat down at his desk and quickly scanned the new test reports. He sat for a few minutes reviewing them again.
“Well, I’m afraid my suspicions were correct. The CT scan of the bladder, kidney and lower bowel areas all show abnormal growths. They appear to be tumors. Based on what we see, and the other chemicals found in the blood and urine tests, they may be cancerous tumors. They are fairly large and have probably been growing for several months. There are some unusual levels of cancer-related chemicals in the blood test, too. The only way to determine the exact cause and extent of the problem is to do an exploratory operation as soon as possible,” Dr. Norton said.
As a nurse, Anne heard and understood exactly what he was saying. They scheduled the surgery with an oncologist for Friday morning. After that everything seemed to happen so fast. By the weekend, Anne sat by her father’s bed in the hospital. The oncologist came in and reported, “The test results came back indicating it is definitely cancer in the colon which has spread throughout the abdominal cavity. It appears to be Stage 4 Cancer. Since it has spread so widely, Richard is not a good candidate for chemotherapy or radiation treatment. It has apparently been growing for some time. If it had been caught earlier, there might have been a chance of stopping it or buying you more time,” Dr. Wedemeier explained.
“If there is no treatment available, how much time do you think I have left?” Richard asked solemnly.
“It’s hard to say with any certainty, but I would estimate it will be less than five months,” he answered.
Anne listened with growing horror because she had seen several other cancer patients die with the same type of cancer. She knew it was not an easy or pleasant way to die. She tried to appear optimistic for her father’s sake.
After they got home, the full impact of the doctor’s words began to sink in. Anne sat on the sofa, and held her father’s hand and sat quietly beside him.
“I guess I should have gone to the doctor a long time ago, but I just didn’t think it was that important,” he mumbled.
“I’m so sorry, Daddy. I love you so much and I hate i
t that you’re sick. I’m going to go back to the Children’s Hospital in the morning. I’ll get a Leave of Absence and then I’m moving back in with you. I’ll stay here and take care of you. We’ll get through this together,” Anne said.
“No, Anne. You have your school to complete. I’ll be all right here by myself,” he argued.
“Dad, I can take a break and go right back and finish after my Leave of Absence is over. I want to be here with you. I want to spend as much time as I can with you. My Practicum can wait, but this can’t. Daddy, no argument. I’m going to be here with you,” Anne insisted.
Back at the Children’s Hospital, Anne talked to her supervising nurse. When she explained her father’s illness, she was given a Leave of Absence so she could take care of her father. Anne had completed all her regular nursing classes. She was in the middle of an 8 month work experience Practicum to qualify her to work with critically ill and dying patients.
During her five months at St. John’s Children’s Hospital, Anne had worked with many young patients. Several were fighting different types of cancer. It could be a very discouraging and depressing place to work, but Anne had a different way of relating to the children. She wasn’t taking care of the dying, she was helping each one of them live with the best quality of care and comfort that she could provide to make their days, no matter how many there were, happier and brighter. She deeply cared about all her patients, but there were two little girls who had lymphatic cancer, that she especially enjoyed helping. They were both six years old and shared a room. When Anne had any ‘extra’ time she usually could be found in their room. The girls were best of friends having spent several months sharing the same room.
Rachel Ritter was a quiet, somewhat shy little black haired girl with dark, piercing eyes. She loved reading and drawing. Julie, Rachel’s mother had to work, but she came to visit with her almost every day. Her father travelled and was out of town a lot, but he came to visit when he was in town. Since he was frequently out of town, a friend of his used to come in and visit with Rachel so she would have a male visitor.
Tracie Austin was a blonde, blue-eyed bundle of energy, except for the days after her chemotherapy treatments. They always made her feel sick and very tired. Her face was liberally sprinkled with freckles, and she had a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. She liked to talk, tell jokes, do puzzles, and also draw pictures. Tracie had been sent to St. John’s Hospital to try out an experimental new type of chemotherapy, because she no longer responded to the more common type. Her family lived near San Jose. Hannah, Tracie’s mother was a single parent and came to visit when she could get away from work long enough to make the 8 hour trip. Tracie’s father lived in Denver and had never come to visit. When Hannah couldn’t get down to visit, she would call and talk to Anne. Anne would relay messages from both mothers. She kept in contact with both of them on a regular basis.
It was while working in their rooms that Anne first met John Williamson. Anne was sitting by Tracie’s bed trying to get her to eat a little more of her lunch. When a tall, broad shouldered man with dark hair walked inside the room, he looked over at Rachel’s bed. He turned and looked around the room.
“Pardon me, nurse, where is Rachel Ritter? I’m a close friend of her father’s, and I try to check in on her when he’s out of town,” he said.
“Rachel is upstairs getting a breathing treatment. She should be back in about 15 minutes. You are welcome to wait here for her, or I’ll tell her you were here, if you can’t wait that long,” Anne said.
“Thanks. I can wait that long. My name is John, John Williamson. What’s your name?” he asked with a friendly smile.
“Hi, I’m Anne Lanford,” she answered.
“It’s nice to meet you, Nurse Anne. Hello, Tracie,” he said as he walked over and sat down by her bed. “How are you feeling today?” he asked.
“I’m OK, but I can’t figure out this riddle. Will you help me?” she asked.
“Well, let me see. This must be a tough one if you can’t figure it out. ‘What’s black and white and red all over?’ Hum, I think I know that one. Is it a newspaper?” he suggested.
“No, I guessed that already,” Tracie said.
“I know two other answers to that one,” Anne volunteered with a smile
“What are they?” Tracie asked.
“It’s either a zebra with a sunburn or a skunk with diaper rash,” Ann said with a laugh.
John and Tracie looked at each other and laughed, “No way! That can’t be the answer,” Tracie said.
When they gave up and looked up the answer, they stared at Anne. Anne laughed at their expression and grinned.
“Hey, you were right. It is a zebra with a sunburn,” John admitted. “You’re pretty smart. And you are very pretty, too.” He added with a chuckle.
“Thanks,” Anne said, “but I can’t take credit for figuring the answer out. I remember that one from when I was about Tracie’s age. I just thought it was funny.”
As John and Tracie visited, Anne kept glancing over at the man sitting by Tracie. She was amazed at how well he related with her. Many adults come in and act so nervous and uncomfortable because they don’t know how to deal with a very ill child. He seemed relaxed and talked to her normally. Anne giggled when she heard them laughing over another one of the riddles. He seemed to notice and understand instinctively what Tracie was feeling and needed.
When Rachel was wheeled into the room, he rushed over, lifted her up in his arms and spun her in a circle and then gently lowered her onto her bed. Anne left to work with other patients in the next room. She could hear them giggling and talking. She walked back inside in time to see John entertain them with a magic trick. He reached over and appeared to pull a quarter from their ear. From her angle, Anne could see him palm the quarter, but it completely amazed the girls. He stayed until it was about time for them to have dinner. He walked over and gave each of them a hug and a peck on the cheek. He said, "I’m sorry I have to leave, but I’ll be back in a few days.”
Anne thought to herself, “I wonder if he’ll keep that promise. So many people say it, but don’t return.” She watched him turn to leave. At the door, he turned back and smiled at her, “It was nice meeting you, Nurse Anne. Next time I’ll try to find a riddle that will stump you. If I do, I expect a reward. How about a cup of coffee in the cafeteria?” he asked with a playful wink.
“That sounds like a challenge to me,” Joan answered back.
About four days later, Anne walked into Rachel and Tracie’s room and saw John sitting between the beds drawing pictures with the girls. He had brought in a large pad of drawing paper and two boxes of markers. Tracie was quieter than usual because she had received another dose of chemotherapy the afternoon before. John noticed her parched looking lips, so he brought her a glass of cold water. She took a sip of water and started to gag. John took the glass and sat it down on the tray. Tracie started crying. John sat beside her. He put his arm around her shoulder and held her until her tears stopped. He took a tissue and wiped her eyes. He hugged her and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek. He praised both girls for the beauty of their drawings. He got some tape and proudly hung them on the wall below the TV set.
Anne began to look forward to the days when John would visit. Each time he came he challenged her to a riddle show down. If he won, she had to go to the cafeteria and have a cup of coffee with him. It took three visits before he stumped her with a riddle. Anne loved watching how well he related to the girls. One day, she noticed that he had stopped by the boy in the next room and had brought him a small car and a magazine. Gradually, he began to go in and visit other kids. It seemed like the days he came were happier and brighter for everyone.
On the day Anne couldn’t answer his riddle, he laughed and smiled. “Now you have to pay the piper. When can you get away for a cup of coffee or iced tea?” he asked.
“OK, you win. I have a
break in about 10 minutes if you can wait that long,” Anne said with a fake pouty frown.
“I’d gladly wait that long to collect my reward. Just let me know when you are ready,” he said.
After finishing cleaning up the food trays in the three rooms where she routinely worked, she came back in and said in a sad voice, “I’m ready to go,” she sighed hopelessly.
“No use trying to get my sympathy, I’ve been waiting a long time to get you to have coffee with me. Come on,” he said as he took her arm and led her out of the room. Anne heard the girls giggling when they walked out together. He led her to the elevator and down to the cafeteria.
“Seriously, do you want coffee, tea, soda, milk or whatever else they serve here? Get whatever you want. I have waited a long time to get you out for coffee,” he said.
“You could have asked me sooner? I had to deliberately miss your riddle question to get that free cup of coffee,” she laughed. “Next time, just ask me. I hate having the girls think I’m not ‘smart’ enough to know your riddles.” She laughed again when he started to choke on the coffee he had just sipped.
“So you missed my riddle on purpose?” he asked.
“Yes, I did. How else could I get a free cup of coffee from a handsome gentleman?”
“So you think I’m handsome and a gentleman,” he asked.
Anne blushed and said, “Don’t all the ladies tell you that?” she shot back.
“Of course,” he answered, “but I like hearing you say it anyway.”
Anne smiled at him and said, “Actually, I’ve wanted to tell you how impressed I am with the way you relate to the children here. You just seem to naturally sense how they feel and what they need. So few people relate to sick children that way. How did you get so good working with sick children?” Anne asked seriously.
“I spent a lot of time in hospitals when I was their age and younger. I remember how bored and lonely I got. I loved company who came in and treated me like I was normal. I just try to treat them the way I wanted to be treated when I was their age,” John explained.
“Why were you in the hospital so much?” Anne asked.
When I was almost five, my family was in a bad car crash. My mother was driving. We were hit by a big truck. I don’t remember much about the accident myself, but my mother, my older brother, and my baby sister all died. I was very badly hurt with broken bones in my legs, arms, ribs, and back. My dad wasn’t in the car. I had a lot of surgeries and physical therapy. My dad was devastated and never really got over losing his family that way. He tried to be there for me, but he was so broken up. He started drinking a lot. About a year later, he met and married a woman from the bar. I think she saw me as competition, because I reminded my dad of his old family. I never felt like she liked me. Sometimes I felt more love and attention when I was in the hospital than I did at home. I came to love the nurses and visitors who came and took care of me. I really admire nurses like you, who obviously love their patients. I’m so thankful Rachel and Tracie have such a good nurse and a good friend in you,” he answered, taking her hand in his.
Anne smiled her thanks, “That was such a terrible thing for you to go through, John. No wonder you can empathize with these children. You are really so good with them. They all look forward to your visits and, so do I. I like watching you and seeing how they blossom when you are near them,” Anne said with a smile. She gently squeezed his hand.
“I love visiting with the kids, but, to be totally truthful, I look forward to seeing you the most. I love watching you with them. If I had a nurse like you when I was a little boy, I wouldn’t have ever wanted to go home,” he admitted with a slow smile.
After he left that day, Anne smiled and thought, “I hope he comes and we can go out for coffee again. I really like him and enjoy talking to him.”
From that time on, John made it a point to ask Anne to go for coffee. Sometimes, it worked well with her schedule and she gladly went with him. Sometimes, she wasn’t able to get free and she reluctantly said no.
About a month before she found out about her father’s cancer, Rachel had responded well enough to the chemotherapy and radiation that her cancer was in remission. She was finally allowed to go home. Tracie had not responded well to any of the chemotherapy or radiation treatments. The doctors had run out of ideas or treatments to try with her. She was also allowed to go home. Anne had grown so close to both girls and their mothers that they continued to communicate with each other after the girls had gone home. Anne sent the girls cards and small gifts. She called and wrote the mothers and tried to encourage and comfort them.
After Rachel went home, John showed up two more times. He and Anne went for coffee. Anne was surprised and pleased to see him again. She thought from the way he talked and held her hand that he might ask her to go out with him. Then he stopped coming. Anne thought of him often and wondered how he was doing, but she didn’t know how to contact him. She felt sad at losing his friendship. She really enjoyed talking to him.
During her Leave of Absence, Ann spent most of her time talking with her dad. They talked and worked on puzzles. Anne cooked meals for him and they ate together. They looked through old family photo albums. When Richard saw pictures of his wife April, his eyes sparkled with tears. She had died suddenly from a burst blood vessel in her brain. Richard was shattered, but he picked up the pieces and turned his energy and love into raising Anne. He had loved April so much that he had never dated or looked for love from another woman. He survived the loss, but he never stopped loving April.
As the weeks passed by, Richard began having more difficulty eating. The pain in his abdomen grew worse and worse. Finally, he was taken to the hospital again. Tests showed his colon was completely blocked by a tumor. They operated, removed a large section of his bowel, and connected a colostomy bag to relieve the colon pain. He hated having to use a colostomy bag, but Anne patiently worked with him. She kept it clean and helped him through the tough times. Gradually Anne took over more and more of his care. Since she was used to working with terminally ill people, she encouraged him to talk freely about his feelings. As he grew progressively weaker, they spent quiet hours together. Anne could see that he was rapidly running out of time, so they openly talked about death and dying.
“How are you feeling tonight, Dad?” Anne asked quietly.
“I’m tired, Anne, so very, very tired. I know I don’t have much longer to live. I am sorry that I won’t be here to help you and see you get married and have children, but I know you will be a wonderful wife and mother. I hope one day you will find someone as special as you to love and that you have children as wonderful as you have been to me. I am so very proud of you. You are everything I ever wanted in a daughter. You are so beautiful, just like April. I can see her sweetness and gentleness in you. She loved you so very much. I don’t want to leave you, but I have loved and missed your sweet mother for so many years. I believe when I die, I will go and be with her, and we will both be there waiting when your life is ending. I’m trying to keep going, but I long to be with her, too,” he whispered brokenly. He hugged her close; Anne kissed his cheek and forehead and cried with him.
“Daddy, I love you so much. You have been the best father anyone could ever have. You have been my strength, my dearest friend, my wise counselor, my joy, my everything. I hate the thought of not being able to see you or talk to you, but I hate seeing you go through all this pain. I know you have fought hard to stay here with me, but I want you to be with mom again. She’s waited a long time for you. Don’t fight to live for me, Daddy. When you are ready, go and be with Momma. I love you and I’ll see you later,” Anne said as she gave him one last kiss. Later that night, Anne sat by his bed, holding his hand and watching him sleep. He opened his eyes and smiled. She leaned over to hear his words.
“Goodnight, Anne, I’ll see you later,” he mumbled. His head dropped back on the pillow. Anne felt
his hand grow limp in hers. She touched his cheek, leaned over and kissed his forehead while tears flowed down her face and onto his chest. He was gone on his way into eternity.
