‘Should we call Dr Curtis?’ Naomi whispered hesitantly, not looking at either of the men.
Fifteen minutes later she rang. He came immediately.
‘May I have a moment alone with my patient?’
He closed the door firmly behind him.
It felt like an eternity before he reappeared and beckoned them in. Three pairs of eyes flew to the bed.
Adam now lay semi-recumbent, the sheet over him hardly moving as he breathed. His hair was newly brushed, the saliva that had previously speckled his chin had been carefully wiped away. The faint sweet scent of baby cleansing wipes hung around the bed. A neat pile of washed medicine glasses stood on the bedside cabinet, back in their usual place.
‘Naomi, would you like to sit at this side, facing Adam?’ Dr Curtis said quietly, gesturing to his right.
She moved like a robot. A gesture sent Joel to the seat close beside her.
Dr Curtis stood on the other side, watching his patient for a long moment before beckoning to Brendan. The two professionals withdrew without a word, leaving only the light sound of air gasping in the silence.
Naomi felt her own breathing synchronising with Adam’s, shallow and hesitant. The long pauses made her light-headed. Her will-power alone seemed to drive each new intake of air.
Dr Curtis slipped in and out of the room twice, each time pausing to check pulse and respirations, to touch Naomi lightly on the shoulder and nod slightly to Joel. Saying nothing. On his third visit, he took longer checking, double checking. Waiting.
When he eventually spoke, the words sounded fragmented.
‘He’s gone. Peacefully. As he would have wished.’
There was only silence. No laboured breathing. No challenges.
Naomi stared at the still face, smooth now, free from the exertion of living.
She felt Joel’s arm around her shoulders and reached up to cover his hand with her own. It was he who steered her out of the room while Dr Curtis and Brendan did what needed to be done. But he shook his head when she made to take him back into the room.
‘This is your time.’
She heard the break in his voice and walked in alone. Joel closed the door quietly behind her.
The silence was unnerving. Naomi found herself glancing nervously around, fearful of what she might see. Dr Curtis’s confidence… how could he have been so sure this time – unless he had…? The neatly stacked medicine glasses reproached her. It was the doctor who had tidied away the rest of the evidence; he would not have been careless with his own.
Adam lay on his back now, the clean sheet smooth over his still frame. For a long moment she stood unmoving beside him. Slowly, slowly, slowly she stooped until her lips touched his skin. There was no hurry for this farewell.
By the time she eventually emerged, Dr Curtis had completed the paperwork. It was written in his usual bold, perfectly legible hand. Date of death: 16 September 2008. Time of death: 09.45 hours. Cause of death: Respiratory complications secondary to Motor Neurone Disease. Signature of certifying officer: Hugo McHendrick Curtis, MB ChB FRCGP.
Naomi could only marvel at the compassion of this busy man, who could sit with them for another hour, talking quietly, reminiscing, grieving with them.
‘Dying with dignity, it’s something inherently within the domain of the patient. And over this last couple of years Adam died with a dignity we don’t often see.’
‘I’d have opted out long before this,’ Joel muttered fiercely.
‘He’s taught me such a lot,’ Dr Curtis went on as if there had been no interruption. ‘I’ve had the enormous privilege of reading his book. I haven’t seen the newspaper article about his lived experience, but I suspect it too, will go a long way towards changing attitudes. Our laws will change eventually. You can’t base laws on individual cases but there can be nothing as powerful as the patient’s own story, what it’s like from the inside. That’s Adam’s legacy.’
The words settled around them like a benediction.
For more information
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this book, or related subjects, you may be interested in the author’s website. It provides discussion questions and notes for reading groups; more information about the author, her books and the ethical topics covered in them; links to websites relating to the laws on medical ethics and the issues in the books, and much more.
www.hazelmchaffie.com
Contents
Author Biography/Praise for Hazel McHaffie
Title Page
Copyright Page
Acknowledgements
Dedication
2006
2007-1
2007-2
2007-3
2008-1
2008-2
2008-3
More Information
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