“All right. I’m glad you’re going to see about it. Don’t need you sick.”
“Let’s not talk about it any more. You know how I hate going to the doctor.” She used her fork to toy with her food while staring down at it.
After dinner, they went to the living room to catch the evening news and look over the schedule of movies on TV. Angelo sat back in his overstuffed recliner paging through a magazine, while Britney tried to concentrate on the news. The pain had come back and was lasting longer than it had the other times she had to put up with it. Sitting on the sofa, she rocked back and forth in an attempt to relieve the sharp, stabbing pain below her ribs. This time it scared her more than the others.
She rose from the sofa without saying a word to her husband and walked out of the room.
Out in the foyer, she made her way to the stairs holding her hand tightly to her midsection. When she reached the top of the stairs, she stood for several moments before going on. She remembered the pain meds in the medicine cabinet that Angelo took last year for a sprained ankle.
Ready to take anything to stop the pain, she downed one of the capsules with a glass of water. Hope this works fast.
Standing over the bathroom sink, she glanced into the mirror to a pale drawn face.
“Yes, you look bad.”
She turned around, to the voice of the Captain. He had not materialized, but he could be heard clearly. “I wish you wouldn’t creep up on me this way,” she told him. “I never know when you’re around if I can’t see you.”
“I will leave you be until I can materialize again.”
She circled the room with her eyes. “Thank you.”
Britney needed to concentrate on getting her office in order, and not let the pain alter her plans. It took a few minutes before she felt the results of the capsule, but at last she began to feel better.
Looking to finish up by Monday morning, she spent the rest of the weekend in her office putting everything in place and making notes of supplies she still needed to buy.
***
A cup of her morning brew in hand, Britney stood at the open doors to the terrace to breathe in the fresh morning air. The sound of seagulls over the waters could be heard as though they were right overhead. If only she didn’t have to interrupt her Monday morning with the doctor visit, she could get more done in her office. But she had to do something to stop these episodes of pain. A new doctor made her anxious.
Angelo came up to her and kissed her on the cheek. “Gotta go, Hon. I’ll call you later to see what the doctor had to say.” He gave a quick glance out at the sky. “Gonna be a nice day. Hope it brings out a lot of car buyers.”
The doctor’s office was about twenty minutes away. Britney left the house at eight-thirty to get there a little early in case they wanted her to fill out forms. She’d forgotten how thick traffic could be on the way to town in the morning and got there five minutes before her appointment.
Because this doctor had taken over the practice for old Doc Taylor, her files were still in the computer, and all she had to do was update them. She was ushered into an exam room where she sat on the table… waiting.
A tall man with thinning dark hair, somewhere in his late forties or early fifties walked in the room with a smile on his face. “Mrs. Castillo,” he looked down at her file. “Britney. I’m Doctor Braun. As you know, I’ve taken over for Dr. Taylor. The nurse has informed me you are having some pain on your right side. Tell me what it feels like and how bad it is, on a scale of one to ten.”
She looked into his deep brown eyes with hope. She touched the part of her stomach where the pain was occurring. “Right here, and sometimes it’s brutal. I’m thinking it’s from all the lifting, and moving furniture when we moved here recently.”
“All right, let’s take a look.” He put his stethoscope in his ears to start the exam.
After the routine of vitals, he had her lie down and began to press on the area in question. She winced every time he put even the slightest pressure there.
He had to sit up. “We’re going to need some tests and X-rays. I want you to go to the health center for an MRI. It will take about a week for the results. After, I’ll need to see you here. You can make an appointment today before you leave.” He sat at the desk next to the exam table and wrote out a prescription. He handed it to her. “This will help with the pain, but if things get too bad, I want you to go to the emergency room at the hospital.”
The visit to the doctor wasn’t exactly what she’d hoped for. Now tests, X-rays, and who knows what will come out of it all? What if there’s really something wrong with me, she thought as she walked out into the fresh morning air. Just my luck, to have something more than a simple muscle ache. She wanted desperately to put this out of her mind.
Disappointed, she drove home trying to concentrate on her first day of work in her nice new home office.
Chapter Six
Her scheduled MRI the next day took so long, she began to sweat anxiously inside the enclosed tube. The voice from the audio speakers didn’t help much even though the man had a soft, comforting tone.
Finally the imaging was over, and she quickly rose from the bed once they rolled her back out. “I hope I don’t have to do this anytime too soon again,” she commented. “Will the results be sent right over to my doctor? He wants to see me on Thursday for the outcome.”
The male nurse looked at his clipboard. “Yes, it will be there by Thursday, so don’t worry.”
“That’s pretty quick with this being Tuesday. I was surprised how fast they got me in here.”
“Your doctor ordered it . . . top priority. We don’t mess around when they tell us they want it right now.”
She walked out of the clinic with thoughts swirling around in her head like a thunderstorm. “Top priority?” she said softly as she got into her car. Don’t like the sound of that.
With an impossible wait of two days, she had to escape from the idea something bad was going on here. But what could it possibly be?
Fearful thoughts filled her mind on the drive home. She didn’t pay attention to her driving and almost took the wrong road home.
Entering the front door, she was faced with none other than the Captain. He stood in the foyer as though he’d been waiting for her. “How did it go?” he asked.
Britney threw her purse down on the small hall table near the door and turned to him. “You mean you know about the MRI?”
“Of course, I know. I’m concerned about you.”
She started down the hall to the kitchen, with him at her heels. “I won’t know anything until Thursday when I see the doctor again.” She shuffled past the counter and went right to the refrigerator. “I need something cold to drink.”
She took a bottle of orange juice to the table then went for a glass from the cupboard over the sink. Leo stood there watching her. She turned to him. “Don’t you have something better to do than stare at me all day?”
This brought a hardy laugh bellowing out from the deep mid-section of the Captain.
“What’s so funny?” she asked.
“You! What do you think ghosts do all day? We spend our time looking in on those we’re interested in.”
“I don’t know; I’ve never been a ghost.”
She poured her juice and sat at the table in silence, refusing to encourage him to stay longer.
His tall image began to fade and soon he was gone. She took a deep breath, relieved he was gone. She needed time to think of how to talk this over with Angelo, without sounding like it was the end of the world. Not really knowing what the problem was until she would see the doctor for the results, she felt she would only be causing fear for nothing.
Her work would take up her time until the appointment on Thursday. Yet, she still had the feeling something was truly wrong and couldn’t seem to get it out of her head. Angelo was no help; he only blew it off as strained muscles. “It’s the lifting during the move. I told you not to, but you wouldn’t lis
ten.” She hated it when he passed her deep concerns off like they were nothing.
With plenty of work from the home office, the day moved along faster than she’d expected. She became so absorbed in it she didn’t shut down in time to fix dinner. When the front door opened she heard her husband call out to her. “I’m home!”
Angelo walked into the room as she closed the file she’d been working on. “What’s for dinner?” he asked as he came up to her to kiss her on the cheek.
“How about a pizza? I can order it right now, and by the time you take a shower, it’ll be here.” She rose from her chair to face him with a smile.
“Yeah, pizza sounds good. I guess you worked overtime today.”
“Pepperoni?”
“Yes, the usual.”
After he left, she heard the baritone voice of her friendly ghost. “Why don’t you order some chicken or something healthier than dough with fatty meat on it?”
She turned to face him. “Now what? You’re going to start telling me what to eat?”
“Just looking out for you, that’s all.”
“Well never mind, I can look out for myself, thank you.”
She rushed passed him with a word of advice, “I think it’s best for you to go back in the mirror. I’m not sure Angelo would understand this, and I’m not up to explaining it to him.”
“Huh! He can’t see or hear me, so don’t worry about it. But I’ll leave you to enjoy your unhealthy meal with your husband.” Just as fast as he appeared, he disappeared. She breathed a sigh of relief.
For the evening and the next day, the captain stayed away leaving Britney to concentrate on her work. Even when she poked her nose into the spare bedroom to look at the mirror, she wondered what he did in there all the time? She visualized another place filled with sunshine and flowers. Heaven, maybe? What a stupid thought.
***
Early Thursday morning, Britney went about making coffee in the kitchen, her mind cluttered with worry over the pending appointment with the doctor. Angelo came up to her and kissed her on the cheek. “What time will you be going to the doctor? I want you to call me as soon as you get the word from him about your MRI. I know you’ve been worried about it.”
“I see him at ten. I’ll call you as soon as I can.” Her hand shook as she set the cups on the counter near the coffee maker. “I’m a little concerned because of Dr. Braun’s sent me for an MRI so quickly. He certainly didn’t waste any time.”
“Actually, I thought the same thing. Doctors don’t often rush things unless they feel there is something bad going on.” He picked up one of the cups to pour the coffee. He handed it to her then poured the second cup. “Be sure to call me when you know what the deal is.” He took his cup to the table and sat.
“Let’s not jump to conclusions. It may be nothing more than a pulled muscle.” She stood at the counter with her cup up to her lips, her eyes focused on her worried husband.
***
“There is a tumor, and it may be malignant.”
Her heart stopped for a moment before giving a great thump against her chest.
“We need a biopsy. I’m sending you to the hospital this morning to get it done. Once we have the full results back from the lab, we can make decisions. I should know in a few days.”
This was not something she wanted to hear, and it knocked her off for a loop. What would she do if this is it . . . a death sentence if it had gone too far? Her stomach came up to her throat. She felt sick, but managed to swallow it down. “I’m not going to tell my husband until we know for sure. I don’t want you to say anything to him either,” she told him.
She walked out of the office, struggling to comprehend the possibility she might have cancer. The drive to the hospital, kept her on pins and needles.
The nurse at the desk ushered her to a back room equipped with an exam table and surgical instruments on a table stand next to it. The nurse handed her a gown. “Get undressed and put this on. The technician will be in shortly. This won’t take long.”
The nurse was right. It was over in no time, other than a little discomfort from the area where the needle went in. Britney was released without knowing anything more than she had when she’d walked in. That would come when she went back to the doctor the following day. He had put a rush on it.
Her stomach rolled from frustration as she drove home.
Overwhelmed with worry she hurried to her bedroom to change. Out of the corner of her eye she saw some movement. When she turned around she saw Leopold staring at her. Half undressed; she grabbed her robe from the bed and held it up against her. “How dare you look at me in my private moments?” Through her tear filled eyes, she saw him step aside, but he didn’t leave.
“It looks like you had bad news. What is it? You’re crying.”
“Bad news . . . yes, I went for my tests results and the doctor said there’s a tumor. I’m scared.”
Leopold moved closer to her, stroking his beard. His eyes darkened. “I’m sorry to hear this. You think this is cancer, don’t you?”
“It’s what I’m afraid of.”
“Well if it is, you’ll want to be cured. I mean really cured. If so you must come with me into the mirror.”
“Don’t be silly, I can’t just walk into a mirror.”
“Yes you can. All you have to do is hold my hand.”
“I find this a little hard to believe.”
“You will never know unless you come with me. The mirror won’t hurt you and there’s help inside.”
“Please leave me alone. I have a lot to think about, especially what to tell Angelo.”
“You will need to be honest with him, once you know if it is cancer. And even now, it would be best to tell him what the doctor said.”
She sat on the bed chewing at her fingernails as she tried to give this idea some serious thought. One thing was for sure, she didn’t want the long agonizing treatments, loss of hair, sick all the time and then . . .
“I understand, but you need to come to grips with this, and open up to your husband. He has a right to know even if you don’t have the finale diagnosis.” Leo turned around. “I will come back later after you’ve had time to think this through.” He then faded away.
She was sure the captain was right, but her gut feeling to wait held her back.
The suspense was the worst part. It seemed like tomorrow would never come. Concentrate on today, she thought as she slipped into a pair of jeans. She knew the Captain was right. She had to tell Angelo the truth. Hiding it from him could only cause problems.
She sat on the edge of the bed, her hands up over her face as she contemplated what to say to her husband. Come right out with it, no holds allowed, or, a more gentle approach?
Trying to accomplish a little work on the computer ended up being a total disaster. When she heard Angelo call out, “I’m home,” she looked at her watch to discover the whole afternoon had gone by without her realizing it.
“When did you get home? I waited for you to call.” Angelo stood in the doorway staring at her with a frown on his forehead. “What’s the deal?”
Britney rose from the chair and faced him. “Dr. Braun sent me to the hospital for a biopsy. I’ll find out the results tomorrow.”
“Usually those tests don’t come back for a week or more. He must be anxious to know what this is. How do you feel about it?” He came close and put his arms around her. Staring into her eyes, he waited for her answer.
“You want the truth?”
“Yes, the truth.”
“I’m scared to death.” She buried her head in his chest.
He held her close, his right hand rubbing her back to comfort her. “I’m going with you tomorrow. I want to hear first hand what the doctor has to say. I’ll call the dealership in the morning to let them know I won’t be in.”
Just the thought of him being at her side when she’d get the news made her feel better, wanted, loved. “Yes, Angelo, I want you to come with me.”
&n
bsp; Chapter Seven
Her appointment was at nine. She’d been up almost the entire night, but didn’t feel tired.
“I’ll make the coffee,” Angelo told her while at the sink filling the pot with water. “Didn’t sleep much, huh?”
“No. I think I dozed off for a few minutes, but I don’t call that sleep,” Britney said. She sat at the table in her robe, her legs crossed, her arms folded across her chest. “If you want something for breakfast, I’ll make it for you, but I can’t eat.”
“You just sit there, I’ll make toast and have a glass of orange juice.”
Of all the mornings for the doctor to be so busy, it had had to be this one. Britney sat with her nervous husband in the waiting room for more than an hour before she was asked by the nurse to come back. The fear of what she might hear overwhelmed her to the point of nausea. Please don’t let it be cancer. Even her hands felt clammy.
She led them to an exam room and closed the door. “The reports for the doctor are in your file.” She placed the manila folder in the slot on the door. “He’s running a little behind, but he’ll be with you shortly.” She glanced once again at Britney, a slight grin instead of a smile on her face, then walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.
When the door opened and Dr. Braun walked in, Britney’s heart jumped then resumed with a faster beat as her hands began to shake. The pounding drum in her chest felt like it came up to her throat, causing her to swallow hard.
The doctor sat on the rolling stool and faced the two of them squarely. He opened the folder in his hands and gazed down at it. “The results show the tumor is malignant, fourth stage.” He sat back to pause, letting the news sink in a little. “We can try chemotherapy, but it may only give you a little more time.”
Angelo put his hands together, squeezing until his knuckles turned white. “Are you saying there is no cure?”
Mirror Mirror Page 4
