Dr. Ralston stood, reached over his desk to shake hands with a visibly upset man.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “Thanks for seeing us.” The concern in his face touched the hospital director.
As soon as the door of his office closed, Dr. Ralston reached for his phone.
CHAPTER SIX
“I’ve told Lynette that I’m not going to dwell on her past, that the present and her future are what we’ll focus our attention on, that together we’ll seek a path to good health. I must tell you, Dr. Ralston, she was impressed that I would take her mother’s abuse toward me. In fact, she said, ‘You cared about me!’ ”
“To me, that sounds like progress. Anything else?” he asked.
“I told her I will weigh her only once a week and she will have the responsibility of charting her own weight.”
“Good. Any other plans?”
“I’d like to take her for walks around the campus, and I’d like to involve her in ‘horse therapy.’ I believe having some contact with animals who need her may help.”
The doctor agreed. He was certain that clinical trials of the Nurse-Authority of Patient Treatment Modalities, or NAPTHM, as it was called, had proved to be successful in many instances of anorexia. He was hopeful for success in this particular case.
This meeting he had set up with Dina was mainly to assess how she was holding up after the attack she had endured from the patient’s angry mother.
Dina assured him that she was not upset by the mother’s attack, which she had expected. Then she added, “I believe Lynette is beginning to see me as an ally!”
“That’s good. I intend to schedule a team meeting soon with the psychiatrist, social worker, dietician, and other members so we can enhance our treatment plan.”
“That will be fine. I know I need some help in trying to help the patient learn how to deal with her mother. She is extremely overbearing. And her daughter feels helpless.”
“I understand that is most likely the crux of the matter. But you are not to concern yourself with her parents’ attitudes or threats of legal action. I have already alerted our lawyers and they will deal with any legal issues that may arise.”
His desk phone rang at that moment and Dina rose, excused herself, and left, but not before she heard, “Yes, Justin! Good to hear your voice! Are you all set for our autograph party?”
Justin Longacre was the owner of the Boston Anchors. For several years he had been sending some of the football players to Waverly Estates to autograph memorabilia.
The public was invited to attend. For a fifteen-dollar fee per autograph, players signed pictures, footballs, team jerseys, or other memorabilia. The funds received were donated to the Commonwealth’s Hospital for Sick Children.
“I really hope that we can raise more money than we did last year,” the owner said.
“Well, we will do all we can to publicize the event, you can count on that,” Sumner Ralston said. “You do know that we welcome the attention our hospital receives.”
“I know, it’s good for each of us. I’m sending five team members, our quarterback, wide receiver, two linebackers, and a kicker who is very popular.”
“That’s great! Fifteen dollars per autograph, like last year?”
“Right. The hospital is so grateful for the funds,” Justin Longacre said.
“For our part it’s important that our facility is seen as a caring, nurturing organization. And I for one thank you for participating in this worthy cause. Now, about the date?”
“Three weeks from today is good for me.”
“Perfect. That will be Monday, the eighteenth. Thanks again, Justin.”
* * *
When Dina learned about the autograph session with the football players, she decided to take Lynette to the event. Isolation was not helpful for this patient. Dina approached Lynette with her idea.
They went outside to a gazebo that both enhanced the grounds and provided sanctuary for those who needed it. The white, wooden, octagonal structure contained summer furniture.
Dina led the way to a colorfully decorated swing glider. “Let’s sit here, swing our feet, and relax. We can stay out here as long as you want. It’s really nice, don’t you think?”
The ensuing silence was palpable, but Dina remained silent, wanting the teenager to be the one to break the silence.
The rhythmic movement of the glider seemed to lessen the girl’s anxiety. After about fifteen minutes, Dina heard a long drawn out sigh and a word slipped out. “Thanks.”
“Lynette, you know I’m not your enemy. My reason for becoming a nurse was to be an advocate for my patients. I am hoping that this hospitalization will be a learning experience for you.”
“What do you mean, learning?”
“Well, when you leave here you should know more than ever before about yourself and how you react to the world around you.”
“How is that going to happen?”
“Through talking, you and me.”
“Okay…I guess.”
“To start with, I want you to know just how special you are. There is no one on earth just like you. You are not a carbon copy of your father or mother. Of course, you do have genes from each parent, as well as from your grandparents and other ancestors too numerous almost to count. All have contributed to the making of you, Lynette James. Can’t you see how special you are?”
Wide-eyed, Lynette stared at Dina, who continued to speak, hoping her words would have a positive effect on the girl.
Not wishing to overwhelm Lynette, and also to give her time to process these new ideas, Dina changed the subject.
“You know, Lynette, I like that t-shirt you’re wearing.”
“My dad gave it to me. I…we went to one of the Anchors’ games. My dad loves the team.” She ran her fingers down the front of the shirt over the black printed anchor.
“Some of the team will be here in a few weeks,” Dina told her.
“Here? At the hospital?” Lynette’s eyes widened at the news.
“Here, at the hospital. They come to sign autographs. Hey, maybe you can get one of them to sign your shirt!”
“Wow! I can’t believe it!”
“Believe it. They do it for charity, the Commonwealth’s Hospital for Sick Children. You might want to have something else autographed for your dad. A football, maybe. It costs fifteen dollars per item, but it’s for a good cause.”
Lynette looked down at her shirt. “I’ll have to wash this.”
“Not to worry, that’s no problem. You do want to go, then?”
For once the response was a normal one.
“Are you kidding me? A chance to see the mighty Anchors up close! Wow!”
“Lynette,” Dina said, “you know life is a two way street….”
“What do you mean, two-way street?”
“Since I’m making it possible for you to go to the autograph signing, will you start eating in the dining room? It would be easier on the food servers, you know, not to have to continue food delivery. Think you can do this?”
Lynette shrugged her shoulders. “No problem.”
* * *
As the role-playing continued, Lynette’s face turned brick red as she confronted Dina. Hostility and anger had so transformed her face that Dina almost didn’t recognize her. She had become someone else. Dina steeled herself against the onslaught of angry words.
“Listen, young woman, I’ve had it with you! This not eating nonsense is going to stop, and I mean stop now! Do you understand? Well, answer me. Well, do you?”
“Yes, Mother, I understand what you are saying,” Dina said, “but I do not have to do what you say. You are my mother and I respect you. And I love you because you gave me life, but I do not like you at all.”
Dina kept her words low and measured as she assumed Lynette’s role.
Continuing in the role of her mother, Lynette’s face remained florid, her eyes black with fury as she continued to rage.
“You’re supposed
to love me. I am your mother! What do you mean, don’t like me?”
“You don’t let me like you. Not like Dad does. He, he lets me be me! He doesn’t rant and rave at me like you do! He accepts me for me,” Dina said. “And you know what, Mother….”
“What?”
“The battle lines have been drawn between us, but I’m going to be who I am. Not what you want. I’m going to win! Just watch me!”
Standing ramrod-like, her face stiff with molten anger, Lynette faced Dina, who had been sitting at the desk.
Mute, still staring at her nurse, Lynette turned and ran into the bathroom.
Dina heard the shower. She slumped back into her seat. Had a breakthrough occurred?
It had been proposed at the team meeting that Dina try a role-playing session to help Lynette learn how to assert herself and learn the skills that would help her. Maybe this form of treatment would work.
CHAPTER SEVEN
The Anchors’ autographing party was held in the recreation room located on the first floor of the physical therapy building.
By seven that evening the parking lot was nearly full. Hospitalized children mingled with parents and visitors, mainly teenagers. Dr. Ralston always felt it was therapeutic for patients to experience a normal atmosphere.
More than anything, Dina wanted Lynette to return as quickly as possible to the normal life of a happy teenager. Tonight she was pleased to see eager brightness on the girl’s face.
As Dina directed Lynette to the first of six tables, she was stunned at the sight of the most handsome man she had ever seen. Although seated behind the table, his upper body suggested that he could be well over six feet tall.
His hair was glossy black, of a somewhat coarse texture, now cut close to his head. His skin coloring was a ruddy brown, and his dark eyes were focused on the autograph-seeker whose football he was signing.
Observing this interaction between the two gave Dina a feeling that she might like to know this football player.
She nudged Lynette nearer his table, sensing that he was enjoying the task at hand. Lynette handed a football and the blue-and-white t-shirt over to Drew.
“Please sign the football to my dad, Mansfield James, and my t-shirt to me, Lynette James.”
“My pleasure, Ms. James.” Drew smiled at her. “Here you are,” he said as he signed the items with broad strokes of a pen. Then he noticed Dina standing beside Lynette. His eyes widened; he stared at her.
“It’s you! It’s you!”
He rose from his seat, reaching for her hand.
Stunned, placing her hand on her chest, Dina backed away.
“Me?” She looked around. “Me?” she repeated. “I don’t think we’ve ever met.”
“No, of course we haven’t. But I saw you in the stands…think it could have been one of the last games we played at Harbor Stadium. I tossed the winning football to a kid, a redhead as I remember. You were sitting next to him. I saw him grab the ball, hold it close to his chest, grinning away. And I saw you give him a high five. I knew, just knew that I had to meet you. And here you are!”
He thrust his hand forward. “Drew Tyler.”
She shook his hand. “I’m Claudine Raines. I’m on the staff here. Lynette is my patient.”
“I…I know we can’t talk now,” he said, noticing the people around his table, “but here’s my card. Call me,” he begged. “Please.”
As Dina and Lynette walked away from Drew’s desk, Lynette whispered to Dina, “He’s very nice, isn’t he?”
“Seems to be. How about going to the cafeteria? I could do with a dish of ice cream.”
“Okay, but I’ll have jello, no fattening ice cream.”
Dina smiled at her patient.
“As you always say, whatever.”
Lynette giggled. “Not anymore.”
They walked through the tunnel to the building that housed the cafeteria. Many others had already congregated there, tote bags filled with autographed footballs, caps, jerseys, souvenir flags, and banners. They picked up their desserts, Dina paying, saying, “My treat,” and found an empty table for two.
“God, I need this.” Dina dug into her strawberry sundae. “Um-m good! How’s your jello?”
“Perfect!”
“You know, Lynette, I’m proud of the progress you’ve made. Another week or two and I think you’ll be ready for a weekend at home.”
“Don’t you think I need more role-playing sessions?”
“Not really. But if you feel that you do need more, we can do that.” She continued eating her ice cream. “I do have another therapy treatment I’d like to start. Do you like horses?”
“Horses! I love them!”
“Great. A friend of mine has a stable not far from here. She’s always looking for help.”
“I can help. I love to be around horses. I think they’re wonderful.”
“I believe they’ll like you, too, Lynette.”
“Dina.” Lynette’s voice and the sober expression on her face alerted her. Dina held her spoon in mid-air as she listened.
“Mother would never let me have a pet. No dog or cat. No bird. Not even a hamster. ‘Animals are dirty! You might catch a disease,’ ” she sneered, imitating her mother.
“Many mothers worry,” Dina told her. “It’s a natural—”
“But having a baby doesn’t mean you have to control it.”
“You have to take back your control of your life,” Dina told her as she scraped the last bit of ice cream from the glass dish. “And,” she added as she put her spoon down, “I aim to help you do just that.”
* * *
Dina returned later that evening to her one-bedroom apartment about two miles from the hospital.
She had given her report to the night nurse, telling her about the autograph party and Lynette’s enthusiastic response. They had reviewed the care plan for Lynette, Dina informing her colleague about the upcoming horse therapy.
Nora Callan, the night nurse, was a fifty-five-year-old mother who had raised four children. They all led successful lives and she, as a no-nonsense mother, utilized her child-rearing skills in dealing with her young patients.
She believed in tough love, and even the most recalcitrant teenagers recognized that her toughness meant that she cared.
“You do know, Dina, that Lynette thinks you’re the best thing since sliced bread. Told me all about the angry vitriol you took from her mother…said she realized then that you were on her side.”
“I couldn’t let her mother do harm to Lynette by taking her home too soon, before the girl had a chance…to know how to cope.”
“I think the treatment plan is going well,” Nora said, tapping her pen on the patient’s chart. “Having her involved by monitoring her own weight keeps her feeling like she’s a vital part of the team.”
“Nora, if she does well the next few weeks, I may suggest a weekend at home.”
“Just be sure, girl, that she knows how to face her mother.”
“Oh, Nora, I plan to do just that. A few more role playing sessions and she’ll be ready. She’s really a smart girl.”
* * *
Dina loved her apartment. It was ten minutes from Waverly Estates and she knew she was lucky to have found it.
Clearwater Pond Condominiums was brand new. Her first floor apartment gave her delightful views of the pond and its inhabitants. She enjoyed walking to the pond, sometimes just sitting on one of the benches provided for relaxation.
As she drove her Toyota RAV4 into her designated parking spot, her thoughts turned to the handsome football player she had met that evening. She had been impressed by him, especially his persistence in wanting to see her again. She knew that with her plans to get her Ph.D., though, she had no time for dating.
Entering her apartment, she threw her blazer down on her living room couch and headed for her kitchen. She turned on the burner under the tea kettle, always filled, ready for tea making. There was nothing like a cup of hot tea when
one needed to think.
She needed to think about the handsome football player who had sparked in her an immediate reaction she’d never experienced. Though drawn to him, she knew that with her heavy duties, responsibility to her patients, as well as her mission to get a Ph.D., this was no time to deviate from the path. But what about her future? Was marriage in her future? Her parents had been sublimely happy. Could that be in her future? Could it be with a man like Drew Tyler, a man she had not known a few hours ago?
Sipping her tea, the warm cup clutched in her hands, she continued to wonder. Was her future her doctorate and a rewarding, fulfilling life career in nursing, or…?
Sitting, her legs tucked underneath, she mulled her situation over in her mind.
Suddenly she spied a white card, almost under the front edge of the sofa. Evidently it had fallen out of her blazer when she tossed it on the sofa. It was Drew’s card. As she read it she recalled his words, “We don’t have much time right now, but call me, soon? Please, call me!”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Drew was very disappointed. It had been several weeks since he had met Dina at the autographing session, and there had been no response from her. Surely she had understood his desire to see her again. He began to wonder what his options were.
Should he go to the hospital to see her? They probably wouldn’t allow that…privacy acts and all that. He could not forget her. He had to do something!
* * *
“Lynette, I’ve called my friend Eleanor Burgess who owns Liberty Stables and I’ve checked. She says she’d be happy to have an extra hand. Are you up to that? It’s whatever you want to do. I’m not forcing you.”
Lynette’s face exploded with a wide grin and excited eyes as she answered with her favorite expression.
“Are you kidding me! To be with real live animals I’d do anything! Muck out their stalls, feed them, groom them, walk them. Oh, Dina, I can’t wait! When are we going? Today?”
Her face was wreathed in smiles, eyes bright. Impulsively she hugged her mentor. “Dina, you’re so good to me! And for me!”
A First Class Act Page 3
