Read Online Ask Adam by Jess Dee - Free Book Online Page A

erection.
     
    “Better?” she asked.
     
    “It will be. Thanks.” He passed the box back to her.
     
    “Look, Mr. Riley—”
     
    “Adam,” he corrected and repressed a smile. “After what we’ve shared, ‘mister’ sounds a little too formal, don’t you think?”
     
    “Look…Adam.” The color in her face deepened. “Regardless of what…we’ve shared, or of what just happened, I’m only here to discuss the sibling program. I’m honestly not interested in trading insults or arguing with you. Or making reference to…us. Can you handle that? Can we keep this meeting on a strictly professional basis? To be blunt, the project’s too important to me to waste my time with anything else.”
     
    This time he couldn’t hold back his smile. “Go ahead, Lexi. You have my full attention.”
     
    For a moment she just stared at him, then she blinked and shook her head. “As I said, the initial letter I sent outlines the basics of the project. This proposal is more detailed.” She pushed a folder to him. “Anything we don’t cover today is mentioned in there. The project will be based at POWS, even though it’s not aimed at the patients. Its primary purpose is to provide support to siblings of children with cancer.”
     
    Adam settled back in his seat. Despite his headache, she had his full attention and he knew she could see it. Her tone warmed to her subject.
     
    “The siblings are the forgotten victims in the fight against cancer. All focus is put on the sick child, which is understandable. The problem is, the brothers and sisters also experience anxiety and distress, and their needs are often overlooked by parents and caregivers in the struggle to treat the patient.”
     
    Adam nodded. The trend wasn’t foreign to him—he knew more than any person should need to about childhood cancer.
     
    Lexi continued. “These kids have to adapt to so many new things so quickly, the experience can be overwhelming. Their once healthy siblings are sick. How are they supposed to cope? Apart from the obvious worry about the sibling, they may also experience associated guilt, guilt that they’re healthy and the sibling’s not. Or there’s the fear that they could get sick too. They have no control of the situation. They’ve learned the hard way that no one’s invincible.”
     
    “It’s a traumatic lesson,” Adam agreed.
     
    “And there’s so much more,” Lexi said, her voice filled with passion. “They need to learn new patterns of relating to other family members. All the family dynamics change. For example, parents may focus more on the sick child, neglecting the healthy sibling. Or that sibling may suddenly find him or herself looking after younger siblings, or doing the housework, or performing other roles formerly done by the parents.”
     
    She paused and took another sip of coffee. Her eyes settled on his face. “How’s your head?”
     
    He nodded, surprised. “A little better, actually.”
     
    “Good.” She smiled and got straight back to business. “These kids have no outlet for their new emotions and anxieties. Their parents are involved with the sibling. The sibling is often too ill to speak to, and their friends can’t comprehend what they’re going through. Where do they turn? Whom do they talk to?”
     
    “There are counselors at the hospital, social workers and psychologists like yourself. Surely it’s your role to speak to these children.”
     
    Lexi nodded. “It is and we do. Most times, however, intervention is aimed at the parents and the sick child. Don’t get me wrong, plenty of siblings receive counseling or are referred to appropriate support groups, and they do well. It’s the ones who slip through the cracks who suffer. Our project targets all the siblings, not just those lucky enough to have already been reached by the system.”
     
    “So what is it exactly you plan to do? Why do you think you can reach these children when others before you