suffering from anemia.
That, plus the fever and you had stated he’s been sick a lot over the past few
months, all indicates to me a high chance of childhood leukemia.”
Becky openly sobbed now. So Lena
forged on knowing it wouldn’t get easier. “I’ve sent a request to have the peds
oncologist come up here and talk to you about this and what needs to happen from
here, but Becky. I think you need to call your husband.”
She nodded looking up at Lena
through glassy wet eyes. “Okay. Thank you Doctor O’Donnell.”
Lena shook her head, “Don’t thank
me for that news Becky,” she said and paused standing tall. “You thank me when
he’s well enough to go home and we’re victorious because we found it early, you
hear me?”
She nodded reaching for her cell
phone as Lena stepped back and walked to the door. Leaving the room and taking
a deep breath she gave Becky some privacy. Standing on the other side of the
closed door she looked up at the ceiling and asked softly, “Why are you so
greedy? Why, when they’re so young?”
When it was apparent there would be
no answer she pushed off the door and made her way back to her office.
Sitting down in her chair Lena
turned to face the window and stared out at the night sky. It was clear tonight
and she could see the stars from her office. They twinkled over the city like
little diamonds. Lena closed her eyes blocking out their brilliance. She often
thought to herself, what right do I have to even see such magnificence after
all that I’ve done? Today being no different, telling a mother her child
was going to have to fight for his little life for the next few years, and then
having that mother thank her? No, something was terribly wrong with that
picture. Not to mention how she felt about Carly. Why’d she get to go on, be
successful and live out life when she’d driven Carly to the end of hers? Memories, they weren’t your friends just cruel reminders of your past and what
you needed to make up for before you died. Jostling her out of her thoughts was
the phone. She turned back to her desk and picked it up.
“Dr O’Donnell.”
“Hello dear.” she heard her mother
say over the phone. Lena winced then picked up the post it notes again, for the
third time today, hoping to finally sort through them.
“Hi mom how are you?”
“We’re good love. How are you
doing?” she asked almost warily at the other end of the phone.
“I’m ok just had a really tough day
today but other than that I’m doing ok.”
“Lena honey,” her mother said and
paused, “Did you eat something healthy today?”
Lena thought back to what she ate
then smiled as she saw a telephone message from Shelly,
Memo:
We’re not done yet. Ext 531
“Ahh I had some tomato soup.”
“That’s it? In how many hours?”
Lena sighed deeply, her mother the
meddler. “In about 13 hours.”
“Magdalena O’Donnell please look
after yourself.”
Lena smiled and asked softly, “Is
that why you called? To grumble at me?”
“No I called to see if,”
“Yes I got the flowers.” she
answered quickly but instead of the heart piercing pain she expected to feel
she felt a niggle of warmth thinking of the delivery man. Pushing that aside
she noticed one yellow post it stuck to the bottom of a folder and pulled it
out.
“I didn’t go mom.” she answered
rubbing her eyes then closing them, “I just can’t bare to think of her in the
cold ground. Maybe, maybe in summer.”
She heard her mother sigh and then
say softly, “You’ve been saying that for the past nine summers my girl. You’ll
go when you’re ready I suppose.”
“And you’ll keep trying to find out
when that is.”
“Your father and I love you Lena.”
She swallowed back tears and
squeezed her eyes tight. “I know mom, I know.”
“Alright I’ll let you go. Please
eat something.”
“Will do.” she replied rocking
forward on her chair to place the phone back. Glancing down she opened her fist
to
That, plus the fever and you had stated he’s been sick a lot over the past few
months, all indicates to me a high chance of childhood leukemia.”
Becky openly sobbed now. So Lena
forged on knowing it wouldn’t get easier. “I’ve sent a request to have the peds
oncologist come up here and talk to you about this and what needs to happen from
here, but Becky. I think you need to call your husband.”
She nodded looking up at Lena
through glassy wet eyes. “Okay. Thank you Doctor O’Donnell.”
Lena shook her head, “Don’t thank
me for that news Becky,” she said and paused standing tall. “You thank me when
he’s well enough to go home and we’re victorious because we found it early, you
hear me?”
She nodded reaching for her cell
phone as Lena stepped back and walked to the door. Leaving the room and taking
a deep breath she gave Becky some privacy. Standing on the other side of the
closed door she looked up at the ceiling and asked softly, “Why are you so
greedy? Why, when they’re so young?”
When it was apparent there would be
no answer she pushed off the door and made her way back to her office.
Sitting down in her chair Lena
turned to face the window and stared out at the night sky. It was clear tonight
and she could see the stars from her office. They twinkled over the city like
little diamonds. Lena closed her eyes blocking out their brilliance. She often
thought to herself, what right do I have to even see such magnificence after
all that I’ve done? Today being no different, telling a mother her child
was going to have to fight for his little life for the next few years, and then
having that mother thank her? No, something was terribly wrong with that
picture. Not to mention how she felt about Carly. Why’d she get to go on, be
successful and live out life when she’d driven Carly to the end of hers? Memories, they weren’t your friends just cruel reminders of your past and what
you needed to make up for before you died. Jostling her out of her thoughts was
the phone. She turned back to her desk and picked it up.
“Dr O’Donnell.”
“Hello dear.” she heard her mother
say over the phone. Lena winced then picked up the post it notes again, for the
third time today, hoping to finally sort through them.
“Hi mom how are you?”
“We’re good love. How are you
doing?” she asked almost warily at the other end of the phone.
“I’m ok just had a really tough day
today but other than that I’m doing ok.”
“Lena honey,” her mother said and
paused, “Did you eat something healthy today?”
Lena thought back to what she ate
then smiled as she saw a telephone message from Shelly,
Memo:
We’re not done yet. Ext 531
“Ahh I had some tomato soup.”
“That’s it? In how many hours?”
Lena sighed deeply, her mother the
meddler. “In about 13 hours.”
“Magdalena O’Donnell please look
after yourself.”
Lena smiled and asked softly, “Is
that why you called? To grumble at me?”
“No I called to see if,”
“Yes I got the flowers.” she
answered quickly but instead of the heart piercing pain she expected to feel
she felt a niggle of warmth thinking of the delivery man. Pushing that aside
she noticed one yellow post it stuck to the bottom of a folder and pulled it
out.
“I didn’t go mom.” she answered
rubbing her eyes then closing them, “I just can’t bare to think of her in the
cold ground. Maybe, maybe in summer.”
She heard her mother sigh and then
say softly, “You’ve been saying that for the past nine summers my girl. You’ll
go when you’re ready I suppose.”
“And you’ll keep trying to find out
when that is.”
“Your father and I love you Lena.”
She swallowed back tears and
squeezed her eyes tight. “I know mom, I know.”
“Alright I’ll let you go. Please
eat something.”
“Will do.” she replied rocking
forward on her chair to place the phone back. Glancing down she opened her fist
to
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