Read Online Snow on the Bayou: A Tante Lulu Adventure by Sandra Hill - Free Book Online
Authors: Sandra Hill
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appeared casual—legs extended and crossed at the ankles to accommodate the brace under the denim of one knee—as he sat in front of Dr. Evan Posniak’s desk at the Ochsner Cancer Center in New Orleans, but he was far from calm.
To give him credit, the busy oncologist, who was part of the team treating his grandmother, had spent more than a half hour with him so far. Showing him x-rays and MRIs. Telling him what courses of treatment had been tried so far, what further treatments his grandmother refused to pursue, her prognosis in everything except time.
The doctor combed his fingers through his thick white hair, disarmed by Cage’s blunt question, then looked Cage directly in the eye. “Six months to a year from the time of diagnosis, that’s what the textbooks tell us.”
He’d thought he was prepared for bad news, but Cage felt as if he’d been sucker punched by a lethal g-force, his heart racing like a Thoroughbred thundering to the Preakness finish line. When SEALs went up in jets on tight maneuvers, they were taught to suck in their abdominal muscles in a procedure called “hooking” to fight the gravitational pull, or g-force. He’d forgotten to hook today, and the terminality of his grandmother’s disease was just such an assault on his mind and body.
“No offense, but wouldn’t it be smart for my grandmother to get a second opinion? Cancer Treatment Centers of America? Mayo Clinic? Johns Hopkins? Sloan-Kettering. Whatever? Maybe there are trial drugs, or something. Even outside the country. I don’t know. Damn, damn, damn!” He put his face in his hands, then looked up. “I feel so helpless doing nothing.”
“Your reaction isn’t unusual, Justin, and I’m not offended by your suggestion. You should know, though, that Ochsner’s reputation is outstanding, and I’ve been a practicing oncologist for more than forty years. Frankly, son, it would be a waste of time.”
“Time! That’s what it’s all about now, isn’t it?” Cage couldn’t keep the anger out of his voice. Not so much anger at the physician, but anger at himself. “Maybe if I’d come home earlier, when MawMaw’s cancer was in the early stages, there might have been something that could have cured her.”
The elderly physician shook his head sadly. “Not at her age. Lung surgery and aggressive chemo and radiation would have killed her.”
Cage winced at the blunt words. The word “kill” was so final.
What else is new, Cage, my boy? Cancer
is
final.
“Keep in mind, those numbers, six months to a year, aren’t set in stone. There
are
things that extend life for some people, or at least make the time they have left more bearable.”
Hope sprang suddenly. “Like what?”
“Diet. Exercise, even walking. Pain meds. A positive outlook. Having family or friends around to avoid depression. Even prayer.”
Hope sank suddenly.
Prayer? That’s his lifeline to me? Has he been talking to Tante Lulu?
At Cage’s skeptical expression, the doctor shrugged his shoulders and laughed. “There’s so much we don’t know about cancer, Justin. I personally don’t rule out anything.”
Cage’s brain was spinning with all the information he’d been given and all the questions he still had. “Will her condition deteriorate… I mean, I know it will, but MawMaw would hate having to go into the hospital.”
The doctor nodded. “Most folks like to stay at home as long as possible, even to the end. We don’t recommend that unless there are family or friends to stay twenty-four/seven. In the latter stages, I mean. And there’s hospice, of course.”
Well, that sealed it. Cage was going to stay, even if it meant leaving the teams. He was her only close family left, he wouldn’t shirk his responsibility. And it was more than a responsibility. Not even as a payback for all the years she and PawPaw spent raising the difficult child he’d been. No, he would stay with MawMaw for love.
“You won’t realize this now, but you’re
To give him credit, the busy oncologist, who was part of the team treating his grandmother, had spent more than a half hour with him so far. Showing him x-rays and MRIs. Telling him what courses of treatment had been tried so far, what further treatments his grandmother refused to pursue, her prognosis in everything except time.
The doctor combed his fingers through his thick white hair, disarmed by Cage’s blunt question, then looked Cage directly in the eye. “Six months to a year from the time of diagnosis, that’s what the textbooks tell us.”
He’d thought he was prepared for bad news, but Cage felt as if he’d been sucker punched by a lethal g-force, his heart racing like a Thoroughbred thundering to the Preakness finish line. When SEALs went up in jets on tight maneuvers, they were taught to suck in their abdominal muscles in a procedure called “hooking” to fight the gravitational pull, or g-force. He’d forgotten to hook today, and the terminality of his grandmother’s disease was just such an assault on his mind and body.
“No offense, but wouldn’t it be smart for my grandmother to get a second opinion? Cancer Treatment Centers of America? Mayo Clinic? Johns Hopkins? Sloan-Kettering. Whatever? Maybe there are trial drugs, or something. Even outside the country. I don’t know. Damn, damn, damn!” He put his face in his hands, then looked up. “I feel so helpless doing nothing.”
“Your reaction isn’t unusual, Justin, and I’m not offended by your suggestion. You should know, though, that Ochsner’s reputation is outstanding, and I’ve been a practicing oncologist for more than forty years. Frankly, son, it would be a waste of time.”
“Time! That’s what it’s all about now, isn’t it?” Cage couldn’t keep the anger out of his voice. Not so much anger at the physician, but anger at himself. “Maybe if I’d come home earlier, when MawMaw’s cancer was in the early stages, there might have been something that could have cured her.”
The elderly physician shook his head sadly. “Not at her age. Lung surgery and aggressive chemo and radiation would have killed her.”
Cage winced at the blunt words. The word “kill” was so final.
What else is new, Cage, my boy? Cancer
is
final.
“Keep in mind, those numbers, six months to a year, aren’t set in stone. There
are
things that extend life for some people, or at least make the time they have left more bearable.”
Hope sprang suddenly. “Like what?”
“Diet. Exercise, even walking. Pain meds. A positive outlook. Having family or friends around to avoid depression. Even prayer.”
Hope sank suddenly.
Prayer? That’s his lifeline to me? Has he been talking to Tante Lulu?
At Cage’s skeptical expression, the doctor shrugged his shoulders and laughed. “There’s so much we don’t know about cancer, Justin. I personally don’t rule out anything.”
Cage’s brain was spinning with all the information he’d been given and all the questions he still had. “Will her condition deteriorate… I mean, I know it will, but MawMaw would hate having to go into the hospital.”
The doctor nodded. “Most folks like to stay at home as long as possible, even to the end. We don’t recommend that unless there are family or friends to stay twenty-four/seven. In the latter stages, I mean. And there’s hospice, of course.”
Well, that sealed it. Cage was going to stay, even if it meant leaving the teams. He was her only close family left, he wouldn’t shirk his responsibility. And it was more than a responsibility. Not even as a payback for all the years she and PawPaw spent raising the difficult child he’d been. No, he would stay with MawMaw for love.
“You won’t realize this now, but you’re
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