RP LOG with halfway2heaven | Doctor-Patient Confidentiality
Dave couldn't help bouncing his leg nervously and biting on the corner of his thumb nail as he waited for his Oncologist, Dr Bella Watson, to skim over his file. He had met her before, very briefly, when he first got here and made an appointment to just touch base with her now that he was permanently in Miami. This was his first proper appointment for a check up, though and even though he had made it over a month ago, it was timely considering the latest turn of events. The thing was, unlike his Oncologist in LA who must have been pushing sixty, Dr Watson was probably close to Dave's age and it was a little strange for him. Sure, he wasn't naive enough to realise that because he was doctor, there weren't going to be others his age. He had just never had a physician of his own remotely close. It wasn't really helping that he had let himself get so run down since the shock with his cancer patient dying. He had come down with a cold, which was the biggest reason why he hadn’t ended up rescheduling the appointment as it was. He discreetly took some of the tissues from the box on her desk in easy reach and wiped his nose when it started to tickle and sting again. It only made him sneeze though, and thankfully he already had tissues in his hand or it could have gotten messy.
Bella glanced up from the file and looked at Dave over the top of her reading glasses before she took them off and put them down on top of his record. She gave him a small smile and folded her hands together. “Am I going to have to get you a valium to get through this appointment, Dave?” she teased lightly. His restless fidgeting hadn’t been lost on her right from the minute he walked into her office. He had apologies for being ill, and from then on, had just been a ball of nerves. She had to read over his notes in his presence, even though she had read them before she started work like she always did with her pending patients for the day. She knew most of them, but she liked to spend a bit more time with the new ones to get to know them, and their cases. It was important in an area of medicine like Oncology. “I know this is tough, and you mentioned having a bit of a rough few weeks, but just trying and take it easy, okay? You don’t need to be stressing out like this. You’ve got a cold, but we’ll take some bloods just to put your mind at rest. There’s a lot of it going around, you know. Just last week, I had exactly the same thing. You would think a place like Miami should almost be immune to good old fashioned colds, huh? Do you want to talk to me about what’s been giving you a tough time, or are we going to stick to straight medicine here?”
Dave laughed softly as he massaged his forehead with his fingers in hope he could rub the dull headache away. “I can’t say I would knock back a valium right now. Let’s just say in the past few weeks, it’s been absolutely impossible for me to put the whole cancer issue to the back of my mind. My mate’s brother has just been diagnosed with kidney cancer, and I had a patient... a long story, but she had the same as I did, we just didn’t know it, and she died of heart failure. It came as a huge shock. It’s what led me to ask Dr Proctor for a bit of time off to just have a break. The other thing is that my mate, same one, I haven’t managed to tell him my story yet. Well, I did, but he was drunk and now he can’t remember.” He paused and found himself slumping down in the seat a little. “I’m just... the whole thing has made me really tired,” he admitted.
Bella picked up her purple stethoscope and got out of her seat. “Do you want to hop up on the bed for me? We may as well get the physical on the go while we talk. I don’t want you to feel like you’re in a shrink’s office.” She pulled on some gloves and pulled the curtain around the bed. “Top half off, you can leave your jeans on, just unzip for me and pull them down a little so I can have a feel of your belly. Your friend, you sound like you’re close. Can I ask why you didn’t tell him when you were diagnosed? That’s over two years ago now. That’s a big secret to keep from someone important for so long. Of course it won’t be easy telling him now with the news of his brother, but it will be easier on you both once you get it out in the open. You might be in remission, but you still need that support, especially just finding your feet in Miami.”
Dave did as request, so not foreign with this whole physical examination thing. He was lying on his back on the exam bed with his jeans just down around his hips in a few moments, hoping she wasn’t one of those doctors with freezing hands. No matter how many times he did this, he always still felt as awkward as all shit lying on an exam table. “I know. I do. I’m not in denial or anything like that. Chris is... he works here, in Trauma. The Alpha Team. He’s amazing at his job, always topped his classes and anything in his career he tried his hand at. We were college roommates, which is where we met. We hit it off straight away and we’ve been best mates since. Our jobs just took us to different locations, but we always stayed in touch. If I had told him, he would have wanted to come to LA, or he would have stressed out here. His sort of job, you need to be focused. I didn’t want to screw with that. I don’t even know if it was the right choice anymore, but it was the best choice I could make at the time. It’s just even more complicated now. He and his brother aren’t close, far from it. They’re estranged, I supposed. Only see each other now and again, usually for his brother to want something off him... money, most like. That’s beside the point. The news still hit Chris like a tonne of bricks. After that, I just... couldn’t tell him. I haven’t been able to since.”
“Dr Deleo,” Bella noted, raising her eyebrows a little with a nod. She wrapped the sphygmomanometer cuff around Dave’s bicep and put her stethoscope into her ears. She quickly took his blood pressure and then released the cuff. “A little high, but as you know, that’s not abnormal when you have a cold or flu, especially if you’re feverish, which we’ll check too. So, I’m guessing the elusive brother is Rick Deleo. Patient confidentiality and the like, but I’m aware of Dr Deleo and his brother, in regards to a recent clinical trial. Chris is a law unto himself, as is the whole Alpha Team. I have consulted occasionally over there, though not since Dr Rayner was in charge. Your situation is a really difficult one, and no doubt painful. There’s no right or wrong answer here, Dave. Beyond the fact you know you need to talk to Chris, sooner rather than later, even if it’s going to hurt him. I hear he’s a tough cookie, though. Or is that just his work hat?” She capped her thermometer and put it in his ear to wait for the beep before taking the reading. “Febrile. I’m not surprised. I hope you have plans to go home to bed and drink plenty of water after this appointment. Anyone around who can give you a bit of TLC? Never underestimate the power of a nice hug now and again,” she said with a small smile.
Dave gave a small laugh. “You’ve got a point there. Yeah, I’ve been getting a lot of TLC. My girlfriend, Aimee, she also works here. She’s a cardiovascular resident. We’ve been seeing each other for a few weeks, and I’ve only just managed to tell her. We had a case together when I, uh, had a bit of a meltdown with that patient who died. I didn’t cope very well with it, and the silver lining was that it gave me an opening to tell her. It just doesn’t seem to be something that is ever to talk about, in whatever capacity. You just get worried they’ll think differently of you because you had cancer, and I know that’s an unhealthy mindset to get into, but it’s also a damn hard one to shake. Aimee was fantastic about it all, even if she was shocked. She just took it on board, promised to stick with me to help me through the tough times. I mean, it’s early days in a relationship to make any intensive promises, but it was a gesture on her part when she felt she had no other way to help me. It meant a lot. She’s been taking care of me since it happened, which means spending more time together. Also not a bad thing to come of all this, but you know how it goes. Once you’re down, it’s hard to get back up again. You get tired... and run down... and sick.” He scrunched his nose up.
Bella nodded wryly. “Yes. I do. And it’s a vicious cycle you don’t want to get trapped in. But you don’t need me to reiterate over and over that getting run down is your body’s way of telling you to slow down. You had a shock and you need time to process that. You’ve been granted time off, so you don’t need to worry about your job being at risk. Take it, and rest. That’s the key. I’m glad you came to the appointment, though. We can keep your progress documented and stay ahead of it.” She waved a tongue depressor in front of his nose. “Open up, say ah. Cancer is the big C word that scares people. But it’s different with family and loved ones. They can be scared, but they can also be by your side, Dave. Chris might get angry or upset when you tell him, but better that than secrets from your best mate, right? But even then, you would be really surprised how many cancer patients don’t want their family or friends to know for many, many reasons similar to yours. That doesn’t make you a bad person. Far, far from it. You bit the bullet with Aimee and she’s special to you. Chris is too, right? And you’re both in Miami now, there’s nothing he need to be far away from his job for.”
Dave opened his mouth up so she could check his throat and his gag reflex nearly kicked in with the tongue depressor because it was so sore, causing him to start coughing. “Friggin hell. Since when are doctor’s such masochists?” he joked, raising up on his elbow so he could catch his breath. He took some tissues when she offered them to him and also a sip of the water she got from her cooler. He was watching her curiously. She seemed to be a natural at this sort of thing, and he knew he couldn’t put it down to years and years of experience under her belt. He didn’t doubt she was qualified and had a few years experience, but this sort of thing wasn’t exactly learned. It was bedside manner, and a doctor’s personal bedside manner came to them from an array of different things. “Can I ask why you went into Oncology, or is that overstepping the professional boundaries.”
Bella smiled and shook her head. “Not at all, and I get that question a lot. Don’t forget, you’re not just my patient, you’re also a colleague. I’ll tell you if I’m not comfortable with your questions. You okay now? Just lie back when you’re ready okay. I’ll keep the evil tongue depressors away. It’s when I ask you to turn your head and cough you should be more worried,” she joked, giving his shoulder a small reassuring squeeze. “I’m a survivor, too. I had leukaemia when I was a kid. They weren’t sure I was going to beat it, but I did. I had amazing doctors right throughout my treatment, and it was something that stuck with me. I always wanted to be a doctor, the specialty was just an easy choice after that. Not an easy specialty, though. I would never profess anything like that. Some days, it’s very, very difficult and a lot of my patients I know I’ll have a short time. But it’s that short time that’s in my hands, and I do the best job I can for them. I can empathise. That’s something a lot of doctor’s can’t say about their specialty. And what about you? What made you want to become a trauma surgeon? A damn fine one, if you got your foot in at MT1, I believe.”
“Hell yeah,” Dave said in amusement and laid back down onto the bed now he had his breath back, even if it sound rough and wet. “I was stunned. Not saying that I suck in my job, but I’m no Dr C. He’s on the Alpha Team for a reason. Trauma wasn’t actually a chosen speciality, I’m actually qualified as a general surgeon. The hospital I came from in LA didn’t have a trauma unit, so it was kind of a mixed bag I dealt with. There was trauma, but there was also appendectomies and tonsillectomies et cetera, et cetera. I stayed in LA when I got the diagnoses because the chemo hit me really bad. I don’t do well with it at all. Moving probably would have killed my. My parents temporarily moved out there to be with me and sisters visited regularly. When I got news I was in remission, coming back to Florida was inevitable. It was just plain luck getting into MT1 where Chris was. Miami’s pretty cool, and only about four hours from home. I eased into the job just fine, and Proctor was great. He appreciated my honesty about the cancer, and promised to support me with anything to do with it. Which is why he was cool with giving me time off just now. Chris is here, and it’s awesome having him around again. Then I met Aimee...” He trailed off and shot Bella a smile. “She’s amazing.”
Bella returned the smile and started to carefully feel the glands in his throat. They were swollen and it did flag her that she needed to run some more tests considering it was Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma he had battled. It was more likely just to be the cold causing it. “She sounds it. And she was okay hearing you had cancer? You said she took it well, but sometimes things like that can take awhile to sink in. Does she have someone she can talk to? Did you talk to her about it more?” She felt under his arms next and it was much the same. It was when she felt his belly that he visibly flinched and she stopped, looking down at him in concern. “Is that painful, Dave? Or have you got a bit of nausea? Last thing anyone needs when they’re nauseous is an enthusiastic doc poking around their belly.”
“Not at the moment. I was sick during the night though, it's just a bit strained and sore,” Dave explained, looking down at her gloved hands near the scar on his abdomen. “Aimee and me have spoken a lot about it. She’s asked questions and I’ve answered them the best I can. It’s hard to remember some things though. My memory bank has just logged them as one big haze of miserable pain. She has a best friend she talks to a lot. I’m not sure if they’ve spoken about it. I hope they have. I don’t want Aimee to carry it all around on her own. That was never my intention.”
“Just vomiting? How’s everything else downstairs? I apologise for the next bit. Never a walk in the park for a lad with a female doctor, but I promise, I’ve seen it all before,” Bella told him with another amused smile. She pulled the elastic of his underwear just down to his hips to feel the glands in his groin. “Do you know her friend, or is it one of those secret girly things boys never understand? I have two brothers, and some days, they think I’m another species. Girl cooties don’t seem to die off in sisters,” she said, smirking and then pulled his underwear back up again so he didn’t feel exposed. “You knew this was coming, but I want to run some tests. I’m pretty sure it’s just the virus inflaming your glands, but better to be safe than sorry analogy is one I live by.”
Dave gave a resolute nod and sighed. “One day you lot won’t be able to get any blood out of me. I’m surprised you haven’t already sucked me dry. Stomach issues in general, but they’ve settled down now. Lomotil and Zofran are my best friends... after C, of course.” He wet his lips and reached up to rub his forehead. “I know her friend. She’s lovely and they’re pretty tight. Her friend knows, I told her. Long story that, and I’ll tell you one day when my head isn’t full of snot. I have two younger sisters. It’s tough being a big brother. I want to kill any guy that tries to get near them, but at the same time, I want them to be happy. I’m pretty sure they think I’m a different species most days, just not for cooties. More because they think I’m mental. But we’re close. I’m one of the lucky ones. I’ve always had supportive friends and family. I’ve seen what it is like for someone to not have a good family background, and I’m thankful everyday that I got lucky.”
“Not just blood. Sorry, doc,” Bella told him, holding up a small urine bottle in front of his face and giving it a small shake before putting it in his hand. “I want some swabs from your nose and throat, too. You’re doing well, you know. I know you’re ill and feeling like crap, but not even a year into the remission and I think you’re frame of mind is wonderful. A lot of patients struggle to leave behind that defeated frame of mind that comes in the worst parts of a cancer battle. You’re having a bit of a rough patch, and you’re clearly tired and a little depressed from external factors, but you’re coping really well and you’re keeping the lines of communication open with doctors. That’s important. Too many make the mistake of just walking away after remission thinking they’re cured.”
Dave gave her a small smile, but couldn’t stifle another sigh. “I’m a doctor... you never quite shake thinking like one, even with your own health. But... thank you. A lot. I was worried about taking on a new Oncologist over here and that they just wouldn’t get me, or I wouldn’t like them. All those stupid things. You’ve been great, and I appreciate it.”
“You can call me any time, okay? For any worries or concerns. My job is basically my whole life, and I’m happy with that.” Bella smiled again and patted his shoulder. “No go pee in a bottle for me or I’ll break out more tongue depressors.”
Word Count | 3,342
Bella glanced up from the file and looked at Dave over the top of her reading glasses before she took them off and put them down on top of his record. She gave him a small smile and folded her hands together. “Am I going to have to get you a valium to get through this appointment, Dave?” she teased lightly. His restless fidgeting hadn’t been lost on her right from the minute he walked into her office. He had apologies for being ill, and from then on, had just been a ball of nerves. She had to read over his notes in his presence, even though she had read them before she started work like she always did with her pending patients for the day. She knew most of them, but she liked to spend a bit more time with the new ones to get to know them, and their cases. It was important in an area of medicine like Oncology. “I know this is tough, and you mentioned having a bit of a rough few weeks, but just trying and take it easy, okay? You don’t need to be stressing out like this. You’ve got a cold, but we’ll take some bloods just to put your mind at rest. There’s a lot of it going around, you know. Just last week, I had exactly the same thing. You would think a place like Miami should almost be immune to good old fashioned colds, huh? Do you want to talk to me about what’s been giving you a tough time, or are we going to stick to straight medicine here?”
Dave laughed softly as he massaged his forehead with his fingers in hope he could rub the dull headache away. “I can’t say I would knock back a valium right now. Let’s just say in the past few weeks, it’s been absolutely impossible for me to put the whole cancer issue to the back of my mind. My mate’s brother has just been diagnosed with kidney cancer, and I had a patient... a long story, but she had the same as I did, we just didn’t know it, and she died of heart failure. It came as a huge shock. It’s what led me to ask Dr Proctor for a bit of time off to just have a break. The other thing is that my mate, same one, I haven’t managed to tell him my story yet. Well, I did, but he was drunk and now he can’t remember.” He paused and found himself slumping down in the seat a little. “I’m just... the whole thing has made me really tired,” he admitted.
Bella picked up her purple stethoscope and got out of her seat. “Do you want to hop up on the bed for me? We may as well get the physical on the go while we talk. I don’t want you to feel like you’re in a shrink’s office.” She pulled on some gloves and pulled the curtain around the bed. “Top half off, you can leave your jeans on, just unzip for me and pull them down a little so I can have a feel of your belly. Your friend, you sound like you’re close. Can I ask why you didn’t tell him when you were diagnosed? That’s over two years ago now. That’s a big secret to keep from someone important for so long. Of course it won’t be easy telling him now with the news of his brother, but it will be easier on you both once you get it out in the open. You might be in remission, but you still need that support, especially just finding your feet in Miami.”
Dave did as request, so not foreign with this whole physical examination thing. He was lying on his back on the exam bed with his jeans just down around his hips in a few moments, hoping she wasn’t one of those doctors with freezing hands. No matter how many times he did this, he always still felt as awkward as all shit lying on an exam table. “I know. I do. I’m not in denial or anything like that. Chris is... he works here, in Trauma. The Alpha Team. He’s amazing at his job, always topped his classes and anything in his career he tried his hand at. We were college roommates, which is where we met. We hit it off straight away and we’ve been best mates since. Our jobs just took us to different locations, but we always stayed in touch. If I had told him, he would have wanted to come to LA, or he would have stressed out here. His sort of job, you need to be focused. I didn’t want to screw with that. I don’t even know if it was the right choice anymore, but it was the best choice I could make at the time. It’s just even more complicated now. He and his brother aren’t close, far from it. They’re estranged, I supposed. Only see each other now and again, usually for his brother to want something off him... money, most like. That’s beside the point. The news still hit Chris like a tonne of bricks. After that, I just... couldn’t tell him. I haven’t been able to since.”
“Dr Deleo,” Bella noted, raising her eyebrows a little with a nod. She wrapped the sphygmomanometer cuff around Dave’s bicep and put her stethoscope into her ears. She quickly took his blood pressure and then released the cuff. “A little high, but as you know, that’s not abnormal when you have a cold or flu, especially if you’re feverish, which we’ll check too. So, I’m guessing the elusive brother is Rick Deleo. Patient confidentiality and the like, but I’m aware of Dr Deleo and his brother, in regards to a recent clinical trial. Chris is a law unto himself, as is the whole Alpha Team. I have consulted occasionally over there, though not since Dr Rayner was in charge. Your situation is a really difficult one, and no doubt painful. There’s no right or wrong answer here, Dave. Beyond the fact you know you need to talk to Chris, sooner rather than later, even if it’s going to hurt him. I hear he’s a tough cookie, though. Or is that just his work hat?” She capped her thermometer and put it in his ear to wait for the beep before taking the reading. “Febrile. I’m not surprised. I hope you have plans to go home to bed and drink plenty of water after this appointment. Anyone around who can give you a bit of TLC? Never underestimate the power of a nice hug now and again,” she said with a small smile.
Dave gave a small laugh. “You’ve got a point there. Yeah, I’ve been getting a lot of TLC. My girlfriend, Aimee, she also works here. She’s a cardiovascular resident. We’ve been seeing each other for a few weeks, and I’ve only just managed to tell her. We had a case together when I, uh, had a bit of a meltdown with that patient who died. I didn’t cope very well with it, and the silver lining was that it gave me an opening to tell her. It just doesn’t seem to be something that is ever to talk about, in whatever capacity. You just get worried they’ll think differently of you because you had cancer, and I know that’s an unhealthy mindset to get into, but it’s also a damn hard one to shake. Aimee was fantastic about it all, even if she was shocked. She just took it on board, promised to stick with me to help me through the tough times. I mean, it’s early days in a relationship to make any intensive promises, but it was a gesture on her part when she felt she had no other way to help me. It meant a lot. She’s been taking care of me since it happened, which means spending more time together. Also not a bad thing to come of all this, but you know how it goes. Once you’re down, it’s hard to get back up again. You get tired... and run down... and sick.” He scrunched his nose up.
Bella nodded wryly. “Yes. I do. And it’s a vicious cycle you don’t want to get trapped in. But you don’t need me to reiterate over and over that getting run down is your body’s way of telling you to slow down. You had a shock and you need time to process that. You’ve been granted time off, so you don’t need to worry about your job being at risk. Take it, and rest. That’s the key. I’m glad you came to the appointment, though. We can keep your progress documented and stay ahead of it.” She waved a tongue depressor in front of his nose. “Open up, say ah. Cancer is the big C word that scares people. But it’s different with family and loved ones. They can be scared, but they can also be by your side, Dave. Chris might get angry or upset when you tell him, but better that than secrets from your best mate, right? But even then, you would be really surprised how many cancer patients don’t want their family or friends to know for many, many reasons similar to yours. That doesn’t make you a bad person. Far, far from it. You bit the bullet with Aimee and she’s special to you. Chris is too, right? And you’re both in Miami now, there’s nothing he need to be far away from his job for.”
Dave opened his mouth up so she could check his throat and his gag reflex nearly kicked in with the tongue depressor because it was so sore, causing him to start coughing. “Friggin hell. Since when are doctor’s such masochists?” he joked, raising up on his elbow so he could catch his breath. He took some tissues when she offered them to him and also a sip of the water she got from her cooler. He was watching her curiously. She seemed to be a natural at this sort of thing, and he knew he couldn’t put it down to years and years of experience under her belt. He didn’t doubt she was qualified and had a few years experience, but this sort of thing wasn’t exactly learned. It was bedside manner, and a doctor’s personal bedside manner came to them from an array of different things. “Can I ask why you went into Oncology, or is that overstepping the professional boundaries.”
Bella smiled and shook her head. “Not at all, and I get that question a lot. Don’t forget, you’re not just my patient, you’re also a colleague. I’ll tell you if I’m not comfortable with your questions. You okay now? Just lie back when you’re ready okay. I’ll keep the evil tongue depressors away. It’s when I ask you to turn your head and cough you should be more worried,” she joked, giving his shoulder a small reassuring squeeze. “I’m a survivor, too. I had leukaemia when I was a kid. They weren’t sure I was going to beat it, but I did. I had amazing doctors right throughout my treatment, and it was something that stuck with me. I always wanted to be a doctor, the specialty was just an easy choice after that. Not an easy specialty, though. I would never profess anything like that. Some days, it’s very, very difficult and a lot of my patients I know I’ll have a short time. But it’s that short time that’s in my hands, and I do the best job I can for them. I can empathise. That’s something a lot of doctor’s can’t say about their specialty. And what about you? What made you want to become a trauma surgeon? A damn fine one, if you got your foot in at MT1, I believe.”
“Hell yeah,” Dave said in amusement and laid back down onto the bed now he had his breath back, even if it sound rough and wet. “I was stunned. Not saying that I suck in my job, but I’m no Dr C. He’s on the Alpha Team for a reason. Trauma wasn’t actually a chosen speciality, I’m actually qualified as a general surgeon. The hospital I came from in LA didn’t have a trauma unit, so it was kind of a mixed bag I dealt with. There was trauma, but there was also appendectomies and tonsillectomies et cetera, et cetera. I stayed in LA when I got the diagnoses because the chemo hit me really bad. I don’t do well with it at all. Moving probably would have killed my. My parents temporarily moved out there to be with me and sisters visited regularly. When I got news I was in remission, coming back to Florida was inevitable. It was just plain luck getting into MT1 where Chris was. Miami’s pretty cool, and only about four hours from home. I eased into the job just fine, and Proctor was great. He appreciated my honesty about the cancer, and promised to support me with anything to do with it. Which is why he was cool with giving me time off just now. Chris is here, and it’s awesome having him around again. Then I met Aimee...” He trailed off and shot Bella a smile. “She’s amazing.”
Bella returned the smile and started to carefully feel the glands in his throat. They were swollen and it did flag her that she needed to run some more tests considering it was Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma he had battled. It was more likely just to be the cold causing it. “She sounds it. And she was okay hearing you had cancer? You said she took it well, but sometimes things like that can take awhile to sink in. Does she have someone she can talk to? Did you talk to her about it more?” She felt under his arms next and it was much the same. It was when she felt his belly that he visibly flinched and she stopped, looking down at him in concern. “Is that painful, Dave? Or have you got a bit of nausea? Last thing anyone needs when they’re nauseous is an enthusiastic doc poking around their belly.”
“Not at the moment. I was sick during the night though, it's just a bit strained and sore,” Dave explained, looking down at her gloved hands near the scar on his abdomen. “Aimee and me have spoken a lot about it. She’s asked questions and I’ve answered them the best I can. It’s hard to remember some things though. My memory bank has just logged them as one big haze of miserable pain. She has a best friend she talks to a lot. I’m not sure if they’ve spoken about it. I hope they have. I don’t want Aimee to carry it all around on her own. That was never my intention.”
“Just vomiting? How’s everything else downstairs? I apologise for the next bit. Never a walk in the park for a lad with a female doctor, but I promise, I’ve seen it all before,” Bella told him with another amused smile. She pulled the elastic of his underwear just down to his hips to feel the glands in his groin. “Do you know her friend, or is it one of those secret girly things boys never understand? I have two brothers, and some days, they think I’m another species. Girl cooties don’t seem to die off in sisters,” she said, smirking and then pulled his underwear back up again so he didn’t feel exposed. “You knew this was coming, but I want to run some tests. I’m pretty sure it’s just the virus inflaming your glands, but better to be safe than sorry analogy is one I live by.”
Dave gave a resolute nod and sighed. “One day you lot won’t be able to get any blood out of me. I’m surprised you haven’t already sucked me dry. Stomach issues in general, but they’ve settled down now. Lomotil and Zofran are my best friends... after C, of course.” He wet his lips and reached up to rub his forehead. “I know her friend. She’s lovely and they’re pretty tight. Her friend knows, I told her. Long story that, and I’ll tell you one day when my head isn’t full of snot. I have two younger sisters. It’s tough being a big brother. I want to kill any guy that tries to get near them, but at the same time, I want them to be happy. I’m pretty sure they think I’m a different species most days, just not for cooties. More because they think I’m mental. But we’re close. I’m one of the lucky ones. I’ve always had supportive friends and family. I’ve seen what it is like for someone to not have a good family background, and I’m thankful everyday that I got lucky.”
“Not just blood. Sorry, doc,” Bella told him, holding up a small urine bottle in front of his face and giving it a small shake before putting it in his hand. “I want some swabs from your nose and throat, too. You’re doing well, you know. I know you’re ill and feeling like crap, but not even a year into the remission and I think you’re frame of mind is wonderful. A lot of patients struggle to leave behind that defeated frame of mind that comes in the worst parts of a cancer battle. You’re having a bit of a rough patch, and you’re clearly tired and a little depressed from external factors, but you’re coping really well and you’re keeping the lines of communication open with doctors. That’s important. Too many make the mistake of just walking away after remission thinking they’re cured.”
Dave gave her a small smile, but couldn’t stifle another sigh. “I’m a doctor... you never quite shake thinking like one, even with your own health. But... thank you. A lot. I was worried about taking on a new Oncologist over here and that they just wouldn’t get me, or I wouldn’t like them. All those stupid things. You’ve been great, and I appreciate it.”
“You can call me any time, okay? For any worries or concerns. My job is basically my whole life, and I’m happy with that.” Bella smiled again and patted his shoulder. “No go pee in a bottle for me or I’ll break out more tongue depressors.”
Word Count | 3,342