The Doctor's Tale (25 page)

“You don’t usually stand up for white folks, Mama.”

“I don’t think of Spezia as white folk no more, D’Yan. He didn’t ask what color your skin was when he saved your life, did he?”

“Guess he didn’t.”

“That’s what I’m talking ‘bout. I respect that.”

Mary hung her head, and stared at me.

“What I’m trying to say, Dr. Spezia, is that before I met you, I never trusted white people. And, I taught my daughter to do the same, because I believed that was the right way. The night you saved D’Yan’s life, you showed me how wrong I was. And you changed my mind about white folks. I intend to teach my grandson about you and the way you take care of your patients. Because you don’t care what color they are or how much money they do or don’t have. You treat everyone with the same respect. And for that, Dr. Spezia, you have earned mine.”

“Mary, I’m flabbergasted.” I said. “I simply care for my patients in the same way that I would want another doctor to care for a member of my family. Because, every patient deserves to belong to a family. It’s so beneficial to the healing process.”

“I can’t stay long,” Mary said. “The word on the street is you’re leaving next month to do a fellowship in Oncology, at some big time hospital on one of the coasts. When I heard your wife is getting ready to go home any day, I told D’Yan, I got something important to say to you. I couldn’t let you leave St. Louis without telling you that it’s been a privilege to know you, Dr. Spezia. You changed me. And you changed D’Yan, too.”

“D’Yan?”

Mary smiled, and her gold tooth shined like a diamond in the dark.

“I guess with all that’s been going on, I forgot to tell you the good news. D’Yan is having another baby boy. But, that’s not the best part.”

“What’s the best part?”

“She’s going to call him
Spezia,
after you. Isn’t that grand?”

“I’m deeply honored, Mary. Really. But, tell me, would you prefer a family name?”

I didn’t understand the quizzical expression on Mary’s face.

“To us, you are family.” She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. “Never forget it.”

“Time for me to go now. You keep the plate, hear? I got to run catch my bus.”

I watched Mary hustle down the steps and out to the curb to catch the bus that would take her home to her daughter and her grandbabies. All the while, I struggled to understand how difficult that trip to my apartment must have been for the proud and dignified woman named Gladys Mary Potts.

I simply couldn’t.

Dr. Skelton deserved the Humanitarian of the Year Award. Why? It’s hard to explain, but I can try.

Thanks to Dr. Skelton’s influence and generosity, I graduated about three months later, as planned. The day I brought Gabrielle home, I realized that he was right about something else. To experience the existence of a true love is powerful, no matter how long it lasts. Gabrielle’s love sustained me during my darkest days. Without it, I might not have crossed the finish line. I didn’t see how I could ask Gabrielle to stay in St. Louis, the city where I almost lost her, and she almost lost her life.

After a couple of months, she said she thought she would like to take a walk over to the bakery on The Hill, known for its Italian pastries. We passed St. Ambrose Church, where I was baptized, and the parish hall, the scene of our memorable wedding reception. Over 200 people came to celebrate with us! We stopped to talk to neighbors and friends that I had not seen in over ten years or more. Sadly, I learned that while I was in my residency, some had passed away. I had some catching up to do.

We finally reached the bakery, and bought a half dozen canola. The fragrant smell of fresh baked pastry, filled with fresh ricotta cheese, chocolate and cinnamon was my childhood favorite, and it seemed that had not changed. While we walked and ate, I asked Gabrielle if she had given any thought to where we should spend my fellowship year.

“You have your choice of New York or Los Angeles,” I said. “Not too shabby, if I may say so.”

My wife stopped eating and stared at me. I will never forget the look on her beautiful face, the face of an angel.

“Didn’t Dr. Skelton offer you a position at City Hospital?” she said. Her comment genuinely amused me.

“He offered me two jobs, Gabrielle.”

“You don’t want either one?” she said.

“Gabrielle, after what happened to you here, I can’t ask you to stay.”

“After what happened to me here Tom, I can’t leave.”

I felt confused. “What are you talking about?”

“Tom, when my first marriage ended, I made a list of things that I wanted in a man. I wanted to get my priorities straight. But, you know what I did with that list? I threw it away. I didn’t think a man like that could exist. Or, if I did manage to find him, he wouldn’t be interested in someone like me.”

I couldn’t help laughing out loud. “Why?”

“Well, you may have noticed that I’m on the extra long side of tall, I drive a red pickup, and I’m a pretty darned good shot, if I say so. I can have strong opinions, depending on the topic, and I’m not afraid to say what I think. And I clean a mean gun.”

“I’ll tell you what I see,” I said. I see a woman who knows what she wants, and isn’t afraid to go after it. You don’t play games. And yeah, I have noticed your legs. Very nice. For the record, I prefer the pickup to the patrol car. Guess what? I’m a pretty good shot, too. Not as proud of it as you are, but I’ll take it. Did I mention your Victoria’s Secret collection? So tell me, what does all of this have to do with St. Louis?”

“When Virgil shot me, I pretty much accepted that I was going to die. I’m convinced, if I hadn’t been in City Hospital with the staff fussing over me like I was family, I wouldn’t be alive right now. Everyone I met, from Mary Potts to Dr. Skelton, told me about the respect you show all of your patients, regardless of their background or whether they can afford to pay you. This is a place where you can practice medicine on your terms, and do the most good for the people who need it most.”

“I can’t leave the place where I found the man that made me look for the list I tossed in the trash. I can’t ask you to leave the place where you are so respected and loved. You can change medicine here, one patient at a time. It’s time to try.” An impish grin spread across her face. “I think it would be a good place to raise our family.”

I know I looked confused. I was. “Our family?”

We named our daughter Mary Gabrielle. With a name like that, she couldn’t help but be smart, strong, beautiful—and stubborn. In fact, I began to feel that medicine might be just the right career for her. After all, medicine was now a Spezia tradition. While we sipped coffee and nibbled those Italian cookies from the bakery on the Hill, we discussed our daughter’s future. I still love to do both.

“A doctor?” she said. “You’re kidding me, right?”

I shook my head. “No. I’m drop dead serious.”

“But Tom, she’s a born cop. Her memory is like a steel trap, and she’s not afraid of anything or anybody. Sounds like a detective to me.”

I glanced at my bride. She was still a stunning beauty. I couldn’t help but smile at her.

“What’s so funny?” she asked.

“Grandpa and Papa had the same discussion about me, about twenty five years ago.”

“They did? I mean, didn’t they always want you to go to medical school? I never knew that, Tom. I really can’t imagine you doing anything else.”

“In the end, Papa asked me what I wanted to do. I told him I wanted to become a doctor. I mean, I wanted to become a doctor more than anything, and I was willing to do whatever it took to make that happen. Regardless of anything that happened after that, my dream never changed.”

My wife stared into my eyes. “It didn’t?”

For a moment, I considered how close I had come to losing everything I’d worked for—and finally realized the fundamental truth of
success. Without Gabrielle in my life, nothing would have mattered. I reached across the table and clasped her hand in mine.

“My dream could never have come true,” I said, “without you.”

And, there is something else.

I used to believe that a patient learns from the doctor. Now, I believe that a doctor learns from the patient—one patient at a time. Hmm?

THE END

Also by Claire Applewhite

The Wrong Side of Memphis

St. Louis Hustle

Candy Cadillac

Tennessee Plates

Crazy For You

Voices of Excellence™

Reviews for Claire’s other books

About
The Wrong Side of Memphis:

“Get ready to meet some of the most intriguing characters ever. There are secrets and surprises galore to be found among the tenants of the Jewel Arms Apartments—and Claire Applewhite brings them all to life in
The Wrong Side of Memphis.
”

—Tess Gerritsen, author of
The Keepsake

“This is an old-fashioned who-dunnit, and don’t let the title fool you. It’s set in St. Louis, a hard-scrabble apartment building where all the tenants have dreams and secrets, and some have motive and opportunity. It’s a place I might not want to live, but I sure enjoyed my visit.”

—Bill McClellan, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

An entertaining, atmospheric read.

—Kirkus Reviews

About
St Louis Hustle:

“Author Applewhite has created an engrossing tale that presents the setting almost as one of the cast of characters. If you like neatly rendered, nicely plotted fiction, you’ll finish
St. Louis Hustle
in one sitting. For those who know little or nothing about St. Louis, Applewhite’s novel is the perfect gateway to the Gateway City.”

—John Lutz, author of
Mr. X
and
Single White Female

I loved all the St. Louis landmarks cleverly woven into the story. The characters are well-developed—I seem to know people just like them. An enjoyable read. I recommend you check it out.

—Patt Pickett, author of
The Marriage Whisperer

“Applewhite isn’t afraid to stretch the boundaries of noir fiction…”

—Kirkus Reviews

About
Candy Cadillac:

“Taut writing, memorable characterization and a superbly evocative setting.”

—Kirkus Reviews

About
Crazy For You:

“Don’t even think about putting author Claire Applewhite’s writing style into any known category; she simply won’t fit. Her writing dazzles and sizzles, but even those words don’t nail it. Just when you think you’ll put
Crazy For You
down, you find you can’t. The characters are so real you find yourself wondering how Applewhite got inside your head, the situations so absurd that only the naked truth of our own lives come close to a parallel. This is a writer bound to make a name for herself, one who can’t help but attract a huge, fanatic Applewhite-loving audience.”

—Esther Luttrell, author, national speaker, screenwriter

“Claire Applewhite’s
Crazy for You
is a delicious story of romantic obsession. A wealthy family’s patriarch schemes to replace his aging wife with a beautiful young woman. The son-in-law recently welcomed into the family has a case of love at first sight—but not with his new wife. Fierce passions tug at the characters’ hearts as obsession rips through the two marriages. Intrigues collide and unravel as
Crazy for You
builds suspense and takes readers on a roller coaster. A great cast of supporting characters add to the complexity of the plot. A quick read, but one that delves into themes of loyalty, betrayal, and the true meaning of marriage.”

—Shirley Kennett, Author,
PJ Gray series

About
Voices of Excellence:

“Applewhite’s innovative communication program demonstrates the heights that urban youth can reach when the larger community takes a genuine interest. Applewhite recruited adult mentors to aid every step of the way. Her sound basic program in the hands of committed volunteers results in breathtaking success year after year. Any civic-minded group wanting to change lives for the better and rewrite the future of our country for a more harmonious tomorrow would do well to use
Voices of Excellence™
in their own hometowns.”