The Exception to the Rule (22 page)

Chapter 21

As much as I tried, I was unable to sleep in. In fact I woke up earlier than usual. Matty was still fast asleep next to me, so I quietly got out of bed making sure that I didn’t disturb him. I used the time to relax with a cup of coffee and catch up on work emails that I had received over the weekend. I wrote down phone messages from people that I had to call back. I couldn’t believe how much my patient load had grown over the past year. We were now down to three doctors in our group. Two of the doctors had just retired a couple of months ago. We were eagerly trying to find suitable replacements. I loved my job and I didn’t mind taking on the extra patient load. The only negative was the time that it took away from Matty. The increase in patients meant I was spending a lot more time doing rounds in the hospital before and after hours. Even though I was thoroughly exhausted by the end of the day, it was a rewarding kind of exhaustion and I couldn’t imagine having any other career. But I also made sure that I had my priorities straight, making Matty my number one at all times. I hit send on my very last email that I had to respond to with a sense of relief. I closed my laptop and put the phone messages I had written down in my briefcase. 

 It was almost seven and Matty was still asleep. Since his summer camp was over for the season he didn’t have to be up at his usual early time. I figured I would let him take advantage and sleep a little later. I was just pouring my second cup of coffee when he appeared in the kitchen rubbing his eyes still looking half asleep. 

“Good morning, sleepy head,” I said.

He just waved as if he were too tired to speak. He walked over to the fridge to get some apple juice. I watched as he moved the kitchen chair over to the cabinets to stand on so he could reach the cups. I admired how he always wanted to do things on his own. I drew the line with his independence once he started trying to pour the juice into the cup. I got up quickly to help him. The last thing I felt like doing was cleaning up a sticky mess of apple juice first thing in the morning. 

He climbed up on the stool next to me, sitting at the breakfast bar.

“What’s going on?” I smiled as I ran my fingers through his bed head.

He shrugged. “Pop and me are going fishing today,” he said. His gruff little voice sounded a bit gruffer first thing in the morning.

I had known that Charles had planned on taking him fishing today. What Matty didn’t know yet was that they were going out on his boat. Matty loved fishing from Charles’ boat. Charles would never tell him that they were taking the boat out until the last minute. He loved to surprise him and see the excitement on his face.

“I think Uncle James is coming with us too,” he said happily.

“Well, that sounds like fun; wish I didn’t have to work so I could go,” I said, making a sad face.

Matty replied with a sad face too, he leaned in closer to me and rubbed his nose against mine and began to giggle.

“Eww, apple juice breath,” I teased as he blew his breath in my face. He bellowed a deep belly laugh when I laid my head down on the counter pretending I had passed out from the smell. It was moments like these that I wanted to bottle up. I wished that he could stay this little forever, so sweet and innocent. 

 I arrived at Charles and Claire’s to drop Matty off before I headed to work. Charles was getting the fishing poles together. Matty eagerly ran to help. Gracie, also outside, jumped on Matty, covering him in kisses. I went inside to quickly say hello to Claire. She was in the kitchen making sandwiches to take along, carefully cutting the crusts off Matty’s. Claire always went that extra step. I always made him eat around the crust, which he despised. 

“Are you going too?” I asked, seeing her dressed casually in her pedal pushers and sleeveless T-shirt. 

“No.” She shook her head as if I were crazy. As much as she tried not to, she always got seasick on the boat. “It’s a boy’s day out,” she said. I looked out the window and saw James, who had just arrived. I quickly gave her the itinerary of my work day so she could gauge what time I would be coming back to get Matty. 

“No problem; I’ll save you dinner so don’t eat,” she said. 

 I walked outside to find James carrying Matty upside down and the two of them laughing hysterically. I gave Matty a kiss goodbye as James placed him back down on the ground.

“We’re going on the boat,” he said excitedly. 

“I know.” I smiled at his happiness. 

I gave him a huge hug and kiss telling him to be careful and to make sure that he listened to Charles and James. He assured me that he would as he ran off, anxious to leave.

I headed off to work to start my day, returning all my calls on the way there. I looked at my schedule when I arrived and it was packed solid. My first two patients were already in the rooms waiting for me.

The one good thing about being crazed all day is that time goes by superfast. Before I knew it I had just finished with my last patient. I just had to run to the hospital and check on some patients and I would be done for the day. I was starving, and not having time to eat all day was tempting me to just hit a fast food drive-thru. I persevered through the hunger remembering that Claire had said she was saving me dinner. 

I arrived at the hospital and took the elevator to the fifth floor. “Hi Dr. V,” one of the nurses greeted me as soon as I got off. 

“Hello,” I replied.

I always managed to have a good rapport with the nursing staff. I knew that many doctors didn’t. Many of them looked down on the nurses and that always made me angry. I knew how hard they worked. They always made sure to tell me how much they appreciated my laid back attitude.

I went in to see my first patient, a sixteen-year-old girl who was being hospitalized and observed after a week-long fever that wouldn’t go away. It turned out to be a result of a tick bite. 

 “How are you feeling?” I asked as I walked in her room.

“Okay,” she said, trying to smile.

I looked at her chart and was happy to see that she had been responding well to the medication.

“Well, you will be happy to know I’m lifting your liquid diet,” I said.

She was able to smile a little bit more after hearing that.

“Is anything bothering you?” I asked.

“No, I’m okay,” she said shyly.

“Well, if you keep responding the way you are to the meds you should be out of here in a few days,” I said. “Just in time for the first day of school,” I added as she had expressed her concern about that previously.

“Awesome,” she said with a full-face grin.

I smiled back. This young girl reminded me so much of myself at that age. So shy and overly concerned about things that most kids her age wouldn’t care about. 

Her mother came in just as I finished updating her chart. I brought her up to date on her daughter. I saw the worry wash right off of her face. I loved being able to tell parents good news. It was the times that I had to deliver the bad news that I dreaded most. Since I had Matty it had become even harder, knowing the strong love that a parent has for a child. I couldn’t imagine how I would feel if something were to happen to him. 

I was on my way to see my next patient when I ran into Dr. Fowler, one of the pediatric oncologists to whom I would refer my patients. I decided to pick his brain about the lump that I had discovered on Matty’s neck. 

“Dr. Fowler,” I said, getting his attention.

“Dr. Vallia, how are you?” 

“I’m well, thank you. Do you have a minute?” 

“Sure.” He put his clipboard down on the table. 

I explained the lump that I had found on Matty’s neck, describing the size, feel, and movement of it. He asked if Matty had been sick lately. He had been congested all summer long, running fevers on and off. I just chalked that up as one of those summer viruses that always took forever to go away. 

“Well to put your mind at ease, call my office in the morning, make an appointment, and I’ll take a look at it,” he said compassionately. “I’ll let my staff know that you will be calling and try and get him in tomorrow.” 

“Thanks,” I said gratefully. I knew that it was probably nothing but I felt much better having him look at it to confirm it.

My day was officially over. I was happy to finally be heading up the stairs of Charles and Claire’s picture-perfect front porch. As soon as I opened that front door I was happy with my choice of skipping the drive-thru. The smell of Claire’s pot roast permeated the air. I peeked into the living room where Matty was passed out on the couch. Charles and James were watching the baseball game and looked like they weren’t far behind him.

“Rough day fishing?” I asked. They both looked at me as if neither one had the energy to even answer.

I hurriedly made my way into the kitchen, to the pot roast, roasted potatoes, and sautéed green beans. Claire had it wrapped so tightly in foil that it didn’t even need to be heated up. She sat down at the table with me while I ate, telling me about her spa day. It had been a birthday present from Matty and me that she had finally gotten around to doing. The rest of the conversation was all about Matty. Claire could talk for twenty-four hours straight about him if you let her.

James came into the kitchen to let us know he was leaving and to thank Claire for dinner. She insisted that he take some leftovers home. She went into the hallway closet to get more containers for the food. I didn’t want to say anything to Charles or Claire about what I had discovered on Matty last night. I didn’t want them to worry unnecessarily. But I felt like I needed to talk to someone. This was the perfect time since Claire had left the room.

“What do you think of Dr. Fowler?” I asked James.

“The oncologist?” he asked, looking a little perplexed.

I nodded as I took a bite of my potato.

“Little old for you, don’t you think?” he joked. I rolled my eyes at him. “I don’t really know much about him, why?” he asked, becoming more serious.

I explained to him the lump I had found on Matty’s neck and that I was going to take him to have it checked out. 

“How long has he had it?” he asked with concern on his face.

“I just noticed it last night. You know he’s been sick on and off all summer, so it could be just a swollen lymph node from that.” I sounded more like I was trying to reassure myself than him.

I made him promise not to say anything to anyone, including Tricia. I didn’t want to alarm everyone over nothing. I found it ironic that I had just confided in the biggest mouth I knew. He had been true to his word about not revealing my bigger secret so I didn’t doubt that he would keep his mouth shut about this. Besides, I knew that after tomorrow I would know that Matty was okay so I didn’t have to worry about him slipping.

Claire finally returned with containers and piled the food in them. James excused himself to say goodbye to Matty, signaling for me to follow him. Charles had gone upstairs to take a shower. Matty was just waking up. He was sitting up on the couch, half asleep and half awake. James sat down next to him, giving him a high five. Matty was so out of it, he didn’t even realize James feeling around on his neck. I knew that it was still there as his fingers stopped right in the same location that mine had last night. He pressed around and just like last night, it didn’t seem to bother Matty at all.

“When is his appointment?” he asked. The look on his face worried me.

“Dr. Fowler said to call the office tomorrow and he would get me in right away.”

“Did you want me to go with you?” 

“No, don’t be silly; I’m sure I’m just overreacting,” I said, trying to brush off the concerned look on his face and tone in his voice.

“Okay, but please call me as soon as you’re done,” he said, looking down at Matty.

I nodded in response, just as Claire walked in with a bagful of food. “Since I know you are a bachelor living on your own, this should get you through a few nights worth of dinner,” she said, handing him the bag.

“Even if he and Tricia were married already, he’d still be fending for himself,” I said. Claire and I laughed knowing Tricia was a horrible cook. He thanked Claire again and gave us both a kiss goodbye. He stopped as he walked past Matty, messing up his hair and giving him a kiss on the head.

I headed home, thinking about how I could rearrange my schedule for tomorrow to accommodate this appointment. After bathing Matty, I quickly jumped in the shower. To my surprise Matty was sound asleep on my bed when I was done. I carried him into his room and tucked him in. I ran my finger over his neck hoping that somehow the lump would be gone, but it was still there. I couldn’t wait for tomorrow to get here. I needed to put my mind at ease and my worries to rest.

Chapter 22

I was watching the clock waiting for 9 a.m. so I could get someone in Dr. Fowler’s office to answer the phone. As much as I told myself that I was overreacting and it was nothing, I was finding myself more and more anxious to get this appointment. I had already been to the hospital to do my rounds. I was sitting patiently in my office waiting for my first patient to arrive in hopes of occupying my mind. To top it off, Matty had woken up with a low-grade fever and a cough. I had Samantha, a college student who lived down the street from me, babysitting. She had been babysitting Matty since she was in high school. She was very responsible and I trusted that she had everything under control. I gave her specific directions on how often to give him the Tylenol and to call me if his temperature got any higher. When I had left they were both cuddled up on the couch watching cartoons, where they would probably be most of the day. It was rainy and miserable out as the tail end of what was once a hurricane was passing us by.

 As soon as the digital clock on my desk flashed to nine, I dialed the number. I was relieved to hear that I had reached the actual office and not his answering service. I told the lady my name and she immediately knew who I was. She offered me an appointment at four-thirty, which I instantly accepted. I looked to see that my last scheduled patient was at three o’clock. I quickly went to the front desk to let the girls know not to schedule any appointments beyond that.