The Price (40 page)

“You may have gotten me to shave my head but I’m not about to shave these,” he grinned and made them twitch like a spider on a string. “It took me years to get them this long.”

“I love you for doing this,” she said, then turned toward the men, standing in a dusted line at the foot of the ranch-house. “I love you all!”

Jack stepped in behind her. She turned and fell into his arms.

“We’re all rooting for you, Kate,” said Luke, shouting from the crowd.

“Thank you. Thank you guys so much!”

“Don’t thank us,” added Dustin. “You just work on getting yourself better.”

“How can I not get better when I have all of you?”

Kate felt Jack’s hand upon her shoulder. “Baby, it’s time we head over to Carson.” Kate nodded.

As Jack escorted her to the truck, each individual ranch hand wished her luck. By the time they were in the truck traveling down the dirt road, Kate was sobbing, overwhelmed with emotion.

“Did you know they were doing this?” She asked Jack.

“Mark told me they took a vote and it was unanimous,” he stated with pride for his men.

“Well, now I have no choice but to get better.”

“I was hoping you’d feel that way.” He smiled at her and took her hand.

On their way to Carson City, they stopped and picked up Clara. Kate was still buzzing from the wonderful gesture of their employees. She felt this exhilarating feeling, but as they drew closer to the hospital, the bubble popped and her exuberance waned.

She stared out the window at the new cancer facility, built only a few years back. How many times had she passed it before and never gave it a moment’s thought? She was too busy in her life to be concerned about what happened behind those walls. Now her concern turned to dread as Jack parked the truck and turned off the engine.

“You ready?” He looked over at her.

“Not really,” she sighed. “But I guess I have no choice.”

“You always have a choice, baby,” said Jack.

“He’s right, Kate,” added Clara. “We could always find you alternative treatment if you don’t want to do the chemo.”

“For now, let’s just go inside.” Kate took a deep breath and stepped from the cab.

Jack exited the truck and took her hand. They led her through the front door of the facility and checked the kiosk directory for which floor.

“Third floor again,” said Jack, as he forced a smile though his insides were rumbling with warning that this was a bad omen.

Jack escorted them to the elevator and hit the button. The doors opened and they stepped in. Kate watched Jack hit the button circled in the number three. They traveled up until the bell rang and Kate felt the elevator come to an abrupt stop. The doors opened and they stepped out on to the chemotherapy wing. They walked to the receptionist’s desk and Jack gave Kate’s name to a chubby middle-aged woman who looked like a cherub with short brown hair.

She handed them a clip board filled with a stack of paperwork for Jack to complete.

“Jesus,” Jack grumbled as they took a seat, and he began to complete the ten-paged packet. “There’s more shit here about your financial history than there is about your medical.”

“Cancer is big business,” stated Clara.

“That’s what worries me.”

He glanced at a silent Kate and watched her rub her hands along the top of her jeans. She stared at the large wooden door wondering what strange world was behind it. Jack finished the paperwork and returned it to the receptionist. Taking his seat beside Kate, he reached over and took her hand.

Several minutes later, a friendly nurse with silver-white hair called Kate’s name. Jack and Clara stood quickly while Kate lingered back then slowly rose from her chair.

“I’m assuming you’re Kathryn.” The nurse smiled at the woman whose balding head was covered with a blue hat to match her eyes.

“Yes, but I go by Kate,” she said, following the silver-haired woman through the mysterious door and into the mad world of cancer patients.

The facility was decorated in a cheery motif—pastels of pink, green, and blue plastered the walls. Once again, she saw the row of plush lounge chairs and IV poles. It wasn’t much different than the one in California except for the different interior design.

Kate couldn’t shake the feeling that she had stepped into
Willy Wonka’s
chocolate factory and the mad inventor was the physician who suckered his patients into receiving formulated cocktails of arsenic rather than chocolate.

The friendly nurse escorted them into a large office and motioned for them to take a seat by an enormously ornate desk.

“Dr. B will be with you shortly.” She smiled and left just as quickly as she came.

“Doctor
B
?” Clara lifted her brow and tilted her head. “Is that an operative code name for something? How do we know he isn’t doctor
C, D, E, or F
, for Christ’s sake?”

Kate couldn’t help but laugh in spite of her nerves. Maybe she was in the strange world of
Wonka
or at the very least a
Tim Burton
film of odd and just downright weird. Were they all experimental lab rats being tested by the crazed workings of doctors with no names and only letters?

Her thoughts were interrupted when a stocky man with plastered, thinning blond hair wearing a white coat entered the room.

“Good morning,” he stated rather dryly, taking a seat behind the desk. “I’m Dr. Bell.”

He began to rummage through the pile of charts on his desk, paying no further attention to the three seated before him.

“McBride transfer,” he mumbled, finding the chart and opening it up.

He scanned it, flipping through the pages as if he were fanning a culmination of photographs.

“Her two positive breast cancer—mastectomy right breast and re-construction—possible progression to the lymph’s-.”

Why was he talking aloud like he was reading her bio? It made Kate nervous and terribly uncomfortable.

“You’re here to continue chemotherapy, I presume?” He glanced up finally addressing her.

“Maybe.” Kate looked at Jack for support and he reassuringly squeezed her hand.

“Why did they have you on Infrared chemotherapy?” he stated, and his eyes returned to the chart reading on. “No, no. We need to change this!” He shook his head then flipped through the chart, stopping on her recent labs.

“Change what?” questioned Jack, sitting upright in his chair.

“We utilize different form of treatment for patients with this type of breast cancer,” he said briefly, looking up over the chart and at Jack.

“Are you telling me she was doing the wrong chemotherapy in Santa Cruz?” The vein in Jack’s neck pulsed wildly as if he was ready to come unglued.

“Not necessarily,” the strange Dr. B stated. “I’m just suggesting we might want to try another approach.”

“Will it make her not so sick?” probed Jack. “Cause’ right now, she can’t keep anything down. She’s been puking her brains out for the last month.”

“You have been experiencing vomiting Mrs. McBridle?” the doctor asked.

“Yes, she’s been experiencing vomiting!” Jack raised his voice. “And the name is McBride!”

“Oh yes, so it is,” said the doctor, checking her records again.

He closed her chart and looked at her for the first time.

“You do appear to be dehydrated,” he said, examining the woman from a far. “I think it’s best if we run some lab work on you before we go any further and a PET scan might be in order as well,” he said, searching the medical records again. “I don’t see that any were performed while you were receiving treatment.”

With that he stood from his chair.

“I’ll see you shortly,” he said and left the room.

All three just looked at one another with a blank expression on their face.

“That’s it?” cried Jack. “We’re going to do lab work and I’ll see you shortly?” He jumped up from his chair and took Kate’s hand to stand. “We’re out of here,” he shouted as his temper flared.

Just then the silver-haired nurse appeared in the doorway.

“Kate, can you come with me?”.

“Where are you taking her?” Jack demanded.

“Dr. B wants to do some blood-work and a PET scan,” she stated with a warm smile. “I promise I’ll bring her back in one piece.”

“You better,” said Jack. He watched Kate follow the woman to the door.

“Why don’t you both wait for Kate in the waiting area,” she offered. “Once she’s done, we’ll find you a room.”

“No, we’re going with her,” stated Jack in his usual authoritative manner.

“I’m sorry Mr. McBride, but family members are not allowed back in radiology or the lab,” she explained. “I promise I will take good care of her.”

“I don’t care what your rules are,” said Jack, his eyes flickering a dark green. “I’m going with my wife and that’s that.”

Jack marched over to Kate and took her hand.

“I want Jack to come with me,” said Kate.

“Follow me.” The nurse released a huff and rolled her eyes.

She hated family members that were too hands on. They always got in the way of their loved one’s treatment. She had a feeling this one was going to be exceptionally troublesome.

They all exited the room and followed the nurse down the hall.

“This is as far as you can go,” she said, placing her hands on her hips.

Jack saw the warning symbol for radiation across the wooden door.

“We’ll be right here waiting,” he said, giving Kate a kiss goodbye.

Kate entered the room and emerged thirty minutes later.

“How was it?” he asked, seeing she looked more tired than before.

“Not so bad,” she said, seeing the nurse motion for them to follow her down the hall.

They did as instructed with Jack keeping a firm hold on Kate’s arm for support. They walked down the hall then turned the corner and continued down another hall as if in a complex maze.
How many freaking halls did they have to travel before arriving at their destination
, thought Jack, seeing his wife growing weaker from the excursion of walking. He was half tempted to carry her but he didn’t have to, arriving at a door marked
laboratory
. Kate was ushered into the room and took a seat at the lab chair. Clara hung back and stood in the hallway.

“I’ll wait here,” she said, looking a little green. “I don’t do well with blood.”

Jack nodded and stepped into the lab room. Another nurse with long blond hair approached Kate carrying a green plastic container. She saw the man standing beside the patient and a look of recognition flashed across her face.

“Hey Jack,” she beamed with a cute little smile. “What are you doing here?”

“Hi Chavonne,” mumbled Jack as he saw Kate’s eyes narrow and a frown encroach on her face. “This is my wife, Kate.”

“You’re Jack McBride’s wife?” She looked at Jack and then at the balding woman with the blue hat on her head. “Oh, I’m so sorry—I didn’t know.”

Kate saw the look of sympathy and cringed. She didn’t want this woman’s pity or her feeling sorry for her husband.

“Can we just get this over with,” said Kate in a curt tone.

“Sure,” said Chavonne.

She rummaged through her green container and pulled out a handful of different colored tubes. She placed the rubber tourniquet on Kate’s arm then proceeded to stick her with a needle and extricate her blood into the many rainbow colored tubes. On the last tube, she removed the tourniquet then withdrew the needle.

“All done,” she said in a professional tone.

She pressed a piece of gauze over the tiny wound and waited for a minute to make sure it was not bleeding then placed a Band-Aid over the area.

“I’ll get them spun and have them read shortly,” she stated.

“You ready, Kate?” asked the silver-haired nurse, waiting by the door.

Kate nodded and stood from the chair. She followed the nurse into the hall with Jack following up the rear. Before he had a chance to leave, Chavonne placed her hand on his arm.

“How long has it been since she was diagnosed?” she asked in a hushed tone.

“A while,” he said, looking in the hall at Kate.

“Surgery?” she asked.

Jack shook his head
yes
.

“Oh wow, this must be very difficult for you considering-” she didn’t finish as she took a business card from her pocket and placed it in his hand. “If you need to talk or just need some comforting, call me.”

She reached up and gave him a peck on his cheek then left. Jack entered the hall and caught up to Kate. She saw the business card in his hand.

“I’m not even dead yet, and they’re already swarming like flies,” she grumbled.

“Don’t talk like that,” said Jack angrily, dropping the card from his hands and letting it fall haphazardly to the floor. He grabbed Kate by her arms as if he wanted to shake her. “I don’t ever want to hear you say those words again. You got that?”

“I got it,” said Kate, and she stretched up, placing a kiss on his lips.

Jack took her by the hand and they followed the nurse to an exam room with Clara following behind.

“Dr. B will be with you shortly,” she stated then left the room, closing the door behind her.

Jack helped Kate onto the exam table then hopped up beside her. Clara took a seat on one of the hard plastic chairs.

“What was that all about back there in the hall?” asked Clara.

“Nothing,” said Jack as he looked at Kate and gave her a cross look.

“It was nothing,” repeated Kate.

Jack threw his arm over her shoulder in a protective manner and they waited in silence for the doctor to arrive. Kate felt a wave of dizziness overtake her and her stomach began to painfully seize. She quickly covered her mouth when the nausea hit.

“I’m going to be sick again,” she cried.

Jack jumped off the table and grabbed for the trash can under the counter. He placed it between Kate’s legs just in time as she leaned over and threw up. It was violent heaves again and the retching sound could be heard in the halls. Kate’s body began to shake as a result of extricating what little was left in her stomach.

The nurse rushed in and assisted where she could. Kate started to cry in between her latest episode.