The Power: Building the Circle - Book 2 Page 4

  It typically took weeks and weeks to get an appointment.

  "No, no. The doctor Henry wants doesn't have office hours on Monday. So, it's tomorrow, not today. Now, when you go in the main doors of the hospital, you go to the information desk and give them your name. They're going to have all the paperwork you need, OK? Bring any records or previous tests or anything like that with you. Now, do you work tomorrow? It might be a long day," Martha said.

  "No, I don't work tomorrow," Lucy said flatly.

  She got fired yesterday after telling the bar owner she couldn't work nights until she found a babysitter.

  "Oh, good," Martha said. "Now, is your legal name Lucy? One of my granddaughters is Lucille. Such a sweet girl. She's in college now, I can't believe how fast that happened. How do you spell your last name? What's Henry's full name? Does he have a social security number? We'll get these forms filled out, and things will be better, you'll see. It's going to be fine."

  "Uh, Martha, is Mr. Trellis in?" Lucy asked. "I was hoping I could talk to him for just a minute."

  "Oh, um. I don't know if Hank's in. They had a bit of an emergency with Jake's girlfriend. In the hospital with some kind of seizure, I think. She's a cute little redhead, impish little woman, so funny with Jake. So good to see one of the boys in love. I can find out if Hank's around," Martha replied. "What did you need?"

  "He goes by Hank? I thought his name was Adrian?" Holy shit, I've been calling him the wrong name.

  "Oh, no. No. You're looking for Adrian? Or his dad? Adrian is Adrian or Doctor Trellis, I guess. But no one calls him that, even his patients. Sometimes he's Dr. Adrian. Mr. Trellis is his dad, Hank. But no one really calls Hank by the formal name, either. None of the boys go by Mr. Trellis, there's just too many of them for that. Everything would get all confused.

  "Anyway, Adrian's not here. He had to go to some silly lunch thing. I don't know. Something with the mayor. He'll be back later this afternoon. What do you need, honey?" Martha asked.

  "Nothing. Nothing at all. I just wanted to say thanks and apologize. I was very rude when we met," Lucy tried to explain.

  "Oh, honey. Don't you worry about that. Adrian doesn't offend easily. Everything's fine. It'll all be fine. You'll see. Don't worry. Are you worried?" Martha asked, concerned.

  "I just, I didn't think he would actually help, I thought he was making a pass at me, and I yelled-" Lucy stopped talking at Martha's laughter.

  "That's funny, honey. You don't know how funny that is. I can't wait to tell Tom. No, don't you worry about the hanky-panky business. He's much too shy for that nonsense. He's a good boy. Momma Trellis raised all those boys right, except for maybe Noah. That one's trouble, but some girls like that kind of thing. But, no, Adrian's a good boy," Martha prattled on.

  Did she really have to laugh that hard at the idea of the wealthy do-good doctor hitting on me? Lucy wondered.

  "OK. Um, maybe I'll call him later and apologize anyway. I'd feel better," Lucy said.

  "Well, you do that if you feel like you should, but I'm sure he won't know what you're apologizing for. He probably didn't even notice," Martha said.

  "I yelled at him and called him a nutter," Lucy admitted.

  "Eh, well, these things happen. Don't you worry about it, honey. Do you need anything else? 9:30 or so tomorrow, OK? At Lurie. Main Entrance. Do you have a way to get there?" Martha asked.

  "Yeah, yes. I can get there. But what else do you need from me? For the paperwork?" Lucy asked. She hadn't given the Medicaid numbers or anything.

  "Nothing, we're all set, honey. Now you have a good day tomorrow and tell Henry to be brave, and you give us a call and let us know how it went, OK? We'll be thinking about you," Martha said.

  Lucy was tearing up a smidge. "O-OK. Thank you for your help."

  Maybe Ree actually found help. Lucy was trying not to get her hopes up, but that nice chatty old lady wished them well and said she'd be thinking about them. That was nice, a nice thought.

  Chapter 4

  Henry skipped in the main entrance of Lurie Children's Hospital with his aunt at 9:20 on Tuesday morning. The person at the information desk said they were 'starting with the doctor' and would go from there. Lucy wasn't sure what to make of that. An elevator ride later, they were hopping over cracks in a different hospital's tile pattern.

  They had seen a doctor here before. The doctor was willing to work with Medicaid for the visits. But, they required a bunch of testing that Medicaid wouldn't cover. Since Lucy didn't have an extra thirty thousand dollars lying around, they were shit out of luck. Lucy had moved to the next doctor on the list.

  In the doctor's office, they waited in line to check-in.

  "Hello," the chipper receptionist said with a wave for Henry. "Which doctor are you here to see?"

  "Uh, I don't know," Lucy admitted.

  "OK, what time is the appointment for?" the receptionist asked.

  At Lucy's blank look, the receptionist's face fell. "You have to have an appointment. We can get you scheduled, but it won't be today. We're already overbooked."

  "I think there's an appointment. The information desk was supposed to have papers, but the guy sent us here," Lucy explained. "I can call and-"

  "Oh. Is this Henry?" The receptionist asked.

  Henry smiled and nodded.

  "Hi, Ree! OK, Ms. Wallace. We have some background stuff for you to fill out. You're a little earlier than we thought you'd be. That's great. Makes it easier to fit you in somewhere. Dr. Garaff is going to see you, she's the best with his type of cancer. We're kinda folding you into the schedule, so today might be a little rough," the receptionist explained as she handed Lucy a pile of paperwork.

  Lucy nodded. "OK, we'll do whatever you need."

  An hour later, they were still sitting in the waiting room, rereading Henry's library books. It didn't bother either of them, this was par for the course.

  "Henry Wright!" The nurse called from the door to the exam rooms.

  Lucy jumped up, "We're coming!"

  A quick stop at the scale and height ruler later, they were in an exam room with a table, guest chair, and doctor stool. The room was so small, Lucy had to fold her legs under the guest's chair.

  There was a knock on the door almost immediately. A middle-aged woman in a white coat with silver-streaked brown hair and overly large hazel eyes came into the room.

  "Well, hi, Ree! I'm Dr. Garaff. I'm sorry you waited so long, but you were perfect out there. I saw you reading when I walked by. Are you reading Elephant and Piggy books? Those are some of my favorites! Ms. Wallace? Lucinda? What do you prefer?"

  "Lucy, please. Thank you for seeing us so quickly. I can't believe-" She was talking so fast she was difficult to understand. This doctor might actually help Ree. They might be on the road to improvement.

  "Oh, psh. Anything for Beloved folks. Dr. Adrian is one of my favorite former students. Such a kind heart. I was disappointed when he restricted his practice for the Foundation.

  "Let's take a look, OK? Can I look at you, Henry? My hands aren't cold. It's OK. Your glands are a little swollen, sweetheart. Does your throat hurt?" Dr. Garaff asked.

  "Only a little, I'm OK!" Henry said.

  Lucy's eyes went wide. "Ree, you have to tell me. Even when it's a little hurt, honey. Little hurts become-"

  "It's OK, Lucy. Take a breath and let it out," Dr. Garaff said in a calming tone of voice. "We're going to do just fine. OK?"

  Lucy nodded. There were tears in her eyes again. She hated crying, hated crying in public, and hated crying in front of people she didn't know. This doctor must think she's a basket case. But, a cold could kill Henry. A scratchy throat could turn into something much worse. This was probably their last chance for help. Lucy had almost given up hope before Saturday.

  The doctor sat on the stool. "Tell me about what medication he's on, what tests have been done, what treatments we've tried…"

  Lucy shook her head. "We've done three rounds of chemotherapy. The cance
r hasn't changed.

  "He's had eight courses of different antibiotics over the last year. He did a course of steroids last month. After that, the pediatrician told us there wasn't much else to be done. Insurance won't pay for more treatment. One of the doctors had suggested a different type of chemo, but the insurance said it wasn't approved for his type of cancer."

  "OK, do you know what types of chemotherapy they've done?"

  "Yes," Lucy said. "I keep records." She handed the doctor the pile of old paperwork.

  "OK," Dr. Garaff said as she flipped through. "OK. They did three rounds of the exact same type of chemo. Of course. OK, we're going to-"

  There was a knock at the door.

  "What?" The doctor called. "You know I hate- Ah! There he is."

  Adrian Trellis walked into the room and had to scoot to the side to close the door. "Gretta, I think you need smaller exam rooms. This is just too extravagant. Are you tucking your students into your pockets?"

  Lucy's already racing heart skipped up another notch.

  Oh, God. He's here. I can apologize. And maybe find out what his foundation will cover. Was it just part of the treatment? All of it? I could try another go-fund-me, Lucy thought.

  She took a moment to really look at him. She hadn't really paid attention when they first met, too busy arguing with the hospital. She thought he was working a scam. Saturday night was fuzzy; Lucy had freaked out.

  He was tall, six-two or three. His hair was somewhere between dark golden blonde and light brown. Clean-shaven with blue-grey eyes. Handsome. The blue shirt and tie suited his coloring.

  "Adrian!" Ree cheered.

  "Hey, buddy! Hi Lucy!" He high-fived Henry without looking at Lucy.

  "Hey, you know, I wouldn't need to make the rooms so small if people didn't OVERBOOK my calendar," the doctor said with a smile. "I wondered if we'd see you before the day was done."

  "Can I stay?" Adrian asked, looking in Lucy's direction, but not really at her. "Do you mind if I listen?"

  "No, I don't mind," Lucy said, somehow embarrassed. She didn't know what to say to him. He hadn't looked at her. She must have offended him. Or, maybe he'd written her off as a terrible parent because Ree was alone.

  Her stomach flipped again at the thought of Ree alone in the apartment.

  "Am I allowed to look at the paperwork? I don't want to get my hand slapped again," He said with a smile aimed at the folder of paperwork.

  "I'm so sorry about-" Lucy started.

  "No, no. I was teasing, Lucy. Martha told me you were upset. Don't be. It's fine," he said with a laugh as he flipped through the file of old paperwork.

  "OK, back to the point," Dr. Garaff said. "We're going to do some blood work today. We're going to start a course of a different type of drug and see how it is tolerated. I want a specific supplement, too. I'll prescribe it. Get this all filled here at the hospital. They have what I want.

  "I would like you to come back on Friday for another set of bloodwork. Next Tuesday, then again on Friday, more bloodwork, OK? I'll see you again two weeks from today. Depending on how he tolerates the meds, and how the blood work goes, we'll start chemo after that. I need him as strong and healthy as he can be.

  "He looks terrific, Lucy. You're doing great. We're going to take this one step at a time and see how he does. Lots and lots of fluids, Henry. OK? As much as you can drink. As much food as you can get him to eat, too, Lucy. It doesn't matter what the calories are, we just need the calories right now.

  "He's had a lot of antibiotics and steroids in the last year. I'm not going to prescribe anything for the throat. Manage the discomfort with Tylenol or Advil. Call the office immediately if he starts running a fever, OK? Even if it's the middle of the night. There is always someone on call, so you can call with questions or concerns or anything you need.

  "Does this all sound OK? I know it's a lot of time at the hospital."

  "We'll make it work," Lucy said.

  "Good. Now, you! My favorite rich boy. How are you? What's new? You'll take my referral? Are you building that new wing or what? That building is still next door, I thought it'd be torn down by now," Dr. Garaff said to Adrian.

  "Of course, I'll take your referral. I told you I would," Adrian replied with a smile for the other doctor. "I don't know what's happening with the building, Sam's working on it. We'll get it done. But this room is seriously ridiculous, Gretta. Poor Lucy is folded in half over there!"

  "Small rooms let me see more patients, help more people. Get over it," Dr. Garaff said with a small smile as she stood up. Adrian gave her a quick hug.

  "Thank you for seeing them so fast," Adrian said.

  "Psh. For you, sure. Too much stress on Aunt Lucy, Adrian. She's going to crack before our boy does," the doctor said as she was leaving the room. "The nurse will be right in with the orders. I'll see you in two weeks, Lucy and Ree!"

  As soon as the door closed behind the doctor, Lucy started talking. "I didn't get a chance to- "

  The nurse came in with a pile of papers. The prescriptions had been sent to the pharmacy. The bloodwork orders had been sent to the lab.

  ✽✽✽

  Lucy looked rough. The dark circles were still under her eyes. Her cheeks looked pinched. Her posture was stiff with tension and stress. She was still beautiful. Platinum blonde hair, vibrant blue eyes, tall and leggy.

  I just won't look at her. It'll be fine. I'll walk with them to get the blood work, we'll get some lunch, and I'll talk to her about the house. I just won't focus on her, he thought.

  "Come on, I'll walk with you to get bloodwork, and then how about some lunch?" he asked Ree.

  "OK!" Ree said, excited.

  In his peripheral vision, Adrian saw Lucy open and close her mouth like she was going to say something but decided not to. After putting Henry on his feet, he handed the file of old paperwork to Lucy and let them lead the way out of the room.

  On the way to the lab, Henry held both Lucy's and Adrian's hand, walking between them. Adrian felt Henry's arm stiffen and waited for him to swing his feet up off the ground, between them.

  A few good swings later, the kid was giggling. "I've always wanted to do that," he squealed.

  Oh man, these two have really been on their own, Adrian thought.

  The lab was packed, standing room only. "Wow, hang on a sec. Let me see what's going on. Sign in, OK?" Adrian said as he opened the door to the back rooms.

  ✽✽✽

  "Hey, hey, Dr. Adrian!" Lucy heard someone call from the back.

  A minute later, Adrian called someone into the back. After that, a technician came out to the front desk and started shuffling papers.

  Over the next fifteen minutes, the waiting room cleared quickly. The tech called people in order and got them checked out.

  Lucy could occasionally hear Adrian talking to the kids. Once, she heard him pretend to yell in fright.

  "Gah! It's a needle. Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, don't look. Don't look! Ahhh!" He called. Lucy could hear the little girl laughing. A minute later, the desk tech was giving the giggling girl a sticker and checking her out.

  Two kids later, she heard Adrian yell, "Hey Rob, new orders are coming through for this one now. I just hung up with them. These orders are wrong. I'm gonna pull it, but reprint the stickers."

  The guy at the desk shook his head, muttering, "Top notch."

  Things slowed for a few minutes as they waited on the new orders.

  When Ree got called, they were ushered into a room where Adrian was spinning around on a doctor's stool. Ree giggled.

  "Ah-ha! There's Henry. Come here, Ree," Adrian said in a teasing voice. "I vant to take your bloud!"

  Henry climbed up into the chair with a grin. "I'm real good at this. I don't get scared."

  "I bet you are good at this," Adrian said with a little smile. "You've had lots of practice."

  As he drew Henry's blood, he asked Lucy, "How's the waiting room? They're missing two techs right now. One's at lunch, and one called
in. Are they close to caught up?"

  "Seemed like. There were only a couple of people left out there. You're good at this. I've never seen a doctor do this," she said as he put the cotton ball Band-Aid over the needle prick.

  "Oh, don't be fooled. We can all do it and have done it. Some of us are just not as comfortable with it. Cut open a body and move some parts? Sure! Pull bloodwork? Ewww. The nurses and techs do that," Adrian said as he smiled at Ree. "All done, buddy. Let's see what things look like out there."

  As they entered the hallway that led to the waiting room door, another tech walked through it. "Hey! Dr. Adrian! Thanks, man, we'd be hosed all day."

  "Sure, Jose. You back now? Has Rob gone to lunch?" Adrian asked.

  "Rob's got another hour before lunch, and Jackie will be in by then," Jose said. "I think we're good to go.

  "Sweet, we'll see you guys later, then," Adrian said with a backward wave to the guy at the desk.

  "Are you hungry yet?" Adrian asked Ree. "Starving? Wasting away? You were in there for hours and hours and hours."

  Ree giggled. "No, we weren't."

  They were quiet for a couple of heartbeats as they walked toward the cafeteria.

  "That was really nice of you," Lucy said. She must have startled him because he turned to look at her.

  "Huh?" Adrian said.

  "That was really nice of you. Helping in the lab, like that."

  "Oh," he said, still looking at her. "It was backed up. It, I, we would have, I mean."

  He turned his head forward and took a deep breath. "We would have been in for a long wait. I couldn't just take Henry back and then leave. That wouldn't be fair to the people that had been waiting. The cafeteria is around that corner."

  As they loaded lunch trays, hospital workers greeted him as Dr. Adrian with big smiles. He was popular with just about everyone. He got in line to check out with Lucy behind him.

  The cashier greeted him by name and said, "What are you doing here on a Tuesday, man! Tuesday ain't your day. Today's Tuesday, right?" The cashier scanned something on the register.

  Adrian smiled. Again. He smiled easily. "Just looking after my man, Henry here."