She's Not a Fan

Chapter 28

Wednesday morning’s clinic ran late, which wasn’t all that unusual.  Why would she make plans for one o’clock?  Did she ever finish on time?  She ran out to her car, drove quickly home and was pulling into her driveway, when Mike pulled up in his car. 

Sarah collected her bag, her purse, papers and her extra pair of shoes.  And couldn’t open the car door with all the stuff in her hands.  She hadn’t eaten, still had to make a phone call and Mike was already here.  Great.  She let out an exasperated breath.  Note to self.  Don’t make plans right after a clinic. She gave a quick glance in the rear view mirror to see if her hair was as frazzled as she felt.  A few ends sticking up, and no lipstick to speak of.  Of course.  She finally managed to juggle everything and open the door.  She turned to Mike as he walked up the driveway.  “Hi, I’m really sorry.  I’m running behind.  I should have called you,” she said in a rush.

“No worries.  I’m in no hurry.”

“Come in while I get changed and grab my skates,” Sarah invited, hoping she hadn’t left a mess.

Mike followed her in.  “Busy morning?”

“Yeah,” she replied trying to keep her voice even.

Mike looked at her speculatively.  “Busy and difficult,” he surmised.

Sarah looked at him with surprise.  She tried to smile. “Sorry...it was, yes.”

“Can you tell me about it?”

“I had to give a patient a diagnosis that they didn’t expect and.... it was tougher than I thought it would be.  It happened at the end of the morning and I was just making arrangements for the patient, so I haven’t quite let it go yet.”  She looked at him apologetically.  “I just have to make one more phone call for the patient.  It won’t take long, but if you don’t want to wait around, I could drive myself,” she added.

“It’s not a problem.  I can wait.”

“Just make yourself at home.  I’ll be right back,” Sarah said and headed off to the bedroom to change and make the call. 

She closed the door quietly.  The last patient of the day had come in with blood in her urine one month ago.  The patient had undergone some tests and had been referred to a specialist, who diagnosed bladder cancer and scheduled surgery.  The appointment today had been for a pre-op physical and blood work.  Sarah sat down with the woman and discussed the diagnosis.  As they talked, it became obvious that the patient hadn’t really understood what the specialist had told her. 

The diagnosis and prognosis had finally set in and the woman was devastated.  Her husband was out of town on an extended business trip and her two daughters lived out of town.  Her best friend was able to stay with her, but asked if Sarah could call her daughter.  Sarah tried from the office, but the daughter had been out of the office. 

Sarah dialled her number and thought about how to word the news.

It was easier to talk to the daughter who suspected the diagnosis was cancer.  The daughter had done some research on the Internet and had a pretty good idea of what was involved, but had some specific questions about the operation and recovery.  Sarah was reassured that the patient wouldn’t be alone, as each of the family members had arranged some time off from their jobs.  Seemed like a really supportive family, Sarah thought, as she hung up the phone.

Perfect.  That felt better.  Now she could set it aside.

She quickly changed out of her dress clothes, and threw on more comfortable yoga pants to wear underneath her snow pants for skating.  She layered a long sleeved shirt with a fleece jacket and headed back out to the living room.