said. âKathy Harper is failing. Pretty quickly. We have the unfortunate duty today of informing her friends that itâs time to cancel the pedicures.â
âDr. Black? Did anyone ever accuse you of being overly sensitive?â
âPlease. I know. But listen, you and I have been down this road a thousand times. She had a horrendous night last night. I had to sedate the hell out of her. Sheâs sundowning for the foreseeable future.â
âI am so sorry. I got the word from Margaret and Judy. The poor thing.â
âYes. God, I hate cancer.â
âI do too. I donât understand why some Âpeople who are nothing but a pain in the neck live to a hundred and die in their sleep, never having needed anything more than an aspirin. And other Âpeople like Kathy Harper have to suffer and die so young.â
âI know. Itâs terrible. Anyway, our job here is to make the end bearable not only for the patient but for the family and friends.â
âReally? Dr. Black, I didnât know that. I just got out of nursing school yesterday. Do you want me to tell them?â
âYes, but do you have to be so sarcastic?â he said.
âDo you have to be so condescending?â I said, and stood up. âJeez. Theyâre here, so Iâll go talk to them now.â
I stopped at the door, turned back, and rolled my eyes at him.
âOkay, okay. I know. Iâm a jerk,â he said. âBut you know what?â
âWhat?â
âIâm gonna miss all those donuts,â he said, and added in a mumble, âAnd the delicious legs on that little brunette.â
âYouâre terrible,â I said, and left thinking maybe gallows humor rescued us on some days. In any case, it clearly rescued Dr. Black. Not getting emotionally involved was obviously easier for him than for me.
I walked down the hall and turned to the right, making my way to Kathy Harperâs room. It wasnât the first trip Iâd made from Dr. Blackâs office with a message of this weight to deliver. Technically, it was his job to convey bad news but he hated doing it. And he knew I was very close with Kathyâs friends, and truly, I wasnât going to tell them something they didnât already know. But I was going to tell them something they didnât want to hear. My heart was heavy.
I took a deep breath and slowly swung the door open. There was Kathy, peacefully sleeping in her bed, or so it seemed, with Suzanne seated on one side and Carrie on the other. Suzanne was checking her email on her smartphone and Carrie was flipping through a magazine. They looked up at me and smiled.
âHey,â I said quietly. âHow are yâall doing?â
âHey, how are you, Lisa?â Suzanne said in a voice just above a whisper. âHow was your weekend?â
What Suzanne and Carrie did not yet know was that Kathy was not really asleep but drugged and floating somewhere in what I hoped was a pain-Âfree zone in between sleep and consciousness. I knew she could hear our every word.
âWell, I took Pickle over to Sullivans Island and we had a long walk. Then I drove down to Hilton Head to check on my parents. My dad cooked fish on the grill. We had a nice visit. How about yâall?â
âI had three weddings and a graduation party!â Suzanne said. âCrazy!â
âI helped,â Carrie said. âYou know that Suzanne was desperate if she let me in the workshop.â
âOh, hush! I would never have been able to get it all done without you and you know it!â
Suzanne owned a very popular boutique-Âsized floral design business. June was her busiest time of the year, followed by December, when she decorated the mantelpieces, swagged doors and staircases, and hung the wreaths of Charlestonâs wealthiest citizens. Suzanne was a rare talent.
âWell, I was hoping to have a word with yâall. Should we step outside
Tim Lahaye, Jerry B. Jenkins