Phoenix Tonic Read Free Page A

twenty, he wasn’t really a baby anymore. But his heated voice sounded like it came from a distant tunnel. The crying of her mother whispered from beside her. Hailey refused to look at her. She always cried at these appointments, yet she demanded on being there anyway. But if Hailey looked at her now, she wouldn’t last.
    “Brian, it’s okay.” She couldn’t look at him either. Instead she stared at the men’s squared shoulders. “Dr. Timms is only doing what I asked him to do.” Her voice was as void of emotion as the doctors eyes.
    Brian glared at the doctor a moment longer before retreating back to his usual seat next to the IV drip. His blue eyes melted from stone to as deep as the sea. Her mother leaned into him, and their matching sandy blond heads rested against each other. She was practically a carbon copy of the two, except for her hazel eyes.
    Hailey didn’t want to be responsible for their pain. She wasn’t ready to leave them yet. “What about the study, Dr. Timms? It doesn’t matter how much money my dad has, I’m at death’s door here. I must qualify now.” She had been just a breath away from qualifying for that medical research. Several of the patients had gone into remission, while she now had six weeks left.
    Hailey swallowed at her doctor’s placid face. “Am I right? Can you get me back in?”
    Dr. Timms uncrossed his legs and set his tablet on the sterile counter. “Miss Simmons— may I call you Hailey?”
    She nodded.
    “Hailey, it’s important not to disillusion yourself. You’re stage four, BS. You are too far along to qualify for any studies.” He tapped his tablet and a series of charts appeared. “Your lymphatic system is riddled with cancer. Your bone marrow, liver and spleen are all suffering. Compounded with the fever and night sweats, you must understand how serious this is. I know you’re young. No one thinks they can die at the age of twenty-three, but the simple fact is you need to prepare yourself, not grasp at straws.”
    Her mother grieved louder. She wanted to tell her brother to go ahead and hit Dr. Timms now, but she couldn’t. Her mind had gone blank.
    Brian’s broken voice rang out. “What about that medicine you’ve got her on? I thought you said that stuff was supposed to slow it down?”
    Dr. Timms stopped typing and slowly set his tablet down. “Yes, well, I informed Miss Simmons that the drug may help. But this is a particularly aggressive disease.” He pulled the rolling stool up to her.
    Hailey’s face, her skin everywhere, had a strange, painful tingling as she looked down at him.
    Dr. Timms folded his hands and lowered his voice. “Hailey, I’m going to take you off the medicine. I think it would be best for you to spend this next month with your family, not going through multiple medical procedures that won’t work.” He pressed his lips together as he waited for her to make eye contact. “Now, the symptoms you’re experiencing are only going to get worse as each day goes by. I want you to take it easy. I’ll set it up so that a hospital bed and hospice come out to your house by tonight. I’ll order an in-home morphine drip to make you more comfortable. If you need anything else don’t hesitate to call.” He pulled out a business card and scribbled something on the back. “This is my private number. Where ever I am, I’ll answer.”
    Her fingers trembled as she took the card. “Thank you Dr. Timms,” she whispered. She couldn’t think. She couldn’t even react. All she could think about was putting one foot in front of the other. That was her motto this last year. Baby steps.
    Walking at her college graduation.
    Making herself get out of bed in the mornings.
    Smiling as if there was hope.
    But baby steps seemed momentous right now.
    Her mother’s warm hand slipped into hers. Brian draped his bulky arm around her shoulders as they tried to talk about other things.
    She stared straight ahead, not seeing the room, the flowers or