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Chapter 29: Just doing my job
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Diagnosis: Love Chapter 30: Miss Sissie advises
DEACON"I hope you have something good to tell me, doctor." Sissie Lewis was perched on the end of her hospital bed like a bird about to take flight. At eighty-three, the woman was spry and peppy, and being around her always made me feel like I was a slacker. I'd known her my entire life-she'd taught me Sunday School in the third grade-and I was fairly certain that she still saw me as the mischievous little boy who'd stolen peppermints from her knitting bag while she was setting up Bible stories on the flannel board. Still, when she'd been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma earlier this year, she hadn't hesitated to come straight to me and request that I manage her treatment. She'd even consented to make the trip over to the Calumbra Center near Tampa until we had the wing up and running here at St. Agnes, despite her misgivings about going to the 'big city' for anything. Miss Sissie had been born and raised in Harper Springs, and in her mind, everything anyone ever neede
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 31: Detente
DEACONI stopped home quickly to change and to grab a microwaved burrito, mostly so my stomach didn't growl and interrupt the apology I was planning to make. I didn't linger long, but the sun was setting as my truck bumped over the dirt road that my navigation app claimed was taking me to Emma's house. I had my doubts. As far as I was aware, this area was completely undeveloped. I was all too familiar with the fields out this way. Unless she'd built a cabin in the woods that no one knew about, I would've heard some kind of buzz about a house going up out here. But I didn't see anything . . . except, off to the east, an old trailer was set up among the weeds and grass. That couldn't be it. Or could it? Squinting, I spied a blue sedan parked alongside the mobile home. There was definitely someone living there. It might be our naturopath . . . or it might be an anarchist with an arsenal who didn't want to be disturbed. I figured I was going to have to take my chances. I drove clos
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 32: Just a snake
DEACONI became painfully aware of several things at once. Emma's long, lithe body was pressed up against me. Her full breasts rubbed my chest as she sucked in a quick breath. Her face was tilted up to stare into mine, and her lips were slightly parted in surprise. And I wanted to kiss her more than I'd wanted anything in a very long time. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Her voice trembled slightly, but I wasn't sure if it was from fury or desire. I hoped it was the latter, but I had a hunch it was the former. "There's a snake coming down the side of your trailer-right behind you. It was about to slither onto your . . .uh, chest." "What the fuck?" And then she was climbing on me, her arms locked around my neck, her legs circling my waist. "Whoa." Out of instinct-and okay, yes, it wasn't exactly a hardship-I cupped her ass with my hands to keep her from sliding down me. "Are you fucking serious? Is there a fucking snake near me? Holy fuck.""I think y
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 33: Visualizing hope
EMMA"Awww, Emma, you didn't have to dress up just to come see me." My cheeks crinkled behind the mask. "Actually, I did. And this lovely outfit is the exact same thing all of your visitors will be wearing for as long as you are neutropenic. But it's super good news, because all of that nasty chemo that we've been throwing at you for the last week has done its job, and you're ready to receive the donor stem cells." Angela leaned back against her pillows. The chemotherapy regimen had taken its toll on her. Medically speaking, I knew why we did this. I understood that this was the best way to prepare the body for receiving the new, healthy cells, but when every instinct in me was to heal and promote wholeness, it was so hard to comprehend that pumping in poison was part of that process."Everyone's so excited about it." Her fingers moved restlessly over the sheet. "I know I should be, too." "There are no shoulds in feelings, sweetie." I pulled up a chair and sat down next to
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 34: Happy place
EMMAI was busy for the rest of the morning, and I didn't stop for lunch until it was nearly two o'clock. I'd just settled at the table in the staff lounge with a veggie wrap and chips when Deacon came in. "Hey." He opened the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water. "That smells good. What're you eating?" I lifted my wrap. "Homemade roasted vegetables-broccoli, asparagus, peppers and turnips-with a vegan garlic aioli. It's amazing." He grimaced. "I don't know how you can eat that stuff. Don't you miss hamburgers and grilled cheese sandwiches and fried chicken?" I took a bite of my wrap, chewed and swallowed. "I honestly don't. Every now and then, I miss something little-like cheese fondue. Dipping bread into that melted Swiss cheese and then sticking it into your mouth . . .mmmmm." I closed my eyes, remembering. "But it's a choice I've made, and there are so many amazing options for vegans these days. It's not like I only eat lettuce and carrots. I have a very well
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 35: Good news day
DEACONAs a southeast Florida boy, born and bred, I observed the seasons a little differently than the rest of the world. Basically, it was hot, hotter, damn hot, fucking hot and the occasional rare cooler day, when temperatures hovered in the mid-seventies, humidity stayed low and the sun wasn't baking us. My grandparents talked about a time when we'd experienced a short winter even down here-weeks of temps in the low sixties or upper fifties, clear, crisp days with bright blue skies and soft sunshine-but over the years, that happened less and less frequently. Global warming, man. It was a real thing. Still, walking from my truck to the hospital, I noted that maybe we were moving out of fucking hot into simply damn hot. Fall was coming. Sometimes, its arrival felt like a mere rumor when we were in the pit of hell called summer, but eventually, the heat ebbed back until it was only hitting the mid-afternoon. Before too long, mornings and evenings would be almost comfortable aga
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 36: Yes
DEACON"Do you think Angela was ready to go home?" Emma had developed a habit over the past couple of months of appearing at my office door, usually toward the end of the day, and launching into a topic with little to no preamble. She'd loiter there in the doorway, alternately arguing with me, agreeing or listening, until I'd roll my eyes and say, "For God's sake, Emma, come in and sit down." Now, I glanced up at her from my computer screen. "Yes, I do. That's why I signed the orders releasing her. It's kind of my process. I try to do everything medically possible for my patients, and then I let them go home. Apparently, if you try to keep them, it's something called kidnapping."She huffed out a sigh. "You know what I mean, Deacon." "Hmmm." I lifted one shoulder. "I'm not sure I do. Why don't you come sit down and explain?" She wandered in as though she was in no particular hurry to do as I'd suggested. "What are you working on?" "Sending a report to the board ahead
Diagnosis: Love Chapter 37: First date
EMMA"Oh, God, Jenny, I think I made a mistake." "What are you talking about?" On the screen of my phone, Jenny's face registered dismay and surprise. "You've been dying for Deacon to make his move for months. How in the hell can saying yes to him once he did be a mistake?" "Not the date, you dweeb." I twisted in front of the mirror. "The dress.""Oh, no, babe." Jenny shook her head. "The dress is smokin' hot, just like you. Own it, baby. Strut your stuff." "But the dress has no back to it, Jenny. What was I high on at lunch today that I listened to you when you said it would be perfect?""You were high on life and love, sweetie. You'd just spent ten minutes telling me how on fire you are for Dr. Foxy's rockin' bod, and describing to me just what you wanted to do once you got him alone-""This is what comes from taking the afternoon off, having martinis at lunch and then shopping with you in Lakeland," I groaned. I turned again. The dress was a pretty color, a deep aqu
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