Life - Message From The Past

3-We're Here - I'm Gone

"The two of you have the same family doctor?" She remarked.

"Apparently we do. I never knew that before today." Jeremy frowned.

"From the same town?" The woman compared health cards.

"Yeah."

"You two live on the same street?" The secretary looked again. "You are..."

"Right next door." Jeremy nodded.

"She doesn't seem to like you much."

"I get the same feeling." Jeremy agreed. "We sort of clash."

The secretary shook her head. "Here I thought everyone got along in small towns."

"We meet once a month in the town square and sing kumbaya. It's great! You should come." Jeremy walk through the same doors Gwen did a few minutes before. "Geezus, what next?"

Jeremy read the direction board. Follow the blue line to Oncology reception. "Okay seems pretty straightforward." 

A woman stepped out of an office, tilted her head as she watched Jeremy looking down. "Which line are you following?" He looked up and she introduced herself. "I'm Madeline Corber."

"Dr. Corber?" Jeremy inquired.

"Yes, are you here for an appointment?"

"Yeah yeah, Jeremy Fartham. Your ten o'clock." He shrugged.

She pointed to Jeremy. "Right, give me a few minutes and I will be right back. Oh, and the blue line goes to that waiting area."

Jeremy nodded and as he began to walk the situation became real for him. He had been able to deflect the true nature of being in the building until just that moment. The feeling of angst and dread showered him like the approaching rain. "Yeah, okay."

Jeremy took a seat, hanging onto the chair as if it were about to be sucked into a black hole. 

"Hey, you look like you just seen a ghost," Gwen spoke from across the waiting room.

Jeremy did not answer. He didn't feel like jousting with his neighbor and closed his eyes. 

"So, you're gonna ignore me here too?" Gwen rolled her eyes before pulling her cellphone from her bag.

"Miss Printin?" Minnie, the receptionist, walked up to Gwen in purposely dimly lit the waiting area.

"Yes!" She jammed her cellphone back into her bag.

"Mr. Fartham?" Minnie looked at Jeremy. 

"Yeah?" He reached up and took his ball cap off. 

"You can keep it on." Minnie turned. "Follow me."

Gwen quickly followed Minnie. Jeremy looked as though he wanted to turn around and run. 

Sunrise Consultation Room - Gwen 

In contrast, the consultation room proved to be brightly lit, providing optimism. The huge windows provided an unobstructed view of the beautiful park in full spring bloom. Gwen lost herself in the colors outside the window when Dr. Corber sat behind her desk.

"Miss Printin. Miss Printin?" Dr. Corber spoke softly knowing what the day had in store for the mother of three. 

"Oh." She looked to her doctor. "Oh, it's Gwen."

"So are you someone who wants to know everything or a person who just wants to know what comes next?" She waited for Gwen to process the question. 

After all these years Dr. Corber understood that less is more on the first day her patients come to her. There is a balance she seeks with each person who walks into her clinic. Some don't want to know and some need to know the fight that is ahead of them.