Remember Savannah

#10 Dad's Doctor Appointment

On Saturday, I took my dad to his doctor's appointment. The week went by OK. Monday and Tuesday were probably the highlights, but at least I would get to see Steve tomorrow for church.

"How was your first week on the job?" my dad asked in the car.

"It was fine I guess."

"You still marketing that medicine?"

"I certainly am" My sigh didn't make what I said sound enthusiastic.

"Well, it doesn't sound like you like your job that much," he used his inhaler.

"I mean it's not my dream job or anything, but I get a good paycheck."

"Well, life is short to do something you hate. I always wondered if your sister enjoyed her job at H&R Block. For someone who talked, she never talked about her job. It seems that Steve likes his job though. When he first started his job, he'd always make us Waffle Sandwiches."

"Oh yeah, I had a Blueberry Waffle Fish Sandwich for lunch and dinner on Tuesday. I'd say he loves his job a lot."

"Well good. It seems you both are getting along just fine. It's a blessing for him to have you around."

My dad soon fell asleep leaving me to turn on the radio listening to two guys talk about a wildfire in California.

"five hundred homes had to be evacuated."

"We clearly need more rain."

Once we got into the parking lot and parked, my dad woke up. A bit drowsy, I helped him out of the car.

"My legs don't work like they used to. Don't get old honey."

It was true. He appeared to be limping his way into the doctor's office. We waited for half an hour in the waiting room before they called us. My dad read Golfer's Digest while I looked at my phone scrolling through Instagram. Steve posted a throwback of his daughter hugging Savannah. They finally called us in. He went through all the regular routines before we saw an actual doctor. We waited another fifteen minutes before a doctor walked in.

"Hello," the doctor walked in.

"Hey, Dr. Peterson."

After all these years, Dr. Peterson was still our doctor only older. He was an old man. When I was five getting a required shot, he seemed to be a reasonably young guy with a few grey hairs, but here he was with a thin balding grey hairline, glasses, an extra twenty lbs., undesirable wrinkly skin, and a cane.

I can't do this. Please don't give me this shot Dr. Beterson," I cried sitting on the bed in the office.

"Trust me dear, when you start Kindergarten, all your classmates will have had this shot. It's not so bad if you just close your eyes. Can you do that for me?"

"OK." I closed my eyes.

"Do you remember meeting my daughter Avery in preschool?"

"Yes. She was funny."

"I know she's a funny little girl. Tells all the best jokes. And your shot is done."

"What?" I opened my eyes. A band-aid was on my arm. "That didn't hurt!"

"You're a brave little girl. Your sister Savannah ran all around this office screaming because she feared a shot just like you."

And is this Margo all grown up?" We shook hands.

"Hey, doctor. It's been a while."

"It certainly has. It seems your family is doing well. A tragedy with that accident. My daughter Avery's Boyfriend suffered an accident last year. Was in the hospital for four months. A miracle that he survived."

"I remember seeing that on Facebook. It really is a miracle to see him alive."

"Never take life for granted my dear. You either live to be as old as me or you die young. Life is a blessing." He turned towards my dad. "Alright, George how are we today?"

"I've been coughing a lot lately and my body has been weakening on me."

"And you're still smoking?"

It was a standard conversation which led my dad to get screened for x-rays. Within a flash, we were back in Dr. Peterson's Office. He was focused on the x-rays and on the written reports.

"Alright George, it's not looking good. You've entered the early stages of lung cancer. The bad news is you have what is called a Benign Tumor. The good news is that it's nothing serious and with surgery, it can be removed."

My dad let out another cough. "I tried doc. I really did try to quit smoking."

"I understand George. It's addictive. My sister in law was a cocaine addict and found herself almost dead. Thankfully she overcame it and is alive ten years later. Like her, you can also overcome this. I suggest Nicotine and we'll also need to schedule an appointment to get that tumor removed."

The appointment ended, and my dad walked out of the room while the doctor noticed me trying to unsuccessfully hold in my tears. He stopped me at the door.

"Margo, I know this news is rough and it's the last thing you want to hear right now but trust me it's good that you're here. He's going to need the support of you and your mom to fight this addiction."

"I know, it's just that I can't take another death. Losing my sister was hard enough. I can't lose my dad."

A sigh came out of his mouth. "Your sister was a wonderful woman and was loved by so many, but you're not alone. Talk to your parents because they're still grieving just as much as you are. So is Steve."

He let out his hand for me to shake while his face smiled. Our hands shook.

"Your dad's going to get through this."

It was hard to believe the doctor. How would he know if my dad was going to get through this? My mom certainly believed it was possible. She told him that he was going to be on Nicotine asap and even scheduled and appointed for the surgery. Yes, I wanted to ask my mom how she knew that he was going to be OK. Why was she so confident? Why wasn't she crying? In the back of my mind, I pictured my dad not using his Nicotine and continuing to smoke. First my sister and now him. That following Sunday I decided to skip church and stayed in bed with all that was on my mind.

It was Saturday Afternoon. I couldn't get out of bed. My poorly scored test laid on the floor.

"You're still in bed?" asked Savannah who was blasting loud music on her iPod. "Come on get out. Me and Steve are going to an outdoor music festival as boyfriend and girlfriend and I'm new to this dating your best friend thing. Interested?"

My body rolled over and I laid on my stomach. "No. I failed a test."

She looked at the floor where my test laid. "It's one test. I'll help you study for next time if you come."

"I don't need to study. I just keep daydreaming about this guy."

We talked some more, and she eventually left without me. Thank goodness she didn't figure the name of the guy I kept daydreaming about."

Things are getting interesting. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Don't forget to comment and vote!

How do you feel about Dad's new tumor? It's a small treatable tumor. Should Margo be worried?