by Barbara Ebel
Cheryl pulled at her ponytail and motioned Danny into an examining room.
“It’s been weeks,” Danny said to David and his mother when he walked in. The youth looked summery wearing cargo shorts and a navy T-shirt with a sport’s logo. And, for the first time during their visits, Tara greeted him with a large, genuine smile.
Danny shook David’s hand and patted Tara on the shoulder; Cheryl stayed by the door. “Fill me in,” Danny said. He laughed and added, “By now, you know the routine.”
The whole time David carried on about still not having any seizures, Danny could feel his own tranquil heartbeat and felt assured that the young man’s troubles from his head traumas were over.
David finished his long update and added, “And by next year, Dr. Tilson, I’m going to be playing a little recreational basketball again with friends … thanks to you.”
“You are not going to be afraid to go back out on the court?”
“No, I don’t think so. But I sure wish it was the norm for players to wear some kind of a light helmet. Some device that doesn’t look dorky but gives some protection.”
“Yes,” Danny said, “some protection would be better than none.”
When the appointment ended, Tara gave Danny a big hug. “We can’t thank you enough,” she said.
“No problem,” Danny beamed.
“And tell Annabel I said hello,” David said with a smile.
Cheryl encouraged Danny to go straight to the kitchen when they were finished. Inside, Matthew swung his foot over his knee and Jeffrey pressed a letter into Danny’s hand.
“Hurry up and open it,” Jeffrey said. “We’re dying to know.”
Danny looked suspiciously at them and then glanced at the return address from the Tennessee Medical Society. He supposed it had something to do with their nominating him for that award they were so keen on him receiving. The envelope was thin, probably indicating they sent him their regrets, that another doctor deserved the award.
Peeling open the envelope, he pulled out the paper.
Dear Dr. Tilson,
We are pleased to announce that you have been selected The Physician of the Year. This award embodies excellence in medicine and your accomplishments in the field of medicine and neurosurgery are extraordinary. With your history, you have not only served Tennessee, the United States and the world with outstanding investigative work, research, and patient care this year, but several years in a row.
He stopped reading and handed Jeffrey the letter. “Are you happy now?” he asked.
Then he chuckled, gave them both an emotional ‘thanks,’ and said, “I guess we’ll all be going to a black-tie event.”
-----
The day he dreaded had arrived. With Dakota by his side, Danny went into Julia’s room and helped her get dressed into purple shorts and a dinosaur T-shirt. He gave her a hug knowing it might be the last time doing so while she was this young and while she was in his house. With a small gesture, she returned the hug, turned and darted out the room. She ignored Dakota who followed her like the faithful companion he was and Danny held back breaking into tears.
He opened the back door and walked out into a foggy Saturday morning where Dakota relieved himself, Danny stretched, and Julia picked flower petals off a bush. Soon Rachel would be over to take Julia and, at this point, he felt he had exhausted all possible parting words with his daughter. How many more times could he tell her he loved her and how many more times could he tell her he’d miss her? Besides, he thought, she is so little … she won’t remember him telling her anyway.
The next hour dragged on like a funeral procession as Sara, Annabel and Nancy watched Danny check and recheck Julia’s duffel bag which would accompany her. Twice he picked her up and held her in his lap only to have her squirm and jump down. Once Dakota came over and sniffed her pink and white tennis sneakers and she pleasantly yelled out “Da-Ka.”
A knock came from the upstairs door, then Casey yelled down. “Danny, Rachel’s outside.”
“We’re coming,” Sara said.
With long faces, Annabel and Nancy went up; Sara picked up the bag and followed them. Danny picked up his daughter for the last time. “Come on, Dakota,” he said.
They proceeded up the steps and, at the top, Mary held a soggy tissue in her hand. They had shielded her from the disappointing custody news for quite some time but there had been no way to keep it secret the last two weeks.
Annabel took Julia from Danny’s arms. “Bye, little sister. I hope I see you soon.” Nancy stood close and gave Julia a kiss on her cheek. “Me, too. We love you,” she said.
Sara extended her arms, took Julia, and squeezed her like a stuffed animal. “You be a good girl. Remember us because we’re going to remember you every day.” Mary hung onto her sister-in-law’s arm and wrapped her free arm around both of them, kissing Julia’s hand.
“Julia, you’re getting to be a big girl,” Sara said with a more upbeat tone. “I can hardly hold you anymore,” She passed her to Casey.
With one arm, Casey held her and cast a glance at Danny. Both men nodded and started to the front door. Everyone followed but, when they got to the front step, the women stopped right there.
In the driveway was Rachel’s little Mazda Miata and behind her was a four-door sedan hooked to a U-Haul. The driver’s door of the second vehicle was open and a casually-dressed man was inspecting his back tire.
Rachel wore a short-sleeve blouse and loose cotton shorts; with a pair of light sun glasses, she looked ready to star in a road trip movie. Meeting Danny and Casey halfway, she held out her arms for her daughter.
“Bye, sweetheart,” Casey said, putting Julia down. He gave Rachel a hard scowl, turned around and joined his wife. Dakota stayed next to Danny but stopped wagging his tail.
Danny narrowed his eyes at the man who approached and held out his hand. “Nice to see you again, Dr. Tilson,” the man said.
“I’m sorry, I forgot your name,” Danny said.
“Kevin Mcbride. We met at the art exhibit.”
“Oh, yes, the urology doctor.” Danny felt at a loss. He had questions for him and Rachel as well, but in essence, they were none of his business.
“Well, I know Rachel wants to get on the road,” he said. “We have planned a long drive every day. Your daughter is a doll and I’ll help out with her, too.” He shook Danny’s hand. “Bye,” he added and went back to his car.
From Kevin’s back window, a dog stuck its head out and barked. Dakota went over and sniffed his nose up towards the beagle while Julia shouted out, “Snoopy!”
“Just for your information,” Rachel said, “we’re going to California. Kevin is starting a practice there and I have a few interviews.”
The last thing Danny wanted was to be ensnared into an argument with her in front of his daughter. He went over to Julia standing below Snoopy, crouched down, and gave her one more kiss. “I love you,” he said for the hundredth time, holding onto his sadness and any tears like a steaming hot dish with a potholder.
When he got up and paused, he said, “So, are you two together or is he just helping you out?”
“Together.” She took Julia’s hand and settled her into the front passenger seat, all buckled up. When she came around to her side, she spoke to Kevin. “I’m ready, you can pull out.”
Kevin gave her a nod, waved at Danny, and cranked on his engine. Rachel opened her door.
“Who knows,” she said to Danny, “He may be worth enough to marry.”
She pulled out but didn’t wave as he stood there with a blank expression. It was the first time she’d ever let him in on her scheming thoughts. Poor guy, he thought. Kevin Mcbride would just have to learn the hard way like he did. But, God, I’m going to miss Julia.
Chapter 32
The days had grown shorter and the leaves had turned a myriad of colors. High school and college had started again and the date for the Tennessee Medical Society’s formal dinner banquet had finally arrived.
<
br /> Danny showered and threw on some clothes. He didn’t want to change into his tuxedo until the last minute so he sat in their big room reading newspaper headlines.
A bedroom door opened and Annabel came prancing out wearing a sophisticated long-sleeved dress; a pearl necklace and earrings completed the outfit and her hair shined.
“You look fabulous,” Danny said.
“Thanks, Dad,” she said, sitting next to him. “And thanks for inviting me.”
“How could I not?”
“Well, I gave you a hard time in the beginning about David and his injury and the fact that he was going to have to be monitored for weeks on end in the ICU. That wasn’t your fault. I’m sorry I was nasty. And it’s taken a long time for me to tell you that.”
“You’ve alluded to this before and I appreciate you saying so. You got me thinking and, if it weren’t for you, I don’t know if I would have brainstormed the current seizure technology and discovered a new method.”
“Really?”
“Really. And your thinking outside the box is exactly what is needed in the future of medicine and medical research.” He patted her leg and smiled as Nancy joined them.
“You’re looking nice,” Danny said to his younger daughter and she turned around showing off the wavy folds of her skirt.
“So, Dad,” Nancy said, “do they just pick a doctor each year to have this fancy event?”
“They do, but it’s more than that. The tickets per person are very expensive to attend. Minus the expenses, all the money goes to a fund. The doctor being honored each year gets to pick their cause or charity which will be the recipient of that fund.”
“Which is you,” Nancy said. “That’s pretty cool.”
“So who are you going to delegate the proceeds to?” Annabel asked.
“Different aspects of sport’s injuries. There will be money for athletes who can’t afford their entire medical bills and money for continuing research to help with treatment improvements.”
“That’s terrific, Dad. I bet the athletic department of my college will be happy to know that.”
“I believe so.” Danny checked his watch and jumped up. “I better get tuxed up and tell your mother how gorgeous she looks.”
“What is she wearing?” Nancy asked.
“I don’t know. But it doesn’t matter because she’ll look beautiful no matter what.”
-----
Doctors, researchers, other medical personnel and guests spilled out of the downtown hotel’s conference room holding drinks and eating hors d’oeuvres. Most of the professional medical people practiced in the Nashville area but others came from the rest of the state. A constant group of attendees gathered around Danny as well as the society’s board members, and individuals eased in closer wanting an opportunity to meet Danny individually.
For over an hour, food trays of bite-sized cheeses, and seafood on crackers, and mushrooms stuffed with spinach held by men and women in uniform kept coming. The tip jars on the minibar counters were filling up as the bartenders worked to restock their margarita and whiskey sour mixes.
With pride, Danny introduced Sara and the girls whenever he could and they stayed as engrossed in conversation as he was. The time flew by quickly and the next twenty minutes was a struggle to get everyone to sit inside at their tables. For the entire Tilson family, it took the longest.
Their ceremonious table with the largest flower arrangement was closest to the podium and the longest table in the room. Place cards were set for the board members and Danny and his family; Bruce, Mathew, Jeffrey and their wives were seated at the table next to them.
Casey pulled out a chair for Mary. Looking elegant, his wife wore a floor-length turquoise dress and her red hair was swept up with a beaded hair pin.
“You not only look glamorous,” Danny said, standing close to her, “but you also look like you’re going to drop those babies any minute.”
She laughed at her brother. “I can’t wait.”
When the three-course dinner began, the chandelier lights brightened and, by the time dessert was served, someone had toned them done to a soft hue. Danny realized as he stirred his coffee why the event was extra-special. He had his family all around him.
The president of the society tapped the microphone at the podium. “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen,” he began. “Thank you all for being here.” He gave more introductory remarks but then turned his attention to the purpose of the evening.
“I realized how difficult it was going to be for me tonight to present this award to a man whose medical accomplishments and contributions are so many. Dr. Danny Tilson, a Nashville neurosurgeon, is this year’s winner of the Physician of the Year and the pamphlets on your tables include his remarkable bio.
First, as you know, each year the recipient chooses his or her own philanthropic cause and the monies we collect go towards that charity. Dr. Tilson has chosen to contribute to the furtherance of medical treatments for sport’s injuries as well as to treat athletes in need.
“This year, our recipient’s innovative development to monitor seizures with a wireless system has accomplished in that area of neurology and neurosurgery what broadband did to dial-up internet connections. In addition to this new technology, more of a discussion has ensued regarding head injuries. The concussions which happen to youths, college students and others are often preventable, and the host of sports activities involved can – hopefully - all be made safer. Just think, there was a time in the past when it wasn’t cool to wear a bike helmet. Now it’s frowned upon if a biker doesn’t wear one. And in Danny’s patient’s case this year, a secondary impact occurred. As we know, that is extremely dangerous.”
The man sipped from a water glass and looked back at the audience. “I like to make my time at the podium brief but I’d like to mention Danny’s other work in the last few years. You can read more about it, but he was responsible for the discovery of abnormal brain circulation in patients last year along with the discovery, research and treatment of a pandemic two years ago. And one of his surgeries regarding a brain parasite was brilliantly skillful.”
Danny thought he couldn’t handle any more praise. He did his job just like all the other doctors there. But when he thought about it, he remembered previous years’ honorees and he had thought they were deserving of the accolades. He reached out his hand to Sara and squeezed; Casey, filling out his tux like one of the James Bond characters, sat next to Mary and gave him a nod.
When Danny turned his attention back to the speaker, he was asked to come up for his award and to say a few words. He walked across the empty dancing area, went to the podium and was handed a statue of a doctor holding a caduceus.
“Thank you,” he said. “I’m honored and tongue-tied to hear these remarks. I’m not sure if I’m the doctor who has done all those things. Sometimes in medicine, we’re doing more than we think we are. And I think that’s important. To keep up the learning, to keep up the inquisitiveness, to keep taking care of patients the best we know how.
“So that I don’t have to bore some of you tonight, I’ve brought a sample of my device and anyone who would like to learn more details can take a dance break later and get a little demo.”
Danny continued for a short time while his family practically had tears, their pride spilling over. Casey scooted his chair closer to Mary and she whispered to him. “Confident, direct, and striking, isn’t he?”
He looked into her eyes and bobbed his head up and down.
When Danny finished and came off the stand, the band soon started and he took turns dancing with the four most important women in his life.
-----
Casey and Toni held a hot cup of coffee outside the ER doors waiting for their 3-11 shift to end. With only one more hour to go, they bided their time hoping they could drain their drinks in the crisp nighttime air and not make another call. Winter hadn’t officially started but it was cold enough that they both wore leather jackets.
T
oni finished her coffee first and pulled out a cigarette pack. She stepped off the curb to light one and looked up. “You know much about astronomy?” she asked.
“Probably not any more than you,” he said.
“When I was a girl and we’d vacation up north, I thought those northern folks had better stars than we did. Hell, they’re all the same.”
“That’s for sure,” Casey said. “They better be. Humans have been following them for centuries. Ever read Kon-Tiki?”
“Nah. I could barely get through books I had to read in school.”
“Studying is different than reading books for pleasure,” he said and stared up at the night sky. He wondered if there was any merit to astrology and he thanked the stars that Mary was nearing the end of her third trimester as the babies should be mature enough to have adequate birth weights by now.
His partner turned around and stood back beside him, blowing smoke off to the side. “Every day you’re a bit more pensive,” she said. “Don’t worry. Mother Nature’ll take care of things.”
From inside his jacket, Casey’s cell phone rang. He pulled it out and answered. “Mary, it’s late for you to call. Everything okay?”
“It’s time. Sara’s driving me to the hospital.”
His eyes bulged and his one-handed coffee fell to the ground.
“Okay, okay. Hold on. Drive safely. Your water’s broke? Wait for me. You there?” The words came out in one long stream and then he accidentally hit ‘end.’
“I hung up on her!” he blurted.
Toni eyed her partner and then her cigarette. “I think I’m driving you to the suburban hospital.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Toni snapped the butt off her fingertips. She didn’t have to hustle him into the ambulance. He was already there, trying to call Mary back.