During that time, our future weighed heavily on my mind. A major decision loomed on the horizon. I had been offered fellowships in Oncology at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, and Memorial Sloane-Kettering in New York City. Both were considered first class institutions with highly prestigious programs.
After that night, I made a decision. If Gabrielle survived, and especially if she didn’t, my future did not belong to St. Louis. Of course, I fully realized that my family, especially my Rosa, would disagree with me. They would be very disappointed to see us leave, and more than that, might even view our decision as an act of betrayal. Sounds extreme, I know, but there it is. It’s the Spezia way. Family comes first. No matter what the cost, the sacrifice is worth every cent.
But, how could I stay in a city that tried to steal the best thing that ever happened to me? I never forgot the night that Gabrielle was shot. After that, I never forgot that life can turn on a dime. Mine did. Some people believe that, if you’re lucky, true love comes once in a lifetime. After Gabrielle, I believed my card was spent.
During the time that Gabrielle was in the hospital, I couldn’t pass a red pickup truck without a glance at the driver. Last count totaled 2,435. Was it a habit, or was I crazy? I didn’t really believe I’d see Gabrielle behind the wheel, but that hope gave me the courage to believe that dreams can come true. When we were together, I felt like Superman—and I know I’m not Superman. Because of Gabrielle, I discovered that one plus one can equal more than two.
We made our best memories when we least expected them. Gabrielle showed me that the best plans aren’t plans. For a guy who planned his whole life since birth, this discovery was a cathartic epiphany.
Gabrielle’s favorite quote says it best: “Each day is a gift, waiting to be opened by you. What you do with it is your thank you note for your gift.” Each day became my thank you note to her. The love we shared made me the best physician I could be.
I thought I would never feel that way again.
That’s what I said to Dr. Skelton when it all happened, just four months before graduation. I didn’t have the strength to come in for nearly two weeks. I figured I wouldn’t graduate that year, maybe ever. And you know what? I didn’t care. I had done my best for everyone, and now, I was losing the one person who had done her best for me. At last, I found something I never knew existed, and now, I was in danger of losing it. My world would never be the same again, was what I said to Dr. Skelton.
“Yes,” he replied, “but now, you know beyond a doubt, that love does indeed exist. That is very powerful knowledge, is it not?”
“Yes,” I said. “That’s very true.” I stared out the window, and then, at his face. For some reason, he seemed excited.
“Dr. Spezia, I would like to speak to you about your future.”
“I don’t know how it will turn out yet,” I said.
“One can make plans, hmm?”
“Yes, I suppose that is true.”
“Well, I’ll get right down to it. I have been searching for a candidate for the position of Chief of Internal Medicine, as well as Assistant Dean of Students.”
I didn’t reply. It sounded to me like he needed at least two people to complete his plan.
“I believe that you would be ideal person for these positions.” He smiled, ever so slightly. “What do you think?”
“I am deeply honored, Dr. Skelton. I’d like to request a little time to think about this generous offer.”
“Of course, Spezia. I know that you’ve probably received other, more prestigious offers in more glamorous surroundings. There’s one thing I must tell you. You make a valuable difference here, one patient at a time.”
I shook his hand and walked out the door.
TWENTY-NINE
When I arrived at the apartment, I decided to check the bulging mailbox. Three envelopes immediately caught my attention. The first was the formal offer for a fellowship in Oncology at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. The second was the offer for an Oncology fellowship at Memorial Sloane Kettering in New York. The third was a credit card with a $25,000 line of credit, from a bank that, years ago refused to finance my Ford Pinto.
Of course, Dr. Skelton just offered me two positions. Out of respect and gratitude, I should at least consider them.
I heard a tap on the door. When I opened it, I was more than a bit surprised.
Mary Potts stood in the drafty hall, holding a plate of muffins covered with plastic wrap. She tried to smile, even as she shifted her weight from foot to foot.
“Mary, what a nice surprise!” I said. She offered the plate to me with trembling hands.
“I seem to recall that you liked these banana muffins a lot, Dr. Spezia,” she said. “D’Yan baked up a batch for you, seeing as how your wife is sick and all.”
I was genuinely touched by the gesture.
“Won’t you come in?” I said. “Please, have one with me, won’t you?”
“Maybe for just a minute. There’s something you should know.”
“Is everything all right?”
“Oh sure, sure it is. It’s just that, I want you to know something that’s important to me and D’Yan, anyways.”
Mary settled herself on the sofa by the coffee table and unwrapped the muffins. I had forgotten how fragrant they smelled, and even my own hunger. They were just the ticket for a guy who hadn’t eaten in—I couldn’t remember the last time I ate a meal.
“I just wanted to say, that I was wrong about some things. And, I want to apologize to you, in person.” Suddenly, Mary seemed a few years older. “If you want now, I’ll leave you be.”
I reached for another muffin. “Ooh, these are so good!” I said. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Mary.”
“Let me tell what I said to D’Yan before I came over here tonight. Maybe then, you’ll understand how I feel.”
“D’Yan, don’t you tell me that. Those adoption people better stay outta my way, now.”
“They keep calling me, Mama. They say Maypo isn’t mine. They say they’ll take me to court.”
“Is that all you worried about?”
“What do you mean, Mama? They’ll win. They got better lawyers than I could ever afford.”
“You just let them try. I don’t believe you’ll hear a peep outta them. They’re crooks, pure and simple.”
“You sure?”
“I’ll ask Dr. Spezia, but I believe so.”
“Why would he know?”
“Girl, he knows far more than I ever gave him credit for. The thing about him is, he’s got good instincts. Some of these young doctors, they’re smart as hell on paper and stupid as sin on their feet. Spezia isn’t stupid. He’s just inexperienced. That’s what I done decided ‘bout him.”
“You don’t usually stand up for white folks, Mama.”
“I don’t think of Spezia as white folk no more, D’Yan. He didn’t ask what color your skin was when he saved your life, did he?”
“Guess he didn’t.”
“That’s what I’m talking ‘bout. I respect that.”
Mary hung her head, and stared at me.
“What I’m trying to say, Dr. Spezia, is that before I met you, I never trusted white people. And, I taught my daughter to do the same, because I believed that was the right way. The night you saved D’Yan’s life, you showed me how wrong I was. And you changed my mind about white folks. I intend to teach my grandson about you and the way you take care of your patients. Because you don’t care what color they are or how much money they do or don’t have. You treat everyone with the same respect. And for that, Dr. Spezia, you have earned mine.”
“Mary, I’m flabbergasted.” I said. “I simply care for my patients in the same way that I would want another doctor to care for a member of my family. Because, every patient deserves to belong to a family. It’s so beneficial to the healing process.”
“I can’t stay long,” Mary said. “The word on the street is you’re leaving next mon
th to do a fellowship in Oncology, at some big time hospital on one of the coasts. When I heard your wife is getting ready to go home any day, I told D’Yan, I got something important to say to you. I couldn’t let you leave St. Louis without telling you that it’s been a privilege to know you, Dr. Spezia. You changed me. And you changed D’Yan, too.”
“D’Yan?”
Mary smiled, and her gold tooth shined like a diamond in the dark.
“I guess with all that’s been going on, I forgot to tell you the good news. D’Yan is having another baby boy. But, that’s not the best part.”
“What’s the best part?”
“She’s going to call him Spezia, after you. Isn’t that grand?”
“I’m deeply honored, Mary. Really. But, tell me, would you prefer a family name?”
I didn’t understand the quizzical expression on Mary’s face.
“To us, you are family.” She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. “Never forget it.”
“Time for me to go now. You keep the plate, hear? I got to run catch my bus.”
I watched Mary hustle down the steps and out to the curb to catch the bus that would take her home to her daughter and her grandbabies. All the while, I struggled to understand how difficult that trip to my apartment must have been for the proud and dignified woman named Gladys Mary Potts.
I simply couldn’t.
THIRTY
Dr. Skelton deserved the Humanitarian of the Year Award. Why? It’s hard to explain, but I can try.
Thanks to Dr. Skelton’s influence and generosity, I graduated about three months later, as planned. The day I brought Gabrielle home, I realized that he was right about something else. To experience the existence of a true love is powerful, no matter how long it lasts. Gabrielle’s love sustained me during my darkest days. Without it, I might not have crossed the finish line. I didn’t see how I could ask Gabrielle to stay in St. Louis, the city where I almost lost her, and she almost lost her life.
After a couple of months, she said she thought she would like to take a walk over to the bakery on The Hill, known for its Italian pastries. We passed St. Ambrose Church, where I was baptized, and the parish hall, the scene of our memorable wedding reception. Over 200 people came to celebrate with us! We stopped to talk to neighbors and friends that I had not seen in over ten years or more. Sadly, I learned that while I was in my residency, some had passed away. I had some catching up to do.
We finally reached the bakery, and bought a half dozen canola. The fragrant smell of fresh baked pastry, filled with fresh ricotta cheese, chocolate and cinnamon was my childhood favorite, and it seemed that had not changed. While we walked and ate, I asked Gabrielle if she had given any thought to where we should spend my fellowship year.
“You have your choice of New York or Los Angeles,” I said. “Not too shabby, if I may say so.”
My wife stopped eating and stared at me. I will never forget the look on her beautiful face, the face of an angel.
“Didn’t Dr. Skelton offer you a position at City Hospital?” she said. Her comment genuinely amused me.
“He offered me two jobs, Gabrielle.”
“You don’t want either one?” she said.
“Gabrielle, after what happened to you here, I can’t ask you to stay.”
“After what happened to me here Tom, I can’t leave.”
I felt confused. “What are you talking about?”
“Tom, when my first marriage ended, I made a list of things that I wanted in a man. I wanted to get my priorities straight. But, you know what I did with that list? I threw it away. I didn’t think a man like that could exist. Or, if I did manage to find him, he wouldn’t be interested in someone like me.”
I couldn’t help laughing out loud. “Why?”
“Well, you may have noticed that I’m on the extra long side of tall, I drive a red pickup, and I’m a pretty darned good shot, if I say so. I can have strong opinions, depending on the topic, and I’m not afraid to say what I think. And I clean a mean gun.”
“I’ll tell you what I see,” I said. I see a woman who knows what she wants, and isn’t afraid to go after it. You don’t play games. And yeah, I have noticed your legs. Very nice. For the record, I prefer the pickup to the patrol car. Guess what? I’m a pretty good shot, too. Not as proud of it as you are, but I’ll take it. Did I mention your Victoria’s Secret collection? So tell me, what does all of this have to do with St. Louis?”
“When Virgil shot me, I pretty much accepted that I was going to die. I’m convinced, if I hadn’t been in City Hospital with the staff fussing over me like I was family, I wouldn’t be alive right now. Everyone I met, from Mary Potts to Dr. Skelton, told me about the respect you show all of your patients, regardless of their background or whether they can afford to pay you. This is a place where you can practice medicine on your terms, and do the most good for the people who need it most.”
“I can’t leave the place where I found the man that made me look for the list I tossed in the trash. I can’t ask you to leave the place where you are so respected and loved. You can change medicine here, one patient at a time. It’s time to try.” An impish grin spread across her face. “I think it would be a good place to raise our family.”
I know I looked confused. I was. “Our family?”
We named our daughter Mary Gabrielle. With a name like that, she couldn’t help but be smart, strong, beautiful—and stubborn. In fact, I began to feel that medicine might be just the right career for her. After all, medicine was now a Spezia tradition. While we sipped coffee and nibbled those Italian cookies from the bakery on the Hill, we discussed our daughter’s future. I still love to do both.
“A doctor?” she said. “You’re kidding me, right?”
I shook my head. “No. I’m drop dead serious.”
“But Tom, she’s a born cop. Her memory is like a steel trap, and she’s not afraid of anything or anybody. Sounds like a detective to me.”
I glanced at my bride. She was still a stunning beauty. I couldn’t help but smile at her.
“What’s so funny?” she asked.
“Grandpa and Papa had the same discussion about me, about twenty five years ago.”
“They did? I mean, didn’t they always want you to go to medical school? I never knew that, Tom. I really can’t imagine you doing anything else.”
“In the end, Papa asked me what I wanted to do. I told him I wanted to become a doctor. I mean, I wanted to become a doctor more than anything, and I was willing to do whatever it took to make that happen. Regardless of anything that happened after that, my dream never changed.”
My wife stared into my eyes. “It didn’t?”
For a moment, I considered how close I had come to losing everything I’d worked for—and finally realized the fundamental truth of success. Without Gabrielle in my life, nothing would have mattered. I reached across the table and clasped her hand in mine.
“My dream could never have come true,” I said, “without you.”
And, there is something else.
I used to believe that a patient learns from the doctor. Now, I believe that a doctor learns from the patient—one patient at a time. Hmm?
THE END
Also by Claire Applewhite
The Wrong Side of Memphis
St. Louis Hustle
Candy Cadillac
Tennessee Plates
Crazy For You
Voices of Excellence™
Reviews for Claire’s other books
About The Wrong Side of Memphis:
“Get ready to meet some of the most intriguing characters ever. There are secrets and surprises galore to be found among the tenants of the Jewel Arms Apartments—and Claire Applewhite brings them all to life in The Wrong Side of Memphis.”
—Tess Gerritsen, author of The Keepsake
“This is an old-fashioned who-dunnit, and don’t let the title fool you. It’s set in St. Louis, a hard-scrabble apartment building where all the te
nants have dreams and secrets, and some have motive and opportunity. It’s a place I might not want to live, but I sure enjoyed my visit.”
—Bill McClellan, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
An entertaining, atmospheric read.
—Kirkus Reviews
About St Louis Hustle:
“Author Applewhite has created an engrossing tale that presents the setting almost as one of the cast of characters. If you like neatly rendered, nicely plotted fiction, you’ll finish St. Louis Hustle in one sitting. For those who know little or nothing about St. Louis, Applewhite’s novel is the perfect gateway to the Gateway City.”
—John Lutz, author of Mr. X and Single White Female
I loved all the St. Louis landmarks cleverly woven into the story. The characters are well-developed—I seem to know people just like them. An enjoyable read. I recommend you check it out.
—Patt Pickett, author of The Marriage Whisperer
“Applewhite isn’t afraid to stretch the boundaries of noir fiction…”
—Kirkus Reviews
About Candy Cadillac:
“Taut writing, memorable characterization and a superbly evocative setting.”
—Kirkus Reviews
About Crazy For You:
“Don’t even think about putting author Claire Applewhite’s writing style into any known category; she simply won’t fit. Her writing dazzles and sizzles, but even those words don’t nail it. Just when you think you’ll put Crazy For You down, you find you can’t. The characters are so real you find yourself wondering how Applewhite got inside your head, the situations so absurd that only the naked truth of our own lives come close to a parallel. This is a writer bound to make a name for herself, one who can’t help but attract a huge, fanatic Applewhite-loving audience.”
—Esther Luttrell, author, national speaker, screenwriter
“Claire Applewhite’s Crazy for You is a delicious story of romantic obsession. A wealthy family’s patriarch schemes to replace his aging wife with a beautiful young woman. The son-in-law recently welcomed into the family has a case of love at first sight—but not with his new wife. Fierce passions tug at the characters’ hearts as obsession rips through the two marriages. Intrigues collide and unravel as Crazy for You builds suspense and takes readers on a roller coaster. A great cast of supporting characters add to the complexity of the plot. A quick read, but one that delves into themes of loyalty, betrayal, and the true meaning of marriage.”
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