by Bob Brown
Kyle had made him promise he’d make an exception if the doctor ordered a colonoscopy.
*****
The receptionist called for Kyle a few minutes later. Jason gave his friend a thumbs-up and the best smile he could muster, then he reached for the latest Sports Illustrated.
“What’s with the thumb?” Kyle asked. “You don’t think I’m going to let you sit out here and read magazines, do you? Besides, I need a witness in case the lady doctor tries to take undue liberties with me.”
Kyle laughed at his own joke. Jason got up and headed after his friend, through the open door held by the receptionist, who was rolling her eyes at Kyle’s remark.
Back in the examination room, Kyle plopped himself onto the examination table, while Jason opted for the one chair in the room. The only other option was the four-wheel stool which the doctor would no doubt be needing.
‘Nothing remarkable here,’ thought Jason. Just the standard doctor’s office. A single gray cabinet with glass doors, behind which were various cardboard boxes stuffed with cotton balls, tissues, rubber gloves and oversized popsicle sticks. There were tubes of various ointments and a couple of bottles of water. Jason suspected that all the good stuff was in the locked drawers below the cabinet.
On the wall were some random medical charts. Jason figured the charts must be handed out with medical school diplomas, because every doctor’s office he had ever visited had them. There were three of them: A frontal dissection of the human body displaying the major organs, a diagram of the body with major arteries and veins colored in reds and blues, and the ever-popular dissected cross section of the brain.
The door opened suddenly, surprising both Jason and Kyle. But it was just a petite assistant after Kyle’s vital signs. She took his temperature and blood pressure, measured his pulse with two impeccably manicured fingers, and had him step on the scale for his weight. Recording her findings on a patient chart in a lime green folder, she then left just as suddenly as she had appeared, closing the door loudly behind her. Not so much as a ‘you look fine to me.’
Kyle looked over at Jason. “Not much of a bedside manner,” he said.
“Well, at least she was cute,” replied Jason.
“Absolutely,” said Kyle. “I think I feel better already.”
They both laughed.
*****
“Hello, Kyle,” said Dr. Neumann, who had somehow managed to sneak in while the two were busy laughing. “It’s been, what, ten years or so?”
“At least that,” replied Kyle, hopping off the table and taking the doctor’s offered hand. “This is my friend Jason."
“Hello doctor,” said Jason, holding out his hand.
Doctor Neumann was clearly an academic. She was probably in her mid-to-late forties, with short brown hair. She wore a plain, pastel blue dress, patent leather pumps, and no make-up that Jason could discern. Perched atop her head were what looked to be the female version of Buddy Holly’s eyeglasses. Other than that, Dr. Neumann was equipped like just about every other doctor in the world: Lab coat, stethoscope, and a pocket full of pens and pencils. ‘Must give those out at med school, too,’ thought Jason.
“I must say I was a little surprised when I saw you had called for an appointment,” said Dr. Neumann. “Why exactly do you think you need to see me? I assume you have a regular doctor you see for routine aches and pains.”
“A fair question,” replied Kyle. “But the thing is, I haven’t been sick a day since my mom died. Not one. I keep myself in pretty good shape, and I even try to eat right most of the time. So when this just came up, all of a sudden, I immediately thought about what you had said about inheriting the disease that killed my mom.”
“You do realize that your chances of inheriting the disease at your age are probably less than three in ten.”
“I understand,” replied Kyle. “But I still want to get checked out.”
Doctor Neumann pulled up the little vinyl-topped four-wheeler and sat down in front of Kyle. Then she pulled the eyeglasses onto her face, yanked one of the dozen or so pens from her coat pocket, and started making notes on Kyle’s chart in the green folder she had carried in with her.
“Now, you indicated when you called that you had been feeling tired and weak, that you were experiencing a shortness of breath when you exercised. Is that correct?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“And are you still experiencing these symptoms? Have they gotten any worse?”
“Yes, and no.”
“Have you experienced any localized pain, discoloration, bruising, unusual bumps, or lesions? Any flu-like sniffling or sneezing? Any muscle or joint pain, spasms, stomachaches, headaches, blurred vision, nausea, urinary discoloration, or diarrhea?”
“No to all of that,” replied Kyle.
Doctor Neumann made notes on her chart. “Well, your temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, and weight are all good. So let’s just have a look.”
As Jason sat quietly and watched, Dr. Neumann performed what looked like a cursory and entirely meaningless physical examination of Kyle, looking at all the things least likely to be causing his problems. She looked in his eyes, ears, nose, and throat. She listened to his heart and had him raise his shirt so she could listen to his lungs. She probed his liver, tapped his spine, whacked his knee, and massaged the bumps on his head.
This time Jason and Kyle got a ‘you look fine to me.’
“All of that was just very preliminary,” Dr. Neumann said as she laid her stethoscope on the cabinet and went back to her chart. “There’s nothing immediately apparent in anything I can see. But I’m going to order a complete battery of tests just to be sure.”
“What exactly is it you might be looking for,” Jason asked. He figured the fact he was there earned him the right to ask questions.
“Well, at this point we can’t be sure we’re looking for anything. But the test results will help us determine why Kyle isn’t feeling well. It might be something entirely different than what Kyle suspected. It might be nothing at all. In fact, I fully expect we’ll find nothing.”
Finally, something encouraging, thought Jason.
Doctor Neumann completed a lab request form, signed it, and handed it to Kyle.
“This is for a complete blood workup, urine, stool, and chest x-ray. That should be enough to give us a peek at anything obvious. Please try to get those done as soon as possible. Once we have the results, I’ll have my receptionist call you so we can schedule another appointment.”
“Will do,” said Kyle.
“No colonoscopy?” asked Jason with a grin. He was feeling more relaxed since Dr. Neumann’s encouraging comment.
Dr. Neumann gave him a puzzled look, but she ignored the question. “Oh, and please call if your symptoms change in any way. Certainly, if they get worse. But call me even if they get better or disappear completely.”
“OK.” Kyle stood and took Dr. Neumann’s hand. “Thanks, doc.”
“Jason, it was nice meeting you,” Dr. Neumann said as she held out her hand.
“Thanks. You, too.”
*****
As Jason and Kyle walked to the parking lot, Jason asked, “So, how are you feeling?”
“I’m alright. I mean, at least there was nothing obvious, like a big cancerous tumor on the side of my head.”
Jason never found much humor in cancer jokes. In either case, neither of them laughed.
Then Kyle added, “Really, I’m fine. There’s nothing more to do but take the next step and keep on going until all of the cards have been played. I’ve lived my whole life believing that God is in control. I’m in God’s hands now, just as I’ve always been.”
Chapter 46
In spite of a feeling that he was somehow neglecting his best friend when he was most needed, Jason allowed Kyle to attend to the lab work on his own the following day. Kyle had insisted that giving blood, being x-rayed, and making deposits in
little plastic containers were things better done on his own.
Back at work, Jason found himself explaining to Jack why he had been out of the office most of yesterday afternoon and why he hadn’t returned any of Jack’s calls. Jason passed it off as a family emergency, figuring Jack didn’t know anything about his family, didn’t care, and didn’t deserve any more of an explanation than that.
But even as he resolved to leave Jagged Edge, there was one thing that nagged at Jason. Both Merle and Karen had cautioned against reacting emotionally, about taking action without considering all possibilities.
The problem was, Jason wasn’t sure he had any legitimate possibilities other than the two which were most obvious: Go along, or quit.
Within a matter of days or weeks, Jack was going to expect some movement on his plan. He was going to require that Jason begin the process of contacting clients and initiating the actions that would likely terminate long-standing relationships. When Jason refused to do that, he would be fired. Pure and simple.
To be sure, Jason had considered beginning the process of looking for another job. Even though he would probably not get much of a job reference from Sam or Alex, his years of consistent results should be sufficient. Surely his skills, experience, and contacts were valued elsewhere in the local advertising market.
In the meantime, Jason had also considered contacting his clients and advising them to avoid any further discussions with Jagged Edge. He reasoned that once he found employment elsewhere he would arrange to transfer their accounts as their existing contracts expired.
As attractive as that sounded in theory, Jason knew as long as he was on the payroll at Jagged Edge, he could not contact his clients and speak ill of his current employer or encourage them to seek agency representation elsewhere. His non-disclosure, non-compete agreement with Jagged Edge prohibited it. Perhaps Sam, Alex, and Jack had given this more thought than he had initially presumed.
As he pondered his limited options in his office, Jason’s cell phone rang. It was Karen.
“Good morning, Oz,” Jason answered cheerfully. Just the thought of talking to Karen brightened his day.
“Hi, hon. I hope I’m not disturbing you.”
“Never happen,” replied Jason. “What’s up?”
“Well, I’m afraid I have some bad news.”
Just what he needed. More bad news. His mind raced with the possibilities. His first thought was something had happened with Kyle. Then his heart almost stopped as he considered it might be some health issue with Karen. Or maybe with her parents. Or maybe Karen’s job.
It probably took less than two seconds for all of the awful possibilities to flash through his head. The only way to know for sure was to ask.
“What is it, Oz?”
“It’s Sydney.” Jason was relieved, then immediately concerned again.
“What’s wrong with Sydney?”
“She’s leaving,” replied Karen.
“I don’t understand. What do you mean she’s leaving?”
“Sydney stopped by my classroom first thing this morning and said she had just received a phone call from the office of the Ministry of Education in Portugal. It seems she had applied a year or so ago to work in an overseas staff position. She has been offered a job in Portugal for two years, working to develop special education programs for underprivileged children.”
“Wow.” Jason thought of Kyle.
“She’d be leaving right after the current session ends, in about three weeks.” Karen’s voice quivered just a bit.
“Jason, Sydney was in tears. She’s so confused right now. She really wants this opportunity. She feels this is what she’s prepared her whole life to do. But she’s concerned about me, about our friendship. And she’s worried about how this job might affect her relationship with Kyle. She likes Kyle. She thinks their relationship has a chance to be something special.”
“Wow,” Jason said again.
“Is that all you have to say? Just ‘Wow’?” asked Karen.
“I’m sorry, hon,” Jason replied, as he regained his composure. “I guess I’m just a little overwhelmed by the suddenness. So what do you think she’ll do?”
“I think she’ll take the job. I mean, that’s what I encouraged her to do. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. She has to do it. I tried to reassure her that I wasn’t going anywhere and our friendship can certainly survive a couple of years. Besides, I told her it might be fun if you and I went to Portugal for a visit.”
Jason did like the sound of that.
“And as for her relationship with Kyle,” Karen continued, “I tried to reassure her that if God means for the two of them to be together, then it will happen. God’s plans are never constrained by continents, oceans, or the passage of time. Kyle will still be here when she gets back.”
Jason had a sudden, terrible thought, as he remembered that Kyle was probably just beginning his battery of tests. He didn’t even want to think the thought that had entered his head.
“I’m sure you gave Sydney the best possible advice, Oz. There’s not much more you can do. She’ll have to make the best decision she can after considering all the facts.”
Sounds familiar, thought Jason.
“So what are you going to do about your apartment?” Jason asked.
“Sydney was concerned about that, as well,” replied Karen. “But I told her not to worry, that it’s not a big deal.”
“You could always move in with me,” offered Jason. It was something he and Karen had talked about before.
“I appreciate the offer, Jason, but you know how I feel about that. It’s not something I really believe in. And I know my folks wouldn’t go for it. I could probably swing the rent on my own if I had to. In any case, I’ll worry about that later.”
“Well, the offer is always good.” Jason loved Karen all the more for her sense of values, and for her conviction to stick with them, even when it would have been much easier to toss them aside and consider his offer.
Just then another call came into Jason’s cell.
“Hey, Oz, I’ve got Kyle calling. He’s getting some tests done today, so I probably should take it. Can I call you back later?”
“No problem. Please don’t tell Kyle about Sydney. We should probably leave that to her, if she hasn’t called him already. Love you.”
“Love you, too. Bye.”
Jason picked up on Kyle’s call. “Hey buddy. You pooped in the plastic cup yet?”
“Such a funny man,” replied Kyle, but it was clear he appreciated the humor. “Actually I’m sitting here with half the city of San Diego waiting for my chest x-ray. Everything else is done. Including the poop.”
“Anything I should know?” Jason wanted to leave the door open in case Kyle had anything to tell him about the tests. Or in case he had heard from Sydney.
“Nope. So far so good. No news is good news. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. It’s all water under the bridge…”
“Hey, enough all ready,” interrupted Jason. “I’m sorry I asked.” It was nice to see that Kyle still had his sense of humor.
There was a brief pause. Then Jason added, “You know, I was thinking, how about you, me, Karen and Sydney take in a Padres game tonight. I happen to know they’re in town playing Cincinnati. Game time’s at 7:05. I’m thinking maybe we could head downtown early, catch some dinner in the Gaslamp and wander around Seaport Village before the game. Just say the word and I’ll make all the arrangements.”
“Sounds like an awesome idea. You want me to do anything?” It was good to hear Kyle so upbeat.
“Nope. I’ll touch base with the girls, get hold of some tickets, then call you back with the details. You just focus on passing your x-ray exam.”
“Will do,” replied Kyle. “Call me back when you know something.”
Then, just as Jason was about to say good bye, Kyle added, “Jason, thanks for being my best f
riend.” Then he just hung up.
Chapter 47
It was just after 6 PM and still very much daylight on a mid-May evening. Jason had his arm around Karen’s shoulder as the two walked along behind Kyle and Sydney, who were strolling hand-in-hand ahead of them along the waterfront in Seaport Village.
The four had met for dinner at one of the many sidewalk bistros in the renewed Gaslamp district of old downtown San Diego. They had then taken a horse-drawn carriage ride the mile or so to Seaport Village. The ride had been Kyle’s idea. Very touristy. Very romantic. It just seemed like a good idea.
Built to look like an old New England harbor town, Seaport Village was home to probably fifty or so shops selling just about anything a proper tourist would need to prove he had actually been to San Diego. There were coffee mugs, sunglasses, crystal, art, jewelry and of course T-shirts. Lots of T-shirts.
Strategically located on San Diego Bay between the Hilton, Marriott, and Omni hotels and near the southern end of Harbor Drive, Seaport Village was a popular destination for people looking for a unique gift, a few hours in the sun, or some of the best scenery in San Diego. Wrapped around a small marina, the Village also provided a couple of decent restaurants and, during the summer, free concerts and fireworks on an adjacent park-like peninsula.
As Kyle and Sydney strolled ahead, Jason and Karen paused to chat with a little girl whose mother was trying to find a digital camera lost somewhere in the deep confines of the largest purse Jason had ever seen. He’d had carry-on baggage rejected by the airline that was smaller than the lady’s purse.
When the young mother raised her prize and claimed success, Jason and Karen bid farewell and turned to continue their walk. As they did, they noticed that Kyle and Sydney had stopped. Kyle was sitting on the seawall, and Sydney was standing in front of him, holding both of his hands in hers. They were having what looked to be a serious conversation.
Jason knew that, to this point, Kyle had not shared any of his medical history with Sydney. Unless Karen had said something, Sydney knew nothing of Kyle’s recent doctor’s visit and his battery of tests. Kyle had simply said that he didn’t want to worry Sydney with what might turn out to be nothing, and he explained away his periodic fatigue as a byproduct of long hours and the new stresses of being in charge of a busy auto dealership.