The Family Doctor

by Bobby Hutchinson

Betsy didn’t correct him, and Tony certainly wouldn’t. As far as he was concerned, Betsy was his father’s wife in every way that mattered.

  Tony arranged for a private room, and by seven Ford was in it and sleeping comfortably.

  “Let’s go find some breakfast, Betsy.” It had been a long night, and she looked pale and fragile. She sat beside Ford’s bed, holding his hand.

  “I don’t want him to wake up and not find me here,” she said doubtfully.

  “The cafeteria’s just downstairs—you’ll be back before he wakes up,” Tony promised. He planned to eat, and then shower and shave in the doctor’s lounge. He had a meeting at eight-thirty, and he was glad he kept a change of clothes at St. Joe’s. He had to phone his sisters and Wilson as well, to update them on Ford’s condition. And as soon as he got a moment, he needed to talk to Kate. More than a moment, he corrected. They needed a stretch of uninterrupted time.

  The cafeteria was crowded. It was a full forty minutes before Tony escorted Betsy back up to the oncology floor, and the moment they stepped off the elevator, he could hear his mother’s raised, angry voice coming from Ford’s room just down the hall.

  “Don’t tell me you don’t have it—that’s a lie and you know it. You stole that ring from me.”

  Tony swore under his breath and raced into Ford’s room with Betsy right behind him.

  Dressed in a pink suit, hair perfectly coiffed, Dorothy was standing at the foot of Ford’s bed. Her face was suffused with angry color, and she was shaking a finger at the gaunt figure in the bed.

  “Stop that.” Betsy flew to Ford’s side and put a protective hand on his ear as if to block what Dorothy was saying. “You stop hollering at him and get out of here, right now,” she ordered. “You have no right to talk to him that way.”

  Dorothy stared at Betsy. “I have every right,” she spat. “I happen to be his wife, not some—some whore he picked up on the street.”

  “Mom, that’s enough.” Appalled, Tony took Dorothy’s arm, intending to bodily remove her if he had to, but she shook him off with surprising strength and grabbed the bottom railing of the bed.

  “I—want—that—ring,” she shouted. “I’m not setting foot out of here without it.”

  She was totally out of control. Tony put his arms around her, trying to dislodge her grip on the bed, but it was impossible. Her hands were welded to the railing.

  Gasping for breath, Ford raised his head and whispered, “I—told you, many times, I—I sold it, Dorothy. I—I had no—no money, and I—I sold the bloody thing—years back—”

  But Dorothy wasn’t listening. “I suppose he gave it to you,” she railed at Betsy.

  Tony could see Betsy’s self-control evaporating. Her entire body trembled and her face was pasty white beneath her tan. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. The only ring I have is this one. Take it, if it means that much to you.” She twisted a small diamond from her left ring finger and offered it to Dorothy.

  Dorothy took it, and after one glance, she threw it across the room.

  “That’s not my ring,” she screamed.

  Tony had had enough. He gripped his mother’s shoulders and tried to lift her, intending to drag her bodily out of the room, but she clung to the bed, and it rolled along with them. Ford’s IV tipped and threatened to fall over, and his oxygen mask was pulled forcibly from his face.

  Betsy cried out and two nurses came running in, their wide eyes registering their horror and shock when they saw Tony and recognized Dorothy.

  “Should we call Security, Tony?”

  It would be humiliating for Dorothy to be forcibly removed by security personnel, but Tony knew something had to be done.

  “You let me go,” Dorothy was shrieking, kicking at Tony. “I’m his legal wife, you can’t force me to leave this room.”

  If ever there was a time for defusing hostility, it was now.

  “Call Kate Lewis, and be quick about it,” Tony ordered, praying that she’d be at work by now, and available. One of the nurses flew out of the room, and the other one readjusted Ford’s IV and the oxygen as Tony did his best to restrain his mother. She kept her death grip on the bottom of the bed and went on struggling with him.

  Tony could feel her body shaking, smell the dank perspiration that poured from her. He was astounded at her strength. She went on with her tirade, accusing Ford of stealing the ring, calling Betsy a slut and a whore, telling Tony to let go of her. She writhed and squirmed in his grasp, and it was all he could do to hold on to her at all.

  Betsy ignored everything but Ford, leaning down to stroke his cheek and murmur into his ear.

  Tony’s back was to the door, but some extra sense told him the instant Kate walked in the room. He literally felt the calmness of her presence, but he wondered what she could possibly do to help matters. He was going to have to forcibly sedate his mother.

  Kate didn’t hesitate, and neither did she pay attention to anyone in the room except Ford. She walked to the side of the bed, and she took the trembling hand Betsy wasn’t holding.

  Calmly and clearly, in a voice that everyone in the room heard, she asked, “What do you want, Mr. O’Connor?”

  Dorothy stopped struggling for a moment.

  Ford raised his hand and fumbled at the mask the nurse had put over his nose.

  Kate helped him move it aside.

  “I—want—her—out—of—here,” he gasped, pointing a shaking hand directly at Dorothy.

  Kate nodded and turned to Dorothy. In a quiet but firm tone she said, “Will you come with me to my office, Dorothy, or shall I call Security?”

  Holding her as he was, Tony could sense his mother’s indecision.

  The room was deathly quiet, and finally Tony felt the tension in Dorothy’s muscles ease.

  Kate walked over and took hold of Dorothy’s hand. “C’mon, Dorothy,” she coaxed. “Come with me now. I’ll make us a cup of tea.”

  Dorothy let go of the bed and turned toward Kate.

  For the first time, Kate looked at Tony. Her green eyes registered care and compassion, and she gave him a little nod.

  “I’ll be down to take her home in a few minutes,” Tony promised. He was shaking and needed time to collect himself. He also had to find out where McKensy was. Dorothy wouldn’t have left her alone, Tony assured himself. But the state his mother was in—

  Dorothy allowed herself to be led out of the room by Kate. Tony could hear her sobbing all the way down the hall, and he could also hear Kate’s low, soothing voice comforting her.

  TWENTY MINUTES LATER, shaken to the core by what had happened, Tony tapped on Kate’s office door. Ford had survived the hideous scene better than he had; his father and Betsy were holding hands and talking quietly when Tony left them.

  “Come in.” Kate’s calm voice was like balm to his frazzled nerves.

  “Hi, Kate.” He tried to convey what he felt with a smile, but it would take much more than that to show her how grateful he was.

  It was much harder for him to greet Dorothy, hard to subdue the sense of shame and outrage he felt toward her. “Hello, Mom.”

  Dorothy didn’t respond. She was sitting in Kate’s visitor’s chair, a mug of fragrant-smelling tea cradled between her palms. A pile of crumpled tissues, her ravaged face and the tearstains down the front of her pink suit telegraphed the stormy scene that must have taken place before he got there.

  Tony’s anger faded. He felt sorry for his mother, and sorry that Kate had had to deal with Dorothy alone, but he was also endlessly grateful that she had.

  “C’mon, Mom. It’s time to go.”

  Kate got to her feet, and after a moment Dorothy did as well.

  “I’d like to talk to you later, Kate, if you’re free,” Tony said. “I’ll be coming back here right after I drive Mom home.”

  “I have a meeting in a few minutes, but after that the day looks pretty flexible,” Kate assured him. Her voice was quiet and confident, but the look she gave him wasn’t at all
. Her green eyes were troubled and sad.

  He longed to wrap his arms around her, tell her how sorry he was for everything that had and hadn’t happened between them. He wanted to pick her up and take her somewhere far away, where there was room service and a wide bed and nobody either of them knew. He thought of his patients, the endless tasks that awaited him here at St. Joe’s, his father upstairs, McKensy, the rest of his family waiting to hear from him. Frustration threatened to choke him. For a moment he balanced all of that against the feelings he had for Kate.

  The scales tipped all the way over.

  “Kate, could you finish up in the next hour and take the rest of the afternoon off?”

  Her eyes widened and she shook her head. “I don’t think—”

  She stopped and really looked at him, and he tried to put everything he was feeling into that single moment of eye contact. He must have succeeded a little, because at last she nodded.

  “I guess I could, Tony.” She sounded uncertain, but at least she’d agreed to try.

  Not even daring to hope, he drove his mother home.

  He’d called the house, worried that McKensy was alone, and Judy had answered. Dorothy had phoned her early that morning and said she had a toothache and had to go to the dentist, and would Judy come into town and care for McKensy.

  “Dental appointment, huh?” Tony told Judy what had occurred in Ford’s room. “I honestly feel like admitting her to the psych ward.”

  Judy let out a horrified gasp, then after a few seconds of silence said, “Maybe you should. Mom needs help.”

  It had been an enormous relief, knowing that his sister understood and supported his feelings about Dorothy.

  “I’m going to give you a sedative when we get home so you can rest awhile, but you do understand that you have to go to counseling,” he told Dorothy sternly as he negotiated the morning traffic. “Either that, or I’ll admit you to the psych ward at St. Joe’s.” He hated to threaten her, but he knew his mother well. She’d promise today, and tomorrow she’d find a reason to break that promise. “I’m going to insist you stay with counseling until you’ve resolved this anger. And until that happens, I’ll make other arrangements for McKensy’s care, Mother. I will not have my daughter exposed to your irrational emotions any longer.”

  To his surprise, Dorothy didn’t argue. “Kate said she knew somebody I could talk to, a woman at the hospital.” Her voice was subdued. She hadn’t apologized, but neither had she defended what she’d done. “Please don’t get someone else to care for McKensy,” she pleaded in a broken voice. “I promise I’ll do whatever you say, but don’t take McKensy away from me.”

  Tony sighed. How many times had she said that in the past?

  “Promises aren’t enough this time, Mom. Until I’m convinced you’ve made a real effort, McKensy will be staying with Judy.” Feeling like a tyrant, but knowing it was the only thing to do, Tony handed his sobbing mother a box of tissues. “And another thing, it’s past time you divorced my father. It’s one last way of hanging on, and you’ve got to let go, Mom. For your sake, and for his, too. I know a lawyer—I’ll make an appointment for you.”

  He should have said that to her a long time ago, Tony admitted. It was partly his fault, this whole fiasco. He probably could have prevented it. He remembered Kate suggesting that Dorothy have counseling in anger management, and how easily he’d dismissed the idea. Now, thinking back on the scene in Ford’s room, he shuddered.

  Who knew what his mother might have done if he and Betsy hadn’t arrived back in Ford’s room when they did? Dorothy had been totally out of control. He didn’t want to believe that she would have been capable of physical violence, but he couldn’t deny the possibility, either. He’d felt the absolute rage vibrating in her body.

  Judy was waiting for them at Tony’s house. They’d agreed that Dorothy shouldn’t be alone, and neither was she in any shape to care for McKensy. Tony stood by while his mother swallowed the sedatives and then went quietly to her room.

  Judy, pale faced and wide eyed, whispered, “How’s Dad?”

  It was the first time Tony had ever heard his sister call their father Dad. “He seems to be okay, at least for the moment. We’ll have to see how the day progresses.” He explained about the bone scans and the possibility that the cancer had spread.

  “I hope he doesn’t— He isn’t going to die right away, is he, Tony? I mean, I know he’s really sick, and you said it was just a matter of time, but I hope he gets a chance to enjoy the rest of his stay here in Vancouver.” She hesitated and then blurted, “He’s a good man, isn’t he?”

  Tony put his arm around her and gave her a reassuring hug. “Yeah, he really is.”

  Judy hugged him back. “I thought—well, it was really Peter’s idea, but I agree with him. We wondered if maybe Betsy and Dad would like to come and stay with us instead of that hotel? It doesn’t seem right when we’ve got plenty of room. When will he get out of the hospital?”

  Tony felt a rush of overwhelming affection for his sister. It had bothered him, not being able to ask Ford and Betsy to stay with him.

  “That’s a great idea, but won’t it cause you problems with Mom?” Judy had always needed their mother’s approval more than he had.

  Judy’s chin came up. “Yeah, I suppose it will. But I can see now that it’s wrong to agree with her all the time. I’ve done way too much of that already.”

  “Ask them, then. I know they’ll be pleased,” he told Judy. “And now I’ve got to get back to St. Joe’s.”

  He knew it was unwise to use his cell phone while he was driving, but he did it, anyway. He had a date with a lady, and he had no intentions of being late.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  “WHERE ARE WE GOING?” Kate slid into the car beside him, and the instant she closed the door and fastened her seat belt, Tony pulled into traffic and sighed with relief. Until this moment, he hadn’t been sure he’d be able to pull this off.

  There’d been a woman in Kate’s office when he got there, and she was crying. Kate shot him a helpless look and motioned him out.

  He’d paced the hall for what seemed an hour, trying to avoid making eye contact with anyone who might have something they wanted to discuss with him.

  At last, the red-eyed woman had scurried out of Kate’s office and he strode in just in time to see her reach for the ringing telephone.

  “Don’t touch that.” His voice was louder than he’d intended, but he was desperate.

  She jumped, and then slowly replaced the receiver.

  “Tony, what—”

  “Sh.” With one hand, he snatched her handbag from the top of the file cabinet. With the other he took firm hold of her fingers.

  “Don’t answer if anyone speaks to you. Don’t meet anyone’s eyes. Walk as fast as you can,” he instructed, leading the way to the elevator.

  “Tony, I don’t understand.”

  “Just trust me on this.”

  Several of the hospital’s cleaning staff were on the elevator with floor mops and a bucket on wheels. Kate raised questioning eyebrows at him, but he shook his head and put a quelling finger on her soft lips.

  Even with traffic, it only took fifteen minutes to reach the waterfront hotel. He pulled in under the awning and thrust his keys at the parking valet.

  “Room 518, O’Connor,” he snapped, hauling Kate out of the car before the bellman had even started across the tarmac.

  Inside the opulent lobby, he stopped at the desk only long enough to retrieve the room card and, with one sinister glare, wipe the smirk off the face of the youthful clerk who asked about luggage.

  He was pleased to see that 518 had a panoramic view of the inlet, a king-size bed and an extensive room service menu. The ice bucket holding the champagne he’d ordered was on the dresser, the vase with the dozen red roses on the coffee table. Tony kicked off his shoes and only then realized that he was wearing the same clothes he’d put on to go to dinner the night before. His feet probably sm
elled. In fact, all of him likely did.

  He shoved his shoes back on and opened the closet, relieved when he spotted the lush white robes hanging in it. There was a bathroom with a glassed-in shower, which he’d use in a minute. As soon as he talked to Kate.

  She was watching him without saying anything, then she dropped her handbag on the floor and walked to the window. Turning back to look at him, she said, “Tony? What’s this all about?” She sounded confused and wary.

  She had every right to be.

  He started feeling nervous. Maybe she was getting the wrong impression. Maybe she thought he’d brought her here just for sex.

  “It’s not Edmonton, but it’s the best I could do on short notice.” He hauled in a deep breath. “There’re so many things I need to say to you, Kate, and I don’t want us to be interrupted. There doesn’t seem to be a single damned place we can go to be alone.” He motioned to a soft gray armchair. “Just come over here and sit down. Please?”

  She hesitated, but she finally sat. When she was settled, he tried to figure out where to begin, and decided that the end would probably be the best. Who knew how much time they’d have before somebody banged at the door for God only knew what reason. And it was getting harder and harder to keep his hands off her.

  He dropped to one knee in front of her.

  “I love you, Kate, more than I can say. Will you marry me?”

  Her mouth dropped open. When she didn’t say anything, panic set in.

  “I know we’ve got a million things to settle between us. I acted like an idiot at work, and I’m sorry about that. All I can say is I am learning all this stuff about mistakes and admitting to them. I’m trying, Kate. You’d be taking on McKensy as well as me, but she’s been in love with you from the beginning. I know your Eliza doesn’t much like me, but I promise you, Kate, she will eventually. She’s already got a father, but I’ll do my best to be her friend.”

  He rubbed a hand over his chin and realized he hadn’t shaved since yesterday. “I can’t honestly promise much about your ex, but I will do my best not to murder the guy. We’ll put some locks on the bedroom door, maybe. And you’re going to have Dorothy to contend with. I know that’s asking a lot of you, but it does give both of us a real chance to practice your ideas about dealing with angry people—”