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The fact that she was elderly and didn’t have a lot of help meant that she didn’t have anyone making her go through the exercises I wanted her to do, and she didn’t take the time to get out and find what she liked to do to look forward to her day.
I knew it had to be difficult, and for some people, things that were that hard for them when it came to their health, they didn’t care to do. There was more than one incident that made me wonder if she even wanted to have the surgery in the first place.
The way she was acting about it left me thinking that she would just put it off until she wound up unable to survive with her cancer any longer. Of course, I had seen in my time as a doctor people who reached the point of deciding not to treat their disease, and I was always shocked when they reached that point.
I could understand it better now that I was on the side of the surgeon and I saw everything they went through, but I still felt for anyone who made that choice.
Then again, with what I knew about Mrs. Elliot, I got the impression she didn’t have a lot of people in her life. Her husband had passed a few years ago, and she didn’t have any sort of relationship with her kids. Beyond that, her friends had passed, and it didn’t sound to me like she was making a real effort to make friends with the other old people who were coming into the home.
I didn’t know what that was like, and I tried to encourage her to make new friends, but she was insistent that she was happy with where her life was now.
It made me curious to know if she was on the verge of calling off her treatment, or if there was a reason why she wanted to keep pushing onward. At her age, it wasn’t likely she was ever going to be cancer free for very long. But, I was willing to put in the fight to keep her as healthy and comfortable as possible along the way.
“Just don’t leave me waiting so long and I might be more inclined to come in,” she said.
“I’ll tell my secretary to put you early in the morning, so I don’t have the chance to get behind,” I promised her. “That way, you not only get your errand done first thing in the morning, but you also get to come right in and not have to wait for me to get through all the other patients who were late themselves all day. I’m really putting a lot out there for you, Mrs. Elliot. I hope you’re not taking this lightly.”
“Oh, I’m not. I just feel bad for not showing up to my last appointment, and I’m trying to feel better about it now by telling you I don’t like coming,” she said.
“You can feel fine about it,” I said. “Just promise me you’ll come in next week, and we’ll be okay. I know you’re healthy enough to make it to next week without me having to wonder what was going on with you, just as long as I know you’re going to be coming in.”
“I will,” she said.
“Okay, I’m transferring you over to my secretary right now, so don’t hang up,” I said.
I pushed the button on the answering machine to transfer the call to the front, but first I pushed myself through.
“Angie, I want you to schedule Mrs. Elliot for early Tuesday,” I told her. “And looking forward, I want you to make sure we’ve got some time coming up here to be able to get her in for surgery. I don’t want to put it off much longer, and I have a feeling that’s what she’s doing to us.”
“Will do,” Angie said.
I then hung up the phone and sat back in my chair. It was a nice day outside, and my mind drifted to what Harper was doing. She was amazing with those kids, I had to admit. Seeing her interact with them made me feel like she would be the greatest mother in the world.
But, I didn’t want to say that to her. I didn’t want her to feel like we were going too fast or anything. Still, the thought of her being a mom was something that made me feel things I’d never felt before. I wanted my own kids one day, but my life had been so crazy, I hadn’t found the time yet to settle down with anyone.
I didn’t even date that much, really.
I was really glad Harper and her mother were changing that for me.
My phone buzzing on the desk caught my attention, and I picked it up, smiling over the fact Harper called me at the very same time I was thinking about her.
“I was wondering if you wanted to come over and hang out tonight?” she asked.
“Wait,” I said. “You mean, like, in the house? In your house?”
She laughed.
“Yes, I’m going to actually let you come into my house,” she said. “And come hungry. I’m going to make food, too. Nothing fancy, just food.”
“I’m looking forward to it already,” I told her. “See you tonight.”
“I’m excited,” she replied.
She hung up and I sat back, smiling and shaking my head. I had no idea I could be this happy in life, and with Harper, it was so easy. I couldn’t get enough of her. And now, knowing that I was going to get to go over to her place that night left my entire day better, even if I had just seen her the day before.
I couldn’t even put my finger on when it happened exactly, but I felt for her stronger with each passing day, and I could easily see myself falling in love with her.
I wasn’t rushing anything, but then, with Harper, I didn’t feel the need to rush anything, either. It was like life was unfolding at just the rate it should, and I was okay with that.
