Chapter 1-1
1738 Words
Chapter 1
Alicia Montgomery’s heart raced and threatened to escape from her chest. It was a familiar feeling, one that happened whenever she stepped into this place.
Not that this room was any different from the other offices in this section of the hospital, with a small examination bed backed into the left corner and its light blue walls filled with painted sketches of cartoon characters. But this was the only place that made her feel small, afraid, and unsure of herself, which was strange given how intimate she was with the hospital.
Alicia was a second-year internal medicine resident at Dexington Medical Center and walked the hospital corridors daily to attend to patients. But it was like that familiarity didn’t matter in this one room—here, everything was personal, and she was just a concerned caregiver.
She was grateful that Dr. King had been able to squeeze her in this early to accommodate her busy schedule. She’d started a new rotation this morning and had already been at the medical wards since six-thirty a.m. to see her patients and complete a pre-round with her team—two interns and a medical student. She had then attended the morning report where another resident had presented a patient’s case for discussion.
But Alicia hadn’t been able to concentrate, and her mind had drifted to the upcoming clinic appointment with Dr. King. She’d snuck out as soon as the discussion came to an end and had arrived at Dr. King’s office a few minutes later. She only had about twenty minutes before she had to rush back to join the attending round.
Serious dark grey eyes stared back at her from an unusually sharp-featured face with a prominent aquiline nose. A red bow tie peeked out from beneath the white coat that Dr. King wore as he sat opposite her, a dark brown desk between them. But the tie was askew, and Alicia was tempted to straighten it—anything to help keep her mind from what the doctor had to say.
Instead, Alicia focused on the tall mahogany bookcases bulging with medical books and journals that stood as sentries on either side of the only window in the room. But she didn’t really see the books per se—they just allowed her to look everywhere but at him.
She let out a sigh, and the sound filled the room that had been silent save the quiet hum of the HVAC system in the background and the occasional distant cry of a child from the hallway. She couldn’t keep running away. It was time to face the music.
Dr. King rested his elbows on the desk and leaned forward in his chair. “I have both good news and bad news,” he said.
Alicia didn’t want bad news. She’d even worn her lucky outfit—a grey straight skirt with a light blue button-down shirt—under her medical coat, for good measure. But it was time to get it over with. She drew a deep inhale and smoothed back an errant lock of long dark hair away from her face. The sooner she heard what the doctor had to say, the faster she could leave this room.
“Let’s start with the good news,” she said, her voice coming out with a squeak. Her face tightened at the sound. Get it together, Alicia, she thought. You can do this. She cleared her throat and sat up straighter as she ran her hand down the front of her white medical coat.
“Can I get you some water?” Dr. King asked softly.
Alicia shook her head. She didn’t trust herself to speak.
“Okay.” He stared at her for a moment as if deciding the best way to continue. “Let’s start with the good news. There is a new treatment protocol that may be helpful for Willow. We’ve been researching it for some time, and early results have been promising.”
Alicia’s face brightened, and her gut unclenched. Willow—her niece—hadn’t taken well to the current treatment protocols that seemed to work for other children with cystic fibrosis and had spent most days in her short life in the hospital. So any treatment that gave her a chance at living a somewhat normal life was always welcomed.
Dr. King leaned back in his chair as he continued speaking. “However, as you know, there are always risks involved, even some we may not have identified at this time. But we still believe Willow is a good candidate for this protocol.”
Alicia stayed silent. She was no stranger to treatment or procedure risks—she told patients about them every day. No doctor worth his salt could say otherwise. But that didn’t stop Alicia from worrying about how the treatment protocol would affect Willow.
She crossed and uncrossed her long lean legs. “What kind of risks are we talking about?” she asked.
“The treatment might trigger acute episodic coughing and shortness of breath for many days to weeks. In a worst-case scenario, it could cause pneumothorax or respiratory failure. But we’ll be monitoring her closely to handle it if and when it occurs.”
Alicia didn’t doubt they would. Willow had a great team here at Dexington Medical Center—they had saved her life multiple times. The hospital had the best cystic fibrosis program in the country, and it was the reason Alicia had transferred Willow here. Alicia had become Willow’s guardian after Willow’s parents—Alicia’s only sister and brother-in-law—died in an accident. But having the best team didn’t completely put Alicia at ease. It wasn’t the same when it concerned someone close to her.
She winced as pain shot through her hands. Alicia looked down and realized she’d gripped the chair’s arm tightly. She released her hands and rubbed them together before letting them fall on her lap. She still needed to hear everything before she could relax. “What about the bad news?” she asked, her tone belying how she felt.
Dr. King’s face remained expressionless as he spoke. “Unfortunately, our research grant is unable to cover all the treatment costs. We expect the patient’s family to cover the balance either out-of-pocket or through insurance.”
Alicia shifted in her chair. A heavy feeling settled in her stomach. Money issues had of recent become a sore point with her. “How much are we talking about?” she asked.
“About fifteen thousand dollars.”
She squeezed her eyes shut and could feel a full-blown headache coming on. Fifteen thousand dollars. This was worse than she’d imagined. She couldn’t afford it. Medical residents weren’t paid a lot, and most of her salary went to paying off Willow’s medical bills and the interest on her student loan. There was no way she could squeeze out fifteen thousand dollars.
It was at times like this that Alicia wished she had someone on her side. Someone to share the burden with even if it was just to talk through options. But that was a pipe dream and not reality. The truth about her would be too much for any sane man to bear. And she couldn’t afford to get hurt again. She could do this alone—she had to.
“We would also need to start the treatment protocol in two weeks,” the doctor continued.
Alicia’s eyes jerked open. “Two weeks?” she blurted out.
“Yes, two weeks. As you are probably aware, Willow hasn’t been doing too well on her medications lately. We don’t want to think about what would happen if she continues this way.”
Alicia’s chest tightened. Willow had seemed weaker this week, but she had chalked it up to a slight change in her treatment. Maybe she had refused to acknowledge what was right before her eyes—Willow was deteriorating.
Alicia choked back a cry. She couldn’t afford to lose Willow—not now, not ever.
Dr. King leaned forward. “Dr. Montgomery, we believe that if we start this treatment soon, it might improve Willow’s chances. The earlier she gets enrolled, the better her prognosis will be. She could have a good quality of life where she could actually live at home, go to school, and play like any other normal eight-year-old,” he finished with a reassuring smile.
Alicia stared at the doctor’s face. He seemed very confident about the treatment. Maybe Willow had a real chance this time around. There was no choice when it came to matters concerning Willow—Alicia would do everything short of selling herself to make sure Willow got better. Which meant she had to ensure that Willow was enrolled in this treatment program. She had to get the money no matter what, even if she couldn’t see how that was possible.
“Okay, I want her in the program,” Alicia confirmed.
“Good.” Dr. King typed a note into the computer. “Why don’t you speak with Carla in the Billing Office to figure out if there are any financial options that could help?” He stood up and walked around to her side. His portly figure gave him a fatherly look that was otherwise hidden when seated.
Alicia got up as well and grabbed her leather tote from the seat beside her. She looked at the clock on the wall behind his head and noticed that her appointment time was up.
Dr. King led the way to the door. “I’ve already given Carla a heads-up, and she should be expecting you,” he said. “Why don’t you call me as soon as you know what the final arrangements are?”
Alicia flashed a weak smile and nodded.
Dr. King smiled in return as he pulled open the door for her. Alicia held herself ramrod straight as she stepped out of the office and eased the door shut behind her. The hallway was empty—there were no other patients waiting outside his office.
She let out a heavy sigh and leaned against the door for a moment. Where would she get the money? She took a deep breath and let it out.
The best thing right now was to see Carla. Hopefully, Carla had good news, or else Alicia wasn’t sure what she was going to do.
- Writer
