Twenty-Two
Friday, May 20
Sternberg Center for Cancer Cures
Kansas City, Kansas
Thomas reviewed the chart for his next patient, then walked down the hall to her exam room.
“Come in,” said Laveda, his patient’s mother, when he knocked.
As he entered, he couldn’t help but notice that his patient was looking less like a little girl and more like a preteen. He chuckled, because after all that was his job: to make sure kids like her grew up.
“What are reading today, Nevaeh?” Thomas asked.
Nevaeh lowered her book. “Are you teasing me, Dr. Sternberg? I’m sure you’ve read it already.”
Thomas peered more closely at the book—his heart skipping a beat—then shook his head. “I’d never tease you, Nevaeh. Believe it or not, I haven’t read it yet. Would you recommend I do?”
She nodded vigorously
