Rules Get Broken by John Herbert Read Free Book Online

scared.”
    “I can see that, sweetheart. But I don’t know why yet. So now, without getting upset, tell me who Dr. Goldstein is.”
    “He’s an oncologist,” she said with a whimper, almost as if she were ashamed.
    “An oncologist? Isn’t that a cancer specialist?”
    “Yes,” she answered, and she started to cry again.
    “Jesus, Peg,” I exclaimed, feeling my head start to spin and momentarily forgetting how terrified she was. “You gotta be kidding me. What happened? What’d Dr. Edwards say?”
    “He said he thought I had some kind of blood cancer. And he wanted me to see another doctor. Today. So while I was in his office, he made an appointment for me to see Dr. Goldstein.”
    “And what’d Dr. Goldstein say?” I asked, dreading the answer.
    “He said I have leukemia,” Peg cried out loudly, on the verge of losing control again. “He wants me in the hospital tonight,” she continued in between sobs. “I’m supposed to be there in fifteen minutes. And he wants to see you tonight at his office. He’s going to wait there for you.”
    I leaned back in my chair while she blew her nose. I looked up at my office ceiling, seeing nothing, at a complete loss for words.
    This isn’t happening , I thought stupidly. Can’t be happening. She was just a little tired. She wasn’t sick. She was tired. Leukemia? My God!
    “Leukemia, John. People die from leukemia. And that’s what I’ve got. Leukemia!”
    What do I say to her? I asked myself, closing my eyes in the face of the enormity of what she had just said. What can I possibly say to this?
    “Are you still there?” Peg asked.
    “Yeah, honey,” I answered, leaning forward again, the receiver in one hand, my head in the other. “I’m still here.”
    My mind was racing. I had to say something. Something encouraging, comforting, reassuring.
    “We’ve obviously got a major problem here,” I began, struggling to find the right words, the right tone. “But just because you have leukemia doesn’t mean you’re going to die. It just means you’re sick, and we’ve got to make you well. The one thing you can’t do, though, is panic. You can’t let that happen. Because if you do, then you’ve really got a problem. So let’s both try to stay calm until we have all the facts and know what our options are. Okay?”
    “Okay,” Peg murmured weakly.
    “Have you got Dr. Goldstein’s address and telephone number?” I asked, trying desperately to focus on something other than the word “leukemia,” which was by now streaming non-stop through my brain.
    “He’s on East Main Street. 220 East Main. And his telephone number is 271-5349.”
    “I got it. How are you getting to the hospital?” I asked, focusing on the details, the logistics for the next few hours. The details I can handle , I thought. It’s leukemia I’m having a problem with. Gotta stick to the details for now.
    “I’ll ask Amy Bennett to take me. I know she’s home.”
    “Good. I’ll come to the hospital right after I meet with Dr. Goldstein. You’ll be admitted and in a room by then?”
    “I guess.”
    Her voice was flat, mechanical, totally devoid of emotion, and her demeanor now was completely different from what it had been just minutes ago. I wondered if she had truly calmed down or gone into shock. I had no way to know. I was in my office; she was in our bedroom at home. I considered asking her to put Linda on the phone, but decided I would be overreacting. So instead I reverted back to the details, to that which I could control.
    “How long can Linda stay?”
    “She’s going to call the Claytons as soon as I get off the phone with you and ask them to stay here until you get home from the hospital.”
    “I’ve got a better idea. Why don’t I ask my folks to come over and take the kids back to their house tonight? I mean, we have no idea what time I’ll be getting out of the hospital, and this way the Claytons can go home as soon as my folks arrive. What do you