Page 34 of The Forever Gift

Doctor Patterson closes Kayla’s door behind us and points towards some waiting chairs lined up against the far wall.

‘Let’s take a seat,’ he says.

I nod, grateful for his suggestion as my knees begin to tremble.

SIXTEEN

HEATHER

The metal seats are cold and the chill works its way through to my legs, as I sit leaning to one side so I’m more hovering on my hip than resting on my bum. I wonder why most hospital waiting chairs are made with countless tiny holes in the base that press against the cheeks of your backside like a cheese grater digging into a block of Cheddar. I’ve no doubt when I stand up I’ll have an imprint on my backside that will last for hours.

Doctor Patterson sits similarly. He’s turned towards me and I can tell from his pensive expression he’s waiting for the right moment to speak.

‘So,’ he finally says, ‘how you doin’?’

‘Excuse me?’ I allow my full weight to flop onto the cold metal chair. ‘How you doin’?’ I repeat, shaking my head.

Doctor Patterson looks at me blanky.

Friendsplays in my mind so vividly I can literally hear the characters talking. ‘How you doin’?’ I hear Joey say. I can’t wait to tell Kayla that Doctor Patterson has used the worst chat-up line in the book. I doubt she’ll think he’s so cool then, but it should give her a laugh, at least.

‘I’m fine thank you. How are you?’ I say.

My God this is awkward.

Doctor Patterson shakes his head. ‘No. I mean how are youreallydoing? How are you coping?’

‘Oh,’ I say, my smile slipping away. ‘I- I- I-’

Doctor Patterson places his hand on my knee and my eyes fall to his fingers, but I don’t move.

‘This is all happening so quickly. Your head must be spinning,’ he says.

‘Yeah. It is,’ I admit. ‘It’s just Kayla, you know.’ I feel tears swell in my eyes and I beg myself not to cry. ‘She doesn’t get sick. Not really.’

‘It was a pleasure chatting to her earlier,’ Doctor Patterson says, taking his hand off my knee. I instantly miss the warmth. ‘I enjoyed learning about her love of basketball. It was good to hear in her own words and in her own time how the pain started to affect her game.’

‘Oh,’ I say, enlightened. ‘You asked her all about her life to find out about her cancer. That’s clever.’

‘I wasn’t trying to trick Kayla,’ Doctor Patterson explains. ‘Kids…’ he pauses and shift his weight a little so he’s sitting a little straighter ‘…teenagers especially, are more astute than we often give them credit for. If we bombard them with medical questions upfront, they build fortresses and associate us with pain and misery and shut us out.’

I nod, understanding.

‘And I can’t say I blame them. I wouldn’t talk to some guy with a clipboard and a fancy degree, just because he wears a white coat.’

‘So, you want her to think you’re her friend,’ I say.

‘No,’ he shakes his head. ‘I want to be her friend. I want to help her to the absolute best of my ability.’

‘That’s lovely,’ I say, the lump in my throat so huge I can barely breathe.

‘I like friends,’ Doctor Patterson says.

Friends?I smile ridiculously brightly, and he looks at me as if I’ve lost my mind.

‘Friends orFriends?’ I ask.

‘Chandler, Monica, Ross, Rachel, Phoebe and Joey. Who doesn’t likeFriends?’ he says.

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