Family Bonds

Chapter 11, Episode 3

Two weeks later, Jane was getting ready for work at Alice's when the phone rang. Thinking it was Marty, she said, "I'm coming. Wait for me at the corner. I'll just be a minute."

"May I speak with Bert Thomas, please?" an unfamiliar voice asked.

"I'm sorry," Jane replied. "I thought you were someone else."

"Do I have the right number? Is Bert Thomas there?"

"He's sleeping. Could I take a message? Who is this?"

"Doctor Bennett's nurse. Is this Jane?"

"Yes."

"Good. I wanted to let your father know that he's been approved for a fentanyl patch to control his abdominal pain, but the doctor wants him to come in, to go over treatment options. Would you ask him to call us to schedule his appointment to discuss them?"

"Treatment options?"

"He said he doesn't want chemo." Jane looked in the direction of Bert's room. Chemo? They did that for cancer. He hadn't said a word to her. She started to shake, remembering when Will was dying. They'd found his cancer too late to do anything. She started toward Bert's room, the phone still in her hand, but stopped. If he had cancer, he needed his rest. She'd heard him walking around the night before. He'd looked so haggard when he'd joined her for breakfast. But he'd only sipped a little tea and taken a couple of bites of toast before going back to bed.

"Who did you say this was?"

"Doctor Bennett's nurse."

Jane's eyes filled. Not now, not when her life seemed to be looking up. Why didn't he tell her?

"I'll give him the message." Still shocked, she was about to pick up the phone to call back the doctor's office when a light knock sounded at the door.

Marty opened the door. "You weren't at the corner, so I decided to see if something was wrong. What's up?"

Jane glanced at her friend for a long minute. Her face crumpled. "I just found out Bert has cancer. The nurse called to tell him to come to the office to schedule radiation. I should have asked more questions, but I wasn't thinking. I can't lose him. Not now, not like Will or Mom, not when things have been going so well." She'd maintained a 3.8 average at City College, had managed to get into all the classes she needed this quarter, and her new work schedule allowed her to consolidate her study time. Except for Chet, things were much better, and even that wasn't so bad. They were meeting at the library or at the Bean Blossom, places where Chet's dad wouldn't see them together.

Jane looked toward Bert's room. "He must have said I was his daughter. Marty, what am I going to do? What if he's dying?"

"Don't think that. They can do so much these days. Wipe your eyes and blow your nose and then we'll talk to Bert. Together, if you want, and I'll go with you to the doctor. With Bert." She paused. "Will he let us? For moral support? We've been friends forever. Bert likes me. He knows I'm in nursing school."

"Maybe." She wiped her eyes. "He didn't say a thing, but he's been sick for so long, and he's losing weight. He kept saying he had the flu, didn't feel like eating. Why didn't I pay more attention? I should have realized it had to be more than stomach flu."

"Hey, you're not a doctor. How could you know? Maybe he didn't want you to worry."

"Well, I know now and I am worried."

"Go into the bathroom and wipe your eyes. I'll wait."

Jane went into the bathroom and put a cold washcloth to her face. When she leaned down to pick up the towel that had slipped off the edge of the tub, she spied a wadded up tissue stained with blood.