An Unforeseen Turn of Events

Chapter Seventeen

Daniel couldn't sit still in the doctor's office. He drummed his fingers and was ready to leap up at the slightest sound while sitting in the waiting room.

I've got a meeting in an hour. I told the doctor that, didn't I? he kept questioning himself while glancing at the clock every half minute.

Then he recalled telling the receptionist and the nurse at least a dozen times.

Daniel stared at the dark wood furniture in the office. He then gazed out the window. It was a perfect sunny day while he sat and waited in gloomy silence. He tried to ignore his rapidly beating heart, closing his eyes and trying to think of something pleasant.

His conversation with Christine was heavy-duty last night, so he focused on helping Timmy with his calculus homework. Tim was all dazed and confused, scribbling calculations on lined paper to solve the problems. Daniel patiently explained where he was going wrong. He recalled the spark of excitement in his son's eyes as he finally understood the concepts. After they finished, he knew Tim wanted to hug him for coming to his rescue after hours of struggling but felt it would not be manly to do so, even though they were alone.

Daniel loved being there for his family. Raising the twins had been one of the most satisfying endeavors of his life. Of course, there were ups and downs, but he couldn't imagine a life without guiding them into adulthood. It never occurred to him to consider them anything less than his own.

Math had always come easily for him. Years ago, a guidance counselor urged him to become a math teacher. Daniel dismissed that, feeling the business world was beckoning for his talents. But this small marketing company was his fourth job since he was laid off. Perhaps he should reconsider. He loved math and yearned for a secure job--providing a steady income for his family was always his top priority...

"Mr. Goldberg?" a young nurse with a brown wavy ponytail and a round face entered the waiting area. "Please come in. The doctor's ready to see you now."

Daniel felt so heavy he had to make an effort to lift his body off the chair.

He found himself seated in the doctor's office, thinking about all kinds of diagnoses, unable to sit still.

There was a gentle knock on the door and his solemn-faced doctor walked in. Daniel was so involved with his thoughts that he nearly jumped out of his chair when he heard Dr. Sherman's knock.

Daniel read his fate from the doctor's grim expression. Words would merely be commentary.

He shriveled in his chair. He felt his heart drop as the doctor nodded his head and made his way to his seat behind his mahogany desk. When he got there, he folded his hands on top of the table and stared directly into Daniel's eyes.

"It doesn't look as good as we had hoped, but it's no death sentence either. It is Acute Myeloid Leukemia," Dr. Sherman began. "Mr. Goldberg, fortunately we are living in an advanced medical age where your condition is serious, but by no means untreatable."

"You mean if I had this 30 years ago, I'd be finished?"

"Exactly, but our chemotherapy treatments are more effective today in killing the white blood cells. I'm afraid you're going to have to take a leave of absence from your job if we have any chance of beating this. You'll need regular chemotherapy treatments, which will leave you too weak to work."

Daniel fell back in his chair while contemplating the gravity of his situation.

"Mr. Goldberg," Dr. Sherman spoke. "Do you need some time alone? I know this is a lot to process, but you can be assured I and my team of doctors will be there for you all the way. If we begin right away, we'll have a better chance of beating this thing. Time is of the essence."

Daniel looked at his doctor as if he didn't recognize him. He couldn't adjust his head to the here and now. He looked up at the ceiling in an attempt to recollect his and Christine's savings. It wasn't as high as it should have been at this point in their lives. He thought about the 508 for the twins' college. With a scholarship and student loans, they could barely afford Boston College. He had suggested they look into and apply to state schools in case they didn't get in or couldn't afford the hefty tuition of a private university. Daniel recalled the horrified stares the twins gave him. They had their hearts set on BC.

"You don't always get into your first choice. My first choice was Cornell and I ended up on the waiting list."

"But Dad, you still went to Tufts. Not too shabby," Trudy pointed out.

"I'm just saying that your first choice doesn't always work out."

"But my plan has been to go to BC ever since I was in seventh grade! And after that, go to BC Law School."

"Tim, plans don't always work out," Christine whispered, trying to placate him.

Daniel was thinking about his own plans: to have a great position so he could support his family and they would lack nothing. Even help his parents out financially as they struggled to pay their bills. And eventually, travel the world with his wife. Make the most out of living.

Now they would be forced to drain their savings all because of this damned leukemia.

Who knows how much of Christine's insurance would cover this? His own insurance hasn't even kicked in yet.

Dr. Sherman interrupted his thoughts.

"You're on board with this, aren't you, Mr. Goldberg?"

Daniel was so lost in his own thoughts that he barely heard the doctor. It was like an outside voice trying to break into the various scenarios that were playing out in his mind. He wished Christine was sitting beside him; he now regretted keeping her out.

He nodded slowly.

In a daze, as if he were walking through a living nightmare, the doctor escorted Daniel out of the office after going over financial arrangements with the receptionist. He walked slowly to his car, his legs feeling like lead. He kept trying to process that he was in a struggle for his life. His symptoms of extreme tiredness and weight loss were not about his trepidation of joining this startup marketing company. It had nothing to do with the twins going to college. He was sick, and the sooner he came to terms with this reality, the better.

Taking out his cell phone, he toyed with the idea of not going into work today, but more than anything, he wanted to prove he was a valuable member of this company even though he would have to be taking a leave of absence. Besides, he feared he would break down if he returned home and his wife and children would see him as an out-of-control basket case when they arrived for dinner. Images of his parents and brother's reactions came into his mind, but he blocked them out. His focus now was holding himself together.

I should have included Christine in this from the beginning, he said to himself. I really need her here right now!