Rules Get Broken Read Online Free PDF Page B

she heard several sharp knocks on the door, followed almost immediately by the door opening an inch or two and Dr. Goldstein’s voice. “All set?” he asked.
    Peg muttered yes, and Dr. Goldstein and the nurse stepped into the room.
    “I’m going to take some blood first so we can take a look at it while you’re here,” he announced, and he walked over to a cabinet on the far side of the room. “Have a seat up on the table, would you?”
    Again Peg did as she was told, and within moments Dr. Goldstein had taken a small vial of blood.
    “I’ll look at that when I’m finished here,” he said to the nurse, handing the vial to her. “But before I do,” he added, turning back to Peg, “I’d like to take a quick look at you.”
    Peg sat straight up and perfectly still as Dr. Goldstein undid the gown’s ties and quickly folded it down to her waist. He ran his fingers under each side of her jaw, down each side of her neck and under each armpit. He ran his fingers over and under one breast and then the other. He examined her in silence and said nothing after he had finished. Instead, he picked up her file from the other chair and rapidly entered his observations.
    “Why don’t you get dressed and meet me in my office?” he said when he was done. “It’s just across the hall. I’m going to take a peek at your blood sample, and I’ll meet you there in a few minutes.” A second later and he was gone.
    Peg reached for her clothes. She tried not to feel violated, but somehow she did. Less than five minutes ago she had been sitting in the waiting room. Now five minutes later she was sitting alone in a cold examination room, half naked, blood taken, examination over. She shook off the feeling and hooked her bra.
    When she was dressed, she opened the door and stepped out into the hall. Directly across from her was an office, its door open, which she assumed was Dr. Goldstein’s. She crossed the hall and looked in somewhat tentatively to confirm it was empty. When she saw that it was, she entered, sat in one of the leather wing chairs in front of the large mahogany desk, folded her hands in her lap and waited.
    The minutes passed slowly. The only sounds were the hum of the air conditioner in the window and occasionally the muted ring of the telephone in the outer office. For some reason, she didn’t think about what Dr. Goldstein might say. Her mind for the moment was blank.
    Footsteps coming down the hall signaled Dr. Goldstein’s arrival. He came into the office holding a mug of coffee in one hand and a file folder in the other. He walked behind his desk, placed both the mug and the folder in front of him, and sat down. He swiveled his chair to his left, hit a key on his telephone console, picked up the receiver and waited.
    “Audrey? Hold my calls for a few minutes, will you? Thanks.”
    He hung up the receiver and turned to face the silent woman sitting in front of him. He looked at her only long enough to make eye contact before picking up the folder he had just laid on the desk. He started to open the file, then stopped, closed it slowly and again looked at Peg.
    “Mrs. Herbert, I wish I had better news for you, but unfortunately I don’t.” He paused. “My review of the lab report Dr. Edwards forwarded to me…in combination with my own examination of you and your blood sample…confirms that you have leukemia, which is a form of blood cancer. And given the rapid onset of your symptoms—for example, the extreme fatigue you told Dr. Edwards about—my guess is it’s probably what we call acute myelogenous leukemia. We’ll be able to confirm that after we’ve examined your blood sample more thoroughly, but for now let’s just say you have a very aggressive type of leukemia.”
    He paused again and seemed to hesitate before he resumed speaking. “My examination also confirms that the disease has progressed considerably.”
    He gave Peg a moment to absorb what he had said.
    “You need to know that this