Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

“Thank you for being who you are”: an excerpt from a novel

Judy Salz, MD
Physician
November 13, 2017
Share
Tweet
Share

An excerpt from Worthy.

“Breakfast ready? Bacon smells good!” Mark finished buttoning his shirt and joined Linda at the kitchen table.

“I Googled funding for my clinic, but I didn’t find what I was looking for,” Linda said, filling their mugs with steaming coffee. “There has to be something out there for me!” She banged her fist on the table, and the mugs jumped. “Sorry.” She wiped up the spill. “I’m grouchy because I’m frustrated.”

“Maybe you didn’t use the right buzzword.” He blew on his coffee and sipped, careful not to burn his tongue.

“Feel free to try. Maybe you can pull a rabbit out of a hat. I couldn’t.”

“I’ll give it a shot tonight when I get home. Don’t sweat it. There’s got to be something out there. I’m late for the office.” He grabbed a slice of bacon, his jacket, and car keys, and bolted for the garage. “See you later! Love you!”

***

As usual, he thought, seeing the crowded waiting room. He picked up the chart on the door and flipped it open. Oh, Mrs. Janeway. Must be a blood pressure check.

“Good morning to you.” He smiled as he entered the room. Gee, she looks awful. She’s usually dressed to the nines.

He pulled his stool over to the table, where she sat, slumped over. “What’s the matter? You look a little out of sorts this morning.”

She said nothing, so he waited. “I know. I’m a mess,” she said, shaking her head.

He waited some more.

Her hands tightened into fists. “My grandson’s doing drugs.” Her eyes filled with tears. “I just found out a few days ago. They arrested him yesterday for possession.” She stared down at the floor, then sat up straight with tears now streaming down her face. “He’s in jail. My Mickey’s in jail! What do I do now? After my daughter died, his good-for-nothing father didn’t want him. I’ve had him since he was five. What do I do now?”

Mark stood up and put his arm around her shoulder. “I’m sorry. I’m so glad you told me. You don’t need to deal with this by yourself, you know.” He handed her some tissues. “There’s help for Mickey and for you. I’m going to see that you both get what you need. Okay? You’re not alone. You have me and you’ll have the people I’ll refer you to.” Poor kid. Addiction is the worst. I remember. “Your sister lives here in L.A., doesn’t she?”

“Yes.”

“Are you close with her?”

She nodded.

“Does she know what happened?”

“I don’t know how to tell her.” Mrs. Janeway bunched up her thin sweater in her hand.

ADVERTISEMENT

“Would you like to bring her here tomorrow?”

“Could I?”

He saw her worry lines relax a little. “We can all talk about it together. Just tell her that Dr. Stewart would like to discuss something with both of you, but you’re not dying of anything. We don’t want to scare her to death!” Mark scanned her chart, flipping the pages. “Listen, when I took you on as my patient I took all of you, not just your physical problems. I’ll help you in any way I can.” He made a note in her chart. “Your blood pressure’s a little up today, but I’m not surprised. I’ll check it again tomorrow when you come with your sister.” He moved toward the door.

She reached out to shake his hand, but gave him a hug instead. “Thank you for being who you are,” she said. “I’m so lucky to have you for my doctor.”

“Thanks for the compliment. I appreciate it more than you know. My receptionist will set you up for tomorrow, but before you leave today you’re going to see our social worker. She’ll help you start to sort things out with Mickey.”

He gave himself a five-minute break before continuing on with his day. “Thank you for being who you are,” he replayed in his head. That’s what Linda told me last night.

“Yeah,” he said out loud. “That’s a keeper.”

***

When Linda stacked up the dirty dinner dishes and headed for the kitchen, Mark scraped his chair back and stood up. “I’m going into the den. Maybe I can find something about funding the clinic.” He settled into his favorite worn leather chair, looking at the dark paneling and the rich, soft Persian rug.

I love this room. It’s like my father’s office. Elegant, just like he was in those days, before he ruined it all.

He opened his laptop, Googling “clinic funding.” He scrolled down, searching for anything about donations for counseling centers, but there were no promising leads. “Wrong buzzword,” he muttered. Other approaches didn’t help, either. After two hours, he slammed his laptop shut and headed for the living room.

“You were right,” he told Linda, rubbing his eyes. “There’s nothing here. Lots of webpages talk about how to fund a foundation, though. Too bad that’s not what we need. Unlikely we’ll ever fund a foundation.”

Judy Salz is an internal medicine physician and author of Worthy.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

What man’s best friend taught me during a patient’s death

November 13, 2017 Kevin 5
…
Next

Let's get one thing clear: pre-op comments from primary care

November 13, 2017 Kevin 7
…

Tagged as: Primary Care

Post navigation

< Previous Post
What man’s best friend taught me during a patient’s death
Next Post >
Let's get one thing clear: pre-op comments from primary care

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Judy Salz, MD

  • When doctors weren’t needed anymore: a short story

    Judy Salz, MD
  • Drug ads are a campaign against physician trust

    Judy Salz, MD
  • Success is not congratulated as easily as failure is shamed

    Judy Salz, MD

Related Posts

  • A physician’s addiction to social media

    Amanda Xi, MD
  • How a physician keynote can highlight your conference

    Kevin Pho, MD
  • Chasing numbers contributes to physician burnout

    DrizzleMD
  • The black physician’s burden

    Naomi Tweyo Nkinsi
  • Why this physician supports Medicare for all

    Thad Salmon, MD
  • Embrace the teamwork involved in becoming a physician

    Nathaniel Fleming

More in Physician

  • Adriana Smith’s story: a medical tragedy under heartbeat laws

    Nicole M. King, MD
  • Why U.S. health care pricing is so confusing—and how to fix it

    Ashish Mandavia, MD
  • From survival to sovereignty: What 35 years in the ER taught me about identity, mortality, and redemption

    Kenneth Ro, MD
  • When doctors forget how to examine: the danger of lost clinical skills

    Mike Stillman, MD
  • When the white coats become gatekeepers: How a quiet cartel strangles America’s health

    Anonymous
  • The man in seat 11A survived, but why don’t our patients?

    Dr. Vivek Podder
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • 2 hours to decide my future: How the SOAP residency match traps future doctors

      Nicolette V. S. Sewall, MD, MPH | Education
    • Why removing fluoride from water is a public health disaster

      Steven J. Katz, DDS | Conditions
    • When did we start treating our lives like trauma?

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • In a fractured world, Brian Wilson’s message still heals

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Physician
    • Adriana Smith’s story: a medical tragedy under heartbeat laws

      Nicole M. King, MD | Physician
    • How doctors took back control from hospital executives

      Gene Uzawa Dorio, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • Why shared decision-making in medicine often fails

      M. Bennet Broner, PhD | Conditions
    • My journey from misdiagnosis to living fully with APBD

      Jeff Cooper | Conditions
    • Why we fear being forgotten more than death itself

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Adriana Smith’s story: a medical tragedy under heartbeat laws

      Nicole M. King, MD | Physician
    • What if medicine had an exit interview?

      Lynn McComas, DNP, ANP-C | Conditions
    • Why U.S. health care pricing is so confusing—and how to fix it

      Ashish Mandavia, MD | Physician
    • From survival to sovereignty: What 35 years in the ER taught me about identity, mortality, and redemption

      Kenneth Ro, MD | Physician
    • When doctors forget how to examine: the danger of lost clinical skills

      Mike Stillman, MD | Physician
    • When your dream job becomes a nightmare [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • 2 hours to decide my future: How the SOAP residency match traps future doctors

      Nicolette V. S. Sewall, MD, MPH | Education
    • Why removing fluoride from water is a public health disaster

      Steven J. Katz, DDS | Conditions
    • When did we start treating our lives like trauma?

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • In a fractured world, Brian Wilson’s message still heals

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Physician
    • Adriana Smith’s story: a medical tragedy under heartbeat laws

      Nicole M. King, MD | Physician
    • How doctors took back control from hospital executives

      Gene Uzawa Dorio, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • Why shared decision-making in medicine often fails

      M. Bennet Broner, PhD | Conditions
    • My journey from misdiagnosis to living fully with APBD

      Jeff Cooper | Conditions
    • Why we fear being forgotten more than death itself

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Adriana Smith’s story: a medical tragedy under heartbeat laws

      Nicole M. King, MD | Physician
    • What if medicine had an exit interview?

      Lynn McComas, DNP, ANP-C | Conditions
    • Why U.S. health care pricing is so confusing—and how to fix it

      Ashish Mandavia, MD | Physician
    • From survival to sovereignty: What 35 years in the ER taught me about identity, mortality, and redemption

      Kenneth Ro, MD | Physician
    • When doctors forget how to examine: the danger of lost clinical skills

      Mike Stillman, MD | Physician
    • When your dream job becomes a nightmare [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...