The Doctor's Tale Read online

  “No one can predict your future, Mrs. Raines,” I said.

  Ah. A bitter smile.

  “I believe that each outcome is as unique as the patient. All we can do for a situation such as yours is to cite the statistics.”

  Mrs. Raines nodded in agreement.

  “Now, would you like to tell me why you were crying when I came into the room?”

  A round of fresh tears ensued. Outside in the wide hall, the clatter of plates and utensils accompanied the hum of conversation, the occasional laugh, or even a poignant howl.

  “Eddie didn’t visit me last night, Dr. Spezia.”

  “You mean, Eddie—your husband, Eddie?”

  She nodded, and dabbed her splotchy face with a tattered tissue. “I was wondering, could you call him? I called our house all night, but no one answered the phone. Where do you think he was?”

  Though I struggled to ignore my personal feelings, I sensed the conspicuous chemistry between Eddie Raines and the woman he called “Starr” was on her mind. Despite Eddie’s litany of explanations and excuses, his behavior disgusted me.

  “Dr. Spezia?” Mrs. Raines said. “Could you…could you please call him?”

  “If he doesn’t show up soon, I’ll ask the nurse to call him. I’m certain there’s a good reason for his absence. Now, let’s have a look at you, shall we?”

  A bustle in the hall snagged her attention. When she turned her head, it seemed that hope had transformed her wan expression. “Maybe that’s Eddie!” she said. “Dr. Spezia, could you look and see if it’s him?”

  Nurse Potts stood in the doorway. She seemed calm, but beneath the cool facade, I sensed a bubbling anxiety.

  “May I help you?” I said.

  “That’s not Eddie,” Mrs. Raines said.

  “Will you excuse me for a moment, Mrs. Raines?” I stepped into the hall and faced Nurse Potts. “Is something wrong?” With her hands clasped together, she looked as if she was reciting a prayer.

  “You free today at lunchtime, Dr. Spezia?” she said. “I need your help.”

  “You need my help?”

  Her broad shoulders slumped and she sighed. “I don’t ask for things I don’t need now. I watched you, standing there with Dr. Skelton, and just like that, the idea just came to me. So, what do you say? Can you help me out or not?”

  “Sure. I don’t know what kind of help I can be to you, but…”

  “Just meet me at the nurse’s station at noon. I need you to go with me to a place around the corner. Just stand there and look like you know what you’re doing.” She chuckled. “Something tells me you know how to do lots of that.”

  “Dr. Spezia!” The sound of Mrs. Raines’ voice echoed in the cavernous hall.

  “I’ve got to get back to work,” I said. “I’ll see you at noon.”

  When I returned to examine Mrs. Raines, I was surprised to see that she had actually eaten her oatmeal. Now, she was sipping ice water and watching a game show, the kind in which annoying bells dinged every thirty seconds.

  “This place needs more doctors,” she remarked. “At least, more doctors like you.”

  “You seem to be feeling better. Am I right about that?”

  Mrs. Raines nodded her head. “Oh yes, I am.” Suddenly, she put a finger to her lips. “Oh, listen to that, Dr. Spezia. They’re fighting again.”

  “Who?”

  “That Nurse Potts and the doctor that’s always chasing after Starr. You know, Dr. Freeman. Just listen to them. It’s kind of funny sometimes.”

  “Hey Potts, where did you go last night?” Dr. Freeman said. “I was looking for a drinking buddy.”

  At the sound of his nasal voice, I envisioned Freeman. With his designer clothes and dazzling smile, he could have been a wildly successful game show host, or even an actor.

  “Dr. Freeman,” Mary said, You know I got myself a life outside of this place. Had to leave at four thirty, that’s all. Takin’ care of my business.”

  “Cuttin’ out early, huh? Know what I think? I think you got yourself a brand new man out there somewhere. That’s what I think.”

  “Mind your own, hear?”

  “Hey, I don’t care. I got a few ladies on the side myself.”

  “So I hear, Doctor. Don’t you be messing with the trash, now.”

  “What do you know about trash, Potts? I’ll be the judge of my own mess. Listen, I have some bad news. You’ll have to do without me while I see my worthless patients. Oh, and Potts? Better keep a closer eye on the drug cabinet. Word on the street is, your meds aren’t adding up. Not that I would know anything about it. But I hear that fingers are getting mighty sticky around here.”

  “I keep the key to that cabinet ‘round my neck. Jus’ let some fool try and get it. Now get on out of here.”

  “Hey Potts, check out what’s coming down the hall.”

  “Dr. Freeman, I done told you to stay away from the trash.”

  “Say gorgeous,” I heard Freeman say, “are you lost? Or would you just like to be?”

  “Maybe,” a raspy voice replied. “You a doctor?”

  “I’m only the best surgeon in this entire city. Probably the entire state. Maybe the whole country.”

  “Oh yeah? How much money you make?

  “A lot, Goldilocks. But money isn’t the best part of me. You can quote me on that.”

  “Freeman!” Nurse Potts bustled down the hall with a scowl on her broad face. Her stocky legs never moved so fast. “I said, stay away from the trash. If you can’t do that, at least take it out back where I don’t have to look at it.”

  Now, the familiar clack, clack, clack of high heels on the terrazzo floor sounded much closer.

  “Oh no, Skinny Legs, you can’t be walking your tight pants in there with Dr. Spezia. Hey, you come on back!”

  “Hey Mary! Maybe Goldilocks has a thing for our young Dr. Spezia?”

  “Dr. Freeman, what you be saying to nobody? You got no business in Miz Raines’ room, so get on wherever you supposed to be, because it ain’t here. You look like a shark circling the King Tuna. Why you out here all by yourself?”

  Freeman flashed a wicked grin. “Just waiting to take out the trash,” he said.

  FIVE

  When Starr arrived, I decided to stay in Mrs. Raines’ room a bit longer. The more I learned about this situation, the less I understood, and the more the outcome mattered to me. Now, Mrs. Raines began to describe a recent visit from a neighbor I had yet to meet, a Mrs. Dottie Pennybaker.

  “Dr. Spezia,” she said, “if I tell you what Dottie told me last night, you won’t tell anyone, will you?”

  I knew my answer to her question didn’t matter—I would need to listen, anyway. “No, of course not. Please go on.” What did Mrs. Pennybaker say? I felt like I was listening to my mother, or Rosa, my sister. As a child from a large extended family, I witnessed the hushed whispers of my mother’s friends and relatives on a regular basis. My gut instincts sensed the sharp blade of vicious gossip, preparing to graze the neck of another victim. In truth, nothing Mrs. Pennybaker could say surprise me.

  First, Dottie provided a detailed update on the juiciest neighborhood gossip. Next, she raved about the fried okra at the Howard J’s, just down the road. When I told Mrs. Raines that I didn’t see why Mrs. Pennybaker needed to talk about fried okra, she began to whimper and sob. She told me that Dottie said she saw Eddie and Starr together, at that very same Howard J’s, that very same night. Of course, she asked Dottie what they were doing. “Well, Baby Girl,” the plump dowager whispered, “I just need to go back and start at the very beginning.” She shook her bovine head, plopped on the hump at the top of her spine. “’Cause you just won’t believe this!”

  “Mrs. P. brought me those daisies over there,” Mrs. Raines said. “Pretty, huh? And then, she started yammering on about stopping on the way back from visiting her son and his wife—they had a new baby and Dottie went to help out…well, Mrs. Raines said, you know how that goes, Doctor.”


  “Yes, I knew that part of the story well,” I replied. “Please go on.”

  “And then, Dottie told me how she asked Eddie to pull off the highway because she saw it was “Fried Okra Night—All You Can Eat—at Howard J’s. It’s right there by the car dealer—you know, Doctor, the one with all those holiday sales and the special financing? No? Well, it doesn’t matter. After the Pontiac, I’m not sure I’d recommend the place. Anyway, Howard J’s is the long orange building with the lights that blink off and on, even in the day time. Sits on the corner by the Baptist church and the donut shop. Just wait till you hear this…

  Dottie Pennybaker smoothed her rumpled skirt and glanced over both shoulders. Her throaty voice grew hoarse, before it faded to a whisper. “I’ll tell you something, Baby Girl. I almost didn’t look, but, heaven help me, I’m so glad I did. Because right then, Lori, I said to myself, could that man be Eddie Raines? He certainly looks like the same simple-minded fool—but that tramp he’s with, well, she isn’t Lori. Lori doesn’t look like a two-bit…well, forget I said that, hon. That just wasn’t nice of me, was it? I saw those two cheats holding hands on the way in, but I never said anything to nobody. You know how women can be, with a piece of hot, fresh gossip. Why, Lori, if I were you, being sick and all, I wouldn’t want anyone to know. By the way, are you getting any better? Gal, I surely hope so. Because they way they were carrying on, well, I surely wouldn’t want my husband putting his hands all over…oh my! Oh Lori, I should just stop right there. No use for caterwauling, Baby Girl. I never really saw them do anything. They were just in the restaurant. You know, the one attached to the motel.”

  “Motel? Did you say motel?”

  “Well, sure. It was Howard J’s. You know there’s rooms around back. There were the last time I looked, anyways. Which, of course, was on All You Can Eat Fried Okra Night.”

  “Well then, did they get a room?”

  “I didn’t exactly follow them, Baby Girl.”

  “They did, didn’t they?

  “I truly don’t know.” Dottie hesitated. “What I do know is, when the check came, Eddie told the waitress to put it on his room. But, wait now, sweetie. That doesn’t mean that Starr was in his room, too. Does it?”

  “Well, no. It doesn’t.”

  “Anyway, I still think you need to get out of here. It doesn’t look good for Eddie to eat okra with Starr. Or, anything deep-fried, in my opinion. It just doesn’t look, well, good.”

  “So that was all she told you?” I said. The damage inflicted by this gossip, regardless of its veracity, needed to be minimized. In divulging every cruel detail, I supposed Mrs. Pennybaker believed she was being a good friend, but I wished with all my heart that she could have chosen a different day for her revelation.

  Mrs. Raines’ ragged nails combed the tangles in her stringy hair.

  “Look at me, Doctor,” she said, “I’m a mess. You don’t know me, or how I usually look. I’ve got to get out of this hospital bed and into a chair over at the beauty shop. You know—fix myself up. A wash and set, over at the Band Box Shop, and I’ll be my old self again.”

  “Mrs. Raines,” I said, “why don’t you…” The curtain swished behind me, and the pungent scent of cinnamon and cigarette smoke filled the room. Starr strolled into the room in her tight white pants. A bright shade of blue eye shadow coated her eyelids. Sooty black mascara clumped her eyelashes; when they fluttered, they reminded me of two tarantulas. A thick layer of frosted white gloss coated her lips.

  “Mornin, y’all.” She stared at me and chewed on a wad of pink gum. “I been waiting for somebody to notice me out there in the hall, but it looks to me like a lady could die in this place and no one would care. So, I guess I’ll just have to invite myself if I want some company. Besides, it’s Bucks for Blondes Day over at the Band Box, and I’m on a very tight schedule. I got an appointment for a touch up, and Lord knows I can’t do without that.”

  “Miss Hixson,” I said, “is Mr. Raines with you this morning?”

  “You mean Eddie?

  “I mean Mr. Raines, Lori’s husband.”

  She flipped her hair over her shoulder. One end of her mouth turned up in amusement. “Yeah, I guess he is that, ain’t he, Dr. Pizza?”

  “Is Eddie coming to pick me up?” Mrs. Raines said.

  “Who knows?” The pink gum swelled into a bubble, and Starr popped it with her tongue. “I guess he will.” She laughed and continued to chew the gooey wad. “Why are ya’ll asking me anything? I just came to see Lori, out of the goodness of my ‘lil heart. Does Eddie know she’s talking about coming home today? Because, you know, I didn’t know nothing ‘bout that.”

  “I called him last night to tell him,” Mrs. Raines said, “but he never picked up.”

  “Huh,” Starr said. “’Magine that.”

  “Well, when he gets here today, I am going home.”

  “Fine with me, sugar. Just fine.” Starr rummaged in her purse, and her bony hand emerged with an amber bottle of Busch beer. “You know what your problem is? You never did drink enough. Take one for the road, Lori. Starr knows what she’s talking ‘bout now.”

  “Miss Hixson,” I said, “Mrs. Raines is not allowed alcohol, especially in the hospital. It is not compatible with her medications. I’ll be happy to dispose of that beer bottle for you, Mrs. Raines.”

  “Fine, then. Just fine,” Starr said. She snatched the bottle from Mrs. Raines’ hand, and patted her oversized purse. “I’ll just put it right back in here where it belongs. “You know Dr. Pizza, Busch is damn good beer. If you ask me, you could use about a half dozen. Well, lookee who’s here.”

  Eddie Raines slouched in the doorway. Tousled and unshaven, he brightened at the sight of the amber bottle in Starr’s hand. “Looks like I’m missing the party!” he said. He barely glanced at his wife. “Sorry I’m late, Princess.”

  “I’m coming home today!” Mrs. Raines said. “Can you believe it, Eddie? Isn’t that great?”

  Eddie glanced at Starr in a way that I wished I didn’t understand. Then, he turned and confronted me. “Is that true? Is Lori really coming on home today?”

  “Your wife feels that she can get along at home, Mr. Raines—with your assistance, of course. How do you feel about that?”

  Eddie scratched his head. “I…well… to tell you the God’s truth, I just found out about it, you know? I got to admit, it’s a bit of a shock.” He shrugged and gazed into the hall. “Kind of like this whole cancer thing in general, if you ask me. But if Lori thinks she can come home, and Doc here thinks it would be all right, then sure, let’s load up the car. Starr can help me, can’t you, baby?”

  Though she struggled to hide her feelings, I could tell that Eddie’s unexpected use of an endearment jolted Mrs. Raines, I knew she didn’t want to do anything to thwart her homecoming. She continued to gather her few possessions with her jaw clenched in a fierce determination.

  “Tell you what, Eddie,” Starr said, “I’ll drive my own self back. There’s somebody I want to catch up with on the way out. Bet you know who I’m talking about—you know, that doctor that’s been botherin’ me all the damn time. What’s his name? Freeburg?”

  “No baby, that ain’t right. It’s Freeman, ain’t it?”

  “Yeah, that’s it. Where’s he at, Dr. Pizza?”

  “Just take the elevator to the basement, “ I said. “Chances are very good you’ll hear him before you see him.”

  “Right,” Starr said. She turned to Eddie and winked. “See you at home, honey.”

  Honey, huh? I scribbled prescription after prescription. If Mrs. Raines wanted to go home, I decided I would not stand in her way. Besides that, it was almost noon. If I didn’t appear at the nurses’ station very soon, Mary Potts would come looking for me. I was on my way.

  Eddie steered the white Pontiac to the hospital entrance. He didn’t want to bring Lori home. He knew he should feel happy. Why did he feel so despondent? The sounds of chirping birds, the giggles of young girls, and the
clanging bell of an ice cream truck punctuated the carefree rhythm of the gentle breeze. He tapped his foot to the beat of a pop tune, while he waited in the warm summer sun. It was time for him to face the truth.

  What a night last night had been! Eddie never knew fun could feel that good. Still tingling from his rendezvous with Starr, he needed to load Lori’s limp body into the car. Should he tell Lori about Starr? Of course not! Behind the glass doors, his wife waited in a battered wooden wheelchair. Eddie braced himself to be her husband.

  What she didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her, he reasoned—and right now, the things Lori didn’t know were the very things that got him through the rough spots. He didn’t want to think about all of this too hard, either. In Eddie’s view, thinking too hard about the whole situation only made the answers seem complicated. And, at the end of his day, they just weren’t. Nope. They just weren’t. Not as long as he was in the driver’s seat.

  From the start, he and Starr agreed that a fling was all it would ever be between the two of them. Thank God, Starr was a reasonable woman! Starr knew that Lori would never understand a night like they shared last night, not in a million years. Hell, even now, he wasn’t sure he understood it.

  Eddie glimpsed Lori’s reflection in the glass doors—her sallow face framed by matted, greasy hair—and he wondered. How did he and Lori end up like this? Lori used to be so beautiful. No matter where he took her, Lori was always the best looking woman in the room. And now, well—just look at her. Dang, he shouldn’t be thinking of Starr, not at a time like this. And, he surely was. He was especially thinking of last night…

  “Sir!” Nurse Potts glared at him. “Open the door! What’s wrong with you?” She knew. They all knew about Starr, he felt certain. Did Lori know?

  Eddie opened his door and approached the passenger side of the car. Dang, the sun shined so bright. His feet felt like concrete blocks. He stared at the monstrous hospital that seemed to rise from the rubble that surrounded it. Starr was still in there somewhere, chatting it up with Dr. Freeman, while he…