Desi leans against the car, struggling to control her breathing. She straightens her airway like the doctor taught her. Breathe in, breathe in again, then breathe out. She closes the trunk of her father’s station wagon and cranks the cold… Continue Reading
“Mr. Thompson, Dr. Wheeler will see you now.” I follow the nurse into the narrow hallway and through the rigmarole of bodily metrics. In the examination room, she asks me to remove my shirt. I comply, blushing, directing my vision… Continue Reading
Humphrey Bogart’s life was, in all respects, banal. He was waiting for the next patient in his examination room, watching the hands of his clock parse time. Decades ago, doctors would have enjoyed this respite lounging in the facility break… Continue Reading
“Why do we have to rotate on Labor and Delivery?” I say. “It has nothing to do with neurosurgery.” “Oh for God’s sake,” Sheila says. “Maybe you’ll get lucky and some poor pregnant woman will have a brain tumor, just… Continue Reading
Didn’t want to be here but knew I had to be. Ovarian cancer. Stuart, who had been my doc forever, it seemed, convinced me to get the kind of care I needed by going to a big medical center. He… Continue Reading
When he first arrived to town, we took it as a sign, a bad omen sent to unravel us. We all knew about these oddities, distinguished by their missing half, grotesque and unnerving. He was a monstrous sight alright, this… Continue Reading
“Once a year like clockwork, eh, Frankie?” Doctor Herbert smiled. Frank nodded. “Better safe than sorry, Doc.” The office was the same as ever: white walls, cold metal chairs, thin-mattress bed, sturdy wooden desk. The only difference was the strange… Continue Reading
“I had a dream last night.” “That’s good. It means you were sleeping.” “I had a childhood toy, a stuffed tiger in a suit with a purple top-hat. I called him Fuzz. He was in my dream.” “Childhood can be… Continue Reading
I never wanted to visit the Wall. For years Vietnam veterans had only each other; as a memorial the Wall seemed too little, too late. Besides, there were so many names — so many memories. I often dream of one… Continue Reading
I hated my options. Wouldn’t sell my jewelry. Agathe said, “You can’t take it with you,” but we can’t take anything with us. My husband had turned into a toad and hopped away; my kids were just starting out; I… Continue Reading