'Kendall.'
'Oh. Didn’t you guys get together a few weeks ago?' She handed me a spoon.
'Thanks. Yeah, but she has a science fair coming up, and wants some help. So. We’re going to make a weekend of it.'
'It’s really great, this whole mentor program thing you’ve got going.'
'Thanks.' I smiled, and dipped my spoon into the dessert.
I pulled up in front of the Torrini house, and cut the engine. It was such a nice, peaceful town, Pelican View. I always liked that. Plus, it wasn’t too far from either Rochester, where I lived now, or Winston, so I could visit mom either before or after I picked up Kendall. I opened the door, and stepped out onto the sidewalk, made my way to the front door.
Waiting patiently for the doorbell to be answered, and turned to look at the houses across the street, lawns turning green as summer marched closer and closer, flowers beginning to bloom.
'Andi. Hello.' I turned to see Melanie Torrini standing in the open doorway. 'How are you, dear?'
'I’m doing well. And yourself?'
'Oh, just fine, just fine. I read about you in the paper last week. We’re so proud of you.' She reached out and squeezed my hand. 'Kendall! Andi’s here for you.'
'Thank you, Melanie. I really appreciate that.' She smiled at me again.
'Kendall will be here in a moment. I need to get back to my muffins. I think they’re about to burn.' She hurried toward the kitchen, and I heard footsteps pounding on the floor above me as Kendall ran toward the stairs. A smile automatically came to my lips, and I took a deep breath.
'Hi, Andi!'
'Hey, you.' I smiled as the girl ran down the stairs. I was almost afraid she’d tumble down the rest of the way. She was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt with a daisy on the front, her dark hair back in a braid. Her eyes always amazed me – so bright and intelligent. 'You ready?'
'Yup. Got my stuff right here.' She patted the backpack she carried, smiling up at me.
'Okay, let’s go.'
Kendall got herself belted up in the front seat of my Jeep, and turned to smile at me.
'So, how’s school?' I pulled onto the street, and got us headed back to Rochester.
'It’s good. I’m glad it’s almost over, though.'
'Have any plans for the summer?' I turned onto the highway, headed home.
'Not really. My mom and dad are talking about going on vacation somewhere, but I don’t know where.'
'Why not? Aren’t you going?'
'Well, of course!' She put her hands on her narrow hips. 'I’m too little to stay home alone.' I grinned, nodding.
'Too true.'
'They just don’t know where we’re going, yet.'
'Oh, I see.' In my work I’m always around adults, serious types who don’t have the time or inclination toward messing around, or fun, really. But being around this little girl, so young and vibrant and innocent, always brought me back to a much simpler time. Kendall made me feel almost light, again.
'Any reaction, yet?' I shook my head, staring intently into the microscope. 'Damn. I really thought we’d see something by now.' I stood with a sigh.
'Me, too.' I looked at my colleague. 'Well, I guess we head back to square one.' Samantha nodded.
'Win some, lose some, eh, Dr. Littman?' Running my hands through my hair, I nodded, doing my best to hide the disappointment.
'I really thought we had it this time.'
'What went wrong?' Dr. Torres walked over to the microscope and looked in at the slide.
'I don’t know. I guess the cells just didn’t separate like we thought they would. I think the temperatures weren’t right; too cold, maybe. Let’s try again.'
'Well, Dr. Littman, why don’t we-'
'Try it again, Dr. Torres. I know this will work.' I headed toward the rat cages, looking for Mickey, the rat that had originally been tested on for our newest mix. I rolled my eyes when I heard the office phone ring. Damnit. I had work to do, and didn’t have time for this. 'Dr. Littman.' I stood by my desk, hand on my hip as I waited impatiently for the caller to talk.
'Hey, Andi.'
'Hello, Erin. What’s up? I’m busy.'
'Well, well, it’s the all-important Andrea Littman.' I could hear the hurt in her voice.
'I’m sorry. What’s up?'
'There’s a patient up in critical who wants to speak with you.' My brows narrowed.
'Me? Why me? Where’s the patient’s doctor?'
'Don’t know. She wants to speak with the research staff, and who better to talk with. Her name is, oh hell, I don’t remember. It begins with an h, I think. She’s in room 301.'
'Okay. I’ll get up to her when I can.'
'Thanks, babe.' I smiled.
'Sure. Catch you later.'
'Bye.'
I hung up the phone, glanced at Samantha.
'Dr. Torres, I have to run upstairs for a few. Think you can handle this on your own?' My colleague turned to me, nodding.
'Certainly.'
I grabbed my lab coat from the hook on the back of my office door, and headed out of the lab.
Part 10
As I walked the halls of the Clinic, my mind raced. I was not good with this sort of thing, thus my going into research as opposed to bedside medicine. I had no idea what to say to this woman, nor really how to say it. Chances were if she was already in critical, there wasn’t much I could say to bring her comfort.
I sighed, pushing the button for the elevator, tapping my toe on the tile as I waited. When I had gone to school it had never been a thought which way I’d go; practice or research. I didn’t have that magic touch that a doctor needed to make her patients feel comfortable or safe. I had the knowledge, knew the ways to diagnose and treat, but had always had that one, fundamental part missing that would make me a great doctor. And that was basic people skills.
I never understood what made me so different from everyone else. I didn’t really think about it much, anymore, though it used to drive me crazy and frustrate the crap out of me when my college professors tried and tried to get me to go into practicing medicine. But, I loved my job and all it entailed, and I was very dedicated to it. Dr. Torres and I, and all my previous colleagues, had made some wonderful advances in curing MS, and other diseases. So, when other classmates from college have told me when we’ve run into each other, how rewarding it is to see their patient’s face when they’ve been told their cancer is gone, or in remission, or the look on a new mother’s face when she sees her baby for the first time, I think of the look on my fellow scientist’s faces when something we’ve been working on so hard turns out right, or when I wake up in the middle of the night because a theory has woken me up, and it proves true.
A smile spread across my face. That was when it really mattered to me. That was what touched me so deeply.
The elevator dinged open, and I stepped into the car, pressing the button for the floor I wanted. I went over in my head all the things that we’d been working on in the lab, trying to prepare myself for any questions she may have. I was also trying to think of all the things I was taught about malpractice and all the dos and don’ts of talking
