A Celtic Knot (2 page)

Dana wasn’t sure if she should stop her daughter or applaud. And Catherine wasn’t finished with Dr. Snyder. “My mother is not just another breast. She’s a breast-cancer survivor who’s endured countless physical examinations that have left her feeling completely stripped of her modesty. I will not stand here and let you treat her like just another patient who you need to rush along on an assembly line. So, no, she will not take her gown off. I suggest you take your king-size ego and pathetic manners and go find yourself a breast implant and see if it wants to play your macho games.”

Hurrying down the hall, Olivia Carrington could hear the barrage of furious words from inside the examination room. Could this day possibly get any worse? She was worried about Ruth and her mother, and hadn’t had a chance to call and check on them. She’d worked right through the lunch hour and was in dire need of a bathroom break. She felt pulled in a million directions. The argument spilling from the examination room was clearly one more fire she would need to put out.

She opened the door and entered the crowded room. To her right, Dr. Snyder stood cowering with his medical students. Dana O’Grady sat nervously on the edge of the examination table. Next to her stood the young woman clearly responsible for the angry words. Dana O’Grady’s daughter was stunning, despite the talons ready to strike—slim, with short auburn hair and eloquent eyes. Her protective stance exuded her profound closeness to her mother. Olivia forced herself to look away from this high-spirited beauty and moved next to Dana. She gently took her hands. “Hello, Dana. It’s a pleasure to see you, as always.”

“I’m so glad to see you, Olivia. However, we’re not so happy with your choice of residents.”

“So I heard.”

Dana smiled and gestured to Catherine. “Dr. Olivia Carrington, I’d like you to meet my daughter, Catherine.”

Their eyes locked. A myriad of intense emotions swirled in Catherine’s sea blue eyes. Olivia cautiously extended her hand. “Hello, Catherine.”

Catherine folded her arms across her chest. “How nice of you to take the time to join us, Dr. Carrington. Who the hell gave you permission to let that idiot resident see us? We realize you must be busy, but your decision to send in this buffoon shows very poor judgment. If you don’t have time for my mother, then we’ll just get our things and come back when Dr. Ratcliff returns to her practice.”

Olivia slowly pulled her hand back and tucked it into the pocket of her gray slacks. “That won’t be necessary.” She looked over at Dr. Snyder and the medical students standing against the far wall. “I never gave anyone permission to enter this room without me. I told you to review Mrs. O’Grady’s file and wait for me outside so I could ask her if you could join me in her appointment.”

Dr. Snyder grabbed his belt and hiked it higher against the underside of his heaving belly. “I thought I’d come in and get started so we could speed things along. We’re already behind in our schedule.”

Olivia took a slow measured step closer to Dr. Snyder. “Don’t think, Dr. Snyder. Do exactly as I say. You have obviously offended the O’Grady family, and that upsets me terribly. You disobeyed what I said. You came in here of your own accord without Mrs. O’Grady’s permission, and that is a direct violation of her patient privacy. Now, I want you all out of this examination room and I want you to wait for me in my office. Don’t touch another file, don’t go near another patient. Have I made myself perfectly clear?”

Dr. Snyder had a look of pure shock on his face. “Yes, perfectly clear.” He slowly backed out of the room and was followed by the three medical students.

The door closed quietly behind them as Olivia turned to Dana and Catherine. “I don’t know how to begin to apologize for Dr. Snyder’s behavior. No woman who comes to our practice should ever be treated like that, and I’m so sorry it had to be you.”

She ventured a glance toward Catherine and was met with a withering look.

“I’m not impressed by anything I’ve seen in this office so far, Dr. Carrington,” Catherine said. “See what you can do to change that.”

Olivia raised her eyebrows and turned back to Dana. “I think we better get started with your appointment. Otherwise your fiery daughter is liable to disintegrate me with that look in her eyes.”

Dana laughed. She knew very little about Olivia Carrington, but had liked her the moment they had met. She was fiercely dedicated to her work, leaving Dana wondering how much energy she had for a personal life. She cared deeply about her patients and their success. Ruth had been thrilled to bring the talented young oncologist into her practice.

Olivia gestured to the file on the counter. “Let’s get to the wonderful news of the day. Your mammogram looks perfect.”

Dana felt the relief wash through her. “Oh, Olivia. That’s just the news I wanted to hear. That means we can go home now.” Dana started to ease off the examination table.

Olivia laughed and placed her hands on Dana’s knees. “Nice try, but not so fast. I need to do your breast exam before you go anywhere. I wouldn’t want Catherine calling me an incompetent buffoon.”

Catherine narrowed her eyes. “Since we’re on the subject of competence, how long have you been working with Dr. Ratcliff, anyway?”

“I’ve been a board-certified surgical oncologist for four years. I went to med school here in San Diego. Dr. Ratcliff recruited me from my residency in New York, and I feel blessed to be a part of this oncology team. I’m particularly glad to see how well your mother has done with her recovery. I know how much you’ve been through.”

“Without Catherine, I often wonder how I would’ve survived,” Dana said. “She was there with me every step of the way. We’ve grown closer because of my cancer.”

“I’m so glad you had each other. And I’m so appreciative of the work you’ve done the past couple of years with women in the Comfort Program. You’ve been a huge help and inspiration to them.”

Dana reached for Catherine’s hand. She knew this subject was a difficult one for her daughter. “I had Catherine. Not everyone has that kind of love and support during such a difficult time. At first I felt I wasn’t ready or emotionally strong enough to be of help to anyone, but now I really enjoy helping other women through this difficult journey.”

Olivia noticed how Catherine looked at her mother and then quickly looked away. She wanted to know what made her so uncomfortable. She felt intrigued by her quick temper and complex emotions. She craved to understand the many layers of Catherine O’Grady. This was not the time or the place. Olivia forced her mind back to the task at hand.

She squeezed Dana’s shoulder. “Are you ready for your breast exam?”

“I am.”

Olivia helped Dana to lie back comfortably with her arms over her head. She rubbed her hands together several times to warm them. “Have you been doing your monthly self-exams?”

“Religiously.”

“Good girl.” Olivia began her examination, feeling for lumps in Dana’s breasts, underarms, and collarbone area. “You’ve been on your Tamoxifen for five years now, haven’t you?”

“Yes. It’s hard to believe.”

“I’m thrilled that you’ve made it to this milestone without recurrence. This means you can stop taking your Tamoxifen.”

Dana linked her fingers behind her head. “Do you mind if I also talk to Ruth before I stop taking it?”

“Not at all. I would recommend it.” Olivia moved her hands to Dana’s axilla. “Catherine, have you had a mammogram since your mother’s diagnosis?”

“I’ve had two done and they were both normal. Dr. Ratcliff said I should have one annually.”

Olivia moved to the other breast. “She’s right. I’m glad you’re following her advice.”

“I trust her. She even had me bring in my mammogram films to my mother’s appointments so she could see them herself. She’s been terrific to both of us.”

Olivia gently palpated Dana’s abdomen. “You wouldn’t feel that way if she’d pawned two mischievous little beasts off on you while she’s gone.”

Dana laughed. “Oh, the ferrets! Olivia, you’re in for a very entertaining time with them.”

“We’ll see. She dropped them off at my house on her way to the airport. Her beloved furry rodents better behave themselves, or I’ll pack them in a UPS box and ship them off to Phoenix.”

“I highly recommend you not do that. That could well be the end of your very promising career.”

Olivia laughed as she took her stethoscope from around her neck. “You’re probably right. I really do love working here so I think I’m stuck with Abbott and Costello till Ruth gets back.”

She placed her stethoscope in her ears and listened to Dana’s lungs and heart, then hooked the instrument back around her neck. “Catherine, do you have any more questions for me?”

“No. This is not meant as any offense to you, but I’m glad we had someone with Dr. Ratcliff’s years of experience care for my mother.”

Olivia looked down at Dana. “That’s all I needed today—to meet your blunt, ego-bashing daughter. There’s no catching a break with her. She’s one tough nut to crack.”

Dana grinned broadly. “You’re going to need to bring out the big guns on my little coconut.”

Olivia gathered Dana’s gown to cover her breasts and helped her to sit up. “Catherine, you have every right to feel that way. Dr. Ratcliff has been an exceptional surgical oncologist for twenty years. Her experience is vast, and I hope to learn everything I can from her.”

She turned back to Dana. “Your mammogram is negative and your breast exam is negative of any masses. I now give you my permission to escape from this office. It’s really a pleasure to see you and tell you that everything looks great.” She fought back the desire to stay in the room, to stay in the presence of Catherine O’Grady, rather than plunging back into the fray of a chaotic day. She walked to the door and took hold of the knob. “Dana, did you get the email about the lecture series this afternoon?”

Dana faltered. “I did. I was pleased to see that you’d be speaking. I haven’t missed a lecture yet, but I think Catherine would probably prefer to head back to the bookstore.”

Catherine hesitated. “You shouldn’t miss it because of me.” She swallowed hard and turned to Olivia. “What’s the subject of your lecture?”

Olivia was perplexed by her discomfort. “I’ll be speaking about complimentary therapies for breast cancer. The feedback for the lecture series has been very positive. Ruth feels we need to educate medical professionals as well as the general public if we’re going to beat this beast. Our patients benefit from the information and that’s what means a lot to us.” Olivia eased the door open. “I’ll see you on your way out, Dana.” She was partially through the door when she turned back. “Oh, Catherine, I’ll rummage through our drawers and see if I can find a breast implant so the big jerk can practice his machismo.”

Dana failed to suppress her laughter at the scorching look her daughter gave Olivia.

Catherine narrowed her eyes as the door closed. “I hope her lecture this afternoon is much more impressive than her sense of humor.”

Three

C
ATHERINE AND DANA ENTERED
the noisy amphitheater and carefully made their way up the steps to two empty seats. “I can’t believe the size of this crowd,” Catherine said. “There must be at least a hundred and fifty people here.”

“Maybe they know that Dr. Carrington’s lecture is better than her sense of humor.”

Catherine glared at her mother. “Smart ass.”

Dana settled into the plush seat. “Thank you for coming with me, sweetheart. I know it’s uncomfortable for you to spend so much time around topics related to cancer.”

Catherine looked away. “I wish it wasn’t, Mom. I wish I could be more supportive to your causes.”

It had surprised Dana when Catherine agreed to attend the lecture. Catherine did her best to bury their experience with cancer and move forward. Dana respected that, but she felt differently. She’d beat her cancer and wanted to help other women find the same success, to help make this experience as tolerable as possible. It wasn’t always easy, but if that was the purpose of her breast cancer, then she’d continue to help in any way she could.

She touched her daughter’s hand. “You’re the most wonderful daughter a mother could ask for. I love you for who you are and all the wonderful support you give me each and every day. Look at how you protected me from that big buffoon back there.”

“I wasn’t about to let him or anyone else treat you that way.”

Catherine looked around the amphitheater, wondering why she’d agreed to attend this lecture. How many of these women had recently been diagnosed with breast cancer? How many of them loved someone who had the disease? She could imagine what they were going through all too well, and she hated that feeling.

Olivia stepped onto the stage below them. Catherine felt a flush of excitement. That irritated her. If she was honest with herself, the reason she’d agreed to be here was because Olivia intrigued her. She watched Olivia connect her laptop to the projector, moving effortlessly around her equipment. She was slim and graceful, with thick dark curls that bounced to her mid back. Catherine was drawn to her beauty, and that made her even more exasperated by Dr. Olivia Carrington. How could a woman she just met send so many emotions raging within her? She wasn’t sure she wanted to know.

Olivia slipped a wireless microphone around her ear and positioned the slim wire before her mouth. She thanked the technician helping her and moved to the center of the stage.