Meeting Alice Leck

"Well Bianca I certainly admire you courage.  Cancer developing this aggressively is always best treated immediately, but you know that.  I suggest we just wait to do anything until the baby is born, we will just watch you closely and monitor the baby's development, your 18 weeks now, it's certainly in the baby's best interest that we not tamper with your cervix at all, and your best interest that we take the baby, via cesarean, as soon as possible.  When we get closer to delivery time, we will want you admitted and we will administer medication to help speed up the development of the baby's lungs.  You will immediately have a hysterectomy after delivery, this poses it's own set of problems, but we will be well prepared."

"Thank you, Dr. Leck-"

"Bianca please call me Alice. It is important that we are comfortable and honest with one another. Your life and that of your baby are important to me, you have put a great deal of trust in me, first names only, we are so beyond Doctor and Patient, we will become good friends."

Bianca giggled uncomfortably "Ok then, thank you Alice for listening to my life story and well, for taking me on as a patient.  I feel..." Bianca trailed off trying to find the right word to describe her feelings "better." It was the best she could come up with.

"Bianca, I would love to meet once a week or so for ice cream or something, just to make sure you're doing alright, mentally, would that be ok with you?"

"I would love that. I really would."

"Here is my personal cell number, figure out a time that works for you on Saturday or Sunday afternoon and give me call."

"I will! Thank you doct..er..Alice."  and with that she headed to the reception desk to settle the bill.

"Bianca," Alice called after her, Bianca turned around and looked back at her "don't worry about the bill today, it's going to be complicated to figure it all out, I'll work something up for you and have it ready at next month's appointment."

Bianca was touched by her new doctors kindness.  The People in Austin all seemed very friendly but she was all alone, aside from her baby that she could now feel moving within her.  No amount of courtesy or friendliness from strangers could penetrate the thick walls that Bianca's cancer, and pregnancy encased her in, until now. Until Doctor Alice Leck.  This woman had seen not only into her body, she understood her sickness, her pregnancy, she had also seen into her heart, into the depths of her isolation and was kind to her. Doctor Leck had shown interest in her personally prying from her almost every detail of her circumstances, nothing of the money of course. The words of Biancas story spilled from her mouth like prisoners who had just found freedom, liberating her from all of the guilt and sadness pinned to her by her secrets. Bianca felt cared for, and taken care of for the very first time in a long time by another human being.