The Doctor's Undoing (Doctors in Training 3)
Page 44
“No time wasted, huh?”
She smiled in response to his wry drawl. “No more than necessary.”
“That’s my Haley.”
Turning into the driveway of her parents’ modest, three-bedroom, redbrick ranch house, she told herself it was only a figure of speech, not a declaration. But hearing him call her “his” Haley still elicited a funny little flutter from somewhere in the pit of her stomach.
If Haley really thought her parents weren’t aware that something had changed, she was deluding herself, Ron decided midway through the Thanksgiving meal. He could tell from the moment her parents greeted him in the living room that they were eyeing him differently than they had before. Maybe her mother had heard something in Haley’s voice when she’d talked about their recent adventures together; maybe they just knew their daughter better than she suspected. But they knew.
He couldn’t tell if they approved. They didn’t seem to disapprove, exactly. They were certainly warm and welcoming to him, seemed genuinely pleased to have him join them for the holiday meal. Janice seemed delighted with the big bouquet of fall flowers he’d brought as a hostess gift. But they watched him, and he thought he saw a sizing up in those glances, especially from her father.
Her aunt and uncle, Noelle and Victor Wright, joined them for the meal. Janice and Russell, Haley’s parents, seemed delighted to serve as hosts, even though they performed that same service seven days a week at their restaurant. Haley had taken the whole study group to Pasta Wright to celebrate the successful ending of their first year of classes, and her parents had pulled out all the stops, feeding them an amazing four-course Italian feast and refusing to allow them to pay a cent.
This meal was just as delicious, though the dishes were traditional American Thanksgiving fare. The conversation around the beautifully decorated table was lively and amusing, the affection in the dining room palpable. There was a brief, spirited debate between brothers Russell and Victor over some issue in local politics, but it ended with laughter and good-natured insults. It would have ended much differently for Ron’s family.
He’d been around other functional families, of course. He’d spent a lot of time hanging out with his high school best friend’s big, rowdy, supportive clan, then during his first two years of college had dated a young woman from a great family he still considered friends. He was even godfather to his ex-girlfriend’s first child, which said something about what a nice guy she’d married three years ago. So he was under no illusion that all families were as messed up as his own. For that matter, he knew there were families much worse than the one he’d been born into.
It was just nice to be reminded occasionally how pleasant a family meal could be.
“So, what type of medicine are you planning to practice, Ron?” Victor asked over dessert.
Ron swallowed a bite of the creamiest pumpkin pie he’d ever tasted and dabbed at his mouth with a linen napkin. Lulled by the delicious meal and friendly atmosphere, he replied candidly, “I’m thinking pedi hem-onc. Sorry. Pediatric hematology and oncology.”
He was aware of Haley’s quick look of surprise. He supposed she knew he was intrigued by the specialty, but it was the first time he’d specifically said so. He didn’t know why, exactly, he’d been so reluctant to discuss his future plans with her.
“Oncology. That’s cancer, isn’t it?” her aunt Noelle asked with a slight frown. “Children’s cancer?”
He nodded. “Yes, ma’am. I did a rotation in the pedi hem-onc ward, and I’ve just come off a surgical oncology rotation. I find it all very interesting.”
The older woman shook her blond-highlighted head slowly. “I don’t think I could handle that. Too sad.”
“It is sad when children are afflicted with cancer,” he answered patiently. “But because of modern medical treatment, the overall survival rate for all the types of pediatric cancer is nearly eighty percent. It’s more than eighty-seven percent for lymphoblastic leukemia, which is the most common form of childhood cancer.”
“That high?” Russell looked surprised. “That is an encouraging number, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is. It depends on the type and progression of the cancer, of course.”
“Is pedi hem-onc a difficult residency to get into?” Russell asked, somewhat self-consciously using the medical jargon.
Ron shrugged. “Harder than some, easier than others. If I don’t get accepted into one, I’ll just fall back on Plan B.”
Janice frowned. “I’m sure you’ll get into any program you want. You should keep a positive attitude.”
He smothered a smile, deliberately not looking at Haley. So this was where she got her cheerleader attitude. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll do that.”
“Are you still thinking about psychiatry, Haley?”
“Yes, Aunt Noelle, that’s still my plan. I’ll do a psychiatry rotation next semester, and I’ll probably know for certain after that.”
“Will you and Ron both be able to stay in Little Rock for your residencies?”
Ron glanced sideways at Haley, noting her sudden frown with a sinking feeling. True, they hadn’t discussed that far ahead, but did she have to look quite so unnerved by the possibility that they’d be interviewing for residency programs in the same places? He supposed he should reassure her at some point that he wouldn’t expect her to make any career compromises for him. She was perfectly free to apply anywhere she wanted, just as he supposed he would do, himself.
“Ron and I will make whatever choices are best for our futures, Aunt Noelle. Mom, is there any more coffee or should I make another pot?”
Maybe the others took the hint that she di
dn’t want to talk about the future, or maybe they were just ready to move on to another topic. More coffee was served all around, after which everyone moved to the den to chat and play a couple of board games while college football played on the large screen TV. Ron threw himself fully into the activities, making a special effort to be a polite and amusing guest. He was rewarded with laughter from all of them, even Haley.