Page 54 (1/2)
After a while, he whispered, “He didn’t have to die, Casey His appendix burst and he wasn’t given treath his abdoht, and it was a moment before he could continue “My brother was in soShe didn’t take hiht away, and when she finally did he was nosed It was a case of appendicitis! That’s not uncommon, and it’s not hard to identify But that incoas pain and sent him back home”
“That’s why you became a doctor, isn’t it? And why you went into pediatrics”
He nodded So much about him made sense all of a sudden—not just why he’d selected that field, but the long hours, the dedication, the way he sacrificed so much of himself for the job
“I’ll never let that happen to any child under my care,” he said softly “I do all I can to ensure every patient gets an accurate diagnosis and the right treatht suck at the interpersonal stuff, the pleasant bedside reat at the science I studied hard in school, and Iup with all the latest research, tothe best care I possibly can”
I stroked his hair as I told him, “You’re a wonderful doctor, Theo, and I’m so proud of you”
A choked laugh slipped from him, and he , and then you had to go and tell me you’re proud of me”
“Let it all out”
He stepped back and wiped his eyes “That was enough of a public meltdown for one day Now, let’s find soet out of here”
I could see why he wanted to change the subject—telling me about his brother must have stirred up so many painful memories I quickly redirected our attention to the shelves, and together we picked out several thick, soft, yarns for the little girl in the hospital Then we isters
Once we’d checked out and loaded our purchases into the back of my car, we continued on down the peninsula After a while, he said, “I’m sorry to just dump that story on you out of the blue I wasn’t sure how to tell you about Freddie, and then all of a sudden, there was my chance”
“I’rateful you told me”
He paused before saying, “I’ve had a lot of bad things happen to me into me He wasn’t just my twin, he was my best friend, and my only family He was all I had, and then he died, and I didn’t have anyone at all”