Chapter 9: Making a Comeback

"I have a ten o'clock appointment with Doctor Silberman," I informed the receptionist. I saw her glance at the clock. I was thirty minutes early.

"I'll let him know you're here," she smiled.

I found a seat and sat, unable to concentrate on anything but what the doctor might tell me about Mike's condition. I was dreading what he might say. I sat quietly, willing myself to be calm when every muscle in my body wanted to jump at every new sound. Each time someone came down the hallway I almost rose, anticipating the doctor. Finally, just before ten o'clock, the doctor appeared. He was wearing a suit and tie this time and he looked pleased to see me.

"Good morning, Mr. Saunders. Would you come with me? I think I have some encouraging news for you," he smiled.

It was all I could manage to resist quizzing him as I followed him. At least it didn't sound like bad news, but I was still very tense and anxious. When we reached his small office, he closed the door behind me and gestured to a chair in front of his desk.

"The lab in Vancouver has sent me the results of our testing and their analysis of the CAT scan on Michael. The results of the testing have confirmed that your son has Bacterial Meningitis. Fortunately, we have caught it in time and can treat it with specific antibiotics. At their recommendation, we will keep him here for several more days until we see significant improvement in his blood. When we deem it safe for him, he will be released into your care, but will need to return here weekly for continuing monitoring of his condition. It may take a while to confirm complete eradication of the disease, but we believe that we can accomplish it."

I felt I was going to faint. The relief was overwhelming and I could feel the tears trickling down my cheeks. I cried unashamedly. Through the blur of my vision, I could see the sympathetic look of Doctor Silberman.

"I lost my wife, Michael's mother, last year in an accident," I said, trying to get a grip on myself. "He and his sister are all I have now. If something had taken him from me, I don't know what I would have done."

"You've been under a great deal of stress, Mr. Saunders. When was the last time you had a full physical checkup?"

I shook my head. "I don't remember. A long time ago, I guess."

He nodded. "I want you to see your family doctor and get a proper physical," he instructed as he wrote something on a note pad. "Please give him this when you see him. Michael's been given a vaccine to prevent reoccurrence. In the meantime, as soon as we confirm the antibiotics are doing their job, we'll permit you to visit him. Right now he's potentially contagious, so we've kept him in isolation. I think we should have some positive results by the weekend."

I felt myself calming down. The news was heartening. I had that to take home with me. I would know more by the end of the week. Mike had been in the hospital for four days and was likely to be there longer yet. At least, with a bit of luck, I'd be able to visit him soon.

"Oh, Daddy, I'm so relieved," my daughter cried, her arms wrapped tightly around me. "I was so scared for Mike. I tried to find out about the disease on the Internet, but everything I read made me more and more afraid. Is he really going to be alright?"

"The doctor seems to think so. They are putting him on some special antibiotics to combat it. It's still may be contagious, so we have to wait until that's under control. We might be able to visit him in a couple of days if all goes well."

My phone calls to the grandparents and Big Mike were equally happily received. My mother planned to come over to Courtenay when Mike was released so that she could help with his care. That would be a huge assist for both Dionne and me. I think we were both on the verge of collapse from tension and worry. I remembered Doctor Silberman's instructions about getting a physical. I knew it was necessary. I couldn't afford to get sick. I called Walter Haig's office and made an appointment for a full physical.

"Well, to begin with, you're suffering from hypertension. No surprise there considering your personal life in the last year. You are still fit, however, and that's a plus in your favour. Do you exercise regularly?"

"I play golf twice a week when weather permits," I said.

He nodded. "Do you walk the course?"

"Yes. I have a carry-bag," I said.

"Good," he smiled. "That's reasonable exercise, but I would suggest you walk for at least a half-hour each day as well. You want to take good care of your heart so that it can take good care of you."

"Okay. I can do that," I agreed.

"Otherwise, your blood sugar and cholesterol look normal. I'm going to prescribe some medication for your high blood pressure," he said, taking a pad from the desk. "I want to see you again in three months to see how you are coming along."

"Okay, thanks. I'll ask the receptionist to schedule me in May," I said.

So I had high blood pressure. Not a surprise in our family. Not a good thing, but maybe with diet and exercise, I could manage it, if not defeat it. No sign of Type 2 Diabetes like my father had, along with high cholesterol. He had the triple header and was taking medication for all three. Exercise was not high up on his list of favourite things and it had caught up to him.

I was pretty sure my problem was induced by stress. Two years of stress on the old job, Helen's death, quitting and starting a new career, and now Mike's illness. Yes, the last three years had been stressful in the extreme. I needed to have the pressure reduced, but for now, I still had to be concerned about Mike's health, both short and long term.

"Hi, Mike. How are you?" I asked as I sat in the chair by his hospital bed. I was wearing a paper mask as a precaution.

"Hi, Dad. I feel really weak. At least the headaches are gone. How long have I been here?"

I did a mental calculation. "Eleven days. You were very sick when your sister and I brought you in."

"Yeah, I guess so. I don't remember much except the headaches, feeling weak, and my neck hurt too. I guess I've been sleeping quite a bit. I don't have much energy. I have to have the nurse help me to the john. At least they took that catheter thing out. I hated that."

"You're on the road to recovery, the doctor tells me. Your body is recovering thanks to the antibiotics. It's going to be a while. They think you'll be here for another few days before we can bring you home. Grandma Saunders is coming over to help look after you."

"Okay. I just want out of here. Can Dionne come to see me?"

"Yes, she'll be here when she gets out of school. Right now, they want you to rest, so only family members are allowed to visit."

"Okay. Thanks for coming, Dad. Thanks for looking after things for me. I'm a little worried I might miss too much school and have to repeat. I don't know when I can go back."

"Dionne's looking after getting your assignments. She'll help you all she can. I will too, if I can be of any use after all these years," I grinned.

"Yeah ... I hope it won't be too long before I can get back to normal. The doctor says I have to come in once a week for a while to have my blood tested. I guess they're worried it might come back again."

"They're just being careful, Mike. I think we were lucky that we had a good doctor like Doctor Silberman who recognized what was happening with you. I think you'll be fine when you can get back home and start to build up your strength again."

Dionne arrived and I realized I had been with Mike for over an hour. I saw Mike brighten as his sister smiled and said 'Hi.'

"Hi, Dionne. Thanks for coming. Dad and I had almost run out of things to talk about. How are things at college?"

"They're fine, Mike. I stopped by the high school and gave them an update on you. I told them that you would need to do some catching-up and they would talk to your teachers and see if they could give you some homework when you feel up to it. They all said to wish you well and hoped you would get better soon."

"Oh, good," Mike said. "Thanks for that. You didn't happen to see Patti, did you?"

"Uhhm, not really. I caught a glimpse of her in the hallway, but that's all."

Dionne seemed to be a bit awkward answering the question, but Mike didn't appear to notice.

"If you see her, tell her I said 'Hi' and I'll call her as soon as I can."

"Yeah ... sure," Dionne said.

I caught the hesitancy in Dionne's voice and I wondered what she was holding back from Mike. I would ask her about it later.

I left before Dionne, heading home to start the evening meal. I was feeling much better now that I had been able to see and talk to my son. He was weak and he was a long way from being his usual robust self, but I had to believe he was on the road to recovery.

"So, what weren't you telling Mike about Patti?" I asked as we cleared the dinner dishes.

She turned to me with a scowl. "That bitch. She couldn't wait ten seconds to find herself another boyfriend. I saw her being all lovey-dovey with some guy in the hall when I went to the office this afternoon. I didn't say anything to Mike because I didn't want him to be upset. But when he finds out what a skank she is, he's going to be really hurt."

"I'm glad you kept your cool," I smirked. "But you did the right thing. However, it's better that he knows than goes along thinking everything is okay. I suggest we wait until he's home and we can find a way to break the news."

"Yeah, okay. I don't want to be the one to tell him, anyway. One of his basketball buddies will probably drop the bomb."

"I think he should be prepared, don't you?" I suggested, not wanting Mike to be blindsided just when he was beginning to recover.

"I guess," my daughter said reluctantly.