Matters of the Heart
Jake Martin reached his arm out off of the steering wheel and clicked off the radio. The wind outside was beginning to pick up as Jake pulled into the staff parking lot of the Pine Valley Hospital. He sat in his car for a moment before making a dash for the front door.
He reached the automatic doors and paused to catch his breath before stepping inside. He ran his fingers back through his disheveled hair as he approached the nurses' station.
"Morning, Doctor Martin," one of the nurses said to him as he checked the roster.
"Good Morning, Gwen," Jake said, checking his watch. "There weren't any calls for me, were there?"
"No, doctor, were you expecting one?"
"If a doctor Alan Morgan calls page me right away, alright?"
"Sure," Gwen said. "Are you OK? You don't look too good."
"I'm fine," Jake assured her. "Don't forget about my call Gwen."
"Don't worry, I'll take care of it."
Jake walked away from the station and rubbed his eyes as he entered the doctors' lounge. He approached the lockers and pulled his open, removing his white jacket and putting it on.
Jake paused awkwardly. He looked up briefly, and then closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. Suddenly, he heard a tap at the door. He jumped, taken by surprise by the noise. Jake slowly walked over to the door and pulled it open.
"Surprise." Greenlee Smythe said. "Smile, Jake. I thought you'd be surprised." Jake put on a phony smile. "Should I go back out and try again?"
"No," Jake said, bending down and kissing her on the forehead. "I'm sorry, Greenlee, I just have a lot on my mind."
"Well," Greenlee said, putting her arms around Jake's waist, resting her chin up against his chest and staring up at him. "I can think of one way to brighten your day."
"I just came on duty, Greenlee. I can't just leave."
"Oh, come on, Jake," Greenlee said, taking his hands and trying to lead him out of the room. "You're chief of staff. Have someone cover for you. Just for a few hours."
"I can't, Greenlee. Maybe later."
"I took off from work today. I thought we could go Christmas shopping."
"We will," Jake said. "I promise we will. Just..."
"Doctor Martin," Gwen opened the door to the lounge and poked her head in. "You have a call on line three."
"Thanks, Gwen," Jake said as Gwen left the room. "Greenlee, this is really important. I'll call you for lunch." Greenlee looked at him disappointed. "Please, Greenlee."
"I'm going, I'm going," Greenlee gave in. "And I'll be waiting for you to call later."
"I will." Jake kissed her again. "I'll see you later." He waited until Greenlee left the room to pick up the phone.
"This is Jake Martin...Oh, Doctor Morgan, I was hoping you'd call. Did you get the results back yet?..And what did they show?.. I could be there in about a half hour...No,no. I'd rather come alone...Thank you." Jake hung the phone back up and fell back into a chair, almost as if his knees had given out underneath him. He put his head in his hands and breathed deeply. "0h, God," he said. "This isn't happening."
Greenlee sat alone at a table in the Pancake Palace. She drank her coffee slowly, pausing after each sip to place the cup back down on the table.
"Greenlee?" Tad Martin approached her. "Do my eyes deceive me, or have you managed to lose my brother?"
She smiled. "Sit down, Tad. I'll buy you some coffee."
"Don't mind if I do." Tad sat and Greenlee motioned for a cup of coffee. "Jake doesn't seem to have much time for anything these days. I was just down at the hospital and they said he wasn't there..."
"What do you mean he wasn't there?" Greenlee interrupted him. "I was just there and he told me he couldn't leave."
"Well," Tad said. "He was gone when I got there."
"You know, I'm getting worried about him, Tad. He really hasn't been himself for the past few days."
"I'm sure it's just Christmas. That's it. He's probably out buying you some spectacular gift. Oh, do you think maybe he'll...pop the question?"
"Jake?" Greenlee laughed. "We are talking about the same Jake Martin, right?"
"I've seen the way he is when he's with you. Don't kid yourself, Greenlee. This could be it."
"It could be, couldn't it?"
"Sure, and if I know Jake, he's working to make this the most...perfect, wonderful surprise that will knock everyone's socks off, including his own." Tad saw the smile on Greenlee's face. "You see?" he said. "You see, there's nothing to worry about. Jake's just being Jake." Greenlee went into her purse to get money to pay for the coffees. Tad reached out and pushed her hand gently down. "This one's on me."
Jake sat impatiently in Dr. Morgan's office at Oak Haven Hospital. He nervously tapped his fingers on the arm of the chair, unsure of what was about to transpire. Jake jumped each time he heard footsteps coming down the hallway. He checked his watch every thirty seconds until he heard the office door swing open. Jake stood, turning to face who had entered.
"Jake," Dr. Morgan said, approaching his desk and sitting. "Have a seat."
Jake complied. "So," he said. "What did you find?"
"I'm afraid the news isn't good, Jake," the doctor said. "You have a condition called dilated cardiomyopathy. What that is, is your heart muscle has stretched, enlarging one of the chambers of you heart. Because of this, the ability of your heart to pump blood has weakened. As the heart pumps harder to try to make up for this, the muscle walls continue to become enlarged."
"Compensation," Jake said. "I'm familiar with the term. I've never seen this condition before though."
"Well, dilated cardiomyopathy is extremely rare and it usually affects men about your age."
"But nobody in my family has a heart condition."
"That's what makes this condition unique. There is no known cause for it."
"What know?" Jake asked him. "Did you catch it in time?"
"This condition can be present in the body for several year before any symptoms develop. This unfortunately is the case here."
"So...what?" Jake began to get agitated. "I just sit back and wait?"
"You need to get yourself on a donor list right away. Now, a heart transplant is your only option."
"The odds that I'll get a new heart are completely against me." Jake paused. "How long would you say I have if a new organ doesn't become available?"
"Up to five years."
"Up to? So I could be dead tomorrow?"
Dr. Morgan didn't answer. "For now," he said. I can prescribe you with some beta blockers to regulate your heart beat. And I'm going to give you the name of a cardiologist that comes highly recommended. He saved the life of a close friend of mine. He's world renowned and would be the best man qualified to treat you." Dr. Morgan scribbled quickly on a piece of paper and handed it to Jake. "Here's his name and number. Give him a call."
Jake took the paper and looked at it reading the name. "You are kidding, right?" he said. "David Hayward?"
Jake Martin reached his arm out off of the steering wheel and clicked off the radio. The wind outside was beginning to pick up as Jake pulled into the staff parking lot of the Pine Valley Hospital. He sat in his car for a moment before making a dash for the front door.
He reached the automatic doors and paused to catch his breath before stepping inside. He ran his fingers back through his disheveled hair as he approached the nurses' station.
"Morning, Doctor Martin," one of the nurses said to him as he checked the roster.
"Good Morning, Gwen," Jake said, checking his watch. "There weren't any calls for me, were there?"
"No, doctor, were you expecting one?"
"If a doctor Alan Morgan calls page me right away, alright?"
"Sure," Gwen said. "Are you OK? You don't look too good."
"I'm fine," Jake assured her. "Don't forget about my call Gwen."
"Don't worry, I'll take care of it."
Jake walked away from the station and rubbed his eyes as he entered the doctors' lounge. He approached the lockers and pulled his open, removing his white jacket and putting it on.
Jake paused awkwardly. He looked up briefly, and then closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. Suddenly, he heard a tap at the door. He jumped, taken by surprise by the noise. Jake slowly walked over to the door and pulled it open.
"Surprise." Greenlee Smythe said. "Smile, Jake. I thought you'd be surprised." Jake put on a phony smile. "Should I go back out and try again?"
"No," Jake said, bending down and kissing her on the forehead. "I'm sorry, Greenlee, I just have a lot on my mind."
"Well," Greenlee said, putting her arms around Jake's waist, resting her chin up against his chest and staring up at him. "I can think of one way to brighten your day."
"I just came on duty, Greenlee. I can't just leave."
"Oh, come on, Jake," Greenlee said, taking his hands and trying to lead him out of the room. "You're chief of staff. Have someone cover for you. Just for a few hours."
"I can't, Greenlee. Maybe later."
"I took off from work today. I thought we could go Christmas shopping."
"We will," Jake said. "I promise we will. Just..."
"Doctor Martin," Gwen opened the door to the lounge and poked her head in. "You have a call on line three."
"Thanks, Gwen," Jake said as Gwen left the room. "Greenlee, this is really important. I'll call you for lunch." Greenlee looked at him disappointed. "Please, Greenlee."
"I'm going, I'm going," Greenlee gave in. "And I'll be waiting for you to call later."
"I will." Jake kissed her again. "I'll see you later." He waited until Greenlee left the room to pick up the phone.
"This is Jake Martin...Oh, Doctor Morgan, I was hoping you'd call. Did you get the results back yet?..And what did they show?.. I could be there in about a half hour...No,no. I'd rather come alone...Thank you." Jake hung the phone back up and fell back into a chair, almost as if his knees had given out underneath him. He put his head in his hands and breathed deeply. "0h, God," he said. "This isn't happening."
Greenlee sat alone at a table in the Pancake Palace. She drank her coffee slowly, pausing after each sip to place the cup back down on the table.
"Greenlee?" Tad Martin approached her. "Do my eyes deceive me, or have you managed to lose my brother?"
She smiled. "Sit down, Tad. I'll buy you some coffee."
"Don't mind if I do." Tad sat and Greenlee motioned for a cup of coffee. "Jake doesn't seem to have much time for anything these days. I was just down at the hospital and they said he wasn't there..."
"What do you mean he wasn't there?" Greenlee interrupted him. "I was just there and he told me he couldn't leave."
"Well," Tad said. "He was gone when I got there."
"You know, I'm getting worried about him, Tad. He really hasn't been himself for the past few days."
"I'm sure it's just Christmas. That's it. He's probably out buying you some spectacular gift. Oh, do you think maybe he'll...pop the question?"
"Jake?" Greenlee laughed. "We are talking about the same Jake Martin, right?"
"I've seen the way he is when he's with you. Don't kid yourself, Greenlee. This could be it."
"It could be, couldn't it?"
"Sure, and if I know Jake, he's working to make this the most...perfect, wonderful surprise that will knock everyone's socks off, including his own." Tad saw the smile on Greenlee's face. "You see?" he said. "You see, there's nothing to worry about. Jake's just being Jake." Greenlee went into her purse to get money to pay for the coffees. Tad reached out and pushed her hand gently down. "This one's on me."
Jake sat impatiently in Dr. Morgan's office at Oak Haven Hospital. He nervously tapped his fingers on the arm of the chair, unsure of what was about to transpire. Jake jumped each time he heard footsteps coming down the hallway. He checked his watch every thirty seconds until he heard the office door swing open. Jake stood, turning to face who had entered.
"Jake," Dr. Morgan said, approaching his desk and sitting. "Have a seat."
Jake complied. "So," he said. "What did you find?"
"I'm afraid the news isn't good, Jake," the doctor said. "You have a condition called dilated cardiomyopathy. What that is, is your heart muscle has stretched, enlarging one of the chambers of you heart. Because of this, the ability of your heart to pump blood has weakened. As the heart pumps harder to try to make up for this, the muscle walls continue to become enlarged."
"Compensation," Jake said. "I'm familiar with the term. I've never seen this condition before though."
"Well, dilated cardiomyopathy is extremely rare and it usually affects men about your age."
"But nobody in my family has a heart condition."
"That's what makes this condition unique. There is no known cause for it."
"What know?" Jake asked him. "Did you catch it in time?"
"This condition can be present in the body for several year before any symptoms develop. This unfortunately is the case here."
"So...what?" Jake began to get agitated. "I just sit back and wait?"
"You need to get yourself on a donor list right away. Now, a heart transplant is your only option."
"The odds that I'll get a new heart are completely against me." Jake paused. "How long would you say I have if a new organ doesn't become available?"
"Up to five years."
"Up to? So I could be dead tomorrow?"
Dr. Morgan didn't answer. "For now," he said. I can prescribe you with some beta blockers to regulate your heart beat. And I'm going to give you the name of a cardiologist that comes highly recommended. He saved the life of a close friend of mine. He's world renowned and would be the best man qualified to treat you." Dr. Morgan scribbled quickly on a piece of paper and handed it to Jake. "Here's his name and number. Give him a call."
Jake took the paper and looked at it reading the name. "You are kidding, right?" he said. "David Hayward?"