Page 24 of While You're There
“Not my body, not my call,” he had responded as he pushed to his feet, turning to Tori to gauge what she wanted to do. One look at the crushing disappointment in her eyes told him all he needed to know. They walked out of that office hand in hand without another word.
Now they were sitting in the office of the third and final doctor of the day. Rhett pinched the bridge of his nose as he rested his elbows on his thighs. His shoulders and neck were tight from the early-morning flight he had taken that morning.
If this meeting was anything like the others, he didn’t know where they were going to go from here. These doctors were supposed to be the best of the best. Maybe there were better options in Norfolk? Or hell, maybe they should research beyond Ohio and Virginia. He’d take her anywhere if it meant she could get the kind of surgery she wanted and the care and respect she deserved.
“You okay, Ev?” Tori whispered, pulling him away from his own racing thoughts.
He sat up straighter, turned to face her, and smiled. “I’m good. I’m frustrated for you right now, but otherwise I’m fine. Honestly I should be askingyouthat question.” He reached out to take her hand, squeezing once before raising it to his mouth and placing a feather-light kiss on her knuckles.
“I didn’t think it was going to be like this,” she confessed as she cast her eyes down at their joined hands.
“Yeah, me neither. But don’t get discouraged yet. I’ve got a good feeling about this one.” He didn’t, but he needed to give her something to hold onto. He needed to give himself something to hope for.
As soon as he spoke the words out loud, the door opened behind them and in walked a petite woman in a long white coat. She settled into the leather chair behind the desk before crossing one leg over the other, unzipping a portfolio, and reaching for a pen.
“Hi there.” Her eyes focused intently on Tori. “I’m Dr. Silko. What brings you in today?”
Rhett watched as Tori sat up straighter in her chair. He squeezed her hand once before dropping it, trying to encourage her as she started her pitch for the third time that day.
“Hi. I’m Tori, and this is my fiancé, Rhett. We’re here today because I recently received abnormal results during a semi-annual breast and ovarian cancer scan. I have the BRCA1 mutation, and my mom had breast cancer and ovarian cancer. She died of ovarian cancer when she was thirty-nine.”
The doctor nodded to acknowledge everything Tori said and maintained her intense gaze. “I’m sorry to hear about your mom. I spent some time looking through the records you sent earlier today. You’re enrolled in Dr. Ritter’s genetic study, correct?”
Rhett sat up a little straighter. This doctor had obviously done her homework.
“Correct. I started in the program when I was fifteen. My latest scans were on April 22. The mammogram was clear, but there were abnormalities in my CA-125 bloodwork, which hadn’t actually been tested since the previous year. I went back a few weeks ago for a follow-up pelvic exam and ultrasound.”
“And let me guess,” Dr. Silko interjected. “The results were inconclusive.”
“Yes!”
Rhett exhaled, trying to hold his emotions steady as he felt Tori’s excitement start to grow. He was liking this doctor so far, but he didn’t want either of them get their hopes too high. At least not yet.
“That’s typical for a follow-up appointment like that, unfortunately. There’s just not a good diagnostic test for ovarian cancer. At least not yet. If you don’t have an actual tumor or rapidly changing cells that light up a PET, you’re not getting a diagnosis.”
Tori was propped on the edge of her seat, hanging on the doctor’s every word. “So the reason we’re here today is because I want to schedule a prophylactic hysterectomy. I know I’m young, and I understand the long-term consequences of what I’m choosing to do. But I’ve made my decision, and I’m confident this is what I want.”
“Completely understandable. No woman grows up knowing what you know about your genetic history and doesn’t understand the risks and benefits of a decision like this.”
“You—you’re the first doctor to believe that, I think,” Tori stammered.
Dr. Silko glanced over at Rhett for just a beat before refocusing her gaze on Tori. “When did you first start thinking about preventative surgery?”
“The day I got the results back from my genetic panel when I was fifteen.”
“And you’re twenty-four now,” she confirmed as she glanced down at Tori’s medical records. “So, nine years ago?”
Tori nodded. Rhett wondered where the doctor was going with this line of questioning.
“So what I’m hearing is that you’re looking to schedule a preventative, risk-reducing procedure. You aren’t making this decision because of the bloodwork and inconclusive results you just received. You’ve known for a long time that this would be the course of action you would take one day.”
“Yes. Exactly!”
Rhett reached over toward Tori’s chair and rested his forearm on her arm rest. He didn’t go as far as to reach for her hand. He just wanted to remind her he was there in case she needed him.
“Do you perform prophylactic hysterectomies with BSO? Would you do it for me?”
He held his breath.
