My Library

"I will," he said absently, then back up to his normal self, "but first, I'm going
to Europe."
I said that sounded fine.
"Already have the tickets," he went on. "We've gone a number of times
before, but this time I want to see a lot of the places we've missed. You ever
been to Greece, or Turkey, Spain, Portugal, Egypt?"
I said no.
"Well, you ought to," he said, pushing his food away. "Go when you have the
chance. You would not want to miss seeing places like that. I'm not going to
miss my chance."
I said I would do my best, but that I did not have a fat practice that would wait
around for me to return. But he was serious again.
"Bob?"
I waited for him to continue.
"I do not like the way I feel," he said carefully. "I do not like . . . why do not you
and your wife come to Europe with us?"
I wish we had.
Doctor Gordon and his wife sailed to Spain a week or so later. There was no
word, so I assumed they were sunning themselves somewhere in the
Mediterranean.
Six weeks later, Mrs. Gordon phoned. The doctor had taken sick in Europe
and they had to cut short their trip. He had refused treatment overseas, and
had insisted that they return home instead. He had been in great pain, and
had gone immediately into the hospital for an exploratory operation.
I was unable to see him in the hospital, but I was kept informed of his
condition by his wife. The exploratory operation was a success. They found
what they were looking for, an abdominal cancer, beyond treatment. Nothing
more could be done but to make him as comfortable as possible. He would
never leave the hospital. Alive, that is. Or more aptly, physically alive.
With this news, I felt I must find some way to see Doctor Gordon. It was all quite
clear now, as most things are in retrospect. I am sure he knew of his
condition that day in his office. After all, he was an internist He certainly could
have read the signs and symptoms in his own very personal laboratory. That