Dr. Blacklung, I Presume?, Part 5

Dr. Blacklung, I Presume
By:  slimv

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Chapter 5: The Waiting Room
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Kenny Anderson was standing at the end of his family's driveway when Bill
O'Hare pulled around the corner.  Bill stepped on the brake long enough for
Kenny to get in the backseat with Lisa before lurching the car forward.

"Nice to see you Mr. O'Hare, Mrs. O'Hare," said Kenny as he smiled at Katie
and her cigarette.

"You too," said Bill as he steered the car into traffic.  "Glad you could
make it.  Katie's doctor said it was important for you to be with Katie
during the consultation with this new doctor."

Kenny kissed Katie on the cheek.  Fastened his seat belt and held Katie's
hand during the drive.  Both Katie and her mother had their windows cracked,
but with both of the smoking, the car filled with noxious fumes that made his
eyes water and his nose run.  He had realized a long time ago that Katie and
her cigarettes were a package deal and he had learned to tolerate the
inconveniences that came along with loving a smoker.

She was the best thing that ever happened to him.  Even now he couldn't
believe they were dating.  If only his parents could see what he saw in her.
They were convinced she was a bad influence on their only son just because
she smoked.  They hated the way he smelled when he came home from their
dates.  It didn't matter to them that Katie spent all her free time with
children teaching them about the perils of smoking and persuading them to
learn from her mistakes.

"I think that's the building," said Bill as he checked the address against
the business card.  He turned the ca r into the parking lot and took the only
available space he could find.  It was in the back and a good distance from
the building.

Katie and her mom finished their cigarettes outside the car as Kenny and her
dad wrestled the oxygen tank from the trunk.  She hated this part, but she
knew she'd never make it across the parking lot without the mask strapped to
her face.

"I think we take a left," said Margie as they stepped off the elevator.
"There it is.  Room 302.  It's all the way at the end of the hall.  Sorry
Katie."

They stopped in front of door and read the signs together.  The first sign
told them that they had found what they were looking for- Dr. Ben Avery MD,
FPC.  Katie knew from Dr. Wilson that the initials FPC stood for Female
Pulmonary Counselor.  The other side was a warning.  "DANGER!  TURN OFF
OXYGEN TANKS BEFORE ENTERING!"

Kenny turned off the tank as Bill pushed the door and held it open for them.
Smoke billowed out into the hallway as Bill held the hel d the door.  There
was a smoke eater on the ceiling working over time but it was too small to do
any good in the crowded room.

Dr. Wilson hadn't prepared them for this.  The waiting room was filled with
smokers- all of them female.  Some were older, in their 40's and 50's but the
majority were teenage girls.  There were also girls as young as 6 or 7
dragging on cigarettes while their parents sat next to them waving away their
children's smoke.  It looked like a freak show.

"You'll have to sign in over," said a nurse behind a glass window.  "And then
you can take a seat and the Dr. Avery will call for you."

Bill walked up the window and began filling out a clipboard.  The nurse who
was waiting for had a Marlboro dangling between her lips.  On first glance
she appeared to be young, maybe in her twenties, but on closer examination,
she seemed much older.  There were four more nurses behind her, filing papers
and doing whatever it is that nurses do and all of them were smokin g.

"What kind of place is this?" asked Bill as he slid the completed clipboard
under the glass.  

"It's a doctor's office," said the nurse.  "Have a seat and the doctor will
call your family when he's ready to see you."

Bill turned and made his way through the smoke and haze to take a seat beside
his wife.  For some reason he wasn't surprised to see Margie and Katie
spilling more smoke into the room as if it wasn't smoky enough.

"We're going to get lung cancer from just sitting in here," he said to Kenny
as he took a seat.  

Every eye in the room turned to him and his callous remark and he suddenly
found himself wishing he had been just a little more sensitive to the
situation.  His wife's shoe banged against his ankle as he took a seat.  He
apologized to her for his remarks.  She looked forward and pretended not to
know him.

Kenny looked at the little girl sitting to his left beside her mother.  She
couldn't be but six or seven.  He looked at Katie pulling on her ciga rette
beside him and back again at the little girl.  Why should he be surprised?
He knew Katie was smoking when she was eight.  But then again he'd never seen
her smoking when she was that young.  He tried not to stare.  He knew it was
impolite.  And then the girl spoke up.  But she wasn't speaking to him.

"Mommy, look its Katie O'Hare.  She's the girl that came to our school to
talk to us about not smoking."

The mother relented to her daughter's arm pulling and put down her magazine.

Katie, who had heard the little girl say her name, felt the need to break her
waiting room anonymity.  She got up and knelt in front of the girl and her
mother.

"Hi" said Katie.  "Have we met before?"

"You came to my school last year.  I go to Nally Elementary.  You came to our
school and told us that you smoked and that we shouldn't start."

Katie looked at the burning cigarette between the little girl's fingers.  It
looked much too big for her hand.  "A lot of good my visit did you.  I see
you started anyway."

"No I didn't!  Did I mommy.  I was already smoking when you came to our
school.  I couldn't quit like you couldn't quit so I told my mommy like you
told yours and now she lets me smoke- just like you!"

"I see," said Katie.  "And just how old are you?"

"I'm eight," said the girl.

"And you started last year when you were seven?"

The little girl shook her head.  "No, I've been smoking since I was six."

"So are you here to see Dr. Avery about your lungs?" asked Katie.

The little shook her head and took a deep drag from her Marlboro.  "My lungs
are still OK.  But Dr. Avery said they're going to get bad some day cause I
started so young."

"We're here for her father," interrupted the little girl's mother.  "Dr.
Avery feels he needs counseling so that he can accept the idea that Debbie is
a smoker now.  He still thinks Debbie is a little girl.  Look at her smoke
Katie.  Tell me the truth.  Does Debbie smoke like a child?"

Katie wasn't sure what to s ay but decided to humor the mother.  "No not all.
She smokes like a grown up.  You must be very proud."

"Of course I'm proud.  And a few more visits with Dr. Avery, and Doofus over
here will be as proud of her as I am.  Dr. Avery believes he can have Debbie
up to three packs a day before school lets out!  Have you heard about his
Black Lung device?"

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