Chapter 3
Three days later, the second specialist they had seen moved away from the baby lying in a blanket on the table. "Please," he said, "you must stay seated. We have now carried out all the tests and there is no easy way to say this, so I will come straight to the point. As you probably know, the majority of small children will make a complete recovery. However, in this case I'm afraid it will be necessary to remove----"
"No!" Zoé jumped to her feet and snatched baby Jack from the table where the specialist had been examining his eyes. "There is no way I will let you remove the eye of my baby."
Matt reached Zoé before the consultant could even move, terrified that she was about to do something reckless. "Zoé, Zoé," he said, trying to keep his voice gentle, "Dr. Jones specializes in retinoblastoma in children. That's why we're here."
Zoé clutched Jack so tightly that he started to cry.
"Mrs. Rider," the specialist said soothingly, "we will provide all the care and counseling that you and your husband are going to need at this very difficult time."
Zoé shook her head. "You are not listening to me," she said. "There is no way you are removing his eye."
Matt tried to put a hand on her shoulder but she pushed him away. "Zoé, please, we have to talk about this. There may be a way."
The specialist frowned. "Mr. Rider, you asked for a second opinion, and I am telling you that the first specialist you saw at your local hospital gave an accurate diagnosis. I'm sorry, but there's no other way to put this. If we do not take action immediately, the cancer will spread to his brain and your little baby will be dead within three to six months. I am adamant that there is no alternative to removal of the eye. He will grow up strong and healthy, and will naturally adapt to mono vision because he will know no other."
"He will not adapt, because he will always have both eyes. I know it," Zoé snapped, "so we will talk about it no more."
Matt bit his lip, and this time was successful in putting a hand on Zoé's shoulder. "We'll talk about this privately," he said. He looked at the specialist. "Will you give us a few minutes, please?"
The man seemed only too relieved. "Of course, of course. If you would like to stay in here and talk alone, I'll call back in a few minutes." He glanced at baby Jack. "I'm sure he will be safe with you both."
Matt understood what Dr. Jones was saying. Yes, baby Jack would definitely be safe while he was around. But with Zoé in this state, would Jack be safe when he went back at work? And that was when he realized there was an answer. "Zoé, Ken has given me the time off while we sort this out, but I need to go to work for half an hour."
He could see Zoé looked devastated. "It is bad enough that baby Jack is so ill, and now you want to go to work? I thought you would be more understanding than that."
He'd probably not worded it very well. He'd have another go. "Zoé, I think I have the answer to Jack's medical treatment. You can come to work with me. Just for five minutes. All I need to do is get Ken's opinion on something."
"Always you are thinking of your wonderful Ken. What does he know about the eyes?"
"I work for Ken because we need the money. Especially now we have the baby. But this isn't about work. It's about what we did in France."
"Avignon? Matt, that clinic is closed. We have already been through all that."
"This is about America. Remember the Heinmans and their Berlitzan Oil when we first met? I think the Heinmans are about to help us."
Zoé burst into tears. "The Heinmans are dead. Dead, dead, dead!" she screamed. "And so will our baby be dead soon."
The door of the consulting room opened and a nurse put her head round. "I'm sure this is a very difficult time for you both," she said with a certain amount of attitude, "but you must be mindful of other patients outside in the waiting room."
"It is my husband," Zoé wailed. "He has gone mad. I am sorry I ever came to England and met him."