Self-Review – The Last Patient

Review – The Last Patient

The Last Patient was a story I wrote for the Stardust, Always anthology. All of the proceeds go to the American Cancer Society. Please give generously, even if you never buy the book. Cancer is horrid, and I have seen what it can really do to people. Let’s end this scourge in our lifetimes.

This short story is based on real events from my life.

Background

When I was in my first two years of college, I had a therapist. He was a fun guy; I liked him. Then I left Boston for the summer between sophomore and junior year. Yet when I returned, I noticed he was more stooped and paler. He seemed to be tired and weak.

I asked him what was wrong and he told me he had lung cancer. Keep in mind, this was late 1981 and that was essentially a death sentence.

I saw Dr. Brodie a few more weeks, with our last session happening before Halloween of that year. He told me that he didn’t want to see his other patients, who were all a lot older. At age nineteen, he felt I was lively and that helped him. He told me that I was his last patient.

Plot

I lifted this story directly from my memories: hook, line, and sinker. A few of the quotes are precisely as I remember them. It wasn’t writing. This was me taking dictation from my own memories.

Characters

The only characters are the unnamed narrator and Dr. Richard Brodie.

Memorable Quotes

Thirty-five years ago, a sacred trust was unexpectedly given to me, to be a friend and confidant to the man who was supposed to be mine. I did what I could, but I was not ready for it.

Rating for The Last Patient

The story has a K rating.

The Last Patient: Upshot

I would have liked to have shown him works like Untrustworthy. I think he would have been happy for me.

Even now, over forty years later, I remember how he looked a bit like Broderick Crawford. Funny, the things you remember.

I was his last patient. #amwriting

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