The moment of truth.

摘要

He placed the cold stethoscope back into his starched white coat. "I'll be back shortly," he said as he exited the exam room.Once in the narrow corridor, he slowed. His patient, Richard, not only had developed enlarged neck nodes despite radiation therapy to that area, but now had new ones in his axillary and groin regions. Amid 20 minutes of cheerful conversation, it took seconds to discover that Richard was a terminal patient. Yet, he had left him in the room the way he had done it so many times before: the reassuring smile and the gentle closing of the door. He heard Richard's muffled voice, "I think Carol wants to speak with you."