That evening, Melinda is awakened from a nap by the doorbell.
     "The doctor! I forgot..." she says aloud as she jumps up smoothing her skirt.
     Melinda arrives outside to find a handsome man admiring the flowers at the front of the house. She is slightly startled by his appearance. She was expecting a man of Dr. Pendleman's age, not one so close to her own. She snaps out of her thoughts and walks forward extending her hand.
     "I'm Melinda Gardenia," she says, smiling, "How do you do?"
     The man turns to face her, and clasps her hand in his. "Ms. Gardenia, it is a pleasure. I'm Dr. Wayne Tithing, an associate of Dr. Pendleman's. I trust he let you know I would be by this evening?"
     "Of course Doctor," she responds. "Won't you come in for a coffee?"

     They settle down on the leather sofa in the family room. Melinda serves them both a cup of coffee, and they begin talking.
     "I won't lie to you, Ms. Gardenia," he begins seriously, "Your grandmother is very ill. I don't expect her to live through the summer."
     Melinda puts her hand to her mouth, shocked at this confession. Tears spring to her eyes. Struggling to maintain her composure, she calls up her training in medical school and tries to put on the mask of the compassionate, yet business-like doctor.
     "Dr. Tithing, you may or may not know this, but I am a fourth year medical student. Therefore, I would be very interested in knowing my grandmother's symptoms and what is being done to treat them. I suspect I will understand more about this situation than the average patient's family."
     He nods, looking intently at her face, perhaps to see if she is telling the truth. Satisfied, he says, "We are not quite sure what it is. Your grandmother came down with flu like symptoms a few weeks ago. We treated her with antibiotics, bed rest, lots of fluids... standard care for a virus or pneumonia. Her symptoms seemed to get better, but she suddenly took a turn for the worst. At this point, we suspect it is her heart. She refused any kind of testing, so we are really only guessing. But..." he sighs, "My guess is that your grandmother has advanced heart disease. Without surgery..." he trailed off.
     Melinda nods. It is just like her grandmother to refuse tests and treatment for something as serious as her illness. She had always said, "When it is time for me to go home, I'll know it, and no one is going to stop me." Melinda smiles at the memory.
     "She is stubborn... We won't be able to force treatment on her if she doesn't want it."
     The tears are close to the surface once again. She can feel the lump in her throat grow tighter.
     "I suppose the only thing we can do is ensure that she is as comfortable as possible."
     Doctor Tithing nods. "That is exactly what we are trying to do."