Beating Heart: A Small Town, Single Dad Romance (Magnolia Falls Series Book 4)

“It’s so fun having your pup here,” Lana, the office manager, said. I’d liked her the minute I’d met her, but the nurse, Petra, was a different story.

“Yeah? Doc said it was fine to bring her. He thought the kids would love seeing her here. And with the yard out back, it’s really nice that she can come to work with me.” I rubbed the top of Winnie’s head as she sat next to Lana’s chair in the front office. Doc Dolby had apparently brought his chocolate lab, Sadie May, with him to work for years until she passed away a few months ago. He said the kids loved to go out back and play with her after their appointments.

“See? Small-town life isn’t too bad, am I right? I bet you can’t bring this big girl to work in the city.”

“You’re definitely right about that. She lived in an apartment with me in San Francisco.”

“So, no backyard for her? How did you manage that?”

“Mabel, in apartment 3B in my building, was a dog walker, and she took her out a couple times a day for me.” I laughed.

“Oh, wow. City life is so different. Do you miss it?” Lana asked. She was a few years older than me, married with a two-year-old little boy from what I’d learned over the last two weeks.

“I hate to break up this riveting conversation, but with Doc not coming in today, I’m going to need Dr. Chadwick to be on her game this morning.” Petra crossed her arms over her chest as she scowled at us.

Lana gazed around the waiting area and then raised a brow. “Well, seeing as we have no patients here at the moment, I think she’s doing just fine.”

The office had been open for all of five minutes, and I’d actually arrived over an hour ago, long before Petra and Lana had gotten here. I was up to date on the charts for the patients I’d be seeing today, and I’d had a phone call with Doc Dolby last night when he’d called to say he wouldn’t be coming in this week, and we’d gone over things then.

It was clear that Petra didn’t care for me, and I didn’t like how uncomfortable she made things every time she entered the room.

“Petra, how about you and I go grab a cup of coffee and chat for a minute,” I said, before motioning for Winnie to follow me. “You’re going outside for a bit, girl.”

Petra sneered as I opened the back door and watched my pup run out and lay under the big tree. She loved it here. Loved being outside instead of being couped up in that apartment all day.

We both stopped in the break room at the end of the hallway. This office had originally been an old house that had been built over a hundred years ago, and it had been restored and made into a very charming pediatric office. The kitchen area had black-and-white-checked flooring and a little vintage refrigerator. The table had six chairs around it, and I waited for her to pour herself a cup of coffee, and then I did the same. We both took a seat at the farmhouse table across from one another.

“I feel like there’s some tension between us, and I’d like to resolve it as quickly as possible.” I took a sip of my coffee and looked back up at her. “It appears you have a problem with me.”

“I don’t have a problem with you, per se.” She paused, and I waited for it, because there was clearly more coming. “I’ve just worked for Doc Dolby for a long time. Probably longer than you’ve been alive.”

“So, you have a problem with him retiring?”

“I knew it was coming, but I didn’t expect him to hire someone who was so…” She pursed her lips and stared at me.

“So… what?” I kept my tone even.

“Young. You’re practically a child.”

I chuckled. She was a woman who continued to work full-time, and she had to be pushing eighty years old, and she was discriminating against me based on my age?

“I’m twenty-nine years old, Petra. I’ve never asked your age or questioned if you were deserving of your position here. I graduated top of my class from medical school. I just completed a three-year residency program at one of the best children’s hospitals in the country. So, this will be the one and only time I will have this conversation with you.” I took another sip of my coffee while she gaped at me. Had she thought I’d roll into a ball and agree that I was too young to be a doctor? I’d been through a hell of a lot worse than being judged by a snarky woman, and I’d definitely developed a thicker skin over these last two months. “I am more than qualified for this position. And I’m here, so if my age is a problem for you, then I suggest you consider working somewhere else.”

“Well, you’re only here for six months,” she snipped.

What is everyone’s deal in this town with the timeline?

I either stayed forever or I shouldn’t be here? It was ridiculous.

“Correct. I signed a six-month contract. So, you should be pleased that I won’t be staying long term. Maybe we can just agree to drop the sarcastic comments and show a little respect during the time we’ll be working together.”

“Fine. I just thought maybe you’d want to prepare for the patients coming in today.” She shrugged.

“That’s very thoughtful of you, but I arrived over an hour ago. I’ve gone over each file already, and I spoke to Doc last night about the kids I’d be seeing today.” I raised a brow.

She nodded. “I apologize for questioning you. I guess, well, I don’t know, change is hard. I’m not happy that Doc is retiring. Maybe it makes me realize my days are numbered, as well.”

“I get that. I just uprooted my entire life and moved here. It’s scary. But if it’s any consolation, I’ve noticed the way you are with the kids since I’ve been here, and I’m impressed. So I don’t think your days are numbered just yet.” I smiled, and her gaze met mine as I continued. “Charlotte Stratford had been so nervous about getting her shots yesterday, and you handled that so well. Talking her through the process and relaxing her the way you did. It was really sweet.”

“Well, you might be the first person to ever call me sweet. My husband would probably argue with that.” She chuckled. “But I do have a soft spot for kids.”

“It shows. So, how about we do our best to provide great care and go easy on one another, huh?”

She nodded. “I can do that. And Doc thinks we’re really lucky to have gotten you, so you can’t be all bad.”

Was there a compliment in there?

“Well, I hope he’s right.”

Lana appeared in the doorway and made a face before whispering. “Carrie Peters is here, and she’s in a mood.”

Petra pushed to her feet and then leaned down close to my ear. “Carrie is a bit of a pill. She pulled my hair a few months back when I tried to take her temperature, and she’s also bitten Doc several times. She even broke skin once.”

I shook my head in disbelief. “He did give me a heads-up. I’m ready for her.”

He’d basically called her an eleven-year-old hellion with a mother who modeled similar behavior and defended her daughter at all times.

Petra left to go get her vitals and take her to room one while I made my way to my office and gathered my files, leaving my coffee there before heading to meet my new patient.

Petra was coming out of the room as she pulled the door closed and hurried me a few feet away, her face flush. “I think she’s probably got strep throat from the looks of it, but she’s refusing to get swabbed. She already dug her nails into my arm, so I told her I’d come speak to you and see if there was another option.” I glanced down to see the notable claw marks on Petra’s wrist.

“She has to let us look at her throat and swab her in order to know if it’s strep. Why don’t we go in there together, and I’ll talk to her and her mother.”

“Her mother goes along with whatever she wants,” Petra said, as if that made it okay.

“We’ve got this.” I winked and walked back toward room one.

This was not my first rodeo with a difficult patient.

She followed me inside. The rooms were larger than I was used to in the city, and I appreciated it. There was cute wallpaper on the walls, each one a tribute to different animated animals, like a monkey, a pig, and a dog. There were two chairs in each room for the kids and the parents to sit on, and there was an examination table that had colorful paper with stripes and polka dots on it.

“Hey there. I’m Dr. Chadwick. It’s nice to meet you both.” I smiled, taking in Carrie and her mom. It was obvious Carrie wasn’t feeling well, as her cheeks were bright red, and her lips were cracked from being dehydrated. I asked Petra to go grab us a Gatorade from the refrigerator, and she left quickly.

“I don’t drink Gatorade,” Carrie hissed, and I placed her file on the counter before bending down to get eye level with her.

Her mother glared at me. “Yes. It’s pure sugar. I can’t believe you keep that here.”

“I’m certainly not suggesting you drink it daily, but your lips are cracked and you’re clearly not feeling well. If you don’t get hydrated, you’ll end up in the hospital,” I said, keeping my tone even and controlled as Petra came back into the room and handed me the blue drink. “So, how about you get a couple of sips in you while we discuss your options?”

Carrie narrowed her gaze, as if she were trying to figure me out, and then she nodded. She unscrewed the cap and tipped her head back, chugging the blue drink, and I pushed back up to standing. “I’d like to have you come sit up on this table so I can examine you.”

“Doc usually examines her in this chair. She doesn’t want to sit on the table. She’s not a child,” Mommy Dearest said.

“This is where I examine my patients.” I met her mother’s stare without wavering.

“Well, she’s not getting that ridiculous Q-tip shoved down her throat,” her mother grumbled. “She doesn’t like it.”

“I get that. I don’t think anybody really likes it, if I’m being honest.” I patted the examination table for Carrie, and she handed her mom the drink and wiped her mouth before standing. She walked over and hopped up to sit on the table.

I’d won a small battle, and I’d take it.

“So do something else,” her mother said.

“If there were other options, I’d be happy to offer them. But everyone gets swabbed when we suspect strep throat. And I’m fairly certain not a single person enjoys it.” I listened to Carrie’s chest and asked her to take a few deep breaths.

“Did we get her temperature?” I asked Petra. I knew she’d had the altercation, but I wasn’t certain if she’d gotten her temperature before she’d been assaulted.

“Nope. She refused it and dug her nails into my wrist.” Petra glanced over at Carrie’s mother before showing Carrie and me her arm that had open nail marks on it.

“So, we’ve got a few options here, and I’ll let you choose.” I looked at the young girl sitting in front of me. Her shoulders were tense, and it was clear that she was so used to fighting that most people probably just backed down because it wasn’t worth the fight.

I wasn’t going to do that.

“Okay,” Carrie said, with a little less attitude than she’d had a few minutes ago.

“You came here for help, so I’m assuming you want it.” My gaze locked with hers. “I can help you, and I can make you feel better pretty quickly, but you have to do your part.”

“I don’t like getting my temperature taken or getting that thing rubbed around on the back of my throat.”

“Yes, we’ve established that. But it is what it is, Carrie. I’m not going to allow you to claw me or anyone in this office, nor will there be any biting.” I raised a brow, because I wanted her to know that I knew what her normal behaviors were, and I wouldn’t tolerate it. “You will not touch anyone in this office that way again, at least not while I’m here.”

She startled a bit by my words and licked her lips, giving me the slightest nod.

“This is ridiculous. She’s a child. She isn’t hurting them,” her mother said.

I turned to face her and reached for Petra’s wrist. “Your daughter drew blood, and she’s old enough to know better. She’s not a toddler; she’s a pre-teen. This”—I gave her one last look at Petra’s arm before dropping it—“is unacceptable.”

“And what is it you’re going to do to help her now that you’ve established everything that my daughter won’t be doing?” Carrie’s mother glared at me.

I turned back around and faced Carrie. “I’d like to help you. Getting your temperature taken is not painful. There’s no reason to fight that.” I motioned for Petra to hand me the thermometer, which I held up before quickly checking her for a fever. It took a few seconds as I grazed it along her forehead, and it was done.

“One hundred and two point seven is a fairly high fever. You must be feeling pretty terrible. So how about we make a deal?”

“What kind of deal?” Carrie asked.

“Well, I’ve got a whole bunch of brothers back home who happen to be grown men now, but they’re all big babies when they’re sick. So, we have this deal when it comes to swabbing their throats,” I said with a chuckle.

“What is it?” she asked, not hiding her curiosity.

“I have them open their mouth, and I count to ten, and then I swab it as fast as I can. They always close their eyes, and they pretend that they are somewhere else. Like the beach or riding horses or whatever it is that they enjoy.”

“Why do you count to ten?”

“Because you’re tough, right? Anyone can do something that they don’t like for ten seconds. And it works every time. So what do you say?”

“Are you giving her a choice?” her mother said from behind me.

“Of course, I am. She can say no, but untreated strep is no fun. Strep is a bacterial infection, and it needs to be treated. It can move to different parts of your body and make you even more uncomfortable.”

“Why can’t you just give her the medication and assume she has it?” her mom pressed.

I turned around to look at her. “Because I’m a doctor, and I wouldn’t be a very good one if I didn’t test her and just guessed what she had. If she doesn’t have strep throat, she shouldn’t be taking medication for it. So, no, I will not just assume anything. Your daughter’s health is my priority.”

“And you’ll count to ten?” Carrie asked.

“I will. And I promise you I’ll go as quickly as I can.”

She nodded. “Okay. I’ll do it.”

Tears pricked her eyes, and I squeezed her hand as Petra moved to get the tray with the swabs for me, and she set them beside Carrie on the exam table.

“Hey, you’ve got this. I promise. Tell me where you’re going to imagine yourself.”

“Um… I love to go to the lake on the weekends. So I’m going to imagine myself in the water with my friends.”

I pulled the long stick out of the protected seal and took her hand again in my free hand. Petra hovered beside us. “I think that’s a great place to go. Open wide, and I’m going to count.”

“Oh, my gosh, I can’t believe you’re making her do this,” her mother grumped from behind me, but I ignored her.

“One, two, three…” I said calmly as I swabbed her throat as thoroughly and quickly as I could. “Four, five, six, seven…”

She gagged as I counted out the last three seconds, and I pulled it out of her mouth.

“You did it,” I said. “How about we take a few sips of Gatorade, and you lie down here for a few minutes while we check this for you?”

She nodded, and her mother handed her the drink as I stepped out of the room.

Her results were instant, and she definitely had strep throat, so I was able to get her started right away on meds that would help her feel better quickly.

I was surprised when she hugged me goodbye, and her mother thanked me, as well.

But we were slammed shortly after, and the day had gotten away from me. Lana stopped by my office and said goodbye as she was heading home, and Petra was standing in my doorway shortly after.

“Dr. Chadwick,” Petra said, and Winnie lifted her head to look at her from where she lay beside my desk.

“Petra, you really don’t need to call me that. You can call me Emerson.” I stopped writing my notes and looked up at her.

“Okay. Well, Emerson,” she said, her lips turning up in the corners just the slightest bit. “You were pretty amazing today. You have a gift for calming small humans. Especially the really challenging ones.”

“Thank you. Like I said, I have a big family. I’m well trained with the challenging ones.” I chuckled.

“I think Doc is right after all. We are lucky to have you.” She gave me a quick nod before turning to leave. “Don’t stay too late.”

“Thank you. And don’t worry, I’m heading out soon.” I was happy that Petra and I were finding our way.

It had been a long day, and I was looking forward to a large glass of wine on my back porch as I watched the sun go down over the lake.

It had become my new favorite way to end the day.